Offerton Farm Day Nursery

Offerton Farm Nursery Group Offerton Farm, Hindlip Farm, Worcester, Worcs, WR3 8SX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/01/2013 16/01/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children are happy and settle well as the staff team work together to create a bright, welcoming environment.  Children receive support to develop good personal hygiene and the learning environment is clean and tidy.  Children's health and safety are appropriately promoted as staff implement these policies and procedures effectively.  Children behave well as staff are positive role models and provide the children with appropriate boundaries.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff do not consistently use the children's next learning steps to inform the planning of activities. As a result, planned activities do not always meet the needs of the children.  There is scope to further support the babies' and toddlers' well-being as the key person approach is not fully embedded.  Children are not always fully supported in their learning, as staff's delivery of the education programme is not consistently monitored.  Children's physical development is not fully enhanced in the baby and toddler rooms. They do not have independent access to sand, water and paint, or opportunities to develop skills, such as climbing and balancing, if the weather is inclement.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed practice in all of the playrooms.  The inspector reviewed planning and assessment documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed nappy changing and the sleep routine in the baby and toddler room.  The inspector spoke to parents about the nursery.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke to the deputy manager about the forest schools programme.

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Information about the setting

Offerton Farm Nursery Group was registered in 1990 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in purpose-built premises in the Hindlip area of Worcestershire. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from two buildings and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 17 members of childcare staff. Of these, 15 hold appropriate early years qualifications from level 2 to level 6. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 88 children on roll who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 improve the planning of challenging and enjoyable learning experiences for the youngest children, and ensure this focuses strongly on the prime areas of learning, paying particular regard to the individual needs, interests and stage of development of each child.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 extend the key person approach to enable children's care routines to be fully supported by their key person, such as at nappy changing times

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 consistently monitor practice to ensure that gaps in staff's knowledge are identified and addressed so that practice is improved in the youngest children's rooms

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 provide further opportunities for children in the toddler room to independently access sand, water, paint and glue, in order to develop their small and large muscles

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 develop opportunities for physical play indoors for children aged under two years, to support the development of skills, such as climbing, crawling and balancing.

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who attend

Overall, children make satisfactory rather than good progress from their starting points. One reason for this is that staff working with the babies and toddlers do not have a secure understanding of the importance of the prime and specific areas of learning. Consequently, this has an impact on the youngest children's learning and development. Although planning systems are in place, staff who work with the under twos do not clearly identify individual children's next steps in their learning. As a result children's development needs are not fully supported and activities are not always matched to their needs. The prime areas of learning are fully embedded in the pre-school room. Consequently, older children are developing key skills that will ensure they develop and learn effectively. These skills help prepare children for their move on to school.

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who attend

Staff support children's language and communication skills across the nursery. For example, they share stories with the children, who listen and repeat familiar text. Staff in the toddler room creatively develop children's language as children pick objects from a bag and associate the object with a familiar song. Children sing the songs using actions and words. This helps children to understand that words carry meaning. Problem solving skills are supported well as children pour water through interconnecting tubes and guess where the water is going to come out. This helps children to enjoy exploring and investigating as well as to develop a curiosity about objects. The development of early writing skills is promoted. For example, children in the toddler room independently access crayons and make marks on paper. Information and communication technology is supported well in the pre-school room as staff play alongside the children and teach them

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who attend

how to control the mouse. This helps children to develop skills for the future. Children in the pre-school room have good access to a range of mathematical resources, such as scales and measuring cylinders. This helps to support their understanding of weight and measure.

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who attend

Children's develop their independence and this is well supported throughout the nursery as they are encouraged to tidy away toys and wash their face and hands after eating. Parents feel fully involved in the setting. They verbally communicate with the staff on a daily basis and share children's achievements. Children's developmental records are always accessible to parents. This also enables parents to learn about their children's progress and to extend their learning at home.

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who attend

Children play with a suitable range of resources. However, children in the toddler and baby room do not have sufficient opportunity to explore messy and creative play resources independently, such as sand, water and paint. This means that there are missed opportunities for them to develop skills, such as spreading, squeezing and tearing, to enhance the development of their large and small muscle control.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are happy and confident due to an effective settling-in process. Time is taken to establish relationships and obtain useful information from parents about children's general care needs, home practices and routines. Children separate from their main carers confidently as they are assigned a key person, and secure attachments are formed. However, the key person approach is not fully embedded in the baby and toddler room. For example, the key person does not always carry out important care practices, such as nappy changing, and this is a missed opportunity for them to engage with their key child and provide consistency during intimate care. Children behave well as the staff speak to the children in a calm and respectful manner. Children respond positively to appropriate boundaries with support and encouragement from staff. For example, staff remind the children to tidy up their toys and they respond

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

positively and follow the instructions. The children are supported well in the development of personal, social and emotional skills. For example, staff invite children to play in the role play area and encourage them to socialise with their peers as they pretend to make dinner. The staff gently remind children of the importance of sharing toys and children respond positively.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The staff help develop children's awareness of safe practices. For example, they take part in monthly fire evacuation drills and children clearly point out the safety meeting point. This helps to develop children's understanding of keeping safe. Children are provided with healthy snacks and meals. Fresh drinking water is readily available throughout the day. The children are encouraged to wash their hands regularly. This reinforces their understanding of a healthy lifestyle.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children have a range of physical play equipment outside. However, when the weather is inclement children in the baby and toddler rooms have more limited opportunities to be physically active. This impacts on the development of skills, such as crawling, climbing and balancing. Pre-school children have plenty of opportunities for fresh air. They access an undercover area, a separate bike and trike area and an adventure playground, which benefits their good health and physical development. Children in the pre-school room learn to take and manage risks and develop their understanding of safety through being involved in the forest school activities.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Transitions between rooms are supported well. Children have the opportunity to spend time in their new room with their key person, and parents are invited in so they feel familiar with the children's new environment. This helps children feel safe and secure.

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provision

Children are kept safe and secure at the nursery as the provider understands her responsibility towards meeting the welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, they understand the signs and symptoms of abuse. All staff have a sound knowledge of how to keep children safe. There are robust procedures in place to recruit staff, and new nursery practitioners follow an effective induction method. This ensures they fully understand how to implement policies and procedures to promote children's health and safety.

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provision

The nursery manager fully understands her responsibility towards meeting the learning and development requirements. However, while routine performance management does help the setting self-evaluate and draw out many of the most needed areas for improvement, it does not clearly identify some areas of weakness. For example, the monitoring of practice does not recognise that staff in the baby and toddler room have gaps in their knowledge relating to the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, this means that staff do not always plan activities that meet the needs and interests of the children. This has a direct impact on their learning and development.

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provision

The manager understands the importance of working with external agencies. Staff work closely with the local authority's special educational needs coordinator. This enables the nursery to draw on expertise and provide support for children, so they make suitable progress in their development. The staff show willingness to undertake continuous professional development. They regularly access training and attend network meetings where they share experiences with other local providers. This mostly helps them to inform and develop their practice.

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provision

Staff develop good relationships with parents and work effectively with them to support the learning and development of children. For example, staff hold consultation meetings to discuss children's achievements and progress. This ensures there is a two-way flow of information, which helps to support the progress of the children.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 205227 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 818013

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 135 Number of children on roll 83 Name of provider Rosemary Sarah Weston Date of previous inspection 16/01/2009 Telephone number 01905 757779

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply: Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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