Dicky Birds Pre School Nurseries Ltd – Claremont Hall

Claremont Hall Claremont Hall, Claremont Road, SURBITON, Surrey, KT6 4RL

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/03/2013 27/05/2009

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 2 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 Leaders and managers provide inspirational guidance which focuses on the best way to meet children's individual needs. Children thrive exceptionally well as a result.  Staff create exceptional learning environments which helps children to be active, independent learners.  Staff are excellent role models and children's behaviour is exemplary.  Babies and young children are given exceptional support to settle in, which helps them to be secure and confident to separate from their parents.  Staff use open questions skilfully to develop children's creative and critical thinking.

p.1

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

p.2

Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in each room and in the outdoor learning environments.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the Operations Manager in the roof terrace play area.  The inspector held meetings with the Operations Manager and senior staff.  The inspector examined a range of documentation.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of children spoken to on the day and as expressed in parents' emails.

p.2

Information about the setting

Claremont Hall was registered in January 2009 and operates from a two storey purpose- converted church hall in Surbiton, London Borough of Kingston. It is registered on the Early Years Register. The premises, which have a ramp to support easy access, are located close to Surbiton station. The nursery is one of five privately owned by a single provider. The nursery is open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday throughout the year, apart from one week at Christmas. The nursery curriculum is influenced by Steiner and Montessori philosophy. Children are grouped according to their ages, although they have opportunities to mix with other children within the nursery. There are two outdoor areas, one of which is a roof terrace. Meals are prepared and cooked on the premises. Children may attend from age three months to the end of the early years age range. There are currently 203 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The nursery

p.3

Information about the setting

supports children with special educational needs and/or learning difficulties, and children with English as an additional language. Children aged three and four years receive the early education funding. A total of 44 staff work directly with children, of whom 30 hold relevant childcare qualifications, including a qualified teacher.

p.3

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

 enhance the reflective practice by clearly capturing the younger children's views in self-evaluation processes.

p.3

who attend

Staff have an exemplary understanding of how children learn and develop. They use the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance in highly effective ways to provide an excellent educational programme. Staff know each individual child very well in terms of their stage of development and personal learning styles. Staff plan specific activities for particular children to foster their skills and help them achieve as well as others. They also create a learning environment where children can set their own challenges and be active, independent learners. As a result, children are highly engaged and involved in their play at all times.

p.3

who attend

Staff skilfully organise activities to reflect several areas of learning. For example, children use paint to represent the flowers and leaves they can see, developing their colour matching and design skills. Staff encourage the children to describe what they see and how the paint feels, which develops their vocabulary and self-expression. When displayed, staff annotate the pictures with the words the children used, showing them that print has meaning. This enables children to achieve well in many areas. Staff teach children that their curiosity and exploratory skills will be well rewarded. When children ask what binoculars are for, staff give a clear, brief explanation which is enough for children to investigate further. As children move around the room, looking at things indoors and out, they are excited and experiment further by turning the binoculars round. They invite their friends to join in and share what they have learned so far. This leads to lengthy periods of

p.3

who attend

purposeful play, which help children to develop their concentration and focus.

p.4

who attend

Staff are highly skilled at facilitating children's ideas. Staff carefully preserve the models children make so that they can return to them and continue their designs. In this way, the volcano children made is still available for play. Staff foster children's skills in making items for play. Children make play money to use in their shop, a measuring chart so that they can tally their friends' height and make all the signs they need around the room. Children's writing and literacy skills are exemplary as a result. Overall, this means that children make extremely strong progress given their starting points and capabilities, which is excellent preparation for school.

p.4

who attend

Staff record children's learning and track their development against the statements in 'Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage'. Parents are very involved in this process as they are invited to continue children's learning at home and add to the learning journey folders. Parents provide photographs and descriptions of what children have achieved. This gives the children a great sense of coherence as they can talk with their parents about what happens in nursery and vice versa.

p.4

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

Staff who act as key people for children give excellent attention to helping children form secure emotional attachments. They work closely with parents to establish the child's individual routine, and follow it in the nursery. This means that even very young children and babies are contented and happy. Parents greatly appreciate pictures of their children settled happily at the nursery as being very reassuring. Babies and children confidently explore from the secure base they enjoy, and benefit from a rich and varied range of activities, toys and objects to play with. The learning environment in each room includes natural and found objects such as sections of tree-trunk, woven wicker letters and shakers made with coloured rice. Children are free to use all their senses to explore their environment and they move items around as they set their own challenges in play. For example, children use blocks and short planks of wood to build a house around toy

p.4

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

dinosaurs. Indoors, displays are thoughtfully arranged at child height, so that children can see their work and photographs of themselves, their families and friends. This creates a strong sense of belonging. Children shape their learning environment when they make the posters and signs in their role play grocer's shop. For outdoor play, the learning environment covers all areas of the curriculum in the same interesting way. Staff have arranged it to be highly engaging for all age groups, so that babies enjoy exploring it as much as the pre-school aged children. Children are exceptionally mature in their emotional skills and behaviour. They cooperate with each other very well, working together to explore their play, such as all moving a large container to watch how the water spins inside it. Children are very polite and considerate of their friends, using 'excuse me' and 'please' frequently as they play. They

p.4

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

understand that rules are beneficial to play and so respond quickly to staff when they explain how to do something. Children relish opportunities to take responsibility, such as managing their plates and cups at meal times, or showing visitors around their room. They show great pride in their achievements and are excited about what they are doing. Staff are skilled at using open questions to prompt children's thinking and problem-solving skills. For example, they ask children to notice the weather and consider what they might need to wear to play outside. Staff also ask children to consider risks, such as what might happen if they cycle close to their friends at the water tray. In this way, children learn to identify and manage risks in their play and demonstrate a mature understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

p.5

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

Children have exemplary opportunities to learn about healthy lifestyles. The nursery provides all-weather suits so that children and babies can play outdoors all year round. Children's physical development is well fostered through active play include ballet, climbing and large construction activities. Children also learn about how their bodies work. For example, pre-school children drew their self-portraits in an activity on body symmetry, and went on to create life-size pictures of their skeletons. This led to discussions about blood circulation and nerve connections with the brain, giving them an exemplary understanding of themselves. Children eat balanced and nutritious meals and any allergies or religious preferences regarding food are strictly followed. Children have very good personal care skills relative to their age. They feed themselves, and manage their personal hygiene as independently as is appropriate.

p.5

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

Children have excellent support in their transitions through the nursery rooms and on to school. Staff carefully assess when children are ready for the next stage in their development and thoughtfully plan the best way to prepare each child. This is managed in partnership with parents to maximise support for the child. Children build excellent skills to prepare them for school as they are mature, confident and active learners.

p.5

provision

Leadership and management is inspirational. The whole staff team have a strong shared vision of focusing their extensive efforts around the needs of the individual children who attend. All staff are involved routinely in reflective practice and their ideas for improvement are given excellent support by leaders and managers. In this way, staff are empowered to bring about change that has a direct positive impact on the children in their care. For example, 'room improvement plans' detail the thoughtful analysis of how to support particular children to cope with separation anxieties. Staff expertly capture the views of pre-school aged children, using them to enhance their learning environment. However, this is not the case in every room, reducing younger children's opportunities to shape their world. Senior staff act as mentors to continuously enhance and refine the performance of staff, promoting the continuous use of open questions, for example.

p.5

provision

Children's achievement records are systematically monitored to inform staff about the curriculum, identifying any achievement gaps for individuals or groups. This overview informs nursery improvement plans, demonstrating a highly successful drive for the highest levels of achievement. Staff have annual appraisals which thoughtfully address their training needs and professional skills. As a result, staff are highly skilled and constantly refine their first-rate practice.

p.6

provision

The safety of children is a high priority which receives careful, robust consideration. Staff's understanding of safeguarding issues is excellent. Their knowledge of how to identify and report any concerns they may have about a child is well embedded. A secure and thorough recruitment process means that all staff have been checked as to their suitability. Daily routines within the nursery support a culture of safeguarding and the building is very secure. Leaders and managers carry out rigorous risk assessments to analyse everything that children come into contact with. For example, materials they use for children's care and play activities are checked against the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health assessments. As a result, staff are very well informed about how to manage care routines and activities. Staff are also highly aware that their safety concerns should not prevent children from expanding their learning and stretching their abilities. As

p.6

provision

a result, they involve children in setting the rules of play so that children understand how to keep themselves safe. Leaders and managers work closely and openly with parents to build a highly effective partnership. Parents receive weekly newsletters which provide great detail about the nurseries plans, events and childcare practice. Parents are encouraged to share their views and responses, which are valued highly by all staff. The newsletter includes advice and support on common parenting issues such as toilet training. Regular parents' evenings are also used to inform parents about wider issues, such as how the Early Years Foundation Stage is implemented. Key persons work openly with parents to accommodate their wishes and requests, so that children are treated as their parents would wish. Overall, this means that parents have exemplary opportunities to work in partnership with the nursery.

p.6

provision

Wider partnerships, with other agencies and professionals also make a very strong contribution to the care and education of children. Leaders and managers have established very strong working relationships with schools, children's centres and the community. Staff work in close partnership with speech and language therapists and physiotherapists to meet children's additional needs. Leaders and managers value the feedback they get from partners as it contributes to their reflective evaluation process.

p.6

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

p.6

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 action. 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.

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number EY382955 Local authority Kingston upon Thames Inspection number 909979 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 120 Number of children on roll 203 Name of provider Dicky Birds Pre School Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 27/05/2009 Telephone number 020 8942 5779

p.8

Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

Type of provision

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

p.9

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,

p.9

Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.10

Type of provision

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

p.10