Positive Steps Shellingford

Positive Steps Day Nursery and Pre-School Home Farm, Church Street, Shellingford, Faringdon, Oxfordshire, SN7 7QA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/03/2013 02/06/2010

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 All children progress well because staff use good teaching techniques, and assess children's capabilities and interests accurately. They provide experiences that capture children's attention so that they enjoy their play and often concentrate well at what they do.  Key persons develop genuine bonds with children and offer settled, close relationships. This helps children to become familiar with the routines of the group and to feel confident to explore and to try out new things.  Staff place an extremely sharp focus on helping children to acquire communication and language skills which ensures they gain the skills and abilities they need for future learning.  Self-evaluation is robust. The management team demonstrate an ambitious commitment to providing the highest levels of achievement for all children. Accurate monitoring and the promotion of professional development ensures that children take

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This provision is good

part in highly positive experiences with good opportunities for quality learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are some inconsistencies in how staff are deployed in some rooms of the nursery, which means that on occasions they are not able to fully support children in their play.

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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

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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.

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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 made several short and long observations of activities in all areas of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager and several members of staff, including the area manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, a sample of planning documentation, a selection of children's records and the nursery's policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of recruitment, suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.  The inspector took account of the views of several parents.

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Information about the setting

Positive Steps Day Nursery and Pre-School opened in 2004 and is part of a chain of nurseries run by Positive Steps Children's Day Nurseries Ltd. It operates from a purpose- built, single storey building in the village of Shellingford near Faringdon. All children share access to a secure and enclosed outdoor play area. Children attend from the local area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 89 children on roll who attend on a full-time or part-time basis. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.45am to 6.15pm for 51 weeks of the year. It receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four. The nursery employs 12 staff, including an admin assistant and cook. One member of staff holds Early Years Professional

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Information about the setting

Status and three members of staff hold recognised early years childcare qualifications to level 5. The manager is qualified to level 4 and is supported by a team of three staff who hold qualifications to level 3, with one member of staff holding a level 2. The nursery employs a music and movement tutor and football coach. Children also access weekly French lessons.

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

 further extend staff monitoring systems to identify and promote better staff deployment in all rooms in order to support children more effectively in their play.

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who attend

Children's progress in their learning is good because staff have a thorough understanding of how to engage children's interests and support their development. They plan and deliver a good range of rich and stimulating experiences with a balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities. As a result, children are able to initiate their own learning through exploration and investigation. Records kept show children make good progress from their starting points on entry, with staff noting achievements and sharing these with parents, together with short reports. All staff engage well with children and teaching techniques are strong overall across the nursery. Staff skilfully adjust their expectations and questions to the capabilities of the individual child and use their skills, experience and knowledge to extend their learning and development. Children's communication and language is supported well through purposeful play and

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who attend

interactions. Children have daily opportunities to initiate conversation and take account of what others say. For example, circle time, story sessions and discussions during play are extremely successful in encouraging children to speak about their ideas and thoughts. Staff place a clear emphasis on promoting new ideas, concepts and vocabulary during activities and ask challenging and open-ended questions to make children think. Children build firm foundations for early literacy through making sense of visual signs and symbols and use an extensive range of opportunities to engage in making marks both indoors and outdoors. Older children are becoming competent in linking sounds to letters and many of them can write their own names and recognise those of their friends on the name board. Daily story and singing sessions are warmly received by all the children, which are often linked to the topic to reinforce learning. High quality resources, experiences and adult

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who attend

interventions offer rich, meaningful and enjoyable experiences for all children attending.

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who attend

Staff place a real emphasis on children learning about their own and others cultures and beliefs. For example, staff provide opportunities for children to share and discuss and use a broad range of resources and experiences, which are creatively incorporated when celebrating various religious festivals. Children of all ages competently use programmable and discovery toys to further enhance their learning and development. They have an interesting range of opportunities to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through using a broad range of arts and crafts, musical instruments, small world toys and the role play area. Children have a range of first hand experiences to learn about living things as they walk to visit the dairy farm or go on walks in the local community.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are strong and make a significant contribution to meeting all children's needs. Parents are also kept informed of their child's development, and their learning journeys are readily available for them to see. The nursery encourages an open door policy and parents are welcome to spend some time in the nursery, observing their child at play. Further opportunities such as an Easter event, promotes the importance that the nursery places on family and allows for parents to build on the positive relationships they have developed already with staff. The link between home and the setting is further enhanced by a popular Teddy Bear who is taken home and returned to the setting to encourage children to share what they have been doing at home. Staff ensure they respond to the children's needs effectively in order to prepare them for school, for example, by developing independence, confidence and enthusiasm for learning.

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

A warm and caring environment is created in which children are fully supported by the consistent routines and the effective, trusting relationships with their key person. Staff greet children and welcome them into the room, ensuring that they feel valued and cared for. Staff engage all children extremely well and staff pay particular attention to babies and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to ensure their emotional and care needs are met well. Transitions are well managed within the nursery and consequently children have a sense of belonging and feel safe as they move to up to new rooms or onto school. The environment and good quality resources, both indoors and outdoors, provide a haven where children can independently explore, investigate and have fun. As a result, they remain interested and motivated to learn. For example, babies can investigate what happens when they press buttons on toys and look at books in cosy, cushioned areas.

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

Older children develop their confidence well as they busily move around their environment deciding what to do. They are involved, busy and occupied with the wide range of opportunities on offer to them in this exciting and stimulating environment. Children have daily access to outdoor play where they enjoy fresh air and regular exercise, and each room has its own comfortable, quiet area where babies and children can rest. Babies sleep in their own cots in the sleep room where they can rest and relax in a calm soothing environment. As a result, children's health and hygiene is successfully promoted, which in turn has a positive impact on their physical and emotional well-being.

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

Staff effectively support children's personal, social and emotional development as they teach them to take turns and share, manage their own feelings and encourage them to be independent. Children demonstrate a caring, helpful attitude to staff and each other and demonstrate good self-control as they listen to staff explanations, share resources and play harmoniously together. Older children help to clean the tables after lunch and are competent at tidying up the resources. Creative strategies are used well to encourage children to contribute their ideas, choose and decision make. For example, at the beginning of each session in the toddler's room, children use the 'Feelings Board' to record their feelings so that staff can gauge the support they need during the day.

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

Children have a secure understanding of how to stay safe and this is demonstrated well through their play and interactions. Children's good health and self-care is securely embedded as they attend to their personal needs. For example, they are independent as they self-select resources, collect their own coats from their coat peg and manage their own personal needs in readiness for school. All children benefit from the access to fresh air and the outdoor environment, which contributes to their health and well-being. The outdoor area offers a range of experiences including opportunities to be physical and a good range of activities for children to engage in creative and purposeful play. Children climb up the climbing frame, hop on chalk markings on the tarmac and run and chase each other on the grassy areas. The nursery offers weekly football and music and movement sessions and children become animated and excited.

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

A healthy eating initiative, part of the Jamie Oliver Foundation and School Food Trust has been well promoted in the nursery and staff have created opportunities for all parents to become involved in promoting a healthy lifestyle for their children. Meals are freshly prepared on site and are healthy, nutritious and prepared to encourage the children to develop positive taste for a healthy diet. All meals are well enjoyed by the children, who develop their independence as they help themselves to breakfast cereals or second helpings of their favourite foods. Good support is given to those children who have allergies or dietary needs because staff work very closely with parents to make children feel included.

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provision

The manager and all staff are committed, dedicated and passionate about their work with children. They have high aspirations for the improvement of the nursery and service they provide. Priorities for improvement are identified through the self-evaluation process and consistent monitoring of the environment. The manager clearly recognises the strengths and weaknesses of the provision, and parents are fully included in the process. Parents' views are sought through regular conversations and written questionnaires, and their ideas and suggestions are responded to and acted upon.

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provision

Safeguarding arrangements are well embedded in all aspects of practice. Any concerns are prioritised and dealt with effectively in relation to child protection issues. All staff have a secure understanding of current child protection procedures and the reporting procedure to follow if they have a concern about a child as they have attended recent training. The manager is the designated safeguarding officer for the chain of nurseries and is knowledgeable about her role and how to support others. Risk assessment procedures are comprehensive and staff are vigilant in supervising the children to promote their welfare and safety at all times.

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provision

Robust systems are in place for the appointment of staff and the induction process ensures they can carry out their tasks appropriately. Clear expectations and standards are embedded across all areas of practice with an achievable plan which is accurate, realistic and challenging. The management team provide high quality professional supervision, coaching and training opportunities for all staff to further raise their skills and qualifications. A newly introduced monitoring procedure to support staff further in developing their practice has been mostly successful in improving the quality of teaching. As this is still becoming embedded across the nursery, there are occasions where practice in some rooms is not as consistent as others. This results in some staff shifting their focus for short times onto routine tasks, which means they are not actively supporting the children in their learning. This can also be seen in the quality of some observations, which

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provision

do not always contain enough detail to robustly inform planning. However, all staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of the educational programmes and children experience a broad and balanced range of experiences that help them make good progress in relation to their starting points.

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provision

Parents express great satisfaction with the nursery provision, commenting particularly on the 'helpful and friendly' staff. Effective partnerships between staff, parents, carers and their children means parents and carers are kept very well informed about the provision, activities and all aspects of their children's achievements. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are particularly well supported because staff work very closely with external agencies and professionals to ensure they receive the appropriate intervention and support they need, such as for speech and language development. This liaison includes establishing good working relationships with a number of schools, so that children are well prepared and confident to move to school when the time comes.

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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 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.

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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 EY283818 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 907137 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 55 Number of children on roll 89 Name of provider Positive Steps Children's Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 02/06/2010 Telephone number 01367 718888

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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.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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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.

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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, which are usually the childminder’s 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

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’.

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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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