Whitehall School Nursery

Whitehall School Nursery Whitehall School, 117 High Street, Somersham, HUNTINGDON, Cambridgeshire, PE28 3EH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/03/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 Children feel safe and secure because the staff spend time with them during their play and explorations, encouraging them through positive language and facial expressions to choose freely and to try out new experiences.  Children are learning about the expectations for behaviour because the staff are good role models and make sure they take time to explain to them about being kind and thoughtful to others.  Children are learning to be independent. For example, the staff encourage them to find their coats and to put their own shoes on before playing outside, they know where the tissues are kept and put them in the bin after wiping their nose, and they know the routine for washing their hands before meal times.  Good relationships with parents help children to make progress, as staff work hard to ensure there is a joint approach to children's learning and promote the importance of the home learning environment.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children's opportunities to explore natural resources to extend their learning about the world have not yet been fully maximised.  The staff team have not yet fully utilised self-evaluation as a tool to support children's continued achievements over time and their ongoing desire to have strong links between their identified plans and successful improvements.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playroom and in the nursery garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision and with the principal of the school.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers who were spoken to on the day of inspection.

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Information about the setting

Whitehall School Nursery was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in premises in the grounds of Whitehall School in Somersham, Cambridgeshire. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from self- contained premises within the school grounds and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs two members of childcare staff, both of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and 3. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8.30am until 5.30pm, with the option to extend hours if needed. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 15 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 expand children's experiences of natural play materials to enhance their learning about the world and different textures by, for example, providing a wide range of natural resources, such as pebbles, fruit and pine cones

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

 extend self-evaluation through careful monitoring, analysis and self-challenge to ensure that priorities for future plans continue to support children's achievements.

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who attend

Children enjoy attending this small and welcoming setting because they are provided with a safe environment where they are treated as individuals and they have any specific needs met. The staff know them very well because the nursery is operated on a small scale. This means they are able to spend good amounts of time with each child to promote their learning and development. Both members of staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and they work well with the young children in their care. They provide a range of activities that are mainly linked to the prime areas of learning, but also bring in the specific areas of learning for each child that follows their interests. Consequently, children are gaining the necessary skills they need for the next steps in their learning. The staff work very hard to support children's developing personal, social and emotional skills. For example, they speak to them clearly and give simple instructions for them to

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who attend

follow. As a group and as individuals, the children show a keen enthusiasm to try out all the activities that are provided for them and are confident to help themselves to the resources. Children enjoy exploring the range of play materials and activities. However, there is scope to expand the activities offered to children that spark their curiosity and exploration of the world through natural play materials of different textures; for example, pebbles, shiny metal items, different fabrics and wooden cotton reels.

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who attend

Children know they can choose freely from the play materials and books that are stored in low-level units and baskets. For example, they choose the box containing animals and farm vehicles. Children are encouraged to speak and to extend their vocabulary because the staff talk to them during their play. When children choose the different animals and mimic the noises they make, the staff comment on this. They talk to them about the names of the animals, the colours of their fur or plumage and where they might live. The children enjoy the staffs' positive interaction in their play. They congregate together in the book area and listen with interest to a familiar story. The member of staff asks them questions about what they can see in the pictures, and this continues to engage and involve the children. As a result, children become confident communicators.

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who attend

Children enjoy playing outside and they benefit from being able to have free-flow between the inside and outside areas. They are confident to explore the sand, scooping it up in the variety of containers or with their hands and carrying it about with them, watching it fall from their hands. The staff support children's physical skills because they watch them when they negotiate moving from the grassy areas onto the soft play and decked areas to look over the fence to see the school cat. Parents are treated as a valuable resource in this setting and are involved in their child's learning. They are asked to provide information about their child's interests and achievements at home, and the staff use these details to inform the planning of activities. Each child's progress in their learning is recorded through observations that are made during their play. The staff use these observations to inform the progress check at age two where appropriate. Well-targeted

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who attend

next steps are identified for each child around specific areas of learning and activities. The staff are familiar with the Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance and they use this effectively to help them link the observations to the relevant areas of learning, which demonstrates how each child is moving forward in their learning.

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

The children attending this setting are very young and the members of staff are aware of the importance of them enabling each child to feel safe and secure. They work closely with parents on an individual basis to help children settle when they first start attending. Staff provide the children with close supervision and positive interaction, which helps them to feel safe and a sense of belonging in the nursery. The small scale of the nursery contributes to children's feelings of well-being because the staff are able to give them lots of attention and support in their play. The children show a clear bond with the staff. For example, they approach staff and climb on to their lap for comfort and cuddles as they need it. Children are confident to ask for items they want and they show familiarity with the daily routines.

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

When children reach the age of three, they are well prepared for their transition into the foundation unit of the main school. They take part in activities within the school, such as physical play and games in the school hall. They go for visits into the foundation unit, both with the nursery staff and with their parents, to meet the teachers, and the teachers come to spend time in the nursery unit. The nursery staff share information with the teachers about the children's current interests and the progress they have made. This close partnership working supports children's successful transition into the main school. Children behave well because the staff are skilled in managing situations that arise. They work hard to provide children with a consistent approach and they take time to explain to them about how their actions impact on their friends. This helps children to learn to manage their feelings and behaviour in an appropriate way.

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

Each child has their individual care needs met because the staff work closely with their parents when they start attending and on an ongoing basis in order to follow their home routines as much as possible and to support issues, such as toilet training. Children enjoy having their nappies changed because the staff are very jolly with them during the process. They tell them it is time to be changed while allowing them to finish what they are doing first. Children sit together with the staff in small groups for meals and snacks. Some bring a packed lunch and some parents choose for their children to have the school dinners that are provided by an outside caterer. Meal times are social occasions where the children can chat together. They talk about the colours of their cutlery and about the activities they enjoyed in the previous session. The children are able to feed themselves because the staff encourage them to use their cutlery and maintain close supervision

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

during meal times. Children thoroughly enjoy playing outside in the nursery garden. They learn to put their own coats and shoes on and they are encouraged to choose when they want to play outside. The staff regularly take them for walks in the village. For example, they walk along to the florist shop where they look at the flowers. When they return to nursery they take part in a painting activity linked to their walk.

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provision

The manager of the nursery works very closely with the principal of the main school. They demonstrate a full understanding of their responsibilities to meet the learning and development requirements. Systems are in place to monitor and adapt the educational programmes as the nursery becomes more established. Safeguarding is given high priority. The children are safe because the staff are vigilant in their supervision and they respond to each child's individual needs. The school has robust procedures for the recruitment and retention of suitable members of staff, and all staff are required to attend core training, which includes first aid and child protection. The school principal supports staff to continue to develop their professional understanding through working towards recognised early years qualifications. The safeguarding policy makes reference to the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidelines and is reflected in the staff's activity with the

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provision

children. The staff understand their responsibility to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements, and are aware of the benefits of working closely with other agencies that may be involved with the children in their care to ensure a consistent approach.

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provision

The nursery is recently established and the staff work very hard to provide good levels of care and learning to the children in their care. They have implemented reflective practice and have made some changes to their procedures and activity. For example, the methods used to monitor each child's progress have been changed to reflect the schools system in order to have a consistent approach. They have begun to identify some priorities for the future. However, as a new setting there is room to expand on their self-evaluation in order to monitor how the changes they make continue to support the children's progress over time. Parents are highly complementary about their own and their child's experiences at the nursery. They comment on how friendly and approachable the staff are and how willing they are to work closely with them. This contributes to children being safe and provided with a good range of activities that help them to continue to make good

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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 EY449864 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 885604

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 7 Number of children on roll 15 Name of provider Whitehall School Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01487840966

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Type of provision

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

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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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