Thrive Lark Hill House

Holyrood Nursery, 320 Larkhill House 320 Manchester Road, Astley, Manchester, M29 7DY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/01/2013 28/10/2008

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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

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This provision is outstanding

 Children thrive in the setting. They are very motivated and eager to learn and participate in an extensive range of activities. They show high levels of confidence, enthusiasm, curiosity and imagination.  Key persons are highly skilled and sensitive and help children to form secure emotional attachments and feel very secure within the setting. They have an excellent knowledge and understanding of the children that they care for and skilfully support children in their next steps in learning.  Staff demonstrate an excellent understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The thorough implementation of robust policies and detailed procedures successfully promotes children's safety and well-being.  The rich, varied and stimulating environment promotes learning and challenge and provides a strong base for children to manage risks and understand how to keep

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This provision is outstanding

themselves safe and healthy.  Self-evaluation systems are thorough and take into account the views of staff, children and parents. This ensures that strengths and weaknesses are effectively identified and addressed and plans for improvement are well targeted and achievable.

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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 observed children's activities in six of the play rooms and the outdoor environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager, talked to staff and key persons and carried out a joint observation of a free play activity in the toddler room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents, including policies and procedures, children's records, evidence of the suitability of staff and recruitment procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of a parent spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Holyrood Nursery registered in 2008 and is part of a group owned by Happitots Day Nurseries Ltd. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery operates from a converted detached property in the Astley area of Manchester. There is a large enclosed outdoor area available for outdoor play. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There are currently 133 children on roll, most of whom are within the early years age group. The nursery also cares for older children before and after school and during school holidays. It provides funded early years education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children with special needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round excluding Bank Holidays and operates from 7.30am to

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Information about the setting

6pm. An out of school club is also provided which opens during term time, from 7.30am to 8.45am and from 3.30pm to 6pm. The holiday club operates during school holidays from 7.30am to 6pm. There are 25 members of staff employed to work directly with the children. Of these seven hold an early years qualification at level 4, nine hold an early years qualification at level 3 and four hold an early years qualification at level 2. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nursery Association.

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

 consider more creative ways to involve more reluctant providers in sharing information about children's learning, to enable staff to continue to complement and support their future developmental needs.

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who attend

Staff have a very clear understanding of how children learn and demonstrate high expectations of themselves and the children. The exceptional organisation of the educational programme engages children in rich, varied and imaginative experiences that are tailored to meet their individual needs. As a result, children are well motivated, eager to participate in activities and consistently demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning. The exciting, stimulating and extremely well-organised environment, both indoors and outdoors, ensures that all children make rapid progress towards the early learning goals in relation to their starting points. Teaching techniques are consistently strong and successfully reflect children's interests. Staff skilfully build on children's home based knowledge and experiences and provide further opportunities for progression. For example, children who particularly enjoy dressing up are given resources and

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who attend

opportunities to create their own characters and make up their own stories to develop their imagination. Children dress up as 'Little Red Riding Hood' and gather a basket of food to take to grandma's house. They build a den under the table, use the cupboard door to shield themselves and squeal with excitement as they hide from the wolf.

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who attend

There is an extremely sharp focus on helping children to acquire communication and language skills and supporting physical, personal, social and emotional development. As a result, children are exceptionally well prepared for school and their next stage of learning. For example, children develop their social skills as staff teach them to play cooperatively with each other, take turns, share resources, negotiate and problem solve when carrying out activities. For example, toddlers take turns with the water wheels in the water tray and pre-school children invite other children to join in their role play game. Staff encourage children to be independent whenever possible, for instance, they confidently select and replace resources independently, choose their own snacks and serve their own meals.

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who attend

Children's communication and language development is significantly enhanced through the 'Every Child a Talker' programme and the nursery's involvement in the 'Communication Friendly Spaces Project'. The use of sensory equipment and specific 'communication friendly spaces', which are available in all rooms, has had a significant impact on the development and progress of children's language skills. Staff use the 'Letters and Sounds' phonics programme to develop children's ability to tune into sounds, listen and remember sounds and talk about sounds. Toddlers and pre-school children are involved in the programme and take part in planned daily sessions with their key person. Children thoroughly enjoy the activities planned by staff, for example, they eagerly go outside to sit under the shelter to listen and identify sounds in the outdoor environment. Gestures and visual timetables are also used effectively to enhance early language skills and support

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who attend

children with additional learning needs. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported extremely well through excellent partnerships with parents. Staff work closely with parents to find out words in their home language so that they can understand children's needs.

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who attend

Staff provide children with a wealth of opportunities to develop their physical skills and the outdoor play area is exceptionally well resourced and organised to support this area of development. For example, children develop their large muscle control as they run, jump, use climbing equipment and climb rope ladders. They ride wheeled toys along a road track which develops their spatial awareness and coordination skills. Children develop small muscle control as they use a wide range of writing implements, scissors, and paintbrushes and make necklaces by threading buttons and bobbins on cord. Babies have space within the rooms to move, cruise along furniture, roll, stretch and reach. They develop their small muscle control as they push buttons on toys, move the beads on an abacus and lift flaps in books.

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who attend

Staff teach children about the people and the community through regular visits to local shops, post office and places of interest, such as the nearby farm and stables, where they go to feed the horses. Communication books which are passed between the nursery and home provide opportunities for children to look at photos to talk about their families. The nursery is an 'Eco-friendly' setting which has achieved the Green Flag award. Staff teach children about the importance of saving energy and recycling materials. They learn that they need to turn lights off when not in use, save water and to recycle materials. There are recycling boxes in the nursery in which children place bottles, paper and old shoes. Children learn about living things as they learn how to care for the giant snails, 'Isabel' and 'Ben', in the pre-school room. They explain that 'they eat cucumber and lettuce' and watch them closely and with fascination as they move up the side of the tank.

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who attend

Staff undertake purposeful observations and assessments that highlight individual interests and preferred learning styles. This information is used superbly in conjunction with their home experiences and translated into individualised planning that clearly identifies each child's next steps in learning. Children's learning journals illustrate the rapid improvement in their learning. These are maintained to an exceptionally high standard, detailing photographs of the children involved in a variety of activities, their artwork and regular observations which are clearly linked to the seven areas of learning. A robust system is in place for tracking and analysing children's learning and progress. As a result, children who are at risk of falling below their expected levels of development are identified quickly. This ensures they receive targeted support and appropriate intervention if necessary. Assessments clearly demonstrate that any gaps in children's learning are closing rapidly.

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who attend

Children with special needs and/or disabilities are exceptionally well supported because staff work extremely closely with external agencies and outside professionals to ensure they receive the appropriate intervention and support they need.

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who attend

Staff work closely with parents from the point of entry. They obtain detailed information to find out what children can do and use this information to establish children's starting points. Parents are able to access their children's learning journals at any time. They are provided with sheets to share significant experiences, interests and observations of their children's learning and achievements at home. Parents are kept fully informed of their children's progress, through regular daily conversations and parents meetings held every term. A wealth of information is displayed and distributed continually, keeping parents informed about the Early Years Foundation Stage and suggesting how they can support their children's learning at home.

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

A well-established key person system and the effective deployment of staff enable children of all ages to form secure emotional attachments. This successfully promotes their developing independence and exploration. For example, babies actively seek out their key person for comfort and cuddles for reassurance when they are tired or hungry. Children demonstrate high levels of self-control during activities and display confidence in social situations. Children learn about expected levels of behaviour from the positive role modelling of staff and from each other. Children's behaviour is exemplary because staff provide clear boundaries and implement the behaviour management policy consistently throughout the setting. Effective settling-in procedures and the highly sensitive interaction of staff ensure that children who are new to the setting develop a strong sense of belonging. They settle very quickly, demonstrating high levels of contentment and

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

confidence. Children's individual work is attractively displayed which makes them feel valued and promotes their self-esteem.

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

Staff consistently give the highest priority to the safety of children and effectively support them to develop their understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Children display high levels of confidence with day-to-day routines and understand the procedures in place to ensure they are kept safe. For example, they talk about not running indoors and using the scissors safely. Staff promote good health and well-being in a variety of different ways, for example, children have access to high quality outdoor provision where they enjoy the benefits of physical exercise and fresh air. 'Stretch and Grow' is an activity provided by an outside agency offered from the toddler room upwards to promote health and fitness, confidence, self-esteem, balance and coordination. The instructors adapt their sessions when they have liaised with staff to incorporate any activities being carried out that week and children also receive a monthly newsletter and a list of activities to do at

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

The nursery has achieved the 'Healthy Early Years Setting' status, which is assessed yearly, and children are provided with an excellent diet of nutritious, healthy meals and snacks. Samples of the meals provided include spaghetti bolognese, roast dinner, hotpot, fish and risotto, all served with fresh vegetables. Information is gathered from parents on entry to ensure staff are fully aware of children's individual dietary needs and requirements. Children are offered more food if they are still hungry and if they do not like something they are offered a healthy alternative. Their understanding of healthy eating and food cycles is additionally enhanced as they plant, grow and taste their own produce, such as tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and strawberries. Staff teach children about the importance of hand washing before eating and after using the toilet and role model excellent hygiene practices.

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

Children skilfully develop a wide range of self-care skills as they confidently demonstrate putting on their dressing up clothes during their role play game and putting on their own coats before going outdoors. They help themselves to tissues to wipe their nose and instinctively know to wash their hands before handling food or after visiting the toilet. Children enjoy taking turns to be the designated monitor at lunch time, when they set the tables and help to tidy away afterwards.

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provision

Leadership is inspirational and the robust process of self-evaluation is extensive and well- documented. It highlights the strong emphasis on maintaining high levels of achievement for all children and focuses on the impact of teaching on children's learning. Strengths and weaknesses are clearly identified and targeted development plans are in place to secure continuous improvement. Staff, children and parents are fully involved in the process and their views are actively listened to and their ideas and suggestions are implemented. Effective systems are implemented to enable staff to continually evaluate their practice. This is achieved through peer observations, high quality professional supervision, appraisals and continual reviews and extensive monitoring of practice. Peer observations are consistently undertaken to help staff to share knowledge and expertise and learn from each other, which ultimately enhances the quality of teaching and learning.

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provision

All staff prioritise children's safety and have an excellent awareness of safeguarding issues and the procedures to follow. There are exceptional arrangements in place to monitor and audit staff's knowledge which are implemented consistently. An extensive range of policies and procedures successfully underpin daily practice. Accurately maintained records also ensure children's welfare is meticulously protected. A high proportion of staff are qualified and deployed exceedingly well to ensure children are supervised at all times and thorough contingency plans are in place to cover for staff absences. Extensive risk assessments for all areas of the building, outdoor area, resources and individual outings ensure children's safety remains paramount. Robust recruitment and vetting systems ensure all adults working with children are suitable to do so. All accident and incidents are meticulously recorded, signed by the member of staff who witnessed it, and countersigned by the

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provision

manager. Each week accident forms from each room are collected and the manager and deputy manager evaluate them to identify if there are any patterns to the times of the accidents, particular children involved, or any specific equipment or resources that are causing accidents. As a result of this, procedures can be put in place to minimise accidents in the future.

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provision

There are highly effective systems to monitor how staff observe, plan and monitor each child's progress. For example, planning, observations and assessments are regularly checked by the manager to ensure staff are accurately tracking children's learning and progress. Consequently, staff have an excellent understanding of the requirements to effectively monitor all children's skills, abilities and progress. Information is gathered to show the progress of all children in the nursery, to ensure that any gaps in learning are quickly identified. The information is subsequently analysed and demonstrates that children who start the nursery below expected levels of development are progressing very well, and the gap is narrowing. Interventions are sought at the early stages to identify any group falling behind their peers or below their expected achievements, which results in children's needs being met effectively and relevant support services involved.

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provision

Highly effective partnerships with parents, external agencies and the majority of other providers ensure that children's needs are quickly identified and exceptionally well met. Further systems to engage more reluctant providers to share information about children's learning are in the process of being established. However, these not yet fully embedded in practice. Staff have excellent relationships with parents which have been further enhanced through the introduction of parent groups. For example, a variety of support and information services are provided, such as healthy eating and stay and play sessions. Effective communication systems ensure that parents are kept fully informed of their children's progress. Parents contribute extensively to the initial assessment of their children's starting points on entry. They are also provided with a variety of opportunities to support and share information about their children's learning and development at

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provision

home. Effective partnership working with schools ensures that the transition process is successful. Children are well prepared for their transition by being provided with opportunities to meet their new teachers in the nursery and through visits to their new school.

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provision

Parents are extremely complimentary about the nursery and the care and education their children receive. They say that staff are 'professional, helpful and friendly' and that their 'dedication and caring attitude is a key strength of the nursery'. Parents comment that their children develop close, emotional attachments with all staff and especially their key person. As a result, they are enthusiastic and eager to go to nursery each day to participate in the range of activities, play with their friends and have fun.

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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 EY372041 Local authority Wigan Inspection number 902615

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 117 Number of children on roll 133 Name of provider Happitots Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 28/10/2008 Telephone number 01942 897 739

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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

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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