Oak Tree Day Nursery

Oak Tree Day Nursery 13 Nine Mile Ride, Finchampstead, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 4QD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/04/2013 16/07/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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 of all ages develop and learn exceptionally well through the excellent planning of exciting and stimulating activities.  An outstanding focus on learning through exploration and discovery enables children to find things out for themselves and to have a sense of achievement.  Excellent relationships between staff and children help the children to thrive and flourish in a nurturing environment.  Staff know the children extremely well and plan very successfully to meet their needs. Children with additional needs are particularly well supported.  Daily routines run very smoothly and are extremely well organised thanks to the exceptional teamwork of the staff.  Senior leaders have a very clear understanding of the nursery's strengths and have ambitious plans for further improvement.

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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

 This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all the rooms used by the children and in the outdoor areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to staff who were on duty and to parents who came to drop off and collect their children. She held discussions with the manager of the nursery and senior managers from the parent company.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation relating to safeguarding, staff recruitment and self-evaluation.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the nursery manager.

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Information about the setting

Oak Tree Day Nursery is a private care provision set in rural surroundings and is part of the Child Base group, which has nurseries across the country. The nursery provision is set over two floors and has a large enclosed paved and grassed garden to the rear of the property. Oak Tree Day Nursery has been registered since 2002. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is open from 7.30am to 6pm each weekday with the exception of public and bank holidays. Full and part-time places are offered. A maximum of 71 children under eight years of age may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 117 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery accepts state funding for two and three year olds. The setting is able to support children with special needs and those for whom English is a second language. The nursery has the Investors in Diversity award.

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Information about the setting

The children are cared for in three age groups by qualified and experienced staff. In total there are 28 staff working full and part time with the children, of whom 24 have appropriate childcare qualifications. There are two kitchen staff. The setting receives support from the local early years childcare and development partnership.

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

 establish the organisation and routines in the newly merged room to make the best use of space, avoid duplication of activities and continue to ensure the best outcomes for children.

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who attend

The nursery meets the needs of the range of children who attend outstandingly well. Staff have very high standards in all areas of their work and are successful in meeting these, so that the children develop extremely well. The activities provided in every room and outside are exciting, stimulating and imaginative, with a consistently strong focus on learning through discovery and following children's interests. In the pre-school room, for example, one boy had visited the zoo at the weekend and told the group about his visit, so the children were eager to play at zoos. Staff amended their planning accordingly and brought out the zoo animal figures and puzzles, and the children were happily engaged in acting out a zoo visit, while staff talked to them about the animals and their characteristics. Elsewhere in the outdoor area, a number of pre-school children decided to 'build a wall' in the construction area, and set to with the cement mixer and bricks. Staff supported them

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who attend

to co-operate with one another in this task and to use their mathematical skills in laying the bricks evenly.

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who attend

Children of all ages make excellent progress in their personal, physical and language development. The staff are highly motivated and extremely knowledgeable about the children in their care. All key persons use their children's 'learning journeys', or assessment folders, very effectively to record children's achievements and to identify the next steps in their development. There are very strong systems for development, built on accurate assessment. In the baby room, for example, the development of a child who has recently joined has been carefully evaluated by his key person, and activities planned to build on his enjoyment of sand and messy play. In the toddler room, a child has shown the desire to write like her key person, and so the key person has given her a pad of sticky notes and a pencil so that she can make her own 'observations.'

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who attend

Children in all the rooms are very curious and keen to explore the excellent range of activities available to them, and staff support for their discoveries is outstanding. In the baby room, for example, one child decided to crawl into the wet sand pit. As she felt the wet sand which stuck to her hands and made her knees wet, staff talked to her about the sensations she was experiencing, and then her key person offered her a welcoming pair of arms when she decided she had had enough. In all rooms, a very detailed exchange of information with parents at the beginning and end of the day enables staff and parents to work very effectively in partnership for the benefit of the child.

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who attend

Provision for children with additional needs is excellent. Those children learning English as an additional language are clearly identified, and staff make sure that they take extra care to repeat and reinforce vocabulary with them. As a result, the children are learning English as quickly as their peers. Extensive labelling of resources around the nursery helps all children to match words with objects. Support for children with special educational needs is specifically tailored to their particular circumstances, and there is close liaison with parents and health professionals. The key person for one child with physical needs, for example, is allowed to attend her physiotherapy appointments, so that she can learn at first hand the exercise regime the child needs to follow.

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

Staff make an outstanding contribution to the well-being of the children. In all the rooms, they build children's confidence and independence very skilfully. Excellent relationships mean that children are reassured and supported in their development. In the baby room, the focus is on hugs and cuddles to develop the children's sense of security, while as the children get older, they get more and more opportunities for supported risk-taking. The pre-school children are able to enjoy using the climbing frame or the tree-house, understanding how to look after themselves and play safely.

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

Excellent attention is given to healthy lifestyles in daily practices and routines. Staff are scrupulous in following company guidelines in areas such as nappy changing and hand washing, and daily events such as lunchtime and nap time are exceptionally well organised to meet the needs of the different age groups. Food is nutritious and of a high quality, and children enjoy their meals and eat them readily. Staff make sure that children learn how to behave safely and sensibly during social routines, for example in developing their skills in using cutlery and taking care with items such as knives and forks.

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

Levels of staffing are good and staff are appropriately qualified. The key person system is exceptionally effective and staff are very willing to take on responsibility and to go the extra mile to support their key charges. There is good liaison between the nursery and other settings the child attends or is going to attend, so that children are well prepared for moving to school. Discussion between staff at the nursery and at other settings which the child currently attends means that developmental issues can be picked up quickly and professional advice sought.

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

Staff offer children in each age group an outstandingly stimulating environment indoors and outside, covering all areas of learning exceptionally well. The outdoor area is particularly exciting and well resourced. In the baby garden, for example, the very youngest children are helped to explore toys suitable for their age group while watching the older children safely from their enclosed surroundings. In the toddler outdoor area, the children can copy the older children, for example in using construction toys, while not running the risk of losing their toys to them.

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provision

The effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding. Senior leaders run the nursery extremely efficiently on a daily basis, and their work is securely underpinned by the framework of policies and procedures provided by the parent company. Senior leaders have a very clear understanding of the strengths of the provision and know what to do to bring about further improvement. Recent analysis of the use of space and resources, for example, showed that it would be more sensible to divide the children into three groups rather than the four groups which had previously existed, in order to avoid duplication of activities and ensure that all groups had plenty of space in which to work. This change had happened only in the week of the inspection, and staff and children were still adjusting to the new routine and getting used to working in new surroundings.

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provision

The nursery fully meets the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Records are very well kept and welfare guidance is followed by all staff. There are well-understood procedures for staff supervision, continuing professional development and progression. Staff are highly motivated, confident and enthusiastic, thanks to the quality of direction they receive. The company operates the modern apprentice scheme, which is working well and enabling the trainees to learn new skills. The quality of staff teamwork and co-operation is excellent. In all rooms after lunchtime, for example, staff discuss their plans for the afternoon and adjust them in the light of what has gone well and what the children have enjoyed doing in the morning.

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provision

The quality of information for parents is excellent, with detailed guides to children's development in each age group available at the door to each room. Staff offer parents plenty of opportunities for feedback, from parent forums to online surveys. In its efforts to support working parents, the nursery offers services from its own health visitor to a children's hairdresser on the premises. Parents are highly satisfied with the nursery and what it offers their children. One summed it up by saying, 'It's brilliant - I can't fault it.'

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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 EY235391 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 908875 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 71 Number of children on roll 117 Name of provider Child Base Limited Date of previous inspection 16/07/2009 Telephone number 0118 9733231

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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

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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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