The Willows Day Nursery

The Willows Day Nursery Old Main Road, Fleet Hargate, Holbeach, SPALDING, Lincolnshire, PE12 8LL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/09/2012 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

 This is a stimulating environment which is well resourced both indoors and outdoors to support children's all round development, subsequently developing their individuality and collaboration.  Children's behaviour is very good; this is supported and reinforced by practitioners who give clear messages and boundaries. Staff are good role models and their expectations of the children are high.  Relationships between children and practitioners are very good. Children are learning to respect and tolerate each other's differences. Children's attitude to each other is respectful and open-minded.  The leadership of the setting is inspirational with a comprehensive self-evaluation process that takes into account the views of staff, parents and children. Action plans are effective in overcoming identified weaknesses.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children's developing vocabulary is not always fully extended as some staff lack confidence in making effective use of good questioning techniques.

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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 held discussions with the manager throughout the inspection.  The inspector observed child-initiated play in the indoor and outdoor areas.  The inspector observed children during their snack and lunch time routine.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed two adult guided activities with a broad age range of children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning stories, children's assessments, long term and short term planning documentation, evidence of suitability of practitioners working in the setting, evidence of the settings self-evaluation and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

The Willows day Nursery was registered in 2012. It operates from old converted tea rooms in Fleet Hargate, Lincolnshire. The nursery serves the local area and beyond. The nursery is accessible to all children and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year, except bank holidays. Opening hours are from 7am until 7pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 48 children may attend the nursery at any one time all of whom may be on the Early Years Register. There are currently 29 children who attend the nursery in the early years age range. The nursery also offers care to children aged over five years.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications. The owner is a qualified teacher. 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:

 review and develop opportunities to extend children's language by: building vocabulary as children describe their choices; using more open ended questions with many possible answers to encourage children to use new words.

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who attend

Children's learning and development is supported by practitioners who have a thorough knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Activities are provided that are interesting and engaging. For example, the children are encouraged to peep into the box and say what they can see in the mirror. This activity is used by practitioners to celebrate children's differences.

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who attend

Secure planning and monitoring across the seven areas of learning ensures all aspects are sufficiently included. Practitioners engage and intervene with children appropriately. However, staff sometimes miss opportunities to to help children continually develop their voabulary through describing thier choices and using more effective questioning. Nonetheless, practitioners skilfully provide running commentaries for children to extend their listening and attention. Older children have been introduced to an inspirational letters and sounds session; this further enhances their literacy development in readiness for school transition. For example, some three year olds are already identifying the initial sounds of words.

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who attend

Every child is secure in communicating their needs and preferences. For those children who have English as an additional language the setting works closely with the families to celebrate and present their home language in photo and word format. Babies are supported to develop their language skills as practitioners introduce a running commentary into their play. Older children delight in repeating phrases from familiar books such as 'we can't go over it, we can't go under it'; this further supports their language skills.

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who attend

Systems to assess children's starting points on entry are detailed and effective. Parents are kept informed of their children's progress by means of a daily diary; these are a purposeful tool to share achievements both at home and in the setting. The setting has a flexible approach to fully include parents such as offering parents 'drop in's' on a Saturday morning.

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

The setting is developing an effective system for providing a key person for each child. Consequently children are beginning to form strong relationships and emotional attachments with staff and their peers. All children, from the very youngest show a confidence and strong sense of belonging within the provision. They display high levels of confidence and self-esteem and an excellent awareness of responsibility. For example, children relish opportunities to take on roles and responsibilities such as banging the tambourine to indicate tidy up time.

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

Practitioners act as excellent role models for children, modelling behaviour and reinforcing expectations of good manners and tolerance. Older children show much patience and respect towards younger babies, for example, sharing and offering their toys without asking.

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

Children have a high level of understanding of healthy eating; this is further enhanced by the comprehensive choice of snacks available for them to help themselves. Children are enthusiastic as they see the beans they have grown and picked and are going to eat as part of their lunch. Practitioners are committed to a daily activity session; this develops an understanding of the need for physical exercise. Children are competent at managing their own personal needs which is relative to their age.

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

Both indoor and outdoor areas are motivating and interesting for all children. There is a comprehensive range of resources that support children's all round development and emotional well-being. For example, the 'honeypot' summer house provides a safe haven for children's independence to grow and develop as they join Goldilocks and her three bears.

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

Transition arrangements are well organised as local teachers visit the setting to see the environment and meet the children. The children are invited to visit the local school on their sports day and to attend performances; this helps the children to prepare for their transition.

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provision

The manager has a high level of awareness of the educational programmes and as a result she is able to ensure there is a broad range of experiences to help children to progress towards the early learning goals. For example, the management team has a passion for developing personal, social and emotional aspects of learning and has introduced sessions to incorporate imaginative and creative ways to support this. There are effective systems to monitor the educational programmes and curriculum. The management team has introduced an efficient system for tracking individual children and groups of children in order to identify any groups or individuals that may be falling behind. These systems have been identified as being worthy of dissemination to other providers.

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provision

Safeguarding and welfare of the children in the setting is fully understood by managers and staff. All staff have a very good level of safeguarding, understanding and policies and procedures are clear and concise. Practitioners are all involved in creating an environment that is welcoming, safe and stimulating where children are protected from harm. There is a robust system for carrying out daily risk assessments to further increase children's safety. All staff hold a paediatric first aid certificate.

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provision

Leadership of the setting sets high aspirations for quality. Self-evaluation is very good and it takes into account the views of staff, parents and children. Careful monitoring and self- analysis identifies areas for improvement. For example, the management team and staff identified a need to develop the outdoor area. The views of the children were sought and a subsequent action plan was drawn up. The robust recruitment and induction ensures staff are valued and recognised for their qualities and strengths. The management team subsequently monitor staff through probationary periods followed up with regular appraisals and performance management. Staff are encouraged to continue their professional development to benefit themselves and the setting.

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provision

Extensive partnership with parents plays an active role in securing children's success in learning. Parent's views are sought through questionnaires. Daily care diaries and discussions contribute to good joint working. Appropriate professionals are contacted to further enhance relationships. For example, with the introduction of the 'Progress check at age two' the management team contacted local health visitors to introduce themselves.

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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 EY439986 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 786757

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 11 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 51 Name of provider Willows Childcare Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01406423112

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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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