Kindred St Neots Nursery and Pre-School

Orchards Day Nursery Ltd 117 Great North Road, Eaton Socon, ST. NEOTS, Cambridgeshire, PE19 8GT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/04/2013 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

 The nursery provides a stimulating environment where children are able to follow their own interests, explore and become active learners. As a result, children are making good progress in their learning and development.  Pre-school children benefit from intriguing adult-led activities where they are well supported by staff who skilfully extend learning by questioning and effective explanations. Consequently, children are well prepared for their next steps in learning including readiness for school.  Good partnerships with outside agencies and professionals enables staff to offer a coordinated approach to children's care and learning. This is especially beneficial for those children learning English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The key person system is effective in supporting children's well-being and sense of security. As a result, children are confident, happy and settled when in nursery.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Further developments to encourage parent's involvement with their children's very good progress in learning are not in place and, as a consequence, occasionally, some learning opportunities are missed.

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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 compulsory part 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 activities throughout the nursery and in the gardens.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with managers and spoke with children and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector took the views of parents into account.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journals, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of practitioners working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation form and a range of other documentation.

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Information about the setting

Orchards Day Nursery Ltd was originally registered in 2000 and re-registered due to a change in company status in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is one of two nurseries owned by a private provider. The nursery operates from a converted building in Eaton Socon, St Neots, Cambridgeshire. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, one has a National Vocational Qualification in early years at level 2 and eleven staff have qualifications at level 3 or above. The provider holds Early Years Professional Status and qualified teacher status. Children attend for a variety of sessions and currently there are 69 children on roll.

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Information about the setting

It is open each weekday for 51 weeks of the year from 7.30am to 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special needs and/or disabilities and several children who speak English as an additional language.

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

 strengthen partnerships with parents to further improve their involvement in children's learning at home.

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who attend

Children benefit from a bright and stimulating environment where they can take part in a broad range of interesting activities. Staff have a good understanding of how children learn through play and, as a result, children are busy and active learners. For example, pre-school children delight in holding magical 'listening jewels' to their ears and excitedly tell their friends all of the sounds they can hear. Skilled staff support children's learning further by discussing the various noises and encouraging children to record their findings. This not only effectively supports children's literacy skills, listening and concentration but also prepares them well for their next steps in learning at nursery or school.

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who attend

Communication skills are well fostered because staff understand the importance of children being able to express their wants and needs. Staff use gestures and visual cues to support their spoken word and this is especially beneficial for those children learning English as an additional language and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Babies' first utterances are encouraged during play and care routines. For example, during water play, staff repeat simple words, such as 'fish' and 'splash', which increases babies' vocabulary and prompts them to attempt speaking. A wide range of books and plenty of meaningful text in the environment promote children's literacy development well. Staff provide lots of opportunities for children to practise their early writing skills. For example, firmly secured paper on table tops helps toddlers to attempt to make marks, while older children enjoy using note books, clip boards, chalk boards and

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who attend

writing stations. As a result, children's literacy development is promoted well.

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who attend

Staff provide a range of activities for children and are skilled at linking activities, for example, a child is playing with farm animals so the staff member sings 'Old Macdonald's farm' to enable the child to take part. Children's awareness of numbers is supported well as a member of staff sits with a child and counts bricks as they stack these. Staff respond well to children's interests, for example, one demonstrates how to construct a car, following a picture and a child happily interacts with her and follows instructions.

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who attend

Parents contribute to children's initial assessments and are well informed about their children's progress. Generally, most parents engage with their children's learning at home. However, further developments to increase the support given to parents in this area and to improve the information about children's learning at home have yet to be implemented. As a result, occasionally, learning opportunities are not maximised. Nevertheless, staff complete regular and precise assessments of children and use these effectively to plan challenging activities and experiences. Consequently, all children are progressing well towards their early learning goals given their individual starting points.

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

The key person system is well established and is especially successful as many of the staff have worked in the nursery for a few years. Key staff form good relationships with parents and this enables them to gain a good understanding of individual care needs. As a consequence, children feel secure and confident. They move around freely, choosing their own activity, which promotes their well-being and independence successfully. Behaviour is good because staff offer consistent and timely support when necessary. For example, staff remind children to share toys or appropriately distract them when difficulties arise. Children enjoy frequent opportunities to play outside where they can climb, play with balls and hoops and chase bubbles. Skilled staff support their physical development further by introducing large sheets of bubble wrap which children excitedly jump, stamp and roll over. Nutritious meals and snacks further support children's understanding of good health.

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

The environment is stimulating and well resourced. Children's all round development is well supported across the seven areas of learning both inside and in the garden area. Children's safety is given a high priority by staff and this is demonstrated by the good routine and continuous checks that they make during children's play. As a result, children are developing an understanding of risk during their activities and how to keep themselves and their friends safe. Staff encourage children to be as independent as possible, relative to their ages and stage of development. For example, young children are encouraged to take off their own shoes while older ones attempt to put on their own coats. Good procedures are in place for children's transitions both within the nursery and to other early years provisions. Activities and visits all support children well at this potentially stressful time.

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provision

Leadership and management are good. Monitoring for educational programmes is thorough and ensures that children have a broad range of experiences to support their positive development. Planning and assessment is equally scrutinised to ensure that children's skills and progress are understood. This means that any individual needs are identified and support quickly put into place to ensure that all children are making good progress towards their early learning goals. Managers use self-evaluation effectively to identify areas of strength and areas for development. The views of staff, children and parents are all incorporated into this procedure and, as a result, there are clear plans for improvement. Recruitment procedures are good and together with background checks, thorough performance management procedures and team meetings, mean that staff remain suitable for their role. Staff take every opportunity to attend training sessions to

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provision

improve their knowledge and skills. As a consequence, children benefit from current childcare practices and their learning is well supported.

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provision

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and how to protect children in their care. Staff know how to record their concerns, who to report to and the need to be ever vigilant when working with children. Effective policies and procedures are in place and support staff to ensure that children remain as safe as possible when at nursery or in the local area. Children benefit from a coordinated approach to their care and learning as there are good partnerships with other providers, external agencies and professionals. This means that, when necessary, advice and support for children's care and learning needs are quickly put into place. Partnerships with parents are strong. Daily discussions, diary sheets, newsletters and questionnaires all help to keep parents informed. Parents offer positive feedback about the nursery and especially appreciate the homely feel to the environment. They describe how happy their children are at the nursery and that this is of

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY456700 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 892026 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 69 Name of provider The Orchards Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01480477998

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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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