Moortown Preschool & Day Nursery

Moortown Day Nursery C/o David Lloyd Leisure Club, Tongue Lane, LEEDS, West Yorkshire, LS6 4QW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/04/2013 18/09/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 3 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

 Staff have exceptional knowledge and understanding about how children learn and develop. They plan stimulating and exciting activities that motivated children to learn and consequently children make consistently, excellent progress in their development.  Children are very well settled and behave impeccably. This is because there is a well- embedded key person system and children feel safe and secure. Parents acknowledge the excellent relationships children have with staff. This means parents are confident leaving their children in the setting.  Children's individuality is at the heart of the setting. Staff respect each child, their views and their backgrounds. As a result, children are confident and appreciate each other's diversity.  Staff give utmost priority to supporting children to be active in their learning. This means children are constantly engaged in activities that interest and support them to

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This provision is outstanding

try out new skills and theories.  Staff are very well supported and feel valued in the setting. They are encouraged to gain further knowledge and understanding to support their roles. Consequently, staff are motivated to constantly evolve the setting and are focussed on giving children the best possible start in life.

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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 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 children in all four base rooms and outdoors.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the deputy manager of the setting.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the deputy manager, the training manager and four parents.

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Inspection activities

 A range of documents in each base room were inspected including observations, planning, tracking of children's progress and daily diaries.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of staff suitability, action plans, training certificates, policies, procedures and the setting's self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

Moortown Day Nursery is part of a chain of settings owned by Asquith Court Nurseries Limited and was registered in 2004. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the voluntary part of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a leisure club in the Moortown area of Leeds. The setting serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The setting employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The setting opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 79 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The setting provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children with special needs and/or disabilities.

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

 continue to strengthen opportunities to encourage babies to make marks and to feel media such as paint, sand, dough and bubbles.

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who attend

Staff thoroughly understand the benefits of play and how children learn and develop through play based activities and learning opportunities. Staff continuously support children to make excellent progress because they know each child exceptionally well, including their interests and next steps. Children are regularly observed and staff use this information with precision to plan activities that match their individual needs. For example, children who show a great interest in spiders are supported to hunt in the garden to find and observe them in their natural habitat. Children enthusiastically count their legs and staff extend this by using group time to discuss spiders and minibeasts in the garden before searching for images of spiders and information on the interactive whiteboard. Parents are fully involved in this interest and have supported children to make a 'bug hotel' at home. This means children are consistently well supported in their learning both

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who attend

Staff regularly monitor children's progress through a tracking system, which enables staff to highlight any emerging gaps in children's learning very quickly. Staff confidently discuss children's stages of development and utmost priority is given to supporting each child to reach their full potential. Staff do this by listening to children and using their expertise to plan activities to stimulate them and motivate them to learn. For example, children enthusiastically play in the water and staff harness this enjoyment by extending the play to support children to learn about the properties of objects that float and sink. Children use their critical thinking skills to find objects both indoors and outdoors to test their theories regarding whether objects will float or sink. They work together and discuss the objects that they have collected, staff support their learning by asking open-ended questions and encouraging children to experiment to consolidate their learning. Children

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who attend

are clearly very motivated to learn through exploration and staff are enthused by the clear display of excitement by the children.

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who attend

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included in the setting and also make excellent progress from their starting points. Staff have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of each child's individual needs and are able to identify and plan with precision to ensure children are fully supported at all times. Children have confidence to talk about their special educational needs and ask for additional support when needed. The extremely strong relationships staff have with all children ensures that they are all individually planned for and all children have the best possible start in life.

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who attend

Children are developing many skills to support them to prepare for school and/or moving to other settings. For instance, they cooperate well with their peers, taking time to listen to their views and discussing their interests. In addition, children show a great deal of understanding of how each of their peers is unique. Children know the specific needs of other children and support them exceptionally well. For example, they adapt activities to ensure they can all play together and remind each other to care for their peers. Children and staff show care and compassion for each other and this provides an exceptionally positive atmosphere in the setting. Younger children display high levels of confidence and move around the setting with ease. They access a wide range of resources to develop their curiosity and thoroughly enjoy looking in mirrors and using chalk to make marks on the low-level chalk board. These opportunities support children to develop their confidence

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who attend

and learn new skills. However, there is scope to further develop younger children's experiences to make marks and develop their sensory skills.

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who attend

All children freely access the outside environment and can independently choose where they would like to play. Parents comment that 'children are always outside' and the learning opportunities children have in the outside environment are plentiful. For example, children are learning about creating a sustainable environment as they plant vegetables and plants. Children move the plants when they notice they are not growing well and they work with staff to understand that plants require sunlight to grow. Children take great pleasure in assuming the responsibility to replant the plants by carefully digging them up and ensuring the roots are well-embedded in the new planting trays. In addition, children have created a recycling dragon to promote environmental responsibility. Parents have been involved and have provided many recyclable materials to assist with the project. Parents are fully involved in the setting and are keen to share their views of how well their

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who attend

children are progressing. Parents and staff discuss children's sessions on a daily basis and this is further supported by three monthly reports, parents' evenings and monthly newsletters. This means parents feel confident leaving their children in the knowledge they are happy and making outstanding progress.

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

All children are exceptionally well settled and are happy to wave to their parents as they leave. Some children ask why their parents have arrived early to collect them and tell them they are busy playing and to come back later. This shows children feel safe and secure in the setting. Children have created very strong relationships with staff and parents acknowledge the well-embedded key person system. All parents know who their child's key person is because the setting has a gradual settling-in procedure where staff, children and parents build relationships and get to know each other over several weeks. During the settling-in period staff work with parents to understand children's individual routines and their starting points. This means they can support children to settle while at the same time engage them in activities and learning opportunities that stimulate them and support them to learn and develop. All children have a photograph book with pictures

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

of members of their family. This means staff can look at them with children during the day and support them to express their feelings and extend their vocabulary as they talk about the people who are special to them. In addition, children's individual care routines are managed by their key person so that children feel exceptionally safe and secure in the setting. Children are extremely well behaved because they understand the behaviour that is expected of them. They constantly share resources with others and staff are excellent role models for children. Children are understanding the importance of taking on small responsibilities as they are 'helpers' for the day supporting each other to set the table for lunch and preparing snack. Children are continuously praised and positive behaviour is rewarded. As a result, the setting is full of happy, settled and exceptionally well behaved children.

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

There is a wealth of opportunities for children to engage in physical exercise and learn about how to live a healthy lifestyle. For instance, older children take part in weekly swimming lessons where they learn about water safety and enjoy the challenge of learning to swim. Children access the leisure centre for tennis lessons and use the soft play area to develop their physical skills, especially during inclement weather. Climbing apparatus in the garden allows children to take appropriate risks as they triumphantly climb to the top while being closely supervised by staff. An excellent range of menus including weaning menus for babies are provided by the setting. All food is healthy and nutritious and children talk about the benefits of eating a healthy diet. Children are keen to show their developing muscles at mealtimes and talk about the texture of couscous and the newly introduced aubergine. Staff ensure children have an alternative meal if they do

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

not like the main meal that is provided and praise them for trying new foods and textures. This means children are gaining confidence to try new foods and they are developing a positive attitude to healthy foods. Additionally, children grow their own carrots, beans and tomatoes in the summer months and learn how to harvest them ready for eating. This supports children to understand the world and where food comes from.

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

Staff are extremely keen to allow children the opportunity to take calculated risks. They understand the importance of children learning through active play and talk about the safety implications of activities. For example, children compress snow in plastic boxes to make ice bricks before creating a large igloo to sit in. Staff use the igloo to explore the concept of light and dark and discuss the different temperatures as children excitedly sit with their friends and show a great deal of pleasure in the building they have made. They excitedly share the igloo with their parents and the sense of pride and achievement means that children are developing excellent levels of confidence and self-esteem. Staff use building and construction activities to teach children about how to stay safe and the dangers they could face during activities. For example, before building the igloo staff demonstrated what would happen if the blocks of ice were not securely in place using a

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

group of teddy bears to represent the children. Children know that adults must check and supervise their play to ensure the bricks do not fall and children are kept very safe. In addition, children confidently use a range of tools as they help staff to make a new hutch for 'Coco' the rabbit. They use hammers and nails with confidence and know how to handle the tools safely. These opportunities support children to develop skills for the future and learn how to keep themselves safe from harm.

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provision

The inspector found that staff have an excellent attitude and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of how to safeguard children. They receive regular training and all staff complete the setting's internal safeguarding course and must obtain a 100% pass mark before they start their employment. This means that all staff are fully aware of their role and responsibility to keep children safe. The setting has a rigorous recruitment procedure and all staff have a comprehensive induction period. This enables staff to learn about the setting and the high standards that are expected of them. All staff have Disclosure and Barring Service checks in place and are suitable to work with children. Staff are able to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse and they have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the course of action to take should they have a concern regarding a child's welfare. Staff ensure the premises are safe and secure and all visitors are

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provision

thoroughly checked before they are allowed into the building. Additionally, all staff entering and leaving rooms sign into the room register. This means there is a clear record as to who has been in the room caring for children at any given time. This means children are exceptionally well safeguarded in the setting.

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provision

The management team monitor the quality of teaching very closely. They regularly observe practice and complete peer observations to support staff to continuously improve their practice. Staff also complete peer to peer observations and discuss ways they could improve the quality of teaching in each room. This shows a strong commitment to ensuring children receive high quality experiences led by dedicated staff. The meticulous monitoring of children's development files and planning means that any emerging gaps in children's learning are rapidly closed. Planning is of a very high quality and the management team regularly praise staff for their dedication and hard work. This means staff feel valued and clearly show their passion and enthusiasm in supporting children to reach their potential. This is coupled with an extremely positive attitude displayed by all staff to continuously gain new skills and continue to develop professionally. Staff are

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provision

excited at the prospect of starting new courses in management and visiting the company's training centre to learn new skills. Staff have worked together on the setting's self- evaluation document and are clear in their knowledge of the strengths and areas they would like to develop in each room. Consequently, staff have created room action plans and are keen to demonstrate the achievements they have made since the last inspection. Action plans are continuously evolving and staff ensure that targets are challenging but realistic. This shows an excellent attitude to continuous improvement.

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provision

Staff have created excellent partnerships with parents. Staff listen to parents' views and parents feel exceptionally welcome in the setting. All parents spoken to at inspection were extremely positive about the setting and spoke extremely highly of the staff. This means parents feel very positive about leaving their child in the setting. Staff have created very strong relationships with outside agencies and know who to contact if they require any additional advice or support. Relationships with the local authority development workers are positive and staff often invite physiotherapists and other professionals into the setting to share best practice. This means all children receive high quality care and are able to make excellent progress in all aspects of their learning and development.

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The Childcare Register

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 EY282992 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 908175

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 56 Number of children on roll 79 Name of provider Asquith Court Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 18/09/2008 Telephone number 0113 2369931

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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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