Churchdown Day Nursery

Churchdown Day Nursery Churchdown Day Nursery, 115 Parton Road, Churchdown, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL3 2JE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/05/2013 19/11/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 A very effective key person system helps children settle quickly and feel secure. Staff know children very well and meet their individual needs successfully.  Staff take account of children's interests and abilities to help them plan activities that excite and motivate children to learn.  The nursery provides a stimulating environment, with good quality resources that children can reach for themselves both in and outdoors.  Staff use risk assessments very effectively to help keep children safe in the nursery and on outings.  Children lead very healthy lives in nursery. Staff follow good hygiene procedures, and ensure that children have plenty of fresh air, exercise and eat balanced nutritious meals.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children's early literacy skills, especially those of the older and more capable children, are not supported fully to help prepare them as well as possible for school.  Procedures for finding out about children's home languages are inconsistent, which means opportunities to extend some children's language development are missed.  There are few natural resources in the nursery for children's to closely observe, explore and use all their senses.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff and children in the four group rooms of the nursery and the outdoor play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the Early Years Professional member of staff.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery management team.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at planning documentation, children's assessments, evidence of staff suitability, the self-evaluation form and the Bristol Standards accreditation documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the view of parents from discussions during the inspection and a recent nursery questionnaire.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opened at the new building in 2009 and has been operating since 1994. The nursery operates from a purpose-built, two-storey building in the Churchdown area of Gloucester. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and cares for children from aged from three months to four years. There are stairs and a lift giving access to the first floor. Children have shared access to a sensory room. Children have access to an enclosed garden area for outdoor play and a secure balcony area for children on the first floor. There are currently 140 children on roll. The nursery receives funding for free early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language. The nursery employs 29 staff who work directly with the children. Two members of staff hold degrees in early years and one of these holds Early Years Professional Status. A

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Information about the setting

further 16 staff hold relevant qualifications at level 3. Two members of staff hold childcare qualifications at level 2 and two members of staff are working towards qualifications at level 3. The nursery also employs two cooks.

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

 extend the programme for literacy, particularly for older and more capable children, for example, by using national guidance, such as Letters and Sounds, in order to prepare children as well as possible for school

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

 find out from parents the language they use at home so that all children who are learning English as an additional language can be better supported, for example by staff learning and using some important words and greetings in the child's home language

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

 encourage children to closely observe, use their imagination and explore using all their senses by, for example, providing a selection of interesting natural resources, in a rich variety of textures, colours, shapes and sizes.

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who attend

Children enjoy attending this vibrant and friendly nursery. Staff are welcoming and knowledgeable and they generally support children's development well so that children make good progress overall in all areas of learning. They carefully note children's interests and the progress that they make in all areas of their development. They use this information effectively to plan experiences that excite and motivate children, helping them develop the skills they need to learn effectively. The rooms and outside play areas are well organised to encourage children's independent exploration and active learning. Children play with a wide selection of high quality resources. However, especially in the baby room, they have few interesting natural objects to observe closely and use all their senses to explore the rich variety of textures, colours, shapes and sizes. In the pre-school room, a lack of magnifiers inhibits children from closely examining things they find outside.

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who attend

Children form warm and trusting relationships with their especially assigned, or key, person. This helps babies feel secure so they gradually gain the confidence to explore their surroundings and interact with other children and adults. Toddlers find books and bring these to share with staff. They enjoy turning the pages and finding familiar characters. Staff encourage them to imitate sounds and join in with rhymes and songs, which supports their language development well. Staff are alert to children's interests, such as sharing with a baby the excitement of a dog walking past the window. When several older children frequently dress up as princesses and princes, a member of staff works with the whole group to write down and develop their ideas around this theme. They plan and then together make a castle, using their growing mathematical understanding to measure and construct.

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who attend

Staff are playful with the children; they engage their interest and encourage them to join in and try new experiences. Babies laugh and gurgle when staff cover their faces with fine material and play peek-a-boo and older children delight in the thrill and excitement as a member of staff chases them over and through tunnels. All children spend time outside each day, in the well-resourced outdoor area or visiting local parks. Young children learn to play cooperatively as they pretend to bake cakes in the mud kitchen.

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who attend

Staff enable younger children to develop early writing skills as they provide good opportunities for children to draw, paint, and make marks in other ways. Boys are particularly attracted to larger scale activities, such as group drawing on a table covered in paper or making a road to ride down. Frequently staff write down things that children say so children understand that writing has meaning and some older children attempt to write their names. Children of all ages develop a love of books and listen attentively to well read stories, joining in with familiar refrains. Overall, the quality of teaching is good, and staff support children well in gaining communication and language skills and in their physical, personal, social and emotional development. However, staff do not fully support children's developing literacy skills and as a result, the older and more capable children do not continue to progress as well as possible with their reading and writing. Children are

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who attend

generally well prepared for their next steps in learning, whether that is moving rooms within the nursery or moving on to school.

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who attend

Staff work effectively with parents, spending time at the outset and every day getting to know the children and their families well. Parents are kept well informed of their child's progress through looking at their child's developmental records, parents' meetings and daily discussions with staff. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child's learning, for example, by sharing children's achievements or 'wow' moments from home, which they display proudly in the nursery.

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

The nursery places great importance on settling children in to minimise any stress for the children and their parents. Settling in visits are planned for carefully, especially for the youngest children, with additional staff on hand so that the key person has plenty of time to attend to the child's individual needs and give reassuring cuddles to build a close bond. Regular daily routines and a largely consistent staff help children feel happy and secure so they enjoy their day. Staff liaise closely with parents at the outset. This ensures they know about children's individual care routines and what they can already do. However, staff are not always aware of the languages that children speak at home. This means they are unable to share common words in some children's home languages to aid their communication.

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

Children behave very well and they learn to play cooperatively with others. Staff are sensitive to children's different levels of understanding and they have appropriate expectations for children's behaviour. They recognise young children's frustrations and help them manage situations such a sharing with others. Staff are consistently kind and polite to the children and they act as excellent role models. Children respond well to their clear guidance and learn how to play safely, with reminders, for example, not to throw balls at others. They learn about safety in many other ways too, as they regularly practise how to behave in an emergency evacuation and discover their own capabilities as they climb or balance on suitably challenging equipment. Visits from a police officer and an ambulance build on their growing understanding of health and safety.

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

From a very young age, children become confident and increasingly independent. Babies crawl over to the table for snack time and are encouraged to feed themselves. They learn how to wash their hands and older children manage this and use the toilet very well on their own. Children happily persevere as they try to put on aprons or coats before asking for help and the older children serve themselves and use cutlery with skill at mealtimes. The cooks prepare nutritious balanced meals from fresh ingredients and the children eat these with evident enjoyment. The nursery accommodates all dietary requirements, including providing alternatives for poor eaters. Children grow vegetables and hatch eggs to hep them learn more about where food comes from and healthy eating. They learn about the importance of being active every day and to recognise when they need a rest. There are quiet, comfortable sleep arrangements for all the children.

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

Children learn to value others and different abilities, appearances and ways of life. They play with a variety of resources and see images that reflect diversity. Parents are welcomed in to share special festivals, such as Diwali, with all the children. They benefit from frequent trips into the local community, where they meet other children and adults. This enriches their experiences, builds their vocabulary and gives them plenty to talk about. They shop for cooking ingredients, buy plants from the garden centre, and visit the library and the pantomime.

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provision

The staff and management have a thorough understanding of their responsibility to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All staff are encouraged to attend regular training or gain additional qualifications to increase their knowledge and skills, as the nursery continually reviews and improves its provision for children. Staff monitor children's progress very effectively so that they are able to plan activities and additional support to meet individual needs very well. Records show that children are making good progress overall. The nursery employs an Early Years Professional who monitors children's developmental records to ensure consistency across the nursery. Staff have regular supervision meetings and managers observe their practice to highlight and address any training needs to improve their practice and benefit the children.

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provision

Robust recruitment procedures ensure the suitability of new staff and a thorough induction procedure helps them understand their roles and responsibilities. All staff receive safeguarding training so they clearly understand how to respond to concerns. Staff use risk assessments effectively, including daily safety checks, to help to provide a very safe and secure environment for young children. The nursery has very effective partnerships with parents and values their views on the provision. Parents comment very positively on the care their children receive and the approachable and flexible staff team. The nursery also values the views of the children. Staff note children interests and preferences throughout the nursery and actively seek the comments of the older children and act on them, for example by having paint out all day and planning more cooking activities. The staff and management successfully identify and address most areas for improvement,

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provision

including recommendations raised at the last inspection. They use an external accreditation scheme to help them continually drive up standards.

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provision

The staff and management team works well with other professionals, such as health visitors and speech and language therapists to improve outcomes for children. They are developing effective links with other settings that share the care of children and with local schools that children will move on to. Parent's comments during the inspection show they are happy with the nursery and the care their children receive. They appreciate the approachable staff who welcome their views as an effective way to improve the nursery.

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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 EY385380 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 906184 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 85 Number of children on roll 140 Name of provider Catherine Coe Date of previous inspection 19/11/2009 Telephone number 01452 531105

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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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