Oakwood House & Forest School

Oakwood House Nursery Oakwood House, 2 Hungerford Road, HUDDERSFIELD, HD3 3AL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/05/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children develop exceptionally high levels of confidence and independence because they are exceedingly well-supported by staff.  Children experience a rich and vibrant range of activities within the outdoor environment. This enables their learning across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage extremely effectively.  Parents are very well-informed about life within the nursery and robust mechanisms are in place for parents to share information about children's achievements at home. This two-way flow of information enables parents to be comprehensively involved in their children's learning.  Leadership is inspirational. The manager motivates and develops an experienced and well-qualified staff group who work very enthusiastically as a team. This means children are provided with the very best learning experiences.  The nursery's strong relationships with other providers of early years education and

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This provision is outstanding

with local schools ensures that children's learning is effectively complemented and enables smooth transitions to other settings and schools.

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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 the staff engaging in a range of outdoor and indoor learning activities, play and daily care routines with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked to children and staff, and also held discussions with the manager during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector undertook two joint observations, one with the manager and one with her deputy.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working in the setting, the provider's self-evaluation systems and a range of other supporting documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection and from feedback that had been gathered by the nursery.

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Information about the setting

Oakwood House Day Nursery was opened in July 2010. It is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is one of four nurseries owned by Portland Nurseries Ltd. The nursery operates from a spacious grade II listed Georgian building in Edgerton, Huddersfield. It has extensive grounds and woodland areas for outside play. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 6.30pm and is closed for bank holidays and two company training days. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children.

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Information about the setting

Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 127 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children with special needs and/or disabilities. The nursery employs 22 members of childcare staff. The manager and one member of staff hold Early Years Professional Status and all the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. Three members of staff are Forest School Leaders. Oakwood House is a member of the National Day Nursery Association and of the Institute of Outdoor Learning. The group has the 10 Year Award for Investors in People.

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

 enhance further the indoor environment, particularly in the baby and the toddler rooms, so that opportunities for young children and babies to have times of calm, comfort and relaxing sensory experiences, are extended.

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who attend

Children thrive and are well-motivated to learn in this high quality nursery. Staff have excellent skills and knowledge of the learning and development requirements. As a result, children's learning is exceptionally enhanced. Staff successfully seize everyday opportunities to turn children's play into fun learning experiences. For example, when pre- school children spontaneously remove their wellington boots outside, staff use this to support children's language development. Words, such as 'squishy' and 'squelchy', encourage children to describe the sensations that they feel. The mud kitchen in the garden suddenly becomes a first-class restaurant where toddlers use berries, leaves, water and mud to make the most delicious 'soup'. Staff skilfully use this activity to support children develop their mathematical knowledge by counting the ingredients in the pot and working out portion amounts, while also extending children's awareness of shape, size,

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who attend

Assessments of children of all ages are clear, precise and sharply focused and parents are able to make a substantial contribution towards their children's learning. Information about start points is gathered from parents using 'All About Me' forms that are adapted to suit different ages. Parents are encouraged to have ongoing input through the use of 'Wow' postcards that celebrate successes at home and the information is gathered together and included within plans. Display boards throughout the nursery support parents in understanding how children's learning is progressed through play. A robust system is in place for tracking and analysing children's learning and progress. As a result, children who are at risk of falling below their expected levels of development are identified quickly. This ensures they receive targeted support and appropriate intervention if necessary.

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who attend

Children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills. They really enjoy the extensive opportunities to explore the outdoors. Staff create abundant areas outside where children can make-believe, such as, pirate ships and dinosaur dens. This supports children to express their ideas through role play. Children make huge leaps in their personal, social and emotional development because of the nurturing and genuine care staff show them. As a result, children are gentle and kind towards each other. Staff have high expectations for what children can do. This means that they provide excellent challenge for children. Mud painting provides children with an opportunity to be creative and give meaning to the marks they make. Playing with water flowing down a series of pipes enables older children to experiment with different combinations to see which makes the water flow fastest. Younger children learn to hold the watering can at an angle to

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who attend

ensure they do not spill the water. Young children are encouraged to climb up slopes and explore under the discreet supervision of staff. This enables children to test themselves as they persevere at activities until they achieve what they desire. These are excellent skills that children will use with superb effect as they move forward in their learning.

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who attend

There is an extremely sharp focus on helping children to acquire communication and language skills and supporting personal, social and emotional development. Children are frequently asked to 'use your words' and, as a result, find new ways of describing what they want and negotiating with their peers. Older children, whose language is more developed, are further challenged through exciting activities, such as, when they are invited to find silver coins hidden in the sandpit. Children help each other to work out if the words written on the coins are real or not. Consequently, all children make very rapid progress and are skilfully prepared for the transition to school.

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

Staff create extremely warm and secure emotional attachments with their key children, and this is clear in the caring relationships observed. Children benefit from a gradual introduction to the setting based around their individual needs. There are many effective systems in place that actively support the two-way flow of information between the nursery and home. For example, parents are encouraged to make photograph books of important people in their children's lives to be shared at circle times. Parents are welcomed into the nursery at all times and invited to come to monthly stay and play sessions. This fully embedded practice of sharing information helps children to experience continuity between the home and the nursery. Robust handover systems established within the nursery ensure that children move gently and smoothly onto their new rooms, when they are ready.

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

Staff provide exceptional support to children with identified needs, helping them to flourish, and to feel special and fully included in the nursery. Meticulous implementation of individual learning and development plans and strong partnership working with other agencies ensure that each child's needs are consistently met to a very high standard.

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

Children are able to keep themselves safe because staff encourage them to take manageable risks. Children are very clear as to the boundaries set and the expectations of staff and respond to these cooperatively. Children engage in outdoor and Forest School activities where they explore the extensive grounds and enjoy climbing and hiding amongst the bushes, trees and logs. Children's imaginative play both inside and outside provide them with opportunities to test out risk. They develop an increasing awareness of their own and others' safety. For example, when rushing down the hill excitedly in a small truck, they know when and how to slow down to avoid crashing into the trees. There are many opportunities for children to be physically active in their play both inside and outside. Although, there is less of an emphasis placed on the creation of cosy areas in the toddler and baby rooms within the nursery. This slightly reduces the opportunities for

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

young children and babies to have times of calm, comfort and relaxing sensory experiences.

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

Babies' personal care needs are continually met and staff use nappy changing time as an opportunity to chat and sing, providing lots of positive facial expressions and eye contact. This encourages and nurtures children's trust and feelings of security. Children sleep and rest when they are tired and staff follow their home routines. This meets children's individual needs and supports their well-being extremely well.

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

Children's good health is comprehensively promoted through the provision of nutritious meals and snacks that are cooked on the premises. When the weather permits, snack and teatimes take place in the fresh air. Mealtimes are sociable occasions and staff eat alongside children. This helps children learn about good behaviour at mealtimes as staff act as role models. Older children's independence is promoted because they are encouraged to set the table and help themselves at mealtimes. Very young children really enjoy the freedom of being able to eat their own ice-cream cornets, laughing and giggling with enjoyment at the cold sensations.

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provision

Leadership is first-class and the manager has the highest aspirations for quality and the ongoing development of this well-established nursery. As a result, staff are extremely enthusiastic, motivated, and their morale is high. Comprehensive systems practised by vigilant staff ensure that the children are exceptionally well-safeguarded in the nursery. The staff team are very well-qualified which is reflected in the excellent practices that are in place to keep children safe and to ensure that they receive exceptionally high quality learning experiences. All staff complete thorough background checks and inductions, which ensure that they are suitable to be working with children. Comprehensive risk assessment and thorough daily checks of the indoor and outdoor environments ensure that the nursery is safe for the children who attend.

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provision

The manager has an extremely clear understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the welfare and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Monitoring of the curriculum and children's progress are detailed. Staff collect data to help them to effectively target support where it is needed most. Audits of children's learning journals ensure that the high quality practice is consistent amongst all staff. This helps all children to make excellent progress in all areas of learning and development.

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provision

Robust processes of self-evaluation are in place. Strengths and weaknesses are clearly identified and action plans are regularly updated to secure continuous improvement. This enables staff to provide the best possible learning outcomes for all children. Staff, parents and children are fully involved in the process and their views are actively listened to and their ideas and suggestions are implemented. High quality systems for professional supervisions are in place, based on staff self-appraisals and discussions during one-to-one meetings with the manager and her deputies. Staff are regularly observed by the manager and her deputies to ensure their practice is of high quality at all times. Peer observations are consistently undertaken to help staff to share knowledge and expertise and learn from each other, which ultimately enhances the quality of teaching and learning. As a result of regular observations, strengths and weaknesses of staff practice are identified and they

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provision

are supported to improve their practice through professional development plans and training.

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provision

Staff work in strong partnerships with other early years professionals to ensure that children who attend more than one setting are fully supported. Information diaries are used so that knowledge is shared. This ensures that children's learning is effectively complemented. Staff work hard to facilitate an effective sharing of information with the new school and teachers from local schools are welcomed in to meet their new pupils and find out what they have been learning. These well-established links help children to make a successful transition to their new school.

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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 EY428586 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 779368

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 68 Number of children on roll 127 Name of provider Portland Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01484431384

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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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