The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden Private Day Nursery 69 Musters Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG2 7PY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/03/2013 25/02/2009

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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

 Children's play areas are thoughtfully laid out with a wide range of resources. All toys are easily accessible to them, which promotes their independence extremely well.  Skilled practitioners provide a stimulating environment where children are enthusiastic to investigate, learn and have fun.  Children's learning is promoted very well by practitioners, who understand the importance of working with their interests and how they learn best through play.  Care and learning is consistent for all children because the nursery team engages exceptionally well with parents and carers. Practitioners value highly the important role parents/carers play in their child's ongoing care, learning and development.  The well-qualified nursery team demonstrates a significant capacity for continuous improvement and they continually reflect on the already exceptional service, which they provide. They are extremely committed to driving improvement and as a result,

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This provision is good

outcomes for children are consistently high.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The management team are in the process of developing a language lead for the nursery, in order to promote and improve consistency in providing an enriched language environment for children.

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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 observed activities in the five main playrooms and the outside play area, and completed a joint observation with the nursery's early years leader.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, practitioners and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, planning documentation, self- evaluation and a selection of policies and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken via the nursery's questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

The Secret Garden Private Day Nursery was established in 2005. It is run by a limited company and operates from five rooms in a converted house in West Bridgford, Nottingham. Children have access to a secure rear garden for outside play. The nursery entrance is accessed via one step. Children come from the immediate and surrounding areas and many commute to the area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 71 children aged from five months to four years on roll. The nursery supports children with special needs and/or disabilities. It receives funding for the provision of free early education to three- and four-year-old children. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 8am until 6pm, excluding bank holidays.

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Information about the setting

There are a total of 16 practitioners, including a manager that work with the children. Of these, 12 hold relevant early years qualifications and four are working towards a qualification. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association.

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

 develop the role of the language lead and provide training, in order that they understand their roles and responsibilities.

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who attend

Practitioners at this welcoming nursery have a positive impact on children's learning and development. Children make very good progress in relation to their starting points and ability. Practitioners gather useful information about children's care and learning before they start at the nursery. They carry out an initial assessment of children on entry to enable them to set children's next steps in their learning. Practitioners understand the revised Statutory Framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage and carry out regular observations and assessments of children. Parents are offered the opportunity to see their child's progress in their development records and regularly speak with their child's key person. They are also provided with their targets to ensure that they can support their child's learning at home. Children are extremely proud of their learning journeys and access them independently, sharing them with others. Many have photographs of their

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who attend

family members in as well as those taken at the nursery. Practitioners have an exceptional understanding of how children learn and they plan exciting and motivating activities for them. They understand that children learn well from first-hand experiences and strive to provide as many as possible for those at the nursery. For example, the pre-school children are currently learning about 'money'. Children are given money to handle and explore as they find the numbers and the words on the coins and the paper notes. They talk about the colour of the coins and their size. Planning effectively supports individual children in their learning and development. It covers all areas of learning and provides appropriate challenge for all children. Practitioners monitor progress by continually observing the children, making notes of what works well and developing activities to ensure that the children progress to the next stage of development. The figures from each individual

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who attend

progress report are collated by the manager to show how the children are performing throughout the nursery compared to the learning goals to ensure that all of them are making good progress. A progress check at age two years is carried out around each child's second birthday, which is shared with the parents and can be sent to the health visitor if necessary.

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who attend

Children are interested and engaged in their play and they can choose from a wide range of well-organised and stimulating resources, which enhance their development. All the children are able to join in with the broad range of activities because at the setting, they promote an inclusive environment. They use signs and symbols and signing in everyday situations to aid communication. Using effective quality interactions and open questions encourage children to think further and enjoy language. Children's work is displayed throughout the nursery to make them feel valued and acknowledged. This particularly happens in the pre-school room where all the displays and labelling is the children's own work. Thus, demonstrating to the children that their written work is valued. Children take risks as they engage in different experiences. For example, in the toddler room a child puts their hand in the glue pot to explore the glue and then lets the glue dribble over the

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who attend

paper and appears to like the feel of the glue on its fingers. The practitioners are confident to allow children to explore the media of glue in their own way. Children in this toddler room have a wonderful time as they use the chubby chalks to make marks on the large chalkboard.

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who attend

Children's independence is promoted throughout the whole nursery. All children learn signing as a form of communication. The older children enjoy taking part in the yoga class and move their bodies with imagination and confidence. The younger children enjoy playing with the interactive toys and press the buttons to start the toy singing. In each of the rooms, they have a children's choice book for the children to choose what they want out to play with. This was seen to work very well in the pre-school room as the children took full responsibility for getting their chosen activity out and putting it away. The older children learn about telling the time as they talk about the hour. To make the children think, they are asked about what things might make them late. Children came up with some very thoughtful answers, such as 'traffic jams' and 'running out of petrol'.

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

An effective key person system is in place and means that children quickly form strong bonds and attachments with practitioners at the nursery. Key practitioners form close relationships with parents and get to know them well, so that they develop a secure knowledge of children's individual care needs. Children are confident and move freely around the setting, following their own interests. They approach practitioners readily if they need support or reassurance, which further demonstrates their feeling of security. The stimulating and welcoming environment supports children's learning and development well. Children enjoy being outside as much as possible and this is facilitated by free-flow of activities to the garden. This not only encourages their independence but also promotes their understanding of the need for physical exercise.

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

Children are learning how to keep themselves and their friends safe. For example, they are careful when using the stairs and they take part in regular evacuation drills. Routine risk assessments ensure that indoor and outside environments are safe. The main door is well supervised and only authorised people are allowed to enter. Practitioners talk to children at the sociable mealtimes, discussing healthy foods to help them grow strong. Nutritious meals and snacks support children's understanding of good health. Children's behaviour is very good because practitioners use consistent strategies to support their understanding of what is and what is not acceptable. They have helped to devise and implement the 'nursery rules and promises'. This means that the children have ownership of them and fully understand why they are in place. Practitioners use distraction and positive praise with the younger children to help them to begin to understand about

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

acceptable behaviour. Children are well prepared for their transition into the next room, due to the visits and discussions held between parents and key practitioners. Their transition on to school is also positive as the nursery has built up sound relationships with the local schools, in order to fully support the children.

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provision

Extensive child protection policies and procedures are known and understood by all practitioners. The manager understands their responsibilities very well, to ensure that children are safe. Practitioners have a comprehensive understanding of child protection issues and work very effectively to support vulnerable children and families. Effective recruitment procedures ensure that only those suitable to work with children are appointed. Individual induction programmes, appraisals and supervisions are in place, which effectively highlight strengths and address training needs. There is an extremely positive attitude towards professional development and practitioners are fully engaged with regularly developing their skills and expertise. For example, management and practitioners demonstrate a significant capacity for continuous improvement and they continually reflect on the service, which they provide. They are currently working on

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provision

developing a language lead to help and support the practitioners in promoting children's language. The nursery welcomes feedback from parents and carers, in order to strive for consistently high quality. They are highly effective in developing close partnerships with parents and carers to fully meet the individual needs of the children. Practitioners share information with them on a daily basis and share learning journals regularly. The manager has developed the nursery's website to offer further opportunities for sharing information about the early years curriculum.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward, as a result of concerns raised about accident recording. The inspection found that an accident to a child was not reported to the parent because at the time there was no mark. Since this incident, the manager has reviewed the accident policy and procedure and has reinforced the need for all accidents to be recorded and reported to parents even if there is no mark with staff. All practitioners have been made aware of the changes. Concerns were also raised about ratios in the toddler room. At the inspection, the manager showed the inspector evidence to confirm that they had sufficient practitioners present to ensure that the adult to child ratios were maintained throughout the nursery. However, the manager has taken action to ensure that staff members continue to deploy themselves effectively, for example, ensuring that telephone calls are to be answered by other available practitioners.

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provision

Practitioners complete rigorous observations of children's learning to assess and monitor each child's development. They complete a tracking document to monitor and review children's achievements across all areas of learning. The nursery's early years lead oversee these reviews to ensure that any concerns are promptly identified and followed up. Excellent partnerships exist with parents and other professionals, who have an input into children's care. Practitioners make considerable effort to engage all parents, ensuring that children's needs are fully discussed. Where special needs and/or disabilities are identified, the manager discusses with parents future plans about how the nursery can access outside professionals, so that the best possible care can be provided. The manager has an excellent insight into the needs of parents as well as children. They have fully embraced the self-evaluation process and successfully identified areas of strength and areas for

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provision

development. Improvement plans are robust and support children's achievements over time.

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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 EY314685 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 905385

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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 71 Name of provider Secret Garden Childcare Ltd Date of previous inspection 25/02/2009 Telephone number 0115 981 7837

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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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