Cherry Tree Day Nursery

Cherry Tree Day Nursery The Nursery, 16-18 Upper York Street, WAKEFIELD, West Yorkshire, WF1 3LQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/04/2013 27/10/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children are happy and settled. Relationships with staff are strong and children make secure attachments, developing their emotional security.  Children are kept safe as the nursery is secure. Children are well-supervised and child protection procedures are clear and understood by all staff.  Staff extend children's vocabulary and help them to develop conversations appropriately. They listen and skilfully question children during activities to extend children's language.

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It is not yet good because

 Observations, assessments and planning are not always suitably consistent in depth or breadth to build on children's learning to ensure that they make good progress in their learning and development.  Children's physical skills are not widely supported because access to the outdoor area to provide children with more exciting play choices and enable them to learn in different ways, have not yet been fully embraced.  There is room to do more to help young children understand that words have real meaning, for example, by labelling storage and displaying signs.  Opportunities are not always maximised to fully encourage parents to contribute to their children's ongoing learning and development, or to share achievements from home.

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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 both playrooms, the dining room and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took part in a joint observation of daily routines and activities in the two pre-school rooms.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings and observed practice with the manager of the provision.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of views and comments from parents spoken to during the inspection and some written comments in children's developmental records.

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Information about the setting

Cherry Tree Day Nursery was registered in 1998. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a detached property in Wakefield city centre, and is managed by a partnership. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. Children aged over two years and up to five years of age are accommodated on the ground floor in three rooms with kitchen facilities and a bathroom close by. Those children under the age of two years are cared for on the first floor. There is a separate sleep room, toilet and nappy changing facilities also on this floor. All children have access to a fully enclosed area at the rear of the building for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs five members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round, excluding bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 21 children attending who are in the early years age group. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association.

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must:

 develop further the monitoring of planning and assessment to ensure that it is more rigorous in identifying all circumstances where intervention, additional support and challenge may be required to promote individual children's learning and development

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must:

 improve the educational programme for physical development by: reviewing the use of the outdoor play space to extend opportunities for children to move freely between the indoors and outdoors and to provide more exciting choices for children, so that they can learn in different ways and on different scales than when indoors.

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

 enhance children's understanding that words have meaning, both indoor and outside, by displaying words with pictures, such as labelling storage boxes to show what they contain or using signs to name things

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

 extend opportunities to enable parents and carers to regularly contribute to their child's learning and development record and to share achievements from home.

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who attend

Children are settled and enjoy coming to the nursery. They are familiar and secure in the routines and know the small staff team well. Consequently, children not only build warm and positive relationships with their key persons but also relate well when staff cover in other rooms. Staff conduct regular observations and assessments on children, although, there is some inconsistency across the nursery with regard to how informative and accurate these are. Where staff are supporting individual children in achieving their next steps in learning, the specific areas for development are not always clearly identified, hindering how effective support can be planned and delivered. For other children, these assessments reflect their abilities and stages appropriately as staff match their progress against the 'Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage' guidance. Staff effectively complete the progress check at two years for children within that age range.

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who attend

Daily care sheets are completed for babies, toddlers and older children which are shared with parents. These include information about the day's activities and care routines. Parents are regularly informed about their children's progress through daily discussion and are encouraged to view their children's learning and development records. For example, staff complete a three monthly progress report for all children, which is shared with their parents. However, other opportunities to encourage parents to play a full and active role in their child's learning, such as, adding comments to their ongoing learning and development records or sharing their achievements or special events from home, are variable. Consequently, children's learning potential is reduced.

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who attend

All children make independent choices and are provided with opportunities to instigate their own play. For example, they happily engage in role play in the home corner, preparing drinks and meals of cheese and onion, involving staff and their peers. Interaction between staff and children is strong and highlighted by the children's reactions and the enjoyment they display. Babies are gently encouraged to explore their environment because a variety of toys, soft play and natural materials are located around the room to promote crawling, rolling and climbing. They are encouraged to use their senses when exploring different textures, such as, water, sand and paint. As a result, children are appropriately engaged and interested in their play. Staff are skilled in extending children's thinking. For example, when playing in the water tray, staff encourage children to look at the different shells and to think what type of creature might

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who attend

have lived in it. Children eagerly discus the different colours of the shells and confidently group them into large and small before counting how many they have in total. Other children enjoy looking at and naming the different sea creatures in their imaginary rock pool, such as a whale and a fish. Many of the older children demonstrate well-developed language skills. They are articulate and use complex sentences as they describe their activities and confidently engage in conversations with each other and with adults. Staff effectively extend younger children's vocabulary skills. They introduce words, such as 'smooth' and 'shiny', when looking at the shells. Other children are supported appropriately to name the different shapes they use when making a collage picture, such as, triangle and circle. Children are constantly given meaningful praise and encouragement to 'have a go' and develop new skills. Consequently, children develop good skills to help

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who attend

them in their next stage of learning, such as, dressing themselves before playing outside and recognising their name on the coat pegs. However, some opportunities to extend children's understanding that words have meaning have been overlooked, such as, labelling storage and using signs both inside and outside. All children benefit from daily opportunities to play outside. However, the presentation of the outside learning environment, and opportunities for children to spend more time learning outdoors, are not as well-embedded as opportunities for indoor learning. As a result, those children whose preference is for outdoor learning have less opportunity to extend their skills in this area. When children do play outside, they enthusiastically ride and manoeuvre bikes and scooters with care and enjoy playing on the small slide, developing their physical skills. Parents of children who speak English as an additional

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who attend

language are involved in sharing their home languages. Some parents appreciate being asked to translate some signage into their languages, in order to promote children's sense of belonging, ensuring their cultural backgrounds are acknowledged and valued. Partnerships are developing with the local schools and sensitive support provided by staff ensures that children are well-prepared for their transition into school.

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

Children are welcomed into a stimulating, nurturing environment which supports their well-being appropriately. Low-level storage units contain a good selection of toys and resources, which are attractively displayed and easily accessible. As a result, children of all ages enjoy exploring their surroundings and making independent choices. They demonstrate high levels of curiosity and express themselves creatively. For example, young children enjoy squeezing sponges with their hands and using spades to scoop up sand. Older children enjoy using a range cutters and rolling pins to make dough animals whilst others work together to build a farmyard.

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

All children show a strong sense of belonging within the nursery. They are greeted warmly on arrival by friendly attentive staff. An established key person system ensures that all children form secure emotional attachments. Effective settling-in procedures and close liaison with parents ensure that every child's care is tailored to meet their individual needs. A key person is assigned during the induction period, providing every child and family with the opportunity to have a 'special' relationship with one member of staff. This provides parents with a familiar person with whom they can discuss their child's care. As a result, consistency of care is maintained and newly settled children receive reassurance and comfort, developing their confidence and future skills for learning.

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

Children engage in a variety of activities and access resources that reflect diversity and explore feelings. As a result, even the youngest of children show care and concern towards each other and learn to respect each other's differences. Staff are suitable role models for children and are calm and consistent in their management of behaviour. They use satisfactory behaviour management strategies and children's self-esteem is enhanced as they receive plenty of praise for good behaviour, effort and achievement. Staff are working to support some younger children in coping with strong emotions and reactions to their peers as they learn to share, take turns and be kind to each other.

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

Children learn about healthy lifestyles through daily outdoor play and enjoy throwing and catching balls with staff and balancing on small blocks. Meals are freshly prepared daily on the premises and include a varied menu with choices, which supports children in experiencing different tastes and textures. Older children often ask for second helpings and staff praise their healthy appetites, reminding them about growing strong and healthy. Older children and toddlers are supported appropriately by staff to independently serve their own drinks, snacks and meals. Babies' individual dietary requirements are discussed regularly with parents and mealtimes are adapted to suit their needs. Children are developing a suitable understanding of safety through everyday discussions and activities that encourage them to explore their environment. For instance, they practise the emergency evacuation drill, walk on different surfaces and learn how to use scissors

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

safely. Children are sensitively prepared for their transition to the next care base and, ultimately, for the move to school. They undertake visits to the next rooms, supported by their key persons to help them settle.

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provision

Children are appropriately safeguarded and protected as staff have a sound knowledge of the welfare and safeguarding requirements and procedures. All staff have recently attended update training and are aware of the procedures to be followed should they have any child protection concerns about a child in their care. Children are supervised well and staff conduct regular risk assessments, covering all areas used by children to ensure their safety. Staff check the identity of all visitors to the nursery and children are only released into the care of known individuals. A range of appropriate policies and procedure are in place, reviewed regularly and shared with parents.

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provision

Staff have sufficient knowledge of supporting children in their learning and development, meeting together regularly to discuss ideas and their progress. The nursery also receives support from the local authority early years team. However, the systems for monitoring the practice under the revised Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage are still evolving and some inconsistencies in observations and assessments have not been fully identified. This means that some children's specific learning and development needs are not clear. The nursery has suitable arrangements in place for working in partnership with other professionals, who may be involved in a child's educational progress. This enables staff to appropriately complement and extend activities. Transition documents are completed when children move on to school, supporting them at times of change.

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provision

Staff recruitment and selection processes are followed appropriately to ensure that they are suitably qualified and experienced to work with children. A new performance development review process is being implemented by the owners to support staff in accessing further training and identifying key skills and strengths, which can then be used to enhance children's progress. Staff have a positive attitude to change and are beginning to reflect on the improvements that need to be made. They have positive working relationships with parents and carers. Parents are complimentary about the nursery, remarking on the bright and welcoming environment and how settled their children are with their key persons. They receive regular newsletters to ensure they are kept informed about what is happening in nursery and the activities provided. Nursery displays and noticeboards provide additional information for parents.

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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 322072 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 909858

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 21 Name of provider Pauline Webster and Amanda Lodge Partnership Date of previous inspection 27/10/2011 Telephone number 01924 362763

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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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