St Nicholas Pre School and Nursery

St.Nicholas Pre-School and Nursery The Community Centre, Fallowfield Road, Colchester Garrison, COLCHESTER, CO2 9LL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/04/2013 20/01/2011

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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 engage in a good range of freely-chosen play experiences, which enable them to learn and explore at their own pace.  Children form close and caring relationships with practitioners who follow their interests and ideas. Parents are encouraged to share 'wow' moments from home to strengthen the home to nursery link.  Children are keen learners because practitioners demonstrate a secure understanding of how to capture children's interests. Practitioners excite and enthuse children through well planned and interesting experiences.  Practitioner's skills are regularly updated through effective professional monitoring and regular supervision and appraisals. The team of practitioners are motivated, keen and enthusiastic about continuously improving the provision for all children and their families.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities for children to extend their very good levels of knowledge across all seven areas of learning are not always fully embedded in the outdoor area. Children cannot always choose whether they learn in an indoor or outdoor environment.

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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 all of the playrooms and the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager, deputy, practitioners, key persons, parents and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a wide selection of records, including children's details, information about children's progress and development, planning, written risk assessments, copies of practitioner's qualifications and proof of their suitability and a range of other relevant documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to at the time of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The St. Nicholas Pre-School and Nursery was registered in 2006. It is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a purpose built premises in the Colchester area of Essex, and is managed by a board of trustees. The nursery and pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from five playrooms and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery and pre-school employs 20 members of child care staff. Of these, all 20 hold appropriate early years qualifications between level 2 and level 6. The manager is qualified to level 5. The nursery and pre-school opens Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 9.15am until 12noon and from 12.45pm until 3.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 130 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery and pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 review the use of the outdoor environment to ensure that children can initiate play outdoors and provide children with experiences and resources, which enable them to explore all seven areas of learning.

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who attend

Children are keen, busy and active and clearly enjoy their time at nursery. They engage in a wide range of purposeful and exciting play opportunities, which enable them to make progress across all areas of learning. The success of children's learning is enhanced by practitioners who demonstrate secure knowledge of when to intervene in children's freely chosen play and how to capture and sustain their interests. Children's communication is extended by practitioners using clear and skilful questioning with children from a young age. For example, when favourite books are read to the youngest children, they are asked to name the pictures and receive lots of praise when they do. Practitioners encourage children's developing speech, by repeating what they have said and allowing them a good amount of time to respond to questions. Older children converse confidently with adults and peers. They share real and imaginary experiences in small and larger groups. Good

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who attend

opportunities are provided for children to develop their literacy skills. They make marks with a range of materials throughout the nursery, resulting in older children proficiently signing their names in the daily register. Children are encouraged to use Makaton as a form of non-verbal communication, which enhances younger children's communication. The environment is very rich in print, enabling children to see that words have meanings. Clear translations are displayed around the nursery, enabling children who speak languages other than English to see key words in their home language.

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who attend

Practitioners develop their weekly planning from ideas and suggestions that children have shown an interest in the previous week. For example, a 'dinosaur hunt' around the nursery premises and garden, follows children's interest in dinosaurs. They look high, stretching up as far as they can go and search low, which sometimes means crawling along the ground. A child's observations that they need a ladder to see really high is followed up by practitioners providing a small step-ladder for children to climb up. Practitioners engage with children to extend and inspire their learning. The day is planned to provide children with a continuous learning environment where children initiate their own play, as well as participate in adult-led activities. This is successful within the five base rooms, however, it is less successful in the garden.

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who attend

Practitioners make clear observations of children's achievements and use them to record an accurate account of children's progress. Photographic evidence is used in children's learning journeys, to support observations and to evidence how children are developing. These form the basis for practitioners to evaluate children's progress and to plan for their next steps in learning. Parents are actively encouraged to view their children's learning journeys as often as they wish, as well as through the more formal open events. Summative assessments are shared with parents and practitioners working with the younger children have successfully implemented the developmental checks required for children aged two. All children make good progress in their learning and practitioners work well with the nursery sen coordinator to support children who require additional help. Practitioners are skilful at identifying any gaps in children's learning and implementing

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who attend

effective intervention to help to close these gaps.

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

The successful key person system ensures that children form warm and caring relationships with a special person. This helps to strengthen children's confidence and independence. An effective settling-in procedure, alongside a clearly completed 'all about me form', provides a secure base for children's early experiences of nursery life. Parents are actively encouraged to spend time with their children during the settling-in period, ensuring that both parties are well prepared for the transition from home to nursery. Children move through the five base rooms, according to age and ability. Effective transition systems are in place between each room. For example, children are acquainted with their new key person during the weeks prior to this move and have opportunities to visit to new room frequently. This results in confident children and aides a smooth transition through the nursery.

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

Children are well behaved and respond well to routines. Practitioners often give clear guidelines of what is going to happen next, especially for children who need additional support, or who find change difficult to deal with. Practitioners working with older children, recognise the importance of preparing children for 'school readiness', concentrating on developing good manners and listening skills. Children are given good opportunities to express themselves and their views are valued. Practitioners effectively enhance children's self-esteem through positive language and regular praise.

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

Children move around their individual base rooms with confidence. The indoor environments are well organised, stimulating and exciting, providing children with good opportunities to guide their own learning. Children access the large and mostly well- equipped garden on a regular basis, however, at present they cannot initiate outdoor play or make a choice about this. The garden provides some opportunities for children to explore a range of learning skills, such as climbing, throwing and swinging. Plans are in hand to transform the garden, ensuring that children can explore learning across all seven areas. However, these opportunities are currently limited as resources are inconsistent. For example, although baby dolls are available within the nursery, there are none available in the garden. As a consequence, children push empty prams and pushchairs around.

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provision

The leadership team of the pre-school and nursery is secure and sets high expectations of good quality from its practitioners. Effective monitoring of the nursery's working practices, daily organisation and educational programme ensures that management and practitioners focus on continuous improvement. Practitioners, parents and management use reflective practice effectively to review and evaluate all aspects of the nursery. This ensures the proficient delivery of the revised Statutory Framework for the Early years Foundation Stage. The nursery manager is firmly committed to promoting good communication between her team and approaches this verbally, through regular memos, team meetings and text messages to individual practitioner's own mobile phones. This method of communication is also used to give practitioners positive feedback on their performance or to congratulate them for doing something well at work. An effective supervision and

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provision

appraisal system gives practitioners 'a voice' and enables them to evaluate their own practices. The process is effectively used to identify ongoing training needs and to support practitioners with their future professional development.

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provision

Children are effectively protected from harm as safeguarding procedures are robust. Practitioners regularly update their safeguarding knowledge through appropriate training courses and in-house events. The nursery manager has previous experience of working with outside agencies to support families and has maintained these links in her new role. All adults working with, or having direct contact with children, are vetted through the nursery's 'safer recruitment' procedures and proof of their clearance is held on file. A rigorous induction programme ensures that new practitioners settle quickly into their positions and become familiar with the nursery's policies and procedures. Children play in a safe and secure environment as practitioners effectively risk assess the premises each day.

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provision

The inspection took place following some recent concerns from parents regarding the nursery's nappy changing procedures; as a result, a full review was undertaken by the manager. New procedures have been implemented, which include more regular checking and changing of children's nappies, better verbal communication with parents about children's individual routines and the completion of a nappy/toilet chart.

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provision

Partnership with parents is very strong. Parents are provided with clear and comprehensive written information about the nursery. Interesting and well-presented wall displays further inform them about good practice issues, such as healthy eating suggestions and information on children's rights. Parents spoken to at the time of the inspection comment on the way in which they feel supported by the nursery team and management. They value this support and feel confident about raising issues with management, which they know will be explored and resolved effectively. Practitioners share information verbally with parents to keep them informed about their children's day. In addition to the informal discussion, regular open events are held to encourage parents to come into the nursery to discuss their children's progress. Many of the parents of children attending are from an army background and go away for long periods of time.

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provision

Practitioners help to support children and the remaining families through these times, for example, the nursery class writes to some parents who are based abroad and wait excitedly for their return letter. Special boxes are also decorated, encouraging children to collect photographs and special items of their family and the parent who is away. They keep these at home, or bring them in to nursery to share with their friends. There are good links with other early years settings, which children attend and procedures in place to enable key persons to work in partnership to complement learning which takes place in both settings. Transition to school is given high priority in the two rooms for older children, good links with all local primary schools aides children's smooth transition to their next place of learning.

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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 EY337295 Local authority Essex Inspection number 910037

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 70 Number of children on roll 130 Name of provider St. Nicholas Pre-School and Nursery Committee Date of previous inspection 20/01/2011 Telephone number 01206 816597

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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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