Kids Planet Edinburgh Way

Fisherfield Farm Children's Day Nursery Edinburgh Way, ROCHDALE, OL11 2PD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/03/2013 19/08/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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

 Staff have an outstanding knowledge of how children learn and provide rich, challenging and varied activities, as a result of highly precise assessment and planning. Children make excellent progress, irrespective of their starting points.  The nursery provides exemplary support for children's early literacy skills as a result of making rigorous assessments and using this to make precise plans for individual children. Its approach to motivating children to enjoy books and begin writing is highly creative.  Children are highly confident and show an excellent level of independence for their age. This is a result of exemplary staff practice along with a vibrant learning environment that supports children selecting resources independently.  The nursery is very successful in helping parents to be directly involved in their children's learning through a variety of means. There are highly effective routes for

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This provision is outstanding

frequent information exchange between parents and the nursery.  Partnerships with other professionals are highly effective in providing for children's needs. Transitions in, within and out of the nursery are exceptionally well organised to promote continuity of children's care and learning.  Monitoring of all aspects of the nursery to inform continuous improvement is rigorous, leading to excellent practice. Leadership is outstanding and staff are highly motivated, especially with regard to developing their skills and knowledge.

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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 reviewed a range of information available about the nursery, in order to prepare for the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 A tour of the premises was made, and the inspector had an initial meeting with the managers to establish a timetable for the day, which included time to discuss the leadership and management of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out observations on childcare staff and their interactions with children throughout the day and examined documentation related to children's welfare and learning.

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Inspection activities

 Some staff members were interviewed to ascertain their knowledge of areas, such as safeguarding and individual children's learning.

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Inspection activities

 A joint observation was made by the inspector and the manager of members of staff who were leading a small group activity for children.  The inspector also spoke to children to gain information about their learning.

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Information about the setting

Fisherfield Farm Nursery on Edinburgh Way, Rochdale, registered in 1999 and is one of a chain of nine childcare facilities owned by a limited company. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a single storey building, which is accessible to all children. There are three main playrooms, along with ones for sleeping and quiet play. There is also a sensory room. The nursery has three secure outdoor play areas.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open from 7.30am to 6pm for 51 weeks a year. There are currently 116 children on roll who are in the early years age range and attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports a small number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, along with a very small number who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery has 21 staff, of whom three are qualified at level 5 or higher in a relevant subject. There are 13 staff who are qualified at level 3 in childcare and one is qualified at level 4. Three staff are unqualified. The nursery also employs a cook. The nursery holds an Investors in People award and has completed the local authority quality scheme. It obtains support through a number of private consultancies in addition to Rochdale Early Years and Childcare Services.

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

 enhance the consistency of detail in staff's reflective accounts about what makes activities successful for children's learning, in order to maintain the outstanding practice in the nursery.

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who attend

Staff have a superb knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, children make excellent progress across all areas of learning by the time they are ready to leave nursery for full-time school, irrespective of their starting points when they begin to attend. Children who have attended for the longest time at the nursery are shown by assessment to have made the most progress on entry to the pre-school year. This demonstrates the high-quality teaching and learning in the nursery, across all rooms. The precise planning for individual children's learning begins on entry, with a highly comprehensive baseline assessment. This meticulous approach is subsequently continued through the use of exceptionally detailed recording systems of children's development. These are then regularly used to complete records to track children's progress compared to expected development for their age and stage. This

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who attend

enables staff to see if children are progressing as expected, above or below for their age, and to plan accordingly. Gaps in children's learning can be addressed through this, and staff can differentiate for individual children to help them reach their potential. As a result of this exemplary approach to detail, planning for all children is excellent, drawing on their interests and achievements, as well as a wide variety of themes, such as 'Recycling', which link all rooms in the nursery. The use of whole-setting themes also enables parents to engage with their child's learning as they are often invited to contribute resources for these. Children are encouraged to help with compiling their own learning files, to give them a sense of ownership of their learning and enhance their motivation.

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who attend

Key persons obtain information about children's interests from parents verbally and also seek written information every six weeks. Parents receive updates about the next whole- nursery theme that their child will be learning about every six weeks and are invited to contribute ideas and resources to support children's learning. This helps parents to engage with their children's learning. The nursery provides regular parents' evenings when parents can discuss their children's progress and welfare with key persons. Parents are well aware that they can look through their children's learning records at any time, in order to be well informed about their progress. Parents engage actively with their children's learning through the provision of a library of high quality children's books that can be borrowed daily. The nursery also helps children to develop early literacy and communication skills at home through the use of a teddy with a book for drawings,

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who attend

annotations and photographs that parents can take home with their child. Parents of children in the pre-school room are also invited to an information evening organised by the local authority to help them support their child's learning about letters and sounds. The nursery provides highly comprehensive information for the progress check at age two, and has been successful in supporting parents to make a contribution to this. This means that parents are able to pass on detailed information about their child's development during any health visitor checks they may be invited to. Also, the next steps for the child's learning are clear to all involved with them, supporting continuity of development.

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who attend

Role play areas are regularly changed, to maintain children's interest, although the outdoor construction and role play area is retained, due to its popularity. The theme for role play areas across the baby and over two's rooms of pet shops enables children to play imaginatively, whilst learning about animals and the natural world. All role play areas contain resources for children and babies to practise making marks with crayons or pencils, to encourage early writing skills. The pre-school room has made extensive use of role play to enhance children's learning, by supporting them to have their own ideas about what the next theme for it should be. For example, after the initial theme about a giant who left letters to the children to reply to, some children suggested that the giant had a friend who was a monster. This enabled staff to extend the story so that children could draw pictures and write to the monster. Over time, children maintain engagement with the

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who attend

ongoing story, and this is transferred to a book for them to look at, which they all have contributed to. This initiative was introduced as an intervention to raise literacy attainment for specific groups of children, and has been very successful in motivating children to enjoy books and practise writing. The project also develops children's creativity and imagination, as well as helping them to produce a verbal story in preparation for written ones when they attend full-time school.

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who attend

Letters and sounds learning is incorporated into small group times each day, so that children have frequent opportunities to reinforce this learning, especially in the pre-school room. Children in all of the rooms learn about days of the week and the day's weather, in key group times. They also develop awareness of others, by singing greeting songs, as some children do not stay all day in the nursery, to learn that different children are present at different times. Overall, children receive exceptional preparation for full-time school, as a result of the highly qualified and motivated staff team providing a vibrant learning experience.

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who attend

Babies delight in helping to mix cornflakes and chocolate to make cakes, as part of the celebrations for Easter. They develop their coordination by trying to move the large spoon in the mixture and staff use the experience to help them learn colour names, by providing different coloured eggs to decorate their cakes. They investigate the feel of paper cake cases, whilst waiting for their turn with the mixture, learning early social skills. Outdoors, walking babies are encouraged to have a go on the small climbing frame, and staff praise them for using the low slide correctly. Crawling babies are encouraged to move freely around the outdoor area in suitable clothing, to develop strength and coordination. Inside, toddlers play absorbedly with sand and cars, making marks, as part of the early preparation for later writing skills. They also enjoy play with foam, squeezing and scooping it with a variety of toys to develop hand-eye coordination. Non-mobile babies sit with staff,

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who attend

and are supported to investigate soft sensory toys, or to look at books while staff name objects in the pictures for them. Staff differentiate this for older babies by asking them what some of the pictures are of, such as for farm animals. They are sensitive to the need for children to be given time to think and answer, before they offer the correct word. This supports children's language development.

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who attend

Staff use everyday activities, such as mealtimes, and those, such as baking, to help children learn to count. They consistently use strategies, such as putting out too few plates and then asking children to work out how many more they need to reinforce counting. They also help children to frequently count how many children are present at an activity to further develop this aspect of learning. Numbers are very well represented in displays around the nursery. The nursery also takes care to label common objects with words from other languages spoken by children, to help them develop in both languages. Children develop information communication technology skills through the use of simple games on computers, and babies have access to a range of cause and effect toys to practise using their hands in different ways. The nursery celebrates a range of festivals and supports local events like the town carnival, to develop children's knowledge of the

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who attend

local and wider community. Children enjoy visits from the community police and also the local authority dental hygiene service, in order to learn about those in the community who can help them.

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

The provision operates a key person system in order to support children's emotional welfare and key persons show an excellent knowledge of children and their families. This is due to their observations, regular information from parents and talking to children informally or during group times. Consequently, children's learning is ensured due to their strong emotional security. Each child also has a secondary key person in their room to provide cover for staff illness and holidays. A highly sensitive approach is taken to allocating key persons to children when they join or move rooms in the nursery, to facilitate their emotional security. This includes observing which staff children choose to interact with and also which staff parents are most confident with, so that both children and parents have the basis for a strong partnership with their key person. The nursery has effective methods to smooth the transition of children within the nursery, by organising a

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

gradually increasing number of visits to their next room, until staff and parents are confident that the child will be secure with the move. Children leave the nursery for a wide number of primary schools, due to the nursery's location, and staff from children's future schools are invited to the nursery to observe children prior to their transfer. This enables staff to see children when they are confident and learning at their best. The nursery also participates in the local authority's central meeting before children move to full-time school, where staff from current and next settings meet to read through children's learning records. This means that continuity of learning and welfare is extremely well supported, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

Children's behaviour is exceptional in all areas of the nursery because staff consistently model excellent manners for children to copy. Children are confident and show a strong sense of security due to highly skilled staff support in every room. They are observed to use all resources safely inside and outside, showing a strong regard for their welfare and that of others. Resources outdoors, such as climbing frames and tree trunks, enable children to develop an understanding of risk through physical challenge combined with close supervision. Children have opportunities through outings, such as to local home improvement superstores, to learn about road safety and how to stay safe in the home. The nursery has a highly comprehensive range of policies and procedures to protect children's welfare and support their physical and emotional well-being. These are reviewed regularly or as needed, to ensure that they meet the needs of children in the nursery.

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

Resources indoors and outdoors are fully accessible to children and varied. This promotes development of children's independence skills and enhances their opportunities to make choices about their play. Staff help children to challenge themselves, such as when they encourage babies to kick large footballs, to develop their whole body coordination and balance. They help children to develop cooperation with others through play, such as through the use of 'parachute' games outdoors. Children delight in sharing the experience of flapping the brightly coloured material with their friends and watching it rise into the air. Staff support children to enjoy running and jumping outdoors by modelling how to use equipment, like brightly coloured stepping pads, in order to encourage them to exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Children and babies have regular access to the nursery's sensory room, in order to relax and enjoy the calming pictures and lighting. This also

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

provides opportunities for staff to develop children's social, communication and language skills through discussion about what they experience in the room.

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

Children in the pre-school and toddler rooms show consistently high levels of independence with regard to self-care, due to excellent staff support. Tissues and bins are taken outside whenever children go out to play, and all mobile children are encouraged to dispose of tissues hygienically, before cleaning their hands. Staff support children to wash their hands during baking activities if they begin to eat the mixture and carefully explain why this is needed. Children in the pre-school room are able to say independently why it is important to have clean hands before eating snacks and meals, showing an excellent understanding of personal hygiene. Meals and snacks are healthy, and fruit or vegetables are always available for children to choose from. Children's independence again is promoted at mealtimes, with all children who are able to, serving themselves, such as by buttering crumpets. This also helps to develop children's hand-eye coordination.

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provision

Risk assessments and safety checks are highly detailed and regularly reviewed so children can move safely and freely in permitted areas. Staff receive regular, externally delivered training in safeguarding. As a result, they have a comprehensive understanding of procedures to manage any concerns they may have about a child's welfare. Responsibilities of staff and managers are clearly defined to ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of how to carry out their roles to a consistently high standard. There is a robust approach to recruitment and induction of staff, to ensure that a strong staff team is maintained. Comprehensive procedures in place for the induction of students also protect children's welfare. All documentation related to the revised statutory requirements is completed to an exemplary standard to support the safe and effective running of the setting. This includes a policy for the use of portable data devices with cameras on the

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provision

premises. The strength of practice in the nursery is due to effective policies that support all areas of children's learning and welfare, along with a highly qualified and dynamic staff team.

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provision

Staff demonstrate consistently outstanding knowledge and practice to facilitate children's development in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children's progress is excellent, especially those who have attended the nursery for at least a year before entering the pre-school year. The nursery makes highly effective use of information sharing arrangements about children's progress with the local authority. This enables the nursery to identify groups of children where intervention is needed to narrow gaps in learning, by comparing progress of all age-bands of children in the nursery with averages for the borough. As a result, the nursery has implemented extra support in early numeracy and literacy for target groups of children, in order to raise their attainment and, hence, readiness for school. There are also highly precise methods for assessing children's progress and analysing this within the nursery, which are 'parent-friendly' in style. This

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provision

helps parents to become engaged with their children's learning and have a clear view of their progress.

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provision

Systems for monitoring individual planning and assessment are rigorous, so that all children receive a high quality learning experience based on their individual needs. Managers monitor the quality of teaching and inclusive practice by frequently observing staff interactions with children. Monitoring is used continually to help staff keep up high standards of care and education, along with a system of formal observations as part of the supervision process. There are robust methods in place for managers to monitor the breadth and depth of the educational programmes provided and also the detail and quality of information held in children's files. This helps to maintain consistently precise planning for children's learning. Systems for staff performance management and identifying training needs are highly effective in supporting staff to perform to the very best of their capabilities. As a result, staff are enthusiastic in their work with children and highly

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provision

motivated. There is a very strong ethos of continual professional development for staff, in order to provide better experiences for children.

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provision

Overall, the nursery shows excellent partnership with parents, including when parents see the need to complain about the provision for their child, and matters like these are documented in detail, in order to inform the evaluation process. This helps to promote parents' confidence in the nursery and can contribute to preventing similar difficulties arising again. Well-established and varied methods are in place to enable parents to update staff about their children's interests and to contribute directly to children's learning. Regular information about children's progress through verbal and written routes mean that parents are exceptionally well informed about their children's development. The nursery works in partnership with bilingual parents to accommodate their wishes for their children's main language to be English, whilst supporting their home language through a variety of means. There is exemplary partnership working with other agencies and parents

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provision

on behalf of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities in order to meet their learning and welfare needs. This includes at transition times when children are joining, leaving and moving within the nursery's provision. The nursery displays a wide variety of information about local resources and government support for young children and families, as well as about the Early Years Foundation Stage. This helps to support the learning and welfare of the children attending the nursery, through parental access to relevant information.

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provision

There is an exemplary approach to evaluating the nursery in order to ensure that all areas of children's welfare and learning are exceptionally well provided for. The use of external consultancies enables the nursery owners and managers to make use of highly frequent and objective advice in order to support and enhance all areas of practice. This includes teaching and learning, along with the play environment and staff development. Parents are able to provide constant feedback on the nursery's service through a variety of written means as well as verbal, depending on which means they prefer. This enables the nursery to more precisely tailor its provision to meet the needs of its families. Children's views about the nursery are also sought, in order to give them a voice and develop their sense of self-worth. Staff have frequent opportunities to contribute to the evaluation of what the nursery provides for children through the regular staff meetings. They also complete

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provision

written reflective accounts, such as after training, to show how they are going to implement their new knowledge and at the end of each week, to evaluate their work with children. These vary in detail and emphasis, depending on which room staff work in and the age range of children they care for. The use of external consultancies to support the owners and managers in evaluating the nursery means that an objective and impartial view of the provision is available as part of the process for continuous improvement. Overall, the nursery owners, managers and staff work together to maintain a rigorous culture of self-evaluation, in order to provide a consistently high quality service for children and families.

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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 316453 Local authority Rochdale Inspection number 908399

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 94 Number of children on roll 116 Name of provider Fisherfield Farm Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 19/08/2009 Telephone number 01706 654000

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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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