Pennington Nursery

Pennington Nursery Pennington Memorial Hall, Pennington, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 0RT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/05/2013 22/07/2009

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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

 Staff are very attentive, genuinely caring and interested in what children do and say. Therefore, children are self-assured and confident to explore and take part in exciting and challenging activities both indoors and outdoors.  Staff provide an imaginative range of activities based on children's interests and suggestions. This results in children being interested and highly motivated in their learning.  The manager and staff create a warm, welcoming and safe environment where children settle, enjoy themselves and develop close relationships with their peers and the adults working with them.  Parents are welcomed by friendly staff who are approachable and available to talk to them about their children's progress on a daily basis. This ensures a good level of continuity in children's care and learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children are not routinely involved in serving their food and pouring their drinks to further enhance their good self-care skills.  The large size of the group of children at meal times results in the noise level being high, which restricts some children's ability to listen and hear others speaking.

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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 two playrooms and the two outdoor play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and undertook a joint observation of an activity in the nursery room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's learning journals, planning documentation and operational files consisting of policies, risk assessments and staff qualifications and suitability documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Pennington Nursery was registered in 2001 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is managed by a committee and operates from a single-storey building situated in Pennington Memorial Hall grounds, close to Pennington Primary School. It serves the local area and is accessible to all children. Children use two rooms and there are two fully enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 76 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two- three- and four-year-old children. The nursery employs 13 members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. Two members of staff, including the manager, hold a Foundation Degree in Early Years. The staff work closely with the local authority early years advisors.

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

 involve children more in serving their food and pouring their drinks to further promote the development of their independence and self-care skills

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

 improve children's ability to listen and hear others speaking during meal times and limit the noise levels by, for example, reviewing the size of group or by calming over-excited children.

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who attend

The manager and staff have a very good knowledge of the learning and development requirements and they understand how to support children's learning. They plan and provide a varied and exciting programme of activities that help children to learn skills in all areas of their development. The staff listen carefully to the children's suggestions and ideas and plan many of the learning activities around children's interests. A good balance of adult-led and child-initiated experiences ensure that children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend at the nursery and are excited and motivated to learn. Children enjoy the freedom of being able to choose to play indoors or outdoors. When the weather is inclement, they play in the covered area called the outdoor classroom. Staff supervise the children closely by making sure they are deployed appropriately in each area as the children move about the nursery and outdoor area. Staff have high expectations of the

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who attend

children and provide appropriate stimulation and challenges. Consequently, children show high levels of involvement and focus on activities for extended periods of time. For example, children are engrossed in a wonderful activity in the outdoor play area. Children learn about the natural world as they show a great interest in butterflies observed outside. This interest is pursued and developed into an in-depth project enjoyed by all of the children. They learn about the life-cycle of butterflies and create their own pictures of butterflies, colourfully decorated with material and sequins. The staff extend children's vocabulary by introducing new words, such as 'symmetrical' to describe the wings of the butterfly. The children remember the word and know that it means the patterns on both wings are the same and match each other. The children enjoy helping to create a 'mini beast hotel' to attract a range of different bugs. They marvel at the spiders and worms

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who attend

and are fascinated as they study them through magnifying glasses. They develop their awareness of number and size as staff ask how many legs the spider has and whether it looks bigger or smaller when looking at it through the magnifying glass. The children's interest in mini beasts ignites their interest in books as the staff provide reference books for the children to look through and identify various insects that the children find and name.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have a good understanding of how to promote the learning and development of young children and, as a result, children make good progress in their learning. Staff support the development of children's communication and listening skills. For example, children take turns to take 'Jaffa' the toy cat home with them. They take photographs of their families and 'Jaffa', and recall 'having a lovely time taking Jaffa home'. They confidently talk to their peers about their experiences, which supports the development of their expressive language skills. They learn the sounds of letters and know that 'Jaffa' begins with a 'J' and so does the name 'Julie'. When looking at the photographs, children learn positional language as the member of staff describes the toy being in the middle of the picture. This, as well as counting the number of children and staff present, supports children's early numeracy skills.

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who attend

Staff use the Development matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance to assess children's progress in their learning and development. They establish the age bands children are working within, and these are tracked over time and demonstrate that they are making good progress. Children have individual learning journal files which evidence their learning and contain information collected from parents on entry to the setting, observations and photographs and regular progress reports. Parents have access to this information, which keeps them well informed of their child's progress. Staff encourage all parents to share what they know about their children's achievements at home, in order to enhance and build a complete picture of children's learning and development in all aspects of their life. Some parents contribute to the children's learning at the nursery by visiting and sharing their skills. For example, one parent is an osteopath and brings a model of a

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who attend

human spine in to show the children. Another parent provides dance lessons to the children and enables children to take part in productions in the local community. These are all good examples of how parents contribute to enhancing children's learning at the nursery. Overall, children effectively develop the key skills they need for the next steps in their learning, including those required when they attend school.

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

Children are very happy and excited to be at the nursery and they enjoy close and trusting relationships with the supportive and nurturing staff group. Children are given time to settle in and feel comfortable in their surroundings before they choose their own key person. This is a very effective way of ensuring that children settle easily and form genuine bonds with the staff, which in turn, promotes their well-being and sense of security. Staff gather initial information from parents and get to know children's individual needs well so that they fully support their emotional development. Children are well supported in their transitions between rooms and when they leave nursery and transfer to local schools. Teachers from local schools visit the children at the nursery and children visit the schools. This helps them to become familiar with new members of staff and their classroom environment. As a result, effective measures are taken to ensure children are

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

The stimulating, well-resourced rooms and outdoor play areas are well organised so that children can independently explore and make choices in their play. Children develop their independence as they find and return what they need. They respond well when it is 'tidy up time', placing toys and equipment back into labelled boxes and returning them to storage units. They enjoy undertaking 'special jobs', such as wiping the play dough table. They begin to understand about taking risks through the various activities and routines on offer throughout the day. For example, when children run in races outside, they take care not to slip on the wet surface. All staff consistently give the highest priority to the safety of children and, as a result, children know and understand how to keep themselves safe. Staff teach children about the effects of exercise on their bodies, such as their hearts beating faster and their bodies getting hotter. Children learn to move in many different

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

ways. For example, during a movement to music activity, they crawl like beetles, wriggle like worms and flap their arms like the wings of a butterfly. They show good control and co-ordination in large and small movements.

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

Staff encourage all children to manage their own hygiene and acknowledge and encourage their efforts in developing good self-care skills. Children enjoy growing fruit and vegetables and learn how to look after them, for example, by watering them. Children are offered healthy food and drinks each day. Staff sit alongside children when they eat and good manners and behaviour are encouraged. Meal times are enjoyable, social occasions for the children. However, there is scope for the staff to consider ways of reducing the noise level during meal times, as some children have difficulty hearing others speaking. This somewhat hinders their opportunities to further develop their good communication skills. In addition, children do not always have sufficient opportunities to pour their own drinks and serve their food to further enhance their good independence and self-care skills.

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provision

The manager has a very good knowledge of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and uses this well to support the staff team. Planning and assessment systems are monitored effectively and the manager gains first-hand knowledge about what is working well and addresses issues raised. Documentation for tracking children's progress is effective. This information accurately identifies children's levels of development in the prime and specific areas of learning. The manager maintains a good overview of the curriculum and monitors the educational programmes to ensure children are helped to make good progress in all areas of learning. Consequently, children are supported to attain the level of achievement expected for their general age range. Performance management within the nursery is good. Annual appraisals, supervision sessions and peer observations are effective in identifying staffs' strengths, areas for development and

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provision

training needs. The manager and staff work well together to share information learnt on various courses. They also keep up-to-date with current practice issues by accessing numerous early years periodicals and useful documentation.

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provision

Children are safeguarded well because the manager and staff have clear safeguarding policies and procedures embedded within their practice. Effective recruitment and vetting procedures are robust. As a result of comprehensive policies and procedures, staff and students are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. The manager ensures that staffs' knowledge is secure and uses regular staff meetings and ongoing discussions to review policies and check their understanding. Children are kept safe and secure due to the good level of supervision and the vigilance of the staff in ensuring that doors are kept locked and the outdoor play areas are secure. The manager is clear about her responsibility to notify Ofsted of significant events and any changes to the nursery.

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provision

Partnerships with parents, carers and external agencies are well established and make a strong contribution to meeting children's needs. Parents and carers speak very highly of the staff and really value the flexible and caring service they provide. They have complete confidence in the staff to keep their children safe and happy. Working relationships with other professionals, such as speech therapists, are well established to ensure children get the help and support they need. The manager and staff share information with other settings when children attend more than one setting. This results in effective shared knowledge about children that supports continuity in their learning and achievements.

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provision

Self-evaluation takes into account the views of staff, children and parents. Views are sought through regular meetings with staff, ongoing discussions with children and opportunities for parents and carers to talk openly to staff or provide written comments. The manager has a strong drive to improve the nursery to support children's achievements over time. Recommendations from previous inspections are promptly and effectively implemented, which demonstrates the commitment for continuous development. The manager works well with the local authority early years advisor, which further enhances the self-evaluation process.

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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 317571 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 895673

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 11 Total number of places 61 Number of children on roll 76 Name of provider Pennington Nursery Committee Date of previous inspection 22/07/2009 Telephone number 01229 582 212

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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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