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Early years · Early years inspection (CIF)

Harvey Road Day Nursery Ltd

Inspected 19 Jun 2013 · published 26 Jul 2013 · URN EY364387

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Summary

Requires improvement

Jacqueline Mason

What we read, and from where

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  • Inspection datesingle source

    19 Jun 2013

  • Inspectors verified

    Jacqueline Mason

  • Overall effectivenesssingle source

    Requires improvement

  • Postcode verified

    CB1 2ET

  • Name on report verified

    Harvey Road Day Nursery

  • URN verified

    EY364387

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

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Grade profile

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  • OverallRequires improvement

Tone of the report

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−1Mixedmore positive than 35% of reports of this type graded Requires improvement
OutstandingGoodMetRINot metInadequate

In line with other reports of this type graded Requires improvement.

Markers show where typical reports of each grade sit.

Praisevery welleffectivelyhappyeffectiveconfidentconfidentlygood progressmake good progress
Criticisminadequatenot alwayspoorconcernsweaknessesfailnot metnot sufficiently

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FindingsAbout the inspectionWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings241w+5
  • What needs to improve1791w−2

Strengths

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No standout praise found.

Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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Anatomy of the report

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Pages
10
Words of findings
1,988
longer than usual (typical 773)
Reading level
Fairly hard
Flesch 52, typical 48
Average sentence
18 words
Next steps
8
typical 8
Hedged sentences
5%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 8%What needs to improve 61%About the inspection 31%

Full report text

Harvey Road Day Nursery Harvey Day Nursery, 9-10 Harvey Road, CAMBRIDGE, CB1 2ET

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/06/2013 27/10/2008

p.1

early years provision

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

p.1

This provision is satisfactory

 Staff have a good understanding of how children learn and plan effectively to ensure a balance across the areas of learning. Observation and assessment is used well to plan for the next steps in children's learning. This helps ensure that they are making good progress towards the early learning goals.  Children are supported well to settle quickly into the nursery. As a result, they are happy and develop good emotional attachments to staff and peers.  Staff have trusting and friendly relationships with parents and establish effective partnerships with other professionals. This ensures a good level of support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.1

It is not yet good because

 Less effective systems are in place to manage staff performance resulting in some variable practice.  Staff do not always manage the transition from activity sessions to lunchtime, which results in some of the youngest children becoming upset at these times.  Children are not sufficiently encouraged to think creatively and critically, to encourage them to develop their own ideas and find ways to solve problems.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in Cubs (baby room), Koalas (2-3 room), Polars (the pre-school room) and the garden.  The inspector spoke with staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at activity planning, records of children's learning and a selection of policies and records.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery manager.  The inspector spoke to parents and children.

p.2

Information about the setting

Harvey Road Day Nursery was first registered in 1967. It is registered on the Early Years Register and operates from the ground floor of two converted houses in the centre of Cambridge. Access is via a small flight of stairs. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery is owned by Harvey Road Day Nursery Limited. It serves the local area.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery employs 19 members of childcare staff. Of these, 1 holds an early years foundation degree and 14 have appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 8.15am until 5.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 46 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery provides funded early education for 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.

p.3

must:

 ensure that staff supervision sessions are used to develop the personal effectiveness of staff to ensure all persons looking after children in the nursery are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their roles and implement robust processes where ongoing poor practice is identified.

p.3

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

 improve the organisation of times of transition during the day to ensure that the youngest children are helped to understand what is happening next

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

 improve how children are supported to think creatively and critically, to encourage them to develop their own ideas and find ways to solve problems.

p.3

who attend

Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn. They observe children as they play and evaluate the observations well, to identify the next steps in their learning. As a result, staff plan effectively for children's unique needs and their continuing learning and development, ensuring that children make good progress given their starting points. Each child has a written 'learning journal' in which staff record their observations, along with photographic evidence. These are shared with parents, to keep them informed about their child's developmental progress. Staff recognise parents as their child's key educator and encourage them to contribute to the developmental records and continue to share what they know about their child. Parents report that staff talk to them daily about what their children have been doing and keep them fully informed about their achievements and any concerns.

p.4

who attend

Staff are actively engaged in children's play. However, they frequently miss opportunities to challenge their thinking. For example, when building a den using crates and sheets, staff do not encourage children to think and give ideas about how to prevent the sheet from slipping off the crates. Instead, staff comment that the sheet is slipping and go off to find some clips. Despite this, staff do respond well to children's developing interests. When children find snails in the nursery vegetable patch, this quickly becomes a new activity. Staff find a tray and the children help to put soil and lettuce leaves on it. They then collect the snails and use magnifying glasses to observe them. Children spontaneously count how many snails they have found, accurately saying a number name for each snail counted. Staff extend the activity by bringing out the nursery pet; a giant African land snail, and encourage the children to compare the size of it against the ones found in the garden.

p.4

who attend

Consequently, children are developing valuable skills to be ready for the next stage of their learning and school.

p.4

who attend

There is a high percentage of children on roll who either have English as an additional language or hear more than one language spoken at home. Staff pay good attention to this and promote opportunities for children to see different languages represented through labelling around the nursery building. Staff learn key words in other languages, to support children to settle and be understood. Good regard is given to supporting children's language skills in English. Staff encourage older children in conversation. This helps them to become confident communicators. For example, during the activity with the snails, staff encourage older children in conversation, talking about what the snails are doing, what they eat and the trail that they make when they move. Staff generally respond well to the babbles and gestures of babies. During water play in the garden staff talk to babies, using and repeating words, such as 'ready' and 'splash'. Babies laugh as they pat their hands on

p.4

who attend

the surface of the water causing water to splash over themselves and others. However, at other times, such as while getting ready for lunch, the needs of babies are not always met well. Some babies become upset as they have to wait for their meal to be served, but staff do not always distract or pacify them. Despite this, at other times the needs of babies are met very well, such as when they wake up from their afternoon sleep and need a cuddle before they join the others. Staff make themselves available to ensure children are able to have the emotional attention that they need.

p.4

who attend

Children show a good interest in books and stories and sit in small groups with adults to look at books together. They are encouraged to notice, and talk about, the illustrations. Children handle books carefully, holding them the right way up and turning pages one at a time. Older children recognise some initial letters, particularly the letters in their name. When staff draw shapes in the play with oats outdoors, children confidently recognise that the semi-circle is the same shape as the letter 'D'. They recognise basic shapes and confidently name them when prompted by staff.

p.4

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

Children generally have good emotional attachments to staff. This is because the key person system is implemented well, to ensure that each child has a named person to take responsibility for their daily well-being, plan for their learning and development and build positive relationships with parents. Children are supported well to progress from one room the next. Their individual needs are shared with the new key person, helping them to get to know the child before the transfer takes place. As a result, children are happy, settled and supported to embrace new experiences with confidence. This prepares them well for the next stage in their learning, such as moving on to school. However, the poor organisation of the move from activities to lunchtime does have an impact on the youngest children's sense of well-being.

p.5

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

There is a warm and welcoming learning environment in which children are secure and confident to express themselves. Toys are stored at low level to enable children to choose what they want to play with, promoting their sense of belonging and independence. Children generally behave well. Consistent boundaries are in place to help children know what is expected of them. They readily share and take turns with popular resources, such as sharing the magnifying glasses when looking at snails. Children are helped to play harmoniously and children readily play together. For example, older boys enable younger ones to play with them on the three-seater bike. Staff value and support good behaviour and individual efforts, using meaningful praise that promotes children's self-esteem.

p.5

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

Children feel safe in the nursery; they are reminded about safety rules, such as not running indoors and older children are encouraged to help staff carry out the daily health and safety checklist. Outdoor play is encouraged, and children are able to move freely between indoor and outdoor spaces. Children's awareness of a healthy lifestyle is further promoted because they develop good self-care skills. Children understand why they need to wash their hands before eating and after toileting. A healthy diet is provided and all meals are prepared daily using fresh ingredients. As a result, children enjoy a varied and interesting diet.

p.5

provision

Management and staff understand their obligation to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, in order to ensure that they are working within the framework and meeting their legal duties. The learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are met suitably well and are effectively monitored to assess the quality of teaching and learning. Management seek the views of staff and parents, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery. As a result, an action plan for development has been identified that is clear and achievable to bring about improvement. Staff fully understand their responsibility to safeguard the welfare of children. They have a good awareness of the signs and symptoms of abuse and know how to report concerns. A record is maintained to show that all staff have been suitably vetted and hold an enhanced disclosure. This inspection took place following concerns about the way in which

p.5

provision

staff deal with young children. On the day of the inspection all staff were observed to interact with the children in a suitable way to promote their well-being. The performance of staff is monitored through a programme of supervision and appraisal. Additional supervision is provided for staff whose performance is inconsistent, to support them in developing their personal effectiveness. However, this process is less well managed when concerns about staff's ongoing suitability are identified. For example, the process of additional supervision does not necessarily lead to disciplinary procedures when staff fail to improve their practice following support and coaching.

p.6

provision

The nursery premises are secure to protect children from intruders. Thorough risk assessments are carried out, to ensure that hazards to children are identified. Necessary steps are taken to limit risks, so that children can play safely indoors and outside. Ratios of staff to children are maintained, and often exceeded, to ensure that children receive appropriate levels of attention throughout the day.

p.6

provision

Partnerships with parents are effective as staff are committed to working together with them, to ensure continuity of care and learning for children. Parents are encouraged to be actively involved in, and contribute to, their children's learning through continuing to share what they know about their child. Workshops are also provided for parents, to enable them to discuss and get advice on childrearing practices, such as potty training and weaning. Other workshops are also delivered, in response to parents' requests, including a recent first aid course that was well attended. Parents report that they highly value the support that staff give to them and their children and would recommend this nursery to others. Children's special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and good links are made with external agencies. This helps to secure the support that children need to make the best progress that they can in their learning and development.

p.6

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

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 EY364387 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 923582

p.8

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 45 Number of children on roll 46 Name of provider Harvey Road Day Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 27/10/2008 Telephone number 01223 363 860

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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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

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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