Under the Willow Nursery

Under the Willow Nursery Croxted Road, Dulwich, LONDON, SE21 8NR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/04/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 plan and provide a good range of activities that relate to children's interests and that effectively support children's individual learning needs.  Staff successfully promote children's good health through frequent physical activity and a healthy diet.  Good methods of communication ensure parents are kept well informed about their children's progress and events of the day.  Staff engage children of various ages well during group activities. They skilfully ask questions that are appropriately pitched to challenge and extend all children's learning and development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Younger children do not have many opportunities to use push along toys and trucks that further promote their walking skills.  Some younger children are not always able to sit with their feet on a rest or the floor at mealtimes, meaning it is harder for them to feed themselves.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in both group rooms.  The inspector had discussions with parents, staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector undertook joint observations with staff and sampled children's assessment files.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records, safeguarding procedures and parental consent forms.

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Information about the setting

Under the Willow Nursery registered in 2012. It operates from a purpose built building in Dulwich, London. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6.30pm. The nursery is open all year round except for a week at Christmas and on public holidays. The building is on one level with no restrictions to access. There are two main play rooms for children under and over two years. Children have access to a secure outdoor play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and cares for children from three months old until children leave for reception class at school. The nursery receives funding for nursery education for three and four year olds. They support children who use English as an additional language. There is a team of 11 staff including the provider and a cook. The manager and staff hold relevant childcare qualifications, including two staff who hold Qualified Teacher Status. One staff member holds an Early Years Degree and all other

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Information about the setting

staff hold qualifications at NVQ level 2 or 3.

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

 review the mealtime seating arrangements to better support all young children to feed themselves, with their feet firmly on the floor or foot rest, to aid their stability

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

 enhance the range of push-along, wheeled toys, indoors and outdoors to further support younger children's developing walking skills.

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who attend

Children are making good progress in their learning and development. Staff monitor children's progress well. They gain information from parents about children's progress and individual needs when they begin. Staff make regular observations of children's progress in all areas of learning, including samples of children's art work, drawings and photos. They identify children's priorities for learning and use this information to plan challenging activities for all children. Staff also plan activities around a topic theme to provide interest and a focus for children's learning. They share information with parents on a regular basis about children's progress and provide appropriate written reports, such as the two year progress check. Children benefit from the continuity of this shared approach to learning. Children who are learning English as an additional language are supported well by staff during play. The learning environment is rich in written text with lots of signs and labels,

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who attend

including familiar words written in children's home languages. This supports children's early reading skills, and all children recognise that their home languages are valued in the nursery.

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who attend

Staff support children's learning well, especially their communication skills. They ask children lots of questions during play and engage them in meaningful conversations. For example, during snack times they prepare the fruit with staff, cutting their own fruit into pieces while talking about the fruits they like. Children enjoy group story times and respond well to questions asked by staff about the story. For example, staff ask younger children questions about the pictures. They ask older children to recall the story and anticipate what might happen next. This enables children of various ages to be fully engaged while their thinking skills are successfully extended.

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who attend

Children enjoy a good range of learning experiences across all areas of learning. They move freely, following their own interests and making choices during play. Younger children confidently transport toys into the outside play area. Staff provide encouragement and give children time to complete their task, for example, when younger children negotiate how to move the toy vacuum through the door. This means that children are able to explore their learning uninterrupted. Children enjoy pre-writing while using paints and drawing materials. They develop their creative skills as they use a variety of art materials. Younger children enjoy using modelling dough. They look at the patterns and the glitter in the dough and play imaginatively as they pretend that they have made ice creams. Children learn about the world around them as they participate in activities that relate to cultural festivals. They develop their awareness of technology as they use old

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who attend

phones and keyboards and the nursery laptop. Children enjoy watering the herbs that they are growing and measure themselves against a height chart so that they can see how much they have grown over a few months. This develops their understanding of nature and living things as well as size and measure.

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who attend

Older children are making good progress so that they will be well prepared to go to school. They are developing good writing skills and show a keen interest in numbers. They enjoy doing sums and accurately add two sets of numbers together. Younger children show good levels of concentration and persevere well while doing puzzles. They clap and enjoy lots of praise from staff for their efforts and achievements when they fit the puzzle pieces in. This means that children are effective learners and respond well to praise, feeling secure to keep trying until they succeed.

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who attend

Children freely run around in the outside play area. They enjoy using the tents and climbing equipment, developing their physical control. They use some wheeled toys, although there are not many toys for younger children to push along, to promote their walking skills in all possible ways. Children have fun while using the giant sized balls and show good coordination as they throw and kick small balls to staff. All children join in enthusiastically while singing songs. Younger children request their favourite songs and know the actions. Children show a keen interest in books and relax in the book corner and enjoy looking at books independently. Younger children also enjoy using books and develop their vocabulary as they look at the pictures with staff. This supports their early reading skills.

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

Children have good relationships with each other and staff. Older children are considerate and show a caring attitude towards the younger children. Good settling in procedures enable parents to settle their children into the nursery gradually. Babies enjoy lots of cuddles during play, while reading stories and when seeking comfort. They freely climb on staff laps and reach out to be picked up, showing strong bonds with staff. Older children show a good sense of belonging as they talk about home and the nursery. They also take turns in taking home the nursery toy mascot and add pictures and notes in the book about what they have done. They keenly look at the book and recall their adventures. This continuity supports their strong sense of belonging. Toys and equipment are of good quality. Displays of children's art work and photos create a welcoming environment. Toys and books are stored at low level, enabling children to freely make choices during play.

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

Children are well behaved in the nursery. They follow the daily routines well, for example they all help to tidy away toys and get ready for meal times. Children are supported well in learning about expectations of their behaviour. Staff give clear directions so that children know what to do. Staff give praise to children for 'good listening' and for making 'good choices' for example, choosing an appropriate place to sit at story time. Children learn about safety during everyday routines and participate in evacuation drills so that they know what to do in an emergency. Good systems are in place to help children to move from the baby room to the main play room. One staff member works in both group rooms with the children who are preparing to move rooms and supports these children through a gradual settling in process. Children are settled and secure as they move from one room to another as a result.

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

Children benefit from a balanced diet of meals that are freshly prepared by the cook. They develop their healthy eating habits as all meals include lots of fruit and vegetables. Children's individual dietary needs are known and respected. Children make choices of foods that they want to eat at mealtimes. They enjoy relaxed mealtimes as they sit in small groups and join in conversations with staff. However, younger children do not have their feet on the ground or a foot rest, making them less stable to develop their feeding skills and hand to mouth coordination. Children benefit from lots of clear play space, enabling them to move freely and safely during play. Children freely explore their learning environment. They move freely between indoor and outside play, enjoying constant opportunities to experience fresh air and exercise. In addition they enjoy weekly music and movement sessions with a visiting teacher.

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provision

Good systems are in place to help safeguard children and promote their welfare. Staff implement a range of safeguarding procedures. They attend relevant training with the local authority so that they know what to do if they have any concerns regarding children's welfare. Staff maintain accurate records relating to the children in their care. Children benefit from a stimulating learning environment that is clean, organised and well maintained. Staff show high regard for promoting children's safety. They conduct regular risk assessments and daily safety checks. They work cooperatively together to ensure children are appropriately supervised at all times. The manager uses robust systems to make sure that staff are suitable to work with children. The manager seeks appropriate checks from the Disclosure and Barring Service for all new staff. They are not able to work unsupervised with children until these are returned. The manager monitors staff well and

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provision

supports them to improve their practice, including staff who speak English as an additional language. She manages staff deployment well, making sure that ratios are met at all times to promote children's well-being.

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provision

Good systems are in place to monitor the quality of the nursery and the educational programmes. Children are making good progress as staff provide a balanced and interesting range of activities. Children benefit form lots of clear play space. The time that children attend is well organised and organised around the individual needs of the children attending each day. As a result, children are happy and purposefully engaged in play. Staff accurately evaluate the quality of their service and prioritise any areas that they plan to improve. Staff attend regular meetings to share information and plan activities that promote children's learning effectively. Staff have established good partnerships with the local authority who support staff in developing the quality of the service. Staff attend training courses that extend their knowledge of childcare and education.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are effective. Staff make time to talk to parents about the events of the day when children are collected. They also use daily diaries to share information with parents of babies. Staff seek parents' views through questionnaires and a suggestion box. Parents spoken to during the inspection report that they are happy with the quality of the service. They feel that communication is good and they find staff welcoming and approachable. Parents report that their children are very happy, enjoy the activities and always bring home lots of art work. Parents comment that the nursery has a lovely atmosphere.

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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 EY453559 Local authority Southwark Inspection number 913390 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 34 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider Under the Willow Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 0208 761 7972

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Setting details

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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