Highfield Day Nursery

Highfield Day Nursery 3/4 Highfield Rd, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3ED

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/07/2013 16/08/2011

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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

 Children are at the heart of everything that happens, and staff value each child as a unique individual, ensuring their needs are met exceptionally well. Staff make excellent use of accurate assessments of children's progress to plan work, which enables them to do their best.  The high quality of teaching is instrumental in fully developing children's confidence and ability to play and work together happily. As a result, they make excellent progress in all areas of their learning and development.  Transitional arrangements between rooms and to other settings are exceptionally well fostered, so that children readily adapt to change and new experiences  Communication with parents is a key strength. Staff go to considerable lengths to ensure they are engaged so that they feel truly valued and welcome in the nursery.  All staff play a full and active part in reviewing what they do and planning for

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This provision is outstanding

improvement. They are highly motivated and committed to providing the very best outcomes for all children.

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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 spoke with the nominated person, regional manager, nursery management team and staff.  The inspector observed activities inside and in the garden, and observed mealtimes.  The inspector had a tour of the nursery.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the nursery manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at policies and procedures, children's assessment records and the register.

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Information about the setting

Highfield Day Nursery is one of 47 settings run by Child Base Nurseries and opened in 1997. It is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a large converted grade 2 listed building in Edgbaston, Birmingham. There is an area available for outdoor play. The nursery serves the local area.

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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 to 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 145 children on roll. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 35 members of childcare staff, 34 of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and 3. The manager has a qualification at level 4, and one member of staff has a foundation degree in early childhood studies.

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

 continue to find new and different ways to challenge children's learning and extend their talents even further.

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who attend

The nursery is a wonderful place to learn and this is evident in the enthusiasm displayed by staff and the way in which children happily go about their play. Children are busy, industrious and thoroughly enjoy everything that they do. They take pride in their nursery, eager to engage with visitors and talk about what they are doing. Staff create an extremely purposeful atmosphere and a highly stimulating environment across all areas of the nursery. This means that each child has exciting opportunities to learn and is encouraged to do their utmost. A superb range of resources are used imaginatively as children move things around to extend their ideas and combine resources in different ways. Spontaneous and focused observations are used most effectively to inform planning and enable staff to ably assist children in making the best possible progress in their learning and development. Parents are also encouraged to contribute their own

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who attend

observations. Staff use this information most effectively, along with their excellent understanding of child development to plan exciting challenges for children. A variety of formats are used to ensure that parents receive regular information about their child's learning and development and ideas as to how they can support learning at home.

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who attend

Staff are very secure in their understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They use skilful interactions and are acutely aware of how to incorporate and cross reference all areas of learning effortlessly, often in one activity. There is a very strong focus on practical activities and planning based on children's individual needs and interests. They know children exceptionally well and tune in daily to their changing ideas as they emerge. Staff are proactive and often spontaneously make changes to take account of these. For example, children take an interest in baking, so a bread-making activity is arranged. This is very well planned and every detail carefully thought out. Staff are extremely adept at holding all children's attention while making it interesting and fun. As a result, the quality of teaching is excellent. Firstly children look at a recipe book, as staff explain what information the 'contents page' imparts. Key words, such as 'ingredients' and 'recipe', are

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who attend

introduced and then children discuss what they can see in the various pictures, helping to develop their vocabulary and language. Staff test children's understanding through careful and considered questioning and enable them to recall facts and share what they know. For example, many children remember that a bagel is round and has a hole in the middle. Children are shown the numbers on the scales and the corresponding weight of the flour required. They carefully tip it out of the bag until the needle reaches the required amount on the dial. Other children fetch the correct amount of water. They discuss whether they want to make a large loaf or small rolls. This helps to develop their concept of size, number, shape and measure. Children are informed that they have to 'knead' the bread for five minutes, but are asked to consider how they will know when five minutes have gone. Several children suggest they can look at the clock and one child says they can use

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who attend

the timer. While all children are praised for their good thinking, the sand timer is used so that children have a visual sense of time passing. One child is elected as timekeeper and takes his responsibilities very seriously, telling a member of staff 'look it's reached the other side' before turning it over.

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who attend

All children work collaboratively, helping each other. They decide amongst themselves who is doing what, but also take turns, forming good relationships with each other and demonstrating friendly behaviour. The activity provides opportunities for children to explore media and describe how things feel, such as the water being 'tepid' and the flour being 'soft'. They also see how ingredients and textures change when added together. Lots of very pertinent open-ended questioning and careful observations by staff enable the children to get the very best learning potential from the activity. As a result, they concentrate, show exceptionally high levels of attention and remain interested and engaged throughout.

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who attend

Children have plenty of opportunities to make their own choices and decisions. They help themselves to a wide range of art and craft materials to create their own designs and use their imaginations. Babies enjoy large-scale painting on the floor as they experiment using their hands, fingers and feet. They develop a sense of self and learn that their actions have an effect on others, for example, lifting up their t-shirts to expose their tummies, while other babies copy. Staff note this and develop children's self-awareness further as they point to their nose, eyes and mouth. Consistent, positive interactions with children are fundamental in promoting their very effective communication and language skills. Regular opportunities enable children to share and enjoy a wide range of books to accommodate all ages and interests. Babies and young children enjoy the sense of awe, wonder and surprise that lift-the-flap and sound books provide. Staff make books using

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who attend

photographs of special people in the children's lives so that they can remember them. Books are also given to parents, who are very appreciative of these small touches that enable them to feel included. Children take photographs and make their own books around the nursery, which promotes a sense of belonging. Older children begin to learn that pictures and words convey meaning. For example, when listening to a story, they predict what it is about by looking at the front cover, and their accurate observations are reinforced as staff read out the title. Wonderful voice intonation creates a real sense of the characters' personalities and the mood and tone of the story, ensuring that children are enraptured and listen intently. Children regularly talk about what is happening and then act out well-loved stories, for example, hunting for 'bears' when playing outside. This helps to develop their physical skills as they learn to negotiate going over, under and

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who attend

A fantastic garden with a whole host of different areas provides a wealth of learning opportunities for children, particularly their mud kitchen. Here they can fuel their imaginations as they make a range of concoctions. They experiment and test out their ideas as they mix mud, water, flowers and leaves, developing small muscle skills as they mix, stir, whisk and pour their mixtures from one container to another. They tend to their own vegetables, fruit and plants, and search for bugs as they learn about living things. Children use magnifying glasses and microscopes to view these at close hand and discuss what they can see. Large equipment, balancing beams and balls, wheeled toys, yoga and numerous other activities promote children's balance and dexterity. Staff respond to current events and interests, for example, children currently aspire to being budding tennis champions, developing their hand-eye coordination as they play with bats and balls.

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who attend

Staff regularly ask children to work out their own solutions to problems, rather than step in with the information. This enables children to think critically; for example, they calculate how many children are sitting at the table and work out that they have seven plates, so they need to take one away. Younger children carefully consider and work out how to manipulate various locks, catches, hooks and bolts, developing good hand-eye coordination as they do so. A huge range of information and communication technology is expertly used by children, such as interactive white boards, computers, compact disc players and cameras. These equip children with excellent opportunities to develop skills for their future learning.

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

Staff are extremely warm, friendly and attentive. They are very keen to ensure that children settle into nursery life as smoothly as possible, and go to great lengths to achieve this. Settling in is very flexible and takes as long as necessary so that children forge close relationships with staff. From the outset, children are assigned a key person, who takes time to talk to parents about all aspects of their child's care and development. These partnerships with parents are a key strength and significant in ensuring that all children are nurtured and fully supported, enabling them to develop to their full potential. Staff are extremely committed to investing as much time as possible to listen, and actively take on board what parents have to say. As a result, staff know the children exceptionally well and all aspects of their well-being are promoted extremely successfully. Children gradually grow in confidence, resulting in them feeling very happy, safe and secure. Ultimately, they

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

thrive in this exceptionally warm and welcoming nursery. Staff clearly recognise that children develop at different rates and, therefore, transitions between rooms are very carefully planned and considered, with the child's interests at heart. A gradual transfer to their new room ensures that these moves are seamless. This helps children feel truly valued and they gain confidence, self-assurance and a sense of belonging. Once children are immersed in nursery life, partnership with parents continues to be a major strength. Parents have many opportunities to find out more about their children's development. Learning targets are regularly shared and there are regular updates on progress.

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

Children's safety is extremely well promoted through everyday routines and activities. Staff remind children in the pre-school room how to negotiate the stairs, advising them to go down slowly and hold on to the handrail. Children competently use scissors and knives correctly as they have been shown how to by staff, and remember what to do. Staff recognise that this provides children with skills for their future learning and development. Children sweep up sand from the floor or wipe up spills as they know that if these are left they can slip and hurt themselves. The police, fire service, nurses and doctors visit the nursery to talk to the children about their role in keeping people healthy and safe, and these discussions significantly help children learn to take responsibility for their own safety. Role play areas and dressing-up clothes enable children to create their own hospital, doctor's surgery and police station and act out various emergency situations. In

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

addition, books and stories further help to consolidate what they know. All rooms have their own age-appropriate 'golden rules'. Many of these are devised with safety in mind. Older children help to create their own rules, revisiting these regularly to reinforce their understanding, which they clearly demonstrate for all to see.

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

A healthy ethos is fully promoted and children follow excellent hygiene routines. These are expertly role modelled by staff, who are also extremely vigilant and mindful at all times to ensure children's understanding is continually reinforced. For example, at the start of a cooking activity, staff and children wash their hands. However, in between mixing her ingredients, a child licks her fingers, while another child strokes a member of staff's hair. Both are gently reminded that they need to wash their hands again so that they do not transfer germs. Children eat exceptionally nutritious and balanced meals. These are prepared by the nursery cook and her assistant, both of whom take great pride in the quality of the food they source and produce. Fruit and vegetables come from a local supplier and milk is delivered, rather than purchased from a shop, so that the nursery helps to support the local community. Children eat a wide range of delicious meals, which

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

are extremely varied and lovingly prepared to accommodate a range of dietary requirements. Meals are appetising and very well presented, and children eat their food with gusto, often asking for more. Baby food is carefully prepared, starting with pureed meals and gradually introducing more texture and lumpier foods as children get older. The cook is encouraged to attend training and embraces this enthusiastically. She has attended an exhibition to look at food alternatives on the market for those children with food allergies, and also training to explore the connection with food and children's behaviour. As a result, ingredients are carefully scrutinised and everything is freshly prepared and made from scratch so that children are extremely well nourished.

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

The nursery is a wonderfully harmonious community where children sit together to eat their meals and snacks and chat together happily. They readily carry out tasks independently and confidently, such as serving their food and pouring their own drinks, only asking for help if absolutely needed. Children show a very caring disposition to one another, and staff respond positively to harness this. For example, a child loves to help when other children are settling for a sleep after lunch. She copies staff as she helps to soothe and relax children, before completing her very own 'sleep chart'. Staff praise and thank her for what she has done, helping her to feel valued and important. Clear boundaries and expectations are established within the nursery. Ongoing discussions during every day routines and activities mean that children know why these are important. They often perform tasks spontaneously, rather than having to be asked, such as sitting

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

down quietly after they have finished their lunch. They successfully collaborate and learn together in small groups, and are extremely good at listening to one another and staff. Staff use timers, helping children to understand the concept of taking turns and sharing resources. Older children say 'please' and 'thank you' without prompting and they are extremely charming, courteous and polite individuals. As a result, children's behaviour is exemplary.

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

An exceptionally stimulating environment is provided in all areas of the nursery, where children make excellent progress in their learning and development. Staff maximise use of the indoor and outdoor environments, using space imaginatively and creatively so that children get the utmost benefit from the learning potential they provide. This means that children are provided with rich and varied experiences that they eagerly participate in. A wide range of their work, drawings, paintings and photographs help to create an extremely welcoming environment and sense of belonging. Resources, displays and photographs reflect people's differences, and children develop an awareness of words, phrases and numbers to reflect the cultural diversity of children attending the nursery. Children for whom English is an additional language are particularly well supported in the nursery. Children enjoy regular outings into their community, adding another dimension to

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

their learning as they view the world around them.

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provision

There is an extremely strong emphasis on safeguarding, which underpins all staff's practice. It is at the heart of the nursery ethos and seen as a priority for all staff. While all staff receive safeguarding training, the manager has recently undergone training at a very high level, to ensure that her knowledge, and in turn the nursery's policies and procedures, are thorough and robust. It is always a focus for discussion at staff meetings, staff supervision and appraisals, with various scenarios posed for staff to consider. This ensures that staff are extremely vigilant in being alert to the signs and symptoms of abuse and highly confident in knowing how to respond to any child protection concerns. The nursery's arrangements for safeguarding children are shared with parents, which helps to reassure them that their children are kept safe. Staff show absolutely no hesitation when asked what they would do if they observed a colleague behaving inappropriately, and are

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provision

familiar with the correct whistle-blowing procedures to follow.

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provision

Risk assessments are thorough and comprehensively executed by staff. Daily checks record any hazards that staff need to be aware of for each of the rooms and the outdoor play area. Accidents are clearly tracked and monitored throughout the nursery, identifying how many occur in each room and the cause. These are discussed at staff meetings to see if they could have been avoided and, if so, what they need to do to rectify the problem. Any action taken is updated in the risk assessment record. An audit is undertaken to ensure that the risk assessment is up to date and effective. Staff are very well deployed to ensure that children's individual needs are met and correct ratios are maintained. Safe recruitment practices are robustly followed. Rigorous vetting procedures ensure that all staff working with the children are suitable to do so, and effective steps are taken to ensure that their ongoing suitability is assessed regularly. In addition, their skills and

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provision

ability to work with children is assessed through a comprehensive induction and probationary period. Once appointed, appraisals, informal and formal supervision sessions and staff monitoring ensure that staff continue to be suitable to work with children. This helps to keep children extremely safe.

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provision

Underpinning the nursery's success is the dedication and expertise of the management team. They are ably and extremely well supported by a highly effective staff team who show a great love and enthusiasm for their work. Everyone involved in the nursery shares a huge sense of pride in what they do and are highly committed to providing the very best for all children. Staff morale is exceedingly high. This is because they are truly valued and recognised for the skilled practitioners they are, and regularly receive various rewards and incentives in recognition of their hard work and dedication. The manager knows the strengths of the nursery well, and accurately identifies actions to secure continuous improvement. Her high expectations and drive are shared by all staff, and they demonstrate they have the capacity to improve the nursery further. Each room has their own self-evaluation folder, and every member of staff contributes their ideas, reflects on

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provision

what they do and identifies steps as to how further improvements are made. They grasp every opportunity to learn from one another, try out new concepts and test these out. As a result, ideas are continually evolving and this, in turn, makes learning exciting and fun for children. Staff eagerly embrace training, which is often specific to their individual needs or specific role and area of interest. They are fully accountable for improving quality in their area of responsibility. For example, one member of staff is particularly keen to ensure that the nursery does its utmost to include parents, particularly in their children's learning. Several initiatives are already in place to further ensure they are involved.

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provision

The manager ensures that all the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are effectively implemented. Extremely robust monitoring of staff practice ensures that they are able to fulfil their roles with the utmost competence and diligence. Pre-school staff recognise that they have many bright and articulate children who are already able to count to 20 and beyond, write their names and construct simple sentences. As a result, they work with reception class teachers as to how they can further extend children's learning. Information is also gleaned from the internet, but there is scope to develop this even further to enable staff to find new and different ways to challenge children's thinking and learning. Effective checks on teaching provide a clear and accurate picture of its quality. All staff receive valuable feedback so they know what to do to further improve their practice. Regular and random checks of children's 'learning journeys' ensure that these are up to

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provision

date and accurately reflect children's progress and the next steps in this process. Staff willingly attend any support and training available to refine and improve their practice. This motivates staff to make changes in what they do and enhance the quality of care, learning and development for all children. Staff strengths and expertise in specific areas are also shared. This helps to promote a highly knowledgeable staff team, whose skills are used most effectively to support children's well-being.

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provision

Excellent links are made with schools to ensure that children's transfer is smooth when the time arrives. Staff go to considerable lengths to ensure that children are as well prepared for this transition as they can be. Detailed assessments are passed to reception teachers, many of whom speak very positively of the high quality and exceptional detail these provide. Extremely effective links are made with other professionals and early years settings in the area to share the nursery's exemplary practice. In addition, the nursery are more than aware of the value of sharing and gaining new information to improve their own practice, so that all children are fully supported and their individual needs are met very well.

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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 405361 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 923380

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 92 Number of children on roll 145 Name of provider Childbase Partnership Limited Date of previous inspection 16/08/2011 Telephone number 0121 454 1170

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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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