Holly Cottage Day Nursery

Holly Cottage Day Nursery Heathlands Road, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 3AP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/07/2013 06/04/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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

 There is an extensive range of high quality resources for all age groups, both indoors and outside. This highly stimulating learning environment encourages all children to become curious and inquisitive.  All children make good progress in relation to their starting points. They benefit from the attentive support from staff, which encourages them to learn.  The nursery is well organised and efficiently managed and staff demonstrate a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements.  Staff work well with parents to promote children's well-being. Parents' speak positively about the nursery and staff establish effective two-way communication to help meet children's individual needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are some missed opportunities to identify trends in children's progress through tracking which could help identify priorities for improvement and ensure timely interventions.  The current staff mentoring system develops staff practice but does not always fully target practice to be developed further.

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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 all rooms where care takes place and the garden.  The inspector had discussions with parents, staff and children.  The inspector had lunchtime meeting with the manager.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documents including children's learning journals, safeguarding procedures and risk assessments.

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Information about the setting

Holly Cottage Nursery registered in 1998 and is privately owned. It is registered on the Early Years Register and compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The nursery is located on the outskirts of Wokingham, Berkshire. It serves families from the local community and surrounding areas. The nursery operates from various rooms and outbuildings. Children have access to outdoor play areas and a nearby woodland for outside play and activities.

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Information about the setting

The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery opens five days a week throughout the year. Sessions run from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Thursday, and 8am until 5.50pm on Fridays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 141 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery receives funding for free early education for children aged three and four.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 36 members of staff to work with the children. Of these, 34 staff hold recognised early years qualifications, including one member of staff with qualified teacher status. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 enhance the system for tracking children's development so that group planning is more sharply focused

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

 strengthen the current mentoring system, for example by using the manager's observations of effective staff practice to support other staff professional development.

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who attend

The learning environment for all age groups, both indoors and outside is highly stimulating. Children have easy access to an exceptional range of enticing and high quality resources covering all areas of learning. This means that children are motivated to learn, and develop curiosity about objects, events and people, and engage in using their senses to explore the world around them. Babies enjoy the sensory experience of using paint to create their own artwork and show pride in their achievements and make their own music by tapping and banging tambourines. Staff have successfully developed a designated physical play area in response to babies' increasing interest in becoming mobile. As a result, babies are confident in exploring their environment and are developing their physical skills quickly. Babies enjoy singing, listening intently and sometimes joining in by mimicking some actions.

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who attend

Toddlers show high levels of concentration as they explore balancing beanbags and making marks in foam. They receive high quality support from staff who build their vocabulary effectively and promote their curiosity well. Two-year-old children show a positive approach to learning, exploring resources with high levels of curiosity. Staff take very good account of their interests when planning activities as children choose activity cards and staff put out their chosen activities. This ensures that learning builds on children's interests and children learn that their input is of value. This promotes their self- esteem and confidence well. They arrange to explore animals in response to children's previous play and understanding. Staff use good quality interactions overall and make the best use of opportunities to extend children's learning further. Staff are also competent at writing progress checks for two-year-old children, focusing on three key areas of learning.

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who attend

Children in the pre-school room are progressing well with more challenging activities, suited to their developmental needs. There is a strong focus on acquiring early reading, writing and mathematical skills. Children are learning the shapes and sounds of letters, with many making good attempts at writing their names. Staff provide routine opportunities to count and explore shape. The computer software available supports children's numeracy skills well. This results in children making good progress in this area. Children enjoy using musical instruments and they take turns to explore the sounds. They sound out beats of the drum to match the rhythm of a song, many showing good concentration and listening skills.

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who attend

Staff take good account of children's starting points. They gather clear information from parents and make careful observations when children first start in the nursery. They assess children's progress routinely. They are proactive in encouraging parents to contribute their observations of children's learning at home in order to develop a bigger picture of their development. Staff monitor closely the language development of children. This means that staff are able to support children to be confident communicators. Small group interventions are well planned and target individual needs. However, the system for tracking children's development is not yet fully embedded. This means that targeted group planning for some children is not as sharply focused as it could be.

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

Children appear content and happy in the nursery. Staff are knowledgeable about the individual sleep routines of babies and they provide comfort as they pat their backs or cradle children to help them settle. All children have a key member of staff who follows their development closely and takes care of their daily needs. Children receive encouragement from staff, for example, when they take a few tentative first steps or enjoy a game of 'find the cup'. As children progress through the nursery, they learn how to behave well. A number of activities prepare children for school life effectively. For example, children listen well when they take part in group activities. They take turns with popular equipment and understand fairness. Older children help to compose some guidelines for good behaviour and they take responsibility for small tasks illustrated on their 'jobs for the day' board. Children contribute to keeping their environment safe when

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

they suggest potential hazards and how to overcome them. They identify, for example, that it may not be a good idea to use the slide in wet weather.

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

Children enjoy a broad range of nutritious meals, which are freshly prepared on site. Most mealtimes are pleasant social occasions where staff sit with the children to engage in conversations. Children develop their independence as they find their own placemat and use cutlery with growing control. They are aware that physical play is good and helps keep their bodies healthy. Children receive good support in developing independence in key aspects of development, such as toilet training. Children enjoy spending time in the garden where they can run, climb and use some bicycles, engage in imaginative role play, draw with chalks, and choose from the many resources in the shed. During very wet or cold weather the full range of outdoor resources is not on offer, though the setting provides an alternative provision in their soft play barn to keep children active and warm. Staff take children for walks in the adjacent woods where they explore their experience of

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

The nursery provides a clean and welcoming environment. Staff make effective use of displays to share the children's artwork and photographs with parents and celebrate children's achievements. All rooms have natural daylight and staff are continually looking at ways to improve the layout of resources. Children are eager to explore their rooms and the good use of low-level displays of resources means they can follow their own interests. During the day, the children benefit from a change of scene when they play in different rooms and the soft play area. Resources across the nursery are of good quality and well matched to children's development. Management are taking good steps to address any gaps, such as enhancing resources to support understanding science and nature in the pre-school provision.

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provision

This is a well-organised nursery where staff demonstrate a thorough understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. A detailed range of policies underpin daily practice and staff are confident in how to carry out their responsibilities. Staff have a good awareness of safeguarding procedures and they know who to share information with if they have concerns for a child's welfare. They refresh their knowledge through discussions during in-house training so that they are well equipped to deal with a range of scenarios. There are updates to policies, for example on the sensible use of mobile telephones. There is a clear whistle blowing procedure if staff have concerns within the nursery. Staff complete a thorough range of risk assessments on all aspects of the nursery. They take steps to keep children safe and secure by carefully recording visitors and maintaining accurate registers of all staff and children on site. There

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provision

are robust procedures in place when recruiting new members of staff. A detailed induction process helps to ensure all staff receive a strong grounding in the policies of the company. At regular intervals, staff have fresh Disclosure and Barring Service checks. Staff are attentive to protecting children's health. They follow careful routines to cater for children's different dietary needs, with senior staff overseeing the serving of meals.

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provision

Staff work effectively with parents to prepare individual care plans for babies. The setting has a robust staff cover system to cover absences, using bank staff, if needed. This ensures that all staff are familiar with the setting, meet the expectations of their role and know the children. This also promotes continuity of care for all children. Staff follow good hygiene procedures during routines, such as changing nappies. They wear protective clothing to serve children food and they frequently use antibacterial gel for hand cleaning. Staff may not use their mobiles on the premises and are reminded about speed limits in the car park. These procedures demonstrate a consistently thoughtful approach to keeping children healthy and safe.

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provision

Staff build successful partnerships with parents, which begins with sharing information about children's starting points. Staff provide families with a wide range of good quality information about the nursery activities and they regularly seek parental feedback. Parental views and opinions are considered seriously and parents receive feedback on their suggestions. Past improvements based on parental communications have led to the provision of a space for poorly children while they are waiting to be collected. Parents' speak positively about the standards of care in the nursery and they write that they are 'impressed with the provision for learning on offer'. They are appreciative information evening focusing on the Early Years Foundation Stage given at parent's evenings. The presentation from staff at the event helping them understand how young children learn through play. Links are made with some schools that children move on to and they

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provision

welcome visits from school staff. Staff understand the importance of making links with other settings which children may attend to provide continuity in care and early education.

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provision

The manager demonstrates a very high level of commitment and enthusiasm in her role in the nursery. Leadership provides a positive drive to improvement and are keen to embed some new initiatives they highlight in their plans. All staff contribute to an accurate self- evaluation of the nursery through staff questionnaires and feedback during staff meetings. Staff say they receive good support in their professional development. There is an established system of appraisal, supervision and mentoring to identify areas that may benefit from training. There is a missed opportunity at this time to link the manager's observations of staff to the mentoring system to further support staff practice. There are incentives for individual staff who show particularly encouraging aspects of practice. Overall, staff demonstrate a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. There are some careful checks in place to make sure staff complete

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provision

children's developmental records on a regular basis. These self-regulating systems help to remind staff of their responsibilities in identifying any gaps in children's learning, so that these can quickly be addressed.

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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 148607 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 843178 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 81 Number of children on roll 141 Name of provider Holly Cottage Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 06/04/2009 Telephone number 01344 761264 mob 07901 853868

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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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