Brishing Barn Nursery Ltd

Brishing Barn Nursery Brishing Court Barn, Brishing Lane, Boughton Monchelsea, MAIDSTONE, Kent, ME17 4NF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/08/2013 19/10/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff have a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this to provide children with exciting learning opportunities, which cover the seven areas of learning.  Staff use observations and assessment successfully to plan for children's next steps in their learning; therefore, children make consistent progress in relation to their starting points.  Children's communication and language development is well supported through staff's effective use of good questioning techniques and allowing children time to think their ideas through.  Partnerships with parents work well to provide continuity of children's care routines and the two-way flow of information to support their learning and development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Mealtime arrangements for the youngest children do not provide sufficient opportunities for social interaction.  Opportunities for the pre-school children to explore mathematical concepts are not extensive to enhance their interest in numbers.

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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 the staff interacting and playing with the children in the indoor and outdoor learning environments.  The inspector held discussions with staff, children, the management and parents.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including children's records, learning journals and planning.  The inspector checked risk assessments, safeguarding policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Brishing Barn Nursery registered in 2011. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. It operates from two converted barns in Boughton Monchelsea, near Maidstone, Kent. There is an enclosed outside area available for children.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 7am until 7pm, throughout the year. There are currently 114 children attending who are in the early year's age range. The setting receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year- olds. A total of 27 staff work at the nursery and 18 of these hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least level 3. The nursery supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 provide more games and equipment that offer children opportunities for counting and using mathematical terminology in play

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

 enhance mealtimes for the youngest children to share the social interaction of being fed by their key person and learning how to feed themselves.

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who attend

Children enjoy learning through play, as staff offer children a broad range of activities. Staff support children well, as they engage and join in with the children's learning. For example, staff provide corn flour to enable children to develop early writing skills as they make marks in the flour. Children extend this to talking about snow, soon the staff and the children are enjoying throwing the 'snow' about the room. Staff's infectious laughter enhances the children's enjoyment, and soon all are covered in flour. Staff show children their footprints on the carpet, and the children happily make footprints on the carpet. This exciting approach to teaching helps children to actively learn and make connections between different life experiences. Children thrive in the freedom that the staff encourage, which helps them to enjoy learning through spontaneous play.

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who attend

Staff observe children at play carefully to find out what children can do and then record each child's achievements in their learning journals. Staff assess children's progress weekly, which enables staff to continually build on children's interests. For example, when children show an interest in insects, staff provide children with magnifying glasses and bug boxes. This enable children to examine insects in close detail. Consequently, children make consistent progress in relation to their starting points as they enjoy playing in enabling environments, which respond to their emerging interests well. Staff ensure that information about children's routines at home, and their current learning and development levels gathered from parents when children start at the nursery. This helps staff to plan and provide relevant and meaningful activities which are familiar to children when they first. Therefore, children settle in easily and are ready to learn through purposeful play.

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who attend

On-going feedback between parents and staff works well to provide children with challenges that are achievable and support their next steps. Children enjoy their learning through exciting play and experiences that ignite their imaginations.

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who attend

Overall, all children are well supported across the seven areas of learning and development, as they have a good range of resources easily accessible in all rooms. However, the oldest children have fewer opportunities to explore mathematical concepts because resources to extend their interest and understanding of numbers are not extensive.

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who attend

Parents and staff work well together to play an important part in helping children to make consistent progress in relation to their starting points. Staff share information with parents daily about what children have done during the day. In addition, parents add comments about any learning or development that they may have seen while their children have been at home with them. This helps staff to plan appropriate and relevant play experiences for children, which means that children enjoy their learning. Staff have systems in place to assess children's progress between the ages of two and three, which enables them to promptly identify any concerns in a child's learning and development.

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who attend

Key persons work closely together to ensure that children are supported as they move between activities and areas of the rooms. Staff sit and join in with children's play, which enables children to learn through play and extend their ideas as staff use good questioning techniques. For example, staff encourage children to talk about what they are doing as they make shapes in play dough. This helps children to think about the shapes they need and ask questions if they are not sure how to make their model. Good information sharing between key persons and parents means that children who speak English as an additional language are well supported. Staff ensure that they learn key words in children's home languages, so they can use familiar words to help them feel valued.

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who attend

All children enjoy daily access to the nursery's enclosed garden area, which children and staff access through the nursery's car park. Children enjoy playing in the various wooden structures, such as a boat, which develops their imaginative skills. Younger children enjoy drawing or listening to stories in the wooden dens, which enables children to play and learn in the fresh air, out of the sun.

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

All children receive warm, loving and consistent care, which supports children to develop feelings of security and belonging to the setting. Children have good relationships with their special person, which means that they have a familiar adult to turn to when feeling uncertain or in need of a cuddle. Babies enjoy cuddles from their special person as they wake, and lots of encouragement as they play. In addition, the successful key person 'buddy system' means that children always have someone to turn to, if their special person is not there. Consequently, all children show they are happy and settled and enjoy learning through play. Overall, babies are well supported at mealtimes, but due to the space in the feeding area, staff are unable to sit down with their key children. Consequently, babies miss out on spending time with their special person and the social aspect of mealtimes.

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

Children behave well across the age ranges, as staff consistently use clear rules and gentle reminders to help children to manage their own behaviour. Staff ensure that they are good role models, and children hear and see staff using good manners. Consequently, children are polite when talking to each other and the staff. Effective deployment of staff ensures that ratios are well met, and children are supported well in all aspects of their care, learning and development.

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

The nursery employs a cook, who ensures that all snacks and meals children have are freshly prepared, healthy and nutritious. Babies have their meals pureed, mashed or chopped according to their own stages of weaning. They are able to enjoy a range of tastes and textures according to their individual needs. Older children, who are based upstairs, have no facility to access running water in their base rooms. However, they demonstrate how they are able to manage the stairs safely as they go down to wash their hands before eating. The nursery is currently looking into ways to provide running water in the upstairs rooms, but as the building is listed, this is taking time to find a workable solution which meets the needs of the children and the planners.

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provision

The management team have worked hard to ensure that they are able to put in place clear policies and procedures which ensure the implementation of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. The inspection was brought forward following a notification about an accident to a child. Ofsted visited the setting and issued a notice to improve, that required the provider to date and review risk assessments following any incidents. Management acted promptly and effectively. They have redesigned the garden and ensured that it is safe for all children who attend the nursery. In addition, the garden area is assessed prior to any of the children using it, and any steps needed to make an area safe is recorded and brought to the attention of the management. This ensures that children are able to enjoy daily fresh air and exercise daily safely. The management use comprehensive risk assessments to ensure that all areas of the nursery environment

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provision

indoors and outdoors are assessed and any potential hazards identified and minimised. All staff show a good understanding of their responsibilities in implementing safeguarding policies and procedures. Tight security measures, including a finger print entry system means that only known parents and staff are able to enter the nursery. The management ensure that all new staff are vetted and thoroughly checked through robust and rigorous recruitment procedures. Consequently, all staff are suitable to working with children. The management have clear supervision and monitoring systems in place, which means that staff are well supported and any staff underperforming are supported through additional training and supervisions. In addition, the staff are encouraged to further develop their professional qualifications, which means that they are well qualified. Consequently, all children are consistently supported to make good progress towards the next stages on

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provision

The nursery uses reflective practice and self-evaluation well to monitor the effectiveness of the educational programmes and the learning opportunities children receive. Parents are able to put forward their views verbally or through the parent-mail system, which the nursery uses. This enables the management to find out what parents feel about the service the nursery offers and any improvements that could benefit the nursery. Current plans for improvements are based around the children's access to the fresh air and making the garden more accessible. The management would like to build a pathway to enable children to move freely to the garden without having to cross the car park.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are positive; parents speak highly of the nursery staff and the learning opportunities their children enjoy. Parents like being able to log in to access the close circuit television feed daily from external computers, which mean they can check whether their children are settled and happy. Parents feel that they are well informed about their children's day, and enjoy looking through the learning journals regularly. Parents comment that they feel they are able to support their children's learning and development at home, as staff provide feedback at the end of each day. Consequently, children are supported to make good progress towards the early learning goals and the next stages in their learning through continuity children's learning and development. Staff have made links with the local schools that children will attend. Teachers come and meet their new children prior to the start of the new term, which enables children to meet them

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provision

in familiar surroundings. This helps to develop children's confidence as they move on to the next stage in their learning.

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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 EY418865 Local authority Kent Inspection number 925387 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 114 Name of provider Brishing Barn Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 19/10/2012 Telephone number 01622749800

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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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