Apple Tree Day Nursery

Apple Tree Day Nursery 593 London Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO2 9SD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/08/2013 10/04/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Robust employment and induction procedures make sure staff are suitable.  Children develop good relationships with their key person and their peers.  Staff support children's communication and language development well, including children that are learning English as an additional language.  Successful partnerships with parents and other professionals helps identify and support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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It is not yet good because

 The individual needs of some children are not met as staff are not deployed effectively to provide appropriate support at all times.  The assessment and planning system is not precise enough to consistently plan tailored activities in all areas of learning to promote each child's learning and development.  On occasions, staff do not make sure resources meet the needs of all children.  Staff do not always fully promote children's health awareness and independence.

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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 the indoor and outdoor play areas.  The inspector had discussions with parents, staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documents including children's records, staff records and accident records, risk assessments and policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Apple Tree Day Nursery registered in 2006. It is a privately owned nursery and operates from a detached house in Hilsea on the outskirts of Portsmouth, Hampshire. There is limited accessibility as there is no lift to the first floor where children aged under two years are cared for. All children have the use of an enclosed and covered outside play area. The nursery takes children from the local community and surrounding areas. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery provides free education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm all year with the exception of bank holidays and one week at Christmas. There are currently 52 children in the early years age group on roll. The nursery provides care for children up to the age of eight years each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm during all the school holidays with

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Information about the setting

exception of bank holidays and one week at Christmas. The owner has a recognised early years qualification and works in the nursery on a day-to-day basis as the manager. In addition, nine staff are employed to work directly with the children. Of these, seven hold a recognised early years qualification and two are working towards a qualification.

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must:

 ensure staff are deployed effectively at all times to meet the needs of all children

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must:

 ensure the assessment and planning system is precise and used effectively to plan challenging and tailored activities for each individual child.

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

 increase children's health awareness and independence through daily routines such as meal times

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

 make sure suitable resources are always available to fully meet the interests and developing needs of all children.

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who attend

Children are happy and make satisfactory progress in relation to their starting points including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff observe and assess the children's achievements and make some plans of how to help them progress. However, the planned next steps are not precise for each child and the implementation of them is inconsistent. Staff do not always provide children with challenges and appropriate resources to maximise their learning and development. When only one or a few babies are present, they do not stay in the baby room but join the other children in the nursery. This sometimes has a positive impact on them, as they meet with siblings and develop social skills. However, there is not always a member of staff from the baby room that has the knowledge of their individual needs with them. This means appropriate support is not always provided and the individual planning for the babies is not implemented. For

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who attend

example, babies are unable to take part in the parachute activity as it is too hectic for them and they move away. Staff complete the progress check when children are aged two years and are alert to delays in children reaching the expected milestones for their ages. Staff are developing ways in which to inform parents how they can support their children's learning at home.

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who attend

Staff place a strong focus on helping children to develop communication and language skills. They generally interact purposefully with children. They ask questions about the children's families to encourage children to respond. Children are eager to share news showing they are happy to talk. Staff provide a box of books in the garden. Children show great interest in looking at them and listen intently to stories. Staff use effective explanation to help children understand what words mean. For example, that 'the anchor is dropped into the sea to stop the boat moving.' In the baby room, staff use animal puppets to encourage children to make the appropriate sounds. Staff follow guidance from other professionals to help children with speech difficulties and who are learning English as an additional language. For example, they play sound lotto games to encourage children to listen. They use flash cards to help children increase their vocabulary. Staff

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who attend

learn and use key words in children's home languages to help them feel included. They recognise this helps children to build a secure use of their home language, which in turn, helps them to increase their understanding and use of English. Staff use Makaton signs to provide a visual aid to help all children develop a greater understanding of what is being said.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy playing collaboratively with others as they all lift and lower the parachute. They strengthen muscles and develop control of their bodies. Staff help children learn about the weather and how it affects them. They talk about the wind being gentle and getting stronger and stronger. Children laugh as they quicken the speed at which they move the parachute, recognising they are moving the air as they do so. Staff ask what comes from the clouds and children shout, 'rain'. They hold up imaginary umbrellas to keep dry. Children use their design skills as they build with construction sets. They learn about shapes, size and volume as they play with sand, filling and emptying pots.

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

The key person system and the caring approach of the staff play a positive role in helping children to settle well. Staff get to know the children and form attachments with them. As a result, children generally display confidence and develop some independence in their play and routines. Children are encouraged to put their shoes on for example. However, staff do not make full use of meal times to fully promote children's independence and to help prepare children for school. For example, they do not provide milk and water in manageable sized jugs for children to use easily without help. Children behave well and play cooperatively with their friends and staff. They respond well when staff intervene and make suggestions to help avoid conflict. For example, staff suggest children use the sand timer to help them know when it is time to let someone else have a turn playing with the sand. Staff make links with other settings children attend and with some of the schools

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

children go to promote continuity in the care and learning.

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

Children learn to keep safe as they follow procedures. Staff remind them to consider the children around them when they are playing on the bikes. This encourages children to be aware of their own safety and the safety of others. Young children learn to take risks while keeping safe as staff remind them to turn around and sit before coming down the slide. Many carefully considered policies and procedures are implemented to promote children's well-being. However, a recent incident when safety measures were not effective compromised children's safety. This identified a weakness in how well the provider and staff are working to ensure children's well-being. Children are beginning to learn about healthy lifestyles. Staff promote effective hygiene routines and provide children with healthy and nutritious foods at snack time and teatime. However, staff do not make full use of opportunities as they arise to teach children about foods that are good for them.

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

Children enjoy spending lots of time outdoors in all weathers as the garden that is covered. Older children develop physical skills and muscles as they kick balls and pedal the bikes. Babies develop physical skills as they chase and push the giant ball.

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

Overall, the playrooms are bright and child friendly with resources easily available. Many toys and books help children learn about the wider world and the people in it. Older children select from a range of creative resources including scissors and glue that allows them to explore and design. Toddlers use the 'easy grip' paintbrushes, which allow them to use tools and increase control of their bodies as they paint. However, staff do not always make sure suitable resources and activities are available for the babies when they are playing on the ground floor and in the garden. For example, there are no age- appropriate sit on toys for them to use to develop their balance skills and leg muscles. As a result, babies are not always stimulated and engaged in their play. This has an impact on their enjoyment and all round development.

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provision

Robust vetting and recruitment procedures ensure all adults working with children are suitable. Staff have a clear understanding of the child protection procedure and what action they should take if they have a concern. Hazards are generally appropriately risk assessed and suitable measures taken to minimise risks. A rigorous arrival and departure procedure is in place, which helps staff make sure the setting is secure. However, this inspection has been brought forward because Ofsted received concerns regarding the suitability of the seats used for children aged under one year, and staff supervision. It was found that an incident occurred prior to the inspection when staff did not appropriately risk assess the suitability of chairs. The provider took prompt and appropriate action. Now staff make sure young children are seated and secured into suitable chairs according to their age and stage of development to keep them safe. Sufficient staff are present to meet

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provision

the required ratios of staff to children. However, staff deployment does not always ensure the individual needs of children are met as required, particularly when babies join the other children.

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provision

Children's health is protected as staff follow effective procedures when children are unwell, when they require medicines and in the case of accidents. Staff maintain all the required records to log these events and to show parents are informed. The manager uses staff appraisals to help identify areas for staff development and training needs. The enthusiastic staff are keen to update their skills to benefit children. Some have recently attended training in Makaton signing to help them to support children with communication difficulties. This positive attitude and the close working with other professionals involved in children's care and learning means children with additional needs receive effective support. The manager has a suitable understanding of the learning and development requirements. She has recently introduced a system to track children's progress towards the early learning goals. However, there is insufficient evidence yet to show the

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provision

Since the last inspection, the manager has made some progress towards meeting the recommendations made. Partnerships with parents are improving as key persons now obtain more information from parents about their child's starting points. However, parents are not fully involved in all aspects of their children's learning and development as staff do not share with them the planned next steps to help children progress. Parents report the staff are caring and their children are very happy and make good progress in their language skills. The manager meets with staff and welcomes advice from the local authority to help her evaluate the nursery. She has included parents in the self-evaluation process by requesting their feedback through questionnaires and is beginning to use their comments to help her improve outcomes for children.

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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 EY319828 Local authority Portsmouth Inspection number 926203 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 37 Number of children on roll 54 Name of provider Sharon Lesley Bagley Date of previous inspection 10/04/2013 Telephone number 02392 652111

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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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