Apple Tree Day Nurseries (Burton Latimer) Ltd

Apple Tree Day Nurseries (Burton Latimer) Limited Apple Tree Day Nursery, 161 High Street, Burton Latimer, KETTERING, Northamptonshire, NN15 5RL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/09/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: Not Applicable How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The owner and staff team of this inspiring and well-established nursery are continually reflecting on their activity to ensure they respond to each child's unique needs and their individual learning styles.  Children are very enthusiastic in their play and they are eager to try out all the experiences that are offered to them by the exceptional staff team who show a genuine interest in each child.  The planning of activities is flexible and led by the children's interests. The staff are always ready to provide the children with new and exciting things to do or to extend their interest and learning through adding different resources or experiences.  Parents' input in their child's learning and progress is fully valued by the staff and this promotes extremely strong partnerships that are built on trust and highly effective communication.  Children work extremely well together. They show care and concern for their friends

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This provision is outstanding

and are very independent in their play and explorations of the many high quality activities that are available to them.

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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 two playrooms and in the nursery garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the owner of the provision and with three members of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and the planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with the children, the providers self-evaluation form, reflective summary and action plans.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents who were spoken to on the day of inspection and from information in the nursery questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

Apple Tree Day Nursery (Burton Latimer) Limited was established in 2006 and registered as a limited company in 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery operates from converted single- storey premises in the market town of Burton Latimer in Northamptonshire. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 19 members of staff. All childcare staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including two who hold the Foundation Degree.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round with the exception of bank holidays. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 75 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It 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:

 enhance even further the opportunities for children to get involved with the risks associated with play that particularly involves superheroes, special powers or weapons, for example, by helping children consider safe risk-taking and the possible impact upon other children of their games.

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who attend

The children attending this vibrant nursery are provided with an excellent, ever-changing range of exceptional activities by the staff team who know them very well. This keen knowledge of individual children enables them to fine tune the activities according to their interests. For example, a child who is interested in the sorting dinosaurs is keen to name the ones they are familiar with, such as the 'Pterodactyl'. They ask the staff about the ones they are unsure of and the staff suggest they look in a story book that has dinosaurs in it. When the child cannot find the names in the book the member of staff suggests they visit the local library to find out. The child is very eager to do this and because the nursery operates to a high staff to child ratio they are able to accommodate this outing. The child returns happily having found the names of the dinosaurs in a book at the library. This commitment to individual children's learning being supported is significant in consolidating

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who attend

and valuing their interests. Babies are treated with very gentle sensitivity. The staff work very closely with their parents through highly effective communication to ensure their needs are met. For example, a key person agrees identified next steps for a baby to encourage them to move forward by crawling. The key person plans activities involving putting interesting toys in front of the child and encouraging them through smiling and positive language to reach forward to get to the toy. Lots of praise and encouragement promotes children to be eager to take part in the activities and the full involvement from the staff contributes to the child's learning and progress.

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who attend

The children thoroughly enjoy taking part in activities with the staff on a one to one basis or as a group. For example, children come excitedly together as a large group to take part in activities with the parachute. They all sit in a circle and listen to the staff as they explain what they are going to do. The children benefit from this shared attention and interest from the staff and they are motivated to work together. When the children go underneath the parachute while the staff move the parachute up and down, they giggle and squeal with enjoyment as they feel the breeze on their faces. The staff team's quality of teaching is impressive. They know when to get involved in the activities by introducing new vocabulary or resources to extend the play. They are skilled in supporting children to get deeply involved in what they are doing because they talk to them in a meaningful way, talking to them about the processes they are going through in their games and

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who attend

explorations. Children who have special educational needs are ably supported on a one to one basis which enables them to explore the activities and to take part in specific games that have been identified as part of their individual educational programme. For example, children engage with puppets and look in the mirror talking to the puppet. They also play games where they work with picture cards to promote their language skills. The nursery staff work extremely closely with children's parents and with other agencies who are involved with them to ensure their specific needs are met. Similar, equally strong individual plans are implemented for children attending who speak English as an additional language. They fully involve parents by asking them to break down relevant words and phrases phonically to help them communicate with the children and they use tools such as picture cards and games.

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who attend

The staff work equally with all the children in their room. The key person system is very effective in monitoring and assessing the rapid progress each child is making in their learning. The key persons follow the children's interests to plan entirely appropriate activities for them that are fun and that offer challenge to promote their thinking and curiosity. Children's progress is recorded through observations, photographs and samples of their work. Children aged two years have their progress recorded; this record is shared with their parents and is used to inform the planning of activities for them. Parents are fully involved in their child's learning. There is an abundance of photographs displayed around the nursery of the children involved in their play. These have captions and quotes from the children to demonstrate what they are learning. All parents receive written feedback each day about what their children have enjoyed doing both on individual

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who attend

feedback sheets and from information recorded on a whiteboard throughout the day. The staff link the information to the relevant areas of learning. Parents have access to a key which gives them details about the links with the Early Years Foundation Stage and what the purpose of the activity or experience is in their child's learning. This excellent involvement promotes parents to keep the staff informed of their child's achievements at home and therefore, ensures that children receive very secure consistency. All children in this exceptional nursery are very keen to get involved with the activities the staff provide for them. This is because the staff know them extremely well and they offer the children things to do that stimulate their interests. The youngest children are very well-supported with their personal, social and emotional development. Older children work very well together, they are independent and confident to select their own activities and resources

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who attend

and to move around in the nursery room. They work in a rich environment where they have free access to books and materials to write and make marks with. They are reminded to be careful during their play and to think of others. However, there is scope for the children to learn more about the possible risks involved in their games through even more involvement in the risk assessment process.

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

Children's individual and unique needs are managed very well by the staff because they seek detailed information from parents about their care and routines at home. For example, parents who are breastfeeding are welcomed into the nursery where there is space for them to sit comfortably to feed their child. The nursery makes provision to store frozen and clearly labelled breast milk for babies just in case their mother is unable to get to the nursery. Children clearly demonstrate that they feel safe and a sense of belonging in the nursery. They settle to sleep readily. Older babies enjoy going to sleep in large, low- level baskets that they can get out of themselves when they wake up. Sleeping children are safe because the staff make regular checks on them. Older children are confident to ask for items they want and they are keen to know what is going on during the daily routine. The clear bonds and attachments the children develop are evident through their

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

growing confidence and self-esteem. Children behave very well. They are consulted about what they want to do and activities are changed on their request. This valuing of children's ideas and suggestions ensures they are busy and occupied which minimises any issues of challenging behaviour. Children understand the expectations for behaviour and they listen to the staff when they remind them gently to think about what they are doing or to be careful.

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

The nursery garden is quite small but extremely well-resourced and the children in both rooms benefit from being able to choose when they play outside. The babies part of the garden has voile panels and a den for them to explore. The older children have access to wide range of natural items, such as large pebbles and pots full of herbs they can explore. Children are very well-protected from the sun. The nursery has a good supply of hats that the children choose from when they play outside, their parents provide consent for sun cream to be applied and children play inside during the hottest parts of the day. Their access to outside activities is significantly extended because the children have their own allotment locally where they grow a range of plants and vegetables that are used to compliment the nursery meals during harvest times. The staff take the children on regular walks around the town, to the local park and to the pre-school close by that has the same

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

ownership where they can have access to the large school playing field that has space for them to run around.

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

Children are provided with a varied and healthy range of meals and snacks that are freshly prepared by the nursery chef. Each child's stage of weaning and any dietary or allergy needs are fully taken into account following detailed discussion with their parents. Older babies are encouraged to feed themselves using a spoon or their fingers. The older children's independence is very well-supported because they choose when they have their snack and they serve themselves to their food at lunchtime. Some of the staff eat with the children during mealtimes which are very social occasions where plenty of lively discussion takes place. Children are learning how to manage their own personal care. Older children are able to be independent in the bathroom and toddlers are encouraged to wash their hands in their own room after messy activities. When children start attending their settling in is managed by their parents. They work with the staff to ensure that the child is

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

supported to settle and that their parent feels confident to leave them. This close working relationship continues throughout the child's time in the nursery. For example, parents often come to collect their child early so they can spend time in the room with them reading stories or playing with them. This relaxed and welcoming atmosphere enables children to feel safe and a sense of well-being. The move from the baby room to the pre- school room is managed carefully on the need of each child. The key persons work very closely together, alongside parents to share information about the child's current progress and next steps. The children go for visits into the room, gradually spending more time before they move up. The staff respond to the children's wishes. For example, a child who is not yet walking makes the successful move between rooms because they indicate very clearly that their preference is to be with the older children. Therefore, this child's wish is

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

accommodated by the excellent organisation and the higher than required staff to child ratio.

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provision

The owner and the staff team of this well-established nursery that recently re-registered are committed to always reflecting on their practice. This enables them to successfully sustain extremely high quality levels of care and learning for the children in their care. The owner spends significant amounts of time in the nursery rooms with the children and she works very closely with the highly experienced and long serving staff team. This time spent working directly with the children and the staff, observing practice and activities enables her to successfully monitor the educational programmes for individual children.

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provision

The owner absolutely values her staff, she encourages them to attend training courses and to make progress in their professional development by working towards higher qualifications. The recommendations from the previous inspection have been considered within the nursery action plans and active steps taken to enhance the already strong practice within the nursery. The owner collates detailed records of information relating to issues such as, parents and staff questionnaires and each child's progress in their learning and development. She does this in each of her nursery's and uses this to develop further, entirely well-targeted plans for the future development of the individual nursery. The children's parents play a full role in their child's time at the nursery. Their information from home is unquestionably valued by the staff and owner who respond to their suggestions. Parents report highly complementary comments about their children's experiences at the

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provision

nursery. They comment on the exceptional settling in procedures that are led by them and their child and the efforts the staff put in to ensuring they understand the Early Years Foundation Stage and the purpose and learning experiences offered from the activities their children take part in. Children's views about their care and activities are fully valued. Their contributions to the self-evaluation have been imaginatively recorded because the staff talk to them and ask relevant questions relating to the self-evaluation and they record their comments and the pictures they draw in scrap books.

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provision

The owner and all of the staff demonstrate a high regard for and an understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Children are safe in the nursery because the staff supervise them well during their activities. The high adult to child ratio contributes to children's safety and their individual needs being met. All the staff undertake regular training in relation to safeguarding and first aid and they understand the importance of following the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures in the event of any concerns. The premises are secure and all visitors and parents are greeted at the door when they arrive. Extensive and thorough risk assessments are in place that are reviewed and updated as necessary. Rigorous recruitment procedures alongside continual staff support and checks on their ongoing suitability, and continual professional development ensures children are safe and receive a high quality experience. The owner and staff team are

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provision

skilled and experienced people and this is clearly demonstrated in their daily activity with the children. They fully understand their responsibilities to meet the learning and development requirements for each of the children attending and they are very successful in managing this. Children thoroughly enjoy their enthusiastic and genuine interactions and involvement in their play and activities. They are creative in their planning and they understand each child's unique needs. The forward thinking and systematic nature of the owner's evaluations ensures that the nursery continues to move forward following the needs of the children and their families.

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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 EY460726 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 909208 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 43 Number of children on roll 75 Name of provider Apple Tree Day Nurseries (Burton Latimer) Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01536 420988

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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

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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