Bluebells Nursery School

Bluebells Nursery School All Saints Battersea Park, 100 Prince of Wales Drive, Battersea, London, SW11 4BD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/09/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2

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This provision is good

 The staff team use assessment very effectively to identify and target gaps in achievement and to plan for all children's progress, including areas where children show talent.  Staff support children well by using specialist strategies to help them with their communication and language, develop positive behaviour and overcome anxieties and to prepare them for changes to routines.  Children's learning and development is well supported by the indoor and outdoor nursery environment which is exceptionally well presented and equipped with high- quality play and learning resources.  The leadership team make good use of self-evaluation to identify and target priorities for improvement.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children enjoy activities that promote their understanding of the wider world. However, there is scope to improve the range of activities available that help them discover how things work and increase their interest in nature.

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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 children's play, learning and behaviour in both the indoor and outdoor environments, including the quality of adult interaction with children.  The inspector carried out some observations jointly with the providers.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled records and documentation relating to children's progress and development, as well as the nursery's policies and procedures and staff suitability records. The inspector scrutinised the providers' self-evaluation form prior to the inspection.  The inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views.

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Information about the setting

Bluebells Nursery School registered in 2011 on the Early Years Register. The nursery is jointly owned by two individuals who share the role of manager and currently work directly with the children. They currently employ one member of staff. The owners are both qualified to level four in early years. The employed member of staff is working towards achieving a level two qualification. The nursery operates from All Saints Church in a residential area opposite Battersea Park. Although the area has parking restrictions there are some facilities for parents to drop off and collect their children. Children have the use of a main hall, smaller classroom, enclosed outside area and a smaller classroom located on the first floor. Other facilities include a kitchen, toilet facilities and first floor office. The nursery operates term-time only; Monday to Thursday between 9am and 3.30pm and Friday from 9am until 12 noon when they close early for planning, staff meetings and

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Information about the setting

training. There are currently 11 children on roll. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. The nursery gets funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four.

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

 strengthen planning further by increasing opportunities for children to take part in small-scale projects and experiments to support their understanding of the world.

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who attend

Children make good progress in their learning and development. Children are assigned a key person who completes precise developmental assessments on them. The first of these is completed during children's first few weeks of attending and very much involves the contribution of parents. Parents are provided with a written summary of children's progress three times per year. Staff monitor their key children's progress through ongoing observational assessment. They use the information gathered from these to inform and guide their activity planning so that it is based on children's individual interests, learning styles and needs. For instance, children enjoy activities linked to themes such as 'mini- beasts' after discovering some underneath small paving stones in the garden. However, opportunities to involve children in deeper learning about the wider world are still developing. For example, although children enjoy mini-beasts they do not have

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who attend

opportunities to explore them more closely, such as through creating a 'bug hotel'. Children are encouraged by the environment, which is well equipped with accessible play equipment and a range of resources that encourage them to use their imagination. For example, children transform a box into a ship which develops into a pirate theme. Staff help children develop their play by planting a 'seed of thought'. This leads to children finding things to represent their ideas, such as oars, a plank and the sea.

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who attend

Children experiment with, and apply, mathematical skills in a range of play situations, such as weighing fruit in the home corner. Children find their own name on arrival to register their attendance and are encouraged to label their own creative work. All children benefit from the nursery's interactive whiteboard and variety of props and puppets. For example, staff use puppets during stories and group discussions to encourage attention and to aid understanding. Very able children progress from being able to link letters to sounds to blending them together to work out simple words. Children are taught nonsense rhymes, which they love, so are then keen to make up their own. Children enjoy using the nursery camera to take pictures of the places they visit and of things they find or make. They use these to make their own books. Children's learning is supported by real experiences, such as trips to the zoo and farm, gardening and cooking and searching for mini beasts in the

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who attend

Staff promptly identify gaps in children's achievements. Staff are very well informed about the sources of help available for children and have established strong links with external child development specialists. As a result, children receive the early intervention they need to help close any gaps in readiness for school. For example, staff promptly help with the organisation of speech therapy and initiating the process for securing a statement of special educational needs. Staff work very closely and effectively with parents and external agencies to implement particular interventions, such as 'Applied Behavioural Analysis' (ABA) and 'Picture Exchange Communication System' (PECS). Practitioners use these methods to help children overcome difficulties, such as in coping with change, with social interactions, communication and language and in overcoming anxieties. This helps children to better engage in their learning.

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

Children are cared for in a secure, highly stimulating and superbly resourced environment. The garden, with its perimeter wall, camomile grass, vegetable plots, hedges, soft seating under attractive trees, high quality play equipment and quirky ornaments, provides a delightful play and learning area. The attic area provides an extremely welcoming room for small group activities, such as circle time discussions and observing the rain and hailstones when it hits the roof window. The environment positively encourages children to talk. The stairway is adorned with three dimensional fabric mini-beasts and walls have photographs of the children at play and pictures depicting positive images of diversity. Children act out their experiences in the realistic home corner. Children take part in a wide range of physical activities, such as climbing, balancing, parachute play, tennis and dance which promote their physical development. Staff make good use of Battersea Park to

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

provide children with space for running around and opportunities to explore nature. They use outings to teach children about dog awareness, road safety and stranger danger. Staff help children to identify their own capabilities and teach them how to play safely, for instance by using their feet as breaks when riding tricycles down slopes. Children learn how to keep themselves healthy. Staff teach them to cough into their sleeve and wash germs down the sink as they wash their hands. In addition, they develop a fondness for healthy food through growing their own vegetables.

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

Children show that they feel safe and secure by the way that new children settle in so easily and become confident in the environment. Parents are encouraged to bring children for play visits the term before they are due to start and to settle them in through a gradual parent separation process. A pictorial timetable helps children learning English as an additional language, as well as those with communication and language delay, to understand the routine of the day. Staff learn key words and phrases in children's home languages to help them communicate with and reassure children. Staff help children to prepare for starting school through circle time activities towards the end of the summer term, the finale being 'a graduation party' which parents attend.

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

Staff are very skilled and successful in helping children turn unwanted behaviour into positive behaviour. They are calm and gentle, but consistent with boundaries. Children are helped to understand the consequences to behaviour by making a personalised book. For example, the book shows about using 'hands for waving, clapping, writing and not hitting because it makes my friends sad and sore'. Staff prepare children well for school. They help children overcome anxieties, such as eating anxieties about the texture of fruit, using a planned staged approach. Staff make excellent use of snack times to develop children's self-help skills. Children are keen to help with routine tasks and every child, regardless of their age or ability, is given opportunity to have a turn. For example, one child gives out the placemats while another cups or fruit. Children serve themselves and adult step in to assist when needed. Although many children have not been attending very long

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

relationships between children and staff are strong and trusting. Staff successfully help children to develop strong friendships with each other. As one parent stated, 'Bluebells is a very happy place'. Staff give children's personal, social and emotional needs top priority.

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provision

The leadership team are united in their commitment to driving continuous improvement. Although the outcomes for all children are very good, numbers of children on roll have remained low since registration. The leadership team have robust recruitment procedures in place and have employed a member of staff to work, part time, alongside themselves. Although they have not been operating long they show a good capacity to sustain high quality practice and continual improvement. They make good use of self-evaluation to identify and target improvement plans, some of which are innovative and exciting. For example, plans are in place to set up a children's committee and for a puppy to join the nursery so that children can learn how to care for animals, develop respect for animals and to help children overcome anxieties about animals. The leadership team have sought the advice of the local authority early years advisors and visited other early years settings

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provision

to gain ideas for developing their provision further. They also seek the views of parents through the use of questionnaires and a suggestion box which enables anonymity. The leadership team has made numerous modifications to the way that they monitor and assess children's progress towards the early learning goals and evaluate the success of their planning. These successfully target underachievement, securing early intervention for children, and help prepare children for school. This demonstrates their monitoring and self-evaluation systems are effective at identifying and addressing children's needs.

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provision

The leadership team organise their time, roles and responsibilities well. For example, one takes the lead on health and safety which includes child protection, and the other on special educational needs and behaviour management. There are effective policies and procedures for safeguarding children's welfare and for promoting good health. For example, staff are clear about their responsibility to act on concerns about children's welfare. Both have completed child protection training for managers. The emergency evacuation procedure is regularly practised so that children and regular visitors to the nursery are familiar with the routine. Staff promote children's safety on outings. Children wear nursery smocks on outings so that they are easily recognisable in a crowd, adult to child ratios are increased, and there is a planned procedure in place for responding to a lost child situation. Procedures for recruiting, vetting and inducting suitable staff,

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provision

managing performance and supporting professional development needs are robust and clear. Students and staff receive regular one-to-one supervision, mentoring and coaching.

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provision

Staff have fully embraced the concept of partnership working with both parents and external agencies. They warmly welcome other professionals involved with children into the nursery which means that children are assessed while in a familiar and secure environment. Parents are well informed about the nursery's policies and procedures, including how to make a complaint, as these are detailed on the nursery website. There are numerous effective systems in place for sharing information with parents about children's learning and development. Parents are delighted with the welcoming and stimulating nursery environment and the level of progress their children make. They highlight the effort staff put into enabling the inclusion of all children, support given to them in dealing with child development challenges, such as in managing behaviour and toilet training, as one of their many key strengths.

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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 EY422182 Local authority Wandsworth Inspection number 749640 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 11 Name of provider Blubells Nursery School (JK) Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 02077202010

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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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