Child First Northampton

Child First Northampton Moulton Lodge, Moulton Way North, Moulton, NORTHAMPTON, Northamptonshire, NN3 7RW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/08/2013 15/01/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The nursery grounds are a rich learning environment. Children enjoy a wealth of opportunities to expand their imagination and understanding of the world and to develop physically and emotionally.  Children are excited and motivated by the wide variety of stimulating activities that take account of their learning needs and interests. They are very engaged in their learning and make excellent progress, considering their starting points and capabilities.  Children feel extremely safe and secure within the warm and welcoming environment created by the strong staff team.  Management's realistic evaluation systems and highly effective monitoring ensure targets for future development are identified and continuous improvements are made. This ensures the nursery continues to provide excellent quality care for all children.  Extremely effective partnerships with parents mean that there is a thoroughly united

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This provision is outstanding

approach to meeting individual children's needs, extending their learning and helping them to develop a wide range of skills for the future.

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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 was given a tour of the nursery on arrival.  The inspector spoke with children, parents and staff throughout the inspection.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the Early Years Practitioner.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the owner, manager and deputies throughout the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning, tracking and monitoring documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of records and documentation relating to the safe management of the nursery.

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Information about the setting

Child First Nursery Northampton was registered in 2006 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated at Moulton Lodge, a converted manor house in a residential area of Moulton, near Northampton. 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 30 members of staff. Of these, 18 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including one with Early Years Professional Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 130 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 needs and/or disabilities.

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

 enhance children's understanding of mathematics, for example, by building on the already excellent mathematics teaching programme throughout the nursery.

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who attend

Children flourish in all areas of the nursery because staff thoroughly understand the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and so recognise the uniqueness of each child. They support children's development and learning exceptionally well. Staff complete regular observations of the children as they play and accurately identify their interests and next steps in their learning. These observations and assessments are used to provide challenging and innovative opportunities to support and rapidly progress children's learning and development.

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who attend

Excellent teaching techniques help the children to be active learners. Children are highly motivated and fully engage in the balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities which enable them to instigate their own learning. Consequently, children make excellent progress towards the early learning goals in relation to their starting points and are extremely well-prepared for the next steps in their learning and eventually the move to school when the time comes. Parents comment that they are 'over the moon' with how their children are progressing and that they and their children 'thoroughly enjoy the nursery experience'.

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who attend

Staff in all areas of the nursery are highly skilled at extending children's play. They engage them in conversations whilst they play, to encourage their critical thinking language skills. For example, children about to participate in a sports day learn about the importance of doing exercises beforehand to warm up their muscles. Staff engage purposefully with children and make excellent use of open-ended questioning. For example, questions and comments, such as, 'what will happen now?' and 'tell me what it smells like' extend children's critical thinking, problem solving and language skills. The nursery supports children with English as an additional language very well. Staff across the nursery speak several languages in addition to English and use words and songs to provide all children with an insight in to those languages. Children's mathematical development is excellent because staff use a clear teaching programme to support their learning. There is scope to

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who attend

enhance children's understanding of mathematics even further, by building on the already excellent mathematics teaching programme throughout the nursery.

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who attend

Staff understand very well how children learn through play and by following their own interests. This is demonstrated exceptionally well through the provision of designated areas, such as, an inviting book corner or role play area. Children lose themselves in a world of imaginary and creative play. For example, children play in the kitchen area of the garden centre preparing meals and snacks. Children benefit greatly from the well- resourced outdoor areas which are accessible to all children. For large periods of each day, children experience the awe and wonder of playing in the grounds and woods. They pick runner beans and strawberries with their friends and run amongst the trees to find, then get away from the dancing monster. Babies have their own secure outdoor area which is ideal for those who are not yet mobile. Older babies have supervised visits to larger play areas when it is less busy, so start to experience the excitement of the outside

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who attend

environment which is such an asset to this nursery.

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who attend

Babies and younger children explore and investigate their environment to find things out. They enjoy cause and effect toys and repeatedly press buttons to make musical sounds. They look in low-level mirrors to see the reflection, sometimes not realising it is their own reflection. They experiment with paint, with hand or foot prints or using chunky brushes. A look of surprise crosses their face when the first contact with the paint is cold. Staff reassure and talk the children through what they are doing and the children engage with it well. Young children love action songs and smile and giggle as they select a picture from the 'song tree' so staff know which song to sing next. Babies wave their hands and wriggle around on the rug as the staff sing the repetitive songs that they like to hear.

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who attend

The busy but calm atmosphere within the nursery and the highly effective partnerships staff enjoy with parents and carers, ensures that children of all ages settle quickly into nursery life. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are cared for extremely well. Staff work closely with parents to ensure their individual learning programmes are efficiently met. Parents are involved in their children's learning. Staff provide a variety of opportunities for parents to extend children's learning at home.

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

The key person system contributes very effectively to children's feelings of well-being and security as there is always a dedicated person to attend to their needs. Children are extremely well-settled and enjoy trusting relationships with staff. Because of the way the building is used, all staff and children are familiar with each other and children particularly benefit from this warm, happy atmosphere, that is very evident in the nursery and which parents comment on. As a result, children's emotional well-being is exceptionally well- fostered. When children first start at the nursery they have a number of settling-in visits which builds their self-esteem and confidence. When children move rooms in the nursery or onto school the staff work tirelessly to ensure that transitions are smooth by working alongside parents and children's new carers. Each child's key person shares information with parents each day they attend, ensuring that children's needs are fully met. There are

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

also formal meetings between parents and staff, and sometimes other professionals, where children's development and progress is discussed and decisions are made about additional support or transitions.

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

Children behave very well. They learn what is expected of them in this nurturing environment and on the rare occasions when a child's enthusiasm overcomes them, staff quietly remind them about sharing or about being kind to their friends. During the sports day children not involved in a race eagerly support their friends by cheering them on. Children learn how to keep themselves safe with the innovative support of staff. For example, pre-school children moving from the base room to the garden walk across the driveway in a line as one member of staff stands in the middle to 'stop the traffic'. Staff encourage children to learn and develop skills which will support them when they start school. For example, pre-school children are fully independent with self-care routines and know exactly what to do after lunch and eagerly go to the bathroom to wash their face and hands.

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

Children enjoy very nutritious, healthy meals and snacks which are prepared, cooked and served by the two experienced kitchen staff. Each child's dietary needs and preferences are taken into account when menus and meals are prepared. Menus are displayed so that parents know what their children have to eat. In addition, younger children's eating patterns are recorded on their daily diary sheet. Children help to prepare snack and set the table and staff use the opportunity to talk about the safe use of knives. Staff sit and eat with the children at mealtimes to act as excellent role models as they demonstrate social skills and create a warm and pleasant occasion. Staff chat with children about what they have been doing and what they would like to do later, maybe after their lunch or when they wake up from their nap. Illness exclusion periods are strictly adhered to within the nursery to ensure that cross-infection is eliminated as much as possible. Staff hold

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

paediatric first aid certificates and there are first aid kits across the nursery for staff to access as necessary.

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provision

The nursery meets all the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage exceptionally well. It provides an extremely welcoming environment where children and parents feel valued and respected. Senior management are highly effective role models and they motivate the well-qualified staff team to strive to achieve the best for all the children. Management are extremely well-supported by the owner and they all have a strong passion to provide high quality childcare. Recommendations made at the last inspection have been addressed successfully. For example, the complaint record accurately reflects issues brought up by parents and how they have been resolved. This demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement. The manager uses clear methods of self-evaluation to identify any future areas for development.

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provision

There is a strong culture of continuous professional development amongst staff who welcome ongoing training. The nursery provides many in-house training opportunities throughout each year which ensure that all staff hold current first aid and food hygiene certificates. Staff have up to date safeguarding and child protection knowledge which helps them to protect the children in their care. Risk assessments are clearly documented to show how staff ensure children's safety as they play. Staff work together very well and are very supportive of each other. Appraisals, regular management observations and the 'open door' policy that management adopt ensure that any potential concerns and issues are quickly identified and dealt with, so that the nursery continues to provide high quality care and learning. All required documentation and record keeping for the safe organisation and management of the nursery are in place, effective and kept confidential.

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provision

Everyone at the nursery understands the importance of safeguarding children. Robust recruitment, induction and probationary systems ensure the suitability of new staff, although the turnover of staff at this nursery is very small. Staff taking maternity leave tend to return bringing their baby or child with them to be cared for by their colleagues. Sleeping children are well-supervised and staff are vigilant when they are outside with the children to ensure that no one wanders off into the grounds unnoticed. Staff to child ratios within each room are maintained well and senior management are supernumery enabling them to quickly step in to cover in an emergency. Detailed risk assessments and routine safety checks throughout the nursery contribute significantly to children's safety. All staff know their role and responsibility relating to child protection issues. Staff keep their personal mobile phones and cameras in the staff room on the second floor and know not

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provision

Staff engage with parents extremely well. All parents spoken to commented on how much they value the nursery and how supportive staff are to themselves and their children. Staff, parents and other professionals work very well together to support and promote children's development and learning effectively. The comprehensive monitoring of children's progress and development means that senior staff quickly identify any gaps in learning and put measures in place, such as, additional mathematical training for staff, to resolve the issue.

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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 EY342823 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 909341

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 90 Number of children on roll 130 Name of provider Child 1st Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 15/01/2010 Telephone number 01604 790 440

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Type of provision

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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