Hunts Cross Nursery

Hunts Cross Nursery Hunts Cross Cp School, Kingsthorne Road, LIVERPOOL, L25 0PJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/09/2013 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The strong leadership and management of the nursery contributes significantly to the good achievements of the children.  The dedicated and caring staff team enthusiastically interact with children and help them to enjoy learning.  From toddlers upwards, children are positively encouraged and supported to develop self-help skills. As a result, they become confident in their ability to do things for themselves and develop high levels of self-esteem.  A strong emphasis is placed on children's communication and language development. Therefore, children develop confidence and skills in expressing themselves.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some parents, whose home language is not English, are not as well involved as others in agreeing their child's next steps for development.  Opportunities for staff to learn from each other and share their best practice, for example, through peer observations and mentoring have not been fully considered.

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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 activities in the nursery rooms and in the gardens.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's records, learning journals and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of each staff's suitability to work with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and self-identified development plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, individual staff and children at appropriate times throughout the observations.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Hunts Cross Nursery was registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in Hunts Cross Primary School in Liverpool and is managed by the governing body. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three rooms and there are fully enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 13 members of childcare staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, one at level 4, three at level 5 and one at level 6. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 8am until 6pm, 50 weeks a year. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 77 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:

 review the ways information is shared with parents whose home language is not English, to ensure they are always as well informed as other parents about their child's next steps for learning and development

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

 involve all staff in developing excellent practice, for example, through the use of mentoring and peer observations.

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who attend

Staff accurately assess children's starting points taking detailed information from parents about what children already know and can do at home. They make good use of this information, with their own assessments, to effectively plan suitably challenging activities as soon as children start nursery. The nursery continues to communicate regularly and clearly with most parents to support children's learning. There are daily opportunities for parents to speak with staff and share their observations of their children's interests and learning. Staff keep careful records, which provide a clear picture of children's progress to share with parents. A detailed and very useful form is used to regularly note and agree the targets for children's development with parents. This keeps most parents well informed, although, it is not clear that parents whose home language is not English are as well informed as the other parents.

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who attend

The tracking of children's progress is rigorous. As a result, gaps in children's learning are identified early and action taken to secure support where appropriate. Where children's starting points are below those of other children of their age, assessment shows they are improving consistently and the gap is closing. By the time children move on from nursery, they are generally working comfortably within the typical range of development expected for their age, taking account of any special educational needs and/or disabilities. All staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the characteristics of effective learning. Parents are well informed about how different activities promote children's development. Staff support parents to attend a range of events in the children's centre, which support learning, such as the 'Dad's Saturday group'. Most staff are confident in their teaching and support children's learning very effectively. The quality of

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who attend

teaching is good and sometimes outstanding. The quality of the story telling is very good, particularly in the two-year-old children's room and as a result, children are fully engaged and learn well. They listen intently to stories read by staff. They take turns to lift the flaps and name the animal on the page. This raises their interest in books and enables them to explore technology. Staff in the pre-school room add books to the room based on children's favourite television characters. This entices new children into the library area.

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who attend

While they play alongside, staff effectively encourage children's communication and language skills and promote their physical, personal, social and emotional development. Children's good progress in these three areas ensures that they have the key skills needed for the next steps in their learning, such as school. Children independently access a range of readily available materials, including pens, crayons and chalks. They enjoy painting, writing and drawing, which effectively promote their early writing skills and their creativity.

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who attend

From the moment children arrive, staff purposefully encourage children's speaking and listening skills. Staff are good role models of spoken English. They speak very clearly; as a result, children learn to pronounce words correctly. Children go on 'listening walks' where they stop and listen carefully to environmental sounds, which improves their listening skills. Staff are very aware that young children's understanding is much greater than their ability to express themselves in words. They listen very carefully to what children are trying to say and take time to make sure they have understood correctly. This encourages children to communicate confidently and to persevere with tasks. This in turn promotes confidence and self-esteem. Staff ask parents to share their favourite books and read to the children in their home language. As a result, children hear a range of languages and recognise the skill needed to speak more than one. Children enjoy experiences, which

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who attend

relate to their own culture and raise their awareness of the culture of others, for example, tasting Indian cuisine at Eid and reading dual language books for the European Day of Languages.

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who attend

Many of the staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of how to promote the learning and development of young children. Children are interested and keen learners who display the characteristics of effective learning. When a toy is found not to be working, staff involve children in all aspects of changing the battery. For example, they talk about types of screwdrivers and decide which type they need. They go to the office to get the new batteries, choose an appropriate size and replace the batteries. As a result of being fully involved in all aspects of changing the batteries, children are fully aware of how toys operate. Older children confidently explore other technology. They are adept at using tablet computers and operating computer programs. They confidently use cameras to take photographs of spiders they find outdoors.

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who attend

Children develop mathematical skills as they play due to good staff interactions. For instance, they play a game using dolls house furniture to talk about mathematical words, such as, under, on, in and behind. Children sing number rhymes. They also sort and count pebbles and shells and learn to recognise numerals painted on the pebbles. Two-year-old children are seen to be very involved in tidying up as they carefully place wooden blocks in a stack on the shelf. While encouraging children's self-help skills, this good stacking of wooden blocks also demonstrates their developing awareness of shape and space.

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

Staff positively encourage children to develop self-help skills from an early age. They organise routines, space and resources so children are able to do things for themselves. For example, toddlers help themselves to water bottles when thirsty. Older children choose when to have snack, help themselves to fruit and pour their own milk. Children need little support from staff to dress in waterproofs and boots before they go outside in the rain. This means children become confident in their ability to do things for themselves and develop high levels of self-esteem.

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

Staffs' calm and polite manner sets a very good example to children. They use excellent strategies to promote good behaviour. As a result, children learn to respect and tolerate each other's differences and display polite, courteous behaviour. For example, a three- year-old child says 'excuse me' to gain attention before speaking to the inspector. Staff use stories to help young children learn about emotions as they are encouraged to make a grumpy face for the camel and a scared face for the lion. Staff use words in children's home languages to help children settle into nursery. Areas of the room are labelled in the languages of all children attending. Large pictures are clearly visible on storage boxes to support very young children to easily find where to replace items.

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

Children's behaviour shows that they feel safe in the nursery. A range of planned experiences for calendar events, such as National Personal Safety Day teach children about safety. Children learn about fire safety as they listen to stories about fire fighters. Community police officers visit to teach children about road safety. Role-play areas are based around safety, which enables children to dress as police officers. Similarly, children enjoy experiences based around the teaching of health. For National Smile week, a crocodile puppet visits and teaches children how to care for their teeth. All staff are trained in dental health as the nursery is part of the 'supervised fluoride tooth brushing programme'.

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

Staff are aware of each child's individual health or dietary needs and maintain clear records, policies and procedures to ensure that these are addressed appropriately. During lunch, children discuss the health benefits of foods. For instance, a child says 'fruit keeps you good and healthy'. Children gain an understanding of the need for physical exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. They improve in ability and confidence as they use a range of outdoor equipment. Children successfully extend their physical capabilities as they go for walks in the school grounds sometimes using the climbing and balancing equipment. Children enjoy additional activities, such as weekly 'active play' sessions led by the children's centre staff, which also promote their physical development. Children are well prepared for each stage in their learning. Their good progress continues as they confidently settle into their new room supported by key staff. Similarly, children are well

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

supported by staff to move on to school.

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provision

There are good arrangements for safeguarding children in the nursery. The premises are kept secure at all times and access to the building is carefully monitored. Regular risk assessments and fire risk assessments are made. Robust recruitment and vetting, followed by in-depth induction and appraisal, check and monitor each staff's suitability to work with children. All staff have a good awareness of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff are confident about the procedures to follow, should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. This is because they regularly update their training and some staff are trained at a higher level to support them.

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provision

There is a strong leadership and management team. The manager is committed to continually improving the nursery. Children benefit from the dedicated and caring staff team who work very well together and enthusiastically interact with children and help them to enjoy learning. Children are regularly asked what they like about the nursery and their responses are recorded on a dictaphone, scribed by staff and displayed around the nursery. Parents' views of the nursery are actively sought verbally and through questionnaires. Parents spoken to at inspection are pleased with the way their children have settled and the progress they are making in their learning. Parents have access to a wealth of information about the nursery on noticeboards, newsletters and increasingly on the website. Staff work particularly well with the children's centre and school on site, to support children and families. As a result, partnerships with parents and external agencies

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provision

strongly contribute to meeting children's needs and securing the support they need. There are positive links with a wide range of professionals from other agencies, such as health visitors and speech and language therapists, which effectively support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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provision

The manager conducts regular supervision sessions with all staff members, which enables them to reflect on their practices and identify future training needs. Opportunities for staff to develop professionally are good, which in turn enhances the outcomes for children's learning as they put into practice what they have learnt. Staff are totally committed and extremely passionate about their work with children. They effectively support children to make good progress in their learning and development. However, opportunities for staff to learn from each other, for example, through peer observations and mentoring have not been fully considered as a way of sharing the outstanding aspects within each room. Children freely choose activities from a wide range of accessible toys and books. In addition, a key person individually plans activities for each child based on their good knowledge of the child's abilities. Planning and assessment are monitored to make sure

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provision

they are consistent, precise, and display an accurate understanding of all children's skills, abilities and progress. A tracking system clearly shows children's progress and enables the manager to monitor the progress of individual children or groups of children so that appropriate action can be taken to identify and close any gaps in learning.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY461526 Local authority Liverpool Inspection number 912930 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 68 Number of children on roll 77 Name of provider Hunts Cross Primary School Governing Body Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 0151 233 3733

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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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