St Agnes Day Nursery

St Agnes Day Nursery School House, Rosedale Road, RYTON, Tyne and Wear, NE40 4UN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/09/2013 27/06/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Overall, children make very good progress in their learning because they are supported by well-qualified and knowledgeable staff.  Children develop warm and friendly relationships with staff and each other, which helps them gain confidence and develop their independence.  There is full and comprehensive communication between the nursery, parents and local schools to effectively prepare children for the transition from home to nursery and then to school.  Self-evaluation is effective and rigorous, which means that targets for development are identified and implemented to secure improvement, providing good quality care for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children's knowledge of difference and diversity is not fully extended within the nursery.  Children's knowledge of staying safe in the event of a fire in the nursery is not fully supported as there are not enough opportunities to practise emergency evacuations.

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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 toured the premises with the manager and spoke with the manager and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector observed children taking part in activities in the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with some children present and with some parents to seek their views for the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's development files, evidence of first aid training, safeguarding policy, recruitment policy, managing behaviour policy and risk assessments of the indoor and outdoor environment and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation of children's activities with the manager.

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Information about the setting

St Agnes Day Nursery was registered in 2010 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in purpose built premises in the grounds of the school of the same name in the Ryton area of Gateshead and is managed by a company limited by guarantee. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates for 38 weeks per year on week days from 7.30am until 6pm with before and after school services working alongside pre-school provision from 9am to 3pm. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications, two at level 2 and seven at level 3. The manager and another member of staff hold Qualified Teacher Status and the manager also holds the Early Years Professional Status. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 83 attending, 35 of whom are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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

 enhance children's understanding about difference and diversity by providing more positive images of all children, including those with diverse disabilities

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

 develop further children's good understanding about staying safe by practising emergency evacuations more frequently.

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who attend

Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of how children learn and have high expectations. They know where children are in their development because they have a regular and effective system to assess their progress. This helps to accurately identify the next steps in their learning. Staff effectively use these observations and assessments to plan and provide challenging and interesting experiences. Children are consequently developing well in the prime and specific areas of learning because these activities and play are closely linked to children's interests and learning needs. Their progress through the nursery means that children have a secure basis of learning for when they start school.

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who attend

Children make very good relationships with other children as they share experiences with each other. They work comfortably in small and large groups as they concentrate and enjoy their play. Children are totally confident and comfortable in the nursery from the beginning, which enables them to enjoy their experiences and benefit from the start. For example, a child in their first week of attendance, sings a song for other children during circle time. They develop communication and language as they talk about their experiences, listen to stories and sing songs. Children have good access to books as the story corner is attractive and well furnished for comfort. There are examples of print around the room to support their understanding that print carries meaning, particularly where there are photographs of the resources on boxes children access for activities. Physical development is very good as they are able to move confidently about the nursery,

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who attend

climb, balance and explore the lovely garden. Children can play in or outdoors as they wish. Staff plan activities which support children to develop skills of cooperation and working together to reach a goal. Children thoroughly enjoy group games, such as all holding a large coloured cloth with a hole in the middle while they bounce a ball up and down and try to roll it into the hole.

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who attend

Children learn to think and solve problems because staff ask questions which lead them to their own solutions. For example, three-year-old children, who are matching patterns on a card during an activity, are asked how they can make the same pattern on the other side of the card. Staff extend the learning and make the activity fun by encouraging children to make towers from the blocks. They do this and are asked who has the tallest tower, so they learn to compare size and develop fine muscle control as they carefully place one small block on top of another.

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who attend

Staff organise activities around festival and celebrations of children's culture and there are images, toys and books available to them to learn about difference and diversity. However, these are not always immediately accessible in order to support children's independent access and learning.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are strong, which helps them understand how well their children are progressing in the nursery and complement this at home. Each child has a key person, which helps them and their parents build very positive relationships. Staff keep parents up to date on their children's day when they collect them. The progress check at age two provides parents with clear information about their children's learning and development. Parents meet their children's key person at parent evenings to discuss progress and together agree the next steps in their learning and development. This helps parents support children's progress.

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who attend

Transitions from home into the nursery are effectively managed from the start of their placement as parents are asked to provide information about children's likes and dislikes and development. This enables staff to sensitively plan for their day and ensure activities are suitable and match their interests. Children have excellent preparation for beginning school. Staff contact the school that children will move to and take children to visit and they pass on information about children's development. Staff liaise closely with local schools to provide activities to support the learning for children who attend before and after school.

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

Children are very happy in the nursery because they develop secure attachments with staff who are affectionate, warm and considerate, giving children time and attention as they play and explore. They settle easily from the first week of starting as they have visits beforehand to become familiar with staff, children and routines. This helps them be confident to mix with other children and join in the fun activities from which they progress and learn. Parents say that they are impressed with how friendly staff are and that their children love coming to nursery. They feel their children are developing very well and love coming to the nursery, which has a nurturing and welcoming atmosphere. They particularly like the way children develop their confidence, independence, social skills and relationships with others. Children comment that they have a 'happy face' when they come to nursery and feel safe.

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

Staff have a calm and consistent manner with children. They follow sensitive behaviour management procedures. Children are cared for in a safe, spacious, well-maintained and attractively-presented environment. They learn about staying safe for instance when they have visitors, such as police and fire officers to talk to them about this. However, although they practise emergency evacuations, these are not done regularly enough to complement their knowledge of safe evacuations and ensure that all new children are aware of these potential changes to routines should they be required. The nursery places a strong emphasis on hygiene and as a result children's health is protected.

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

Children develop independence as they make their own choices of toys, activities and resources, which are easily accessible both in and outdoors. Children are helped to self- care. For example, a two-year-old child can wash and dry their own hands and put the paper towel in the bin. The nursery provides a wide variety of healthy snacks for children. They take close account of children's dietary requirements and provide parents with detailed information about healthy eating options for their children's packed lunches. Children are also supported to pour water for themselves when they are thirsty. Staff discuss healthy eating with children to help them develop good habits to stay healthy. Children have a very attractive, well equipped outdoor area for exercise and play. Staff encourage them to use it as often as possible by keeping doors open, so children can have free access. They learn to negotiate the space successfully, adjusting speed or direction to

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

avoid obstacles as they climb, slide and explore the outdoor area. A very good selection of resources is available, including wheeled toys, boards to write on, large play equipment to swing and slide and spaces to explore nature.

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provision

The manager has very good systems to monitor the effectiveness of the educational programmes. Staff are supported to attend training, which enhances their understanding of their roles and provides the basis for the high quality service evident in this nursery. All staff are very well qualified and understand how to provide clear planning based on children's interests and assessed progress. This ensures children have challenging and interesting activities, which help them progress very well. There is regular staff appraisal and supervision, which enables the manager to support staff development in their practice to ensure children's needs are fully met.

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provision

Children are safe and protected as all staff are suitably cleared to work with children and safety matters are given a high priority with regular risk assessments carried out. Staff understand their responsibilities to protect children. This ensures safeguarding procedures are carried out effectively to ensure children are protected. Records which help provide safe care for children, such as personal information, records of attendance and accident records are in place. In addition, the number of staff present is well above the minimum required, so children always have plenty of support and supervision where needed.

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provision

Staff evaluate the quality of the provision effectively, identifying areas of strength and improvement. For example, the nursery works closely with Gateshead Early Years department to review its service within The Quality Improvement Programme. Following concerns about how the policy for managing behaviour and for staff reporting any changes in their suitability to work with children, Ofsted set a notice to improve at the beginning of the year. These policies were updated immediately and staff informed of the amendments. Staff effectively promote positive behaviour through the use of praise and encouragement and are clear in their roles and responsibilities. This means the nursery is continually evolving and improving the service it provides to children and parents. The key persons communicate well with parents to share information about children's progress and care needs, discussing ongoing progress and how both parties can effectively work

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provision

together to meet children's needs. The nursery staff have excellent systems in place to ensure that effective working with other agencies is promoted, for example, to work with other settings children attend to ensure continuity in children's care and learning.

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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 EY413534 Local authority Gateshead Inspection number 910435

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 33 Number of children on roll 83 Name of provider St Agnes Day Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 27/06/2011 Telephone number 01914134822

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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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