The Old Station Nursery, Granta Park

Granta Park Day Nursery Granta Park, Great Abington, CAMBRIDGE, Cambridgeshire, CB21 6GP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/09/2013 27/10/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Partnership working with parents and other agencies offers effective support to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, they make sound progress in their development.  Children have exciting opportunities to be physically active and explore the natural woodland areas within which the nursery is situated. This helps them learn about nature and develop their agility and stamina.  Transitions into, within and out of the nursery are considered important, and much thought goes into how to manage them successfully. As a result, children feels supported during their time at the nursery.

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It is not yet good because

 Some resources in the nursery are tired, worn and there is insufficient quantity, as a result children do not have the opportunity to learn through the use of plentiful, quality resources.  Some less experienced practitioners do not consistently follow children's interests or sufficiently understand how to promote their learning.  Leadership and management does not inspire confidence in the staff team and poor communication does not help them understand what is expected of them at all times.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the each of the nursery base rooms and the outdoor areas, conducted a joint observation with the manager in one of the pre- school rooms.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager of the provision and spoke to children's key persons during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning, evidence of suitability of practitioners working within the setting, the provider's self-evaluation evidence and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of three parents spoken to on the day and through information included in the nursery's parent survey.

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Information about the setting

Granta Park Day Nursery is one of 10 nurseries owned by Sunhill Daycare (Europe) Limited and was registered in 2001. It operates from purpose-built premises on a science park near great Abington, Cambridgeshire and is on the Early Years Register and compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children attend from Cambridge and the surrounding villages. The nursery is accessible to children via a low step and there are enclosed outdoor play areas.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 18 members of childcare staff, seven of whom hold an appropriate qualification at level 3 or above. Four members of staff hold a level 2 qualification, four practitioners are working towards a qualification and two practitioners hold a foundation degree in Early Years. The nursery also employs catering staff, a gardener and a cleaner.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open Monday to Friday of each week from 7.30am until 6.30pm, for 51 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 68 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education places for 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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Information about the setting

The nursery is a member of the National Provider's Scheme. They receive support from the local authority and have undertaken the local authority quality assurance scheme.

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must:

 deploy the more experienced and the newer staff more effectively to ensure that the children's needs are always met, with specific regard to staffing in the toddler room

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must:

 ensure that all practitioners consistently follow children's interests and that practice is based in a secure knowledge and understanding of how to promote the learning and development of young children.

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

 improve resourcing and cleanliness within the nursery to ensure that the needs of children are met and they have a plentiful supply of good quality equipment that provide a range of experiences.

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who attend

Children make satisfactory progress in their learning and develop appropriately through the varied range of activities and experiences they are offered. Induction procedures at the nursery are thoughtfully managed and information about children's progress to date is gathered as they begin attending. A detailed 'All about me' booklet is completed, and during introductory visits, discussions between the child's key person and parents ensure the nursery know them well. These measures, together with initial observations inform children's next steps, and set the pattern for this to continue throughout the child's time in the nursery. Each month parents receive an 'individual interests at home' form. This asks them to record what their children have been doing at home and bring in photographs of any special events. These are displayed on the 'month by month boards' in each base room and help practitioners incorporate children's home lives into their learning at the

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who attend

nursery. This offers children consistency in their learning between the nursery and home. Planning is mostly effective as a six week plan is devised from observations carried out which informs the weekly plan. This incorporates the characteristics of learning and children's individual next steps.

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who attend

The majority of practitioners have a secure understanding of how children learn. This enables them to tailor activities to meet individual children's needs and learning styles. For example, children who have visited a zoo prompt discussion and activities about animals and children learn the noises associated with each one as they play in the water tray. The practitioner skilfully draws all children into the activity as they sing familiar animal songs and discuss what they have been doing at home. However, practise is variable across the nursery. Pre-school children and babies benefit from the input of practitioners who enthusiastically work to extend and engage them in their learning. Toddlers have a less consistent experience as the balance of experienced and newer practitioners means their needs are less well-met. Whereas some very capable and competent practitioners work hard to deliver meaningful learning opportunities, newer practitioners do not always follow

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who attend

children's interests and are less skilled at involving children in activities. This means some children are listless and wander aimlessly which does not always support them to make good progress in their learning. Older children preparing for school are encouraged to practise good listening skills when they listen to stories and follow instructions. For example, the story of the 'Little Red Hen' is skilfully used to help children learn about farming, how crops grow and the seasons. The activity is extended as children handle wheat and learn that it is called an 'ear of wheat'. They are invited to fetch a bowl and bag of flour and stimulating discussion takes place about the process involved to make wheat into flour. Later, the children make bread and take the rolls they create home to eat. They practice hand writing skills when learning to write their name and freely explore making marks on the white board outside. Children develop an understanding that print

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who attend

carries meaning as they self-register and put their names on the radiators underneath their key person's name. The environment indoors is rich in print, enabling children to link words to what they have been doing as they look at the colourful display boards.

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who attend

Practitioners help children develop their communication and language skills as they speak clearly to them and ask them questions, which extend their thinking and give them time to respond. Throughout the nursery children sing familiar songs and rhymes, which promote their early language skills and help them develop other skills, such as, counting. Children who speak English as an additional language see their home languages represented in signage around the nursery and key words are gathered from their parents. Practitioners speak some of the languages spoken by children attending, and others learn frequently use words, which helps children feel valued and supported.

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who attend

Practitioners encourage children to take their play and learning outdoors where they engage in a range of activities, such as, climbing, painting and participating in sand and water play. For example, a practitioner capably interacts with children as they weigh conkers in set of scales and work out how to make them balance. All children, except babies, free flow between the indoor and outdoor areas and babies are taken outside at least twice a day. Children are fortunate to attend a nursery in a wonderful woodland setting and enjoy exploring the area. For example, they take part in a 'mini-beast hunt', where they find butterflies, bugs and insects, noting the squirrels and birds they also see.

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who attend

Children have fun using foam and glitter as they experiment making marks with their fingers and babies pat the foam relishing the new experience. They explore the use of different coloured paints as they create their own version of a Dalmatian from a photograph a practitioner shows them using black and white paint. Older children learn about the secondary colours they can make by mixing the paints. They make orange and purple and a practitioner supports their understanding by offering them a clear explanation of how this happens. Babies explore the sounds they can make with musical instruments and enjoy sensory experiences as they feel different textured materials with their hands. Children's imaginative play is enhanced indoors and outdoors through the use of role play resources, dens and tents. Children develop intricate games and negotiate their own roles. Some adults intervene in their play at appropriate times to extend

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

Children settle into the nursery well through the carefully designed induction process because parents are seen as key to the success of this initial period of attendance at the nursery. They share information with their child's key person about their home life, likes, dislikes and interests which help the key person relate to the child. Secure relationships develop between children and practitioners and a buddy system is in place to further support continuity for children. Children behave well and are kind and caring towards one another. For example, a child offers a toy to a baby to try and stop them crying, and watches them intently. There are two designated play areas for older and younger children and a larger exploration area available to all children. This offers them exciting opportunities to explore, hide and climb in the mature trees with appropriate supervision when needed. The base rooms are made welcoming through the display boards and

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

children's work which decorate the walls. Child accessible units enable children to make independent choices in their play and practitioners mainly make good use of available resources. However, some equipment and resources look uninviting because they are well-worn and some require replacement. Additionally, some rugs and resources are not clean which does not provide children with a positive environment within which to play and learn at all times.

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

Children learn to take some risks during outdoor play. For example, they climb in the mature trees, hide behind bushes and balance carefully as they cross foam shapes and tyres. Practitioners offer them encouragement and much praise when they succeed helping children grow in confidence and self-esteem. Good hygiene routines are followed and children develop positive habits as practitioners help them learn what to do. For example, children are invited to take a tissue from the box to wipe their noses and to dispose of it after use in the bin. Clear hand-washing procedures are followed even by the younger children before they eat and after using the toilet. The nursery has recently revised their menu to provide healthier food options and to incorporate suggestions offered by parents. Healthy, nutritious meals are freshly prepared each day by the nursery cook and reflect different foods from around the world. This helps children learn the value

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

of healthy foods as part of living a healthy lifestyle and growing up strong and fit. Practitioners encourage children to be active and they enjoy running round in the outdoor area, counting as their friends hide before going to look for them. Children climb appropriately sized climbing frames and ride trikes, scooters and sit and ride toys. This helps to enhance their physical skills and they develop spacial awareness as they run around and negotiate a route on their vehicles.

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

Transitions within the nursery are effectively managed and where possible, children move up with their key person to the next base room. A form is completed for any transition into, within, or out of the nursery to help ensure the new key person is fully informed about the child, which helps them settle more easily. This helps children make a smooth move when the time comes and they feel secure in the presence of familiar and trusted adults.

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provision

The nursery is one of ten owned by Sunhill Daycare (Europe) Limited. It is managed by a full time manager and deputy manager. There is a comprehensive support system in place through the company for every aspect of practice within the nursery. This inspection took place following concerns received relating to staffing ratios and deployment, hygiene and food and drink concerns. However, at the time of this inspection, the manager was receiving support from the quality assurance manager and operations development manager regarding some aspects of her practice. The manager has a clear understanding of the learning and development and safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Much work has been done recently to ensure that planning successfully helps children make progress and an action plan is in place for identified priorities for improvement. The inspection found that while adult to child ratios are met,

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provision

the deployment of staff is not always effective. The deputy manager is responsible for monitoring the quality of the educational programmes and completion of children's learning journals. However, the manager has been less effective in ensuring that practitioners feel adequately supported or valued and as a result, they do not clearly understand roles and responsibilities within the nursery. Additionally, there has been a high turnover of staff in recent months and the subsequent re-organisation of practitioners across the nursery has further unsettled the team. Despite this, practitioners remain professional in their roles and want matters to improve. Regular room meetings take place and any issues raised are taken to the full team meetings which ensure that practitioners have a forum for discussion of any practice related issues. The full team meetings are also used to cascade any training.

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provision

Children are appropriately protected from harm, as the manager and practitioners demonstrate a clear understanding of their responsibilities with regards to protecting children. Practitioners update their safeguarding knowledge through appropriate training courses. They clearly understand the procedure to follow should they have any concerns about a child in their care. All practitioners are subject to a thorough recruitment and vetting procedure when they begin working at the nursery and visitors are checked and sign in and out. Children play and learn in a safe environment as thorough risk assessments of the indoor and outdoor areas are completed daily before children arrive.

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provision

The manager and senior management team together carry out effective evaluations of the nursery and analyse the success of the educational programmes offered to ensure that any changes are implemented quickly. However, they have failed to recognise that resources are in poor condition and insufficient in quantity to effectively support learning. That said, practitioners, parents, children and development worker's views are taken into consideration and influence amendments to practice. Children tell practitioners what they like and dislike and a children's questionnaire has also recently been introduced to encourage them to share their views. The action plan in place shows some of the identified priorities. Supervision meetings and annual appraisals are in place. However, these do not happen regularly enough for practitioners to feel valued or supported. A recent change to the frequency of supervision meetings has not been well-communicated

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provision

to staff. This demonstrates the problem there is with communication within the nursery at this time. The senior management team recognise this and an action plan is in place to rectify the situation. Training is carried out both in-house and through the local authority provided training that is offered. Forthcoming training includes Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and training for newer practitioners in how to maximise children's learning.

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provision

Partnership working with parents is strong. Key person's work well with families of their key children and offer them informative feedback at the end of each day. For children up to the age of three years, the nursery provides feedback in the form of a daily diary. The company provides a range information leaflets to parents to support them as their children grow and exhibit different behaviours. The nursery has developed links with their local children's centre which enables them to signpost parents who need support in diverse areas. They also work to support children who move onto, or attend other early years settings as they share transition documents, summative reports and make contact with key persons. The nursery has effective relationships with local schools, which helps children achieve a smooth transition as they begin their school life. Parents comments on the quality offered at the nursery are varied ranging from good to satisfactory.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that the premises and equipment used for the purposes of the childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare, with particular reference to the quality, quantity and cleanliness of resources.  ensure that the premises and equipment used for the purposes of the childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare, with particular reference to the quality, quantity and cleanliness of resources.(Voluntary part of the Childcare Register)

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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 259680 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 936843

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 71 Number of children on roll 68 Name of provider Sunhill Daycare (Europe) Limited Date of previous inspection 27/10/2010 Telephone number 01223 471010

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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

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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