Bright Horizons Abbeymore Day Nursery and Preschool

Abbeymore Nursery 161 Wokingham Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1LP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/09/2013 09/12/2010

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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

 Children develop effective independent skills at the nursery as staff encourage them to be responsible for their own self-care.  Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is very good. Staff work in close partnership with parents and other professionals to meet children's ongoing needs consistently. As a result, children are supported to meet their full potential.  Successful partnerships with parents mean that effective information is exchanged with them on a daily basis. As a result, they are involved in their children's ongoing care and learning needs.  Effective self-evaluation means that the management and staff work towards clearly identified targets for improvement. Children and parents are fully involved in the self- evaluation process with their views and opinions taken into account well.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The 'buddy' key person approach in place does not always fully support children's individual needs consistently in all rooms of the nursery.  Support for children's mathematical learning is not always consistent across all rooms, such as counting during daily routines and activities.

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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

 Observations of staff practice and activities were undertaken jointly with the management team and the inspectors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors observed activities indoors and in the garden and spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors looked at policies, procedures, progress records and planning documents and discussed these with staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors spoke with available parents and took account of their views through questionnaires and documentation.

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Information about the setting

Abbeymore Day Nursery first opened in 1996 and was re-registered when it merged with Bright Horizons Family Solutions in 2005. The nursery is located in Reading and operates from a converted Victorian house over two floors with seven playrooms. There are enclosed outdoor play areas. There is a lift to support access to the upper floor.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens from 7.30am until 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, all year round with the exception of Christmas week and bank holidays. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 157 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four. The nursery supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are 36 permanent members of staff who work with the children. Of these, 34 hold relevant childcare qualifications at Level 2 and above, and two are currently training for Level 3 qualifications. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 enhance the key person approach to consistently embed this in everyday practices and allow each child to develop a secure relationship with a 'buddy' worker

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

 enhance children's mathematical learning consistently across all rooms, for example, by counting with the children during daily routines and play activities.

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who attend

Staff gain good information about children's starting points on entry to the nursery. This enables them to develop a secure understanding of children's individual needs and level of development. Therefore, staff consider children's learning needs well and identify the support children need from the start. Staff undertake regular observations of children's progress and maintain effective records of their achievements. Parents are encouraged to contribute to their children's progress records with information about what their children have been doing at home. This enables staff to take into account children's interests when planning for their next steps in learning. For example, a key person played a ball game with a child to encourage their learning because of information provided by the parent. As a result, staff plan effectively to support children's progress with purposeful and challenging activities. Staff undertake competent assessments of children's progress,

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who attend

including the required progress check for children aged two.

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who attend

Children enjoy and benefit from a broad range of activities and play activities. Staff support children at activities, joining in with their play and talking to them while they take part. For instance, the toddlers help make home made play dough with the staff. This encourages children to take part and promotes their communication and concentration skills. Babies' communication skills are supported securely through singing activities. Most rooms consistently support children's mathematical learning through everyday routines and activities. For example, one of the rooms for two to three year olds counted the number of hoops the children jumped into in the outdoor area. However, some staff do not always use opportunities to support children's understanding of mathematics fully, such as counting when children put their boots on and their arms through their coat sleeves. The pre-school supports children's literacy skills well. Children develop their

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who attend

imaginations through creating stories with puppets. They use their early writing skills to mark make, form letters and begin to write some words, such as their names. As a result, children develop skills ready to start school.

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who attend

Staff support children who speak English as an additional language well. Staff gain key words from parents to use alongside English to support children's developing language skills. Good resources promote children's acceptance and understanding of the diverse society and these value the children's different backgrounds who attend the nursery. For example, there are dual language books and music from different cultures and countries. Individual educational plans support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. As a result, this closes the gap in children's achievements. Staff work very closely with parents and other professionals to support children consistently. Children benefit from one to one support where required and the nursery special educational needs coordinator has undertaken specific training which enables her to successfully support the staff caring for the children. As a result, all children's needs are

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

Established children settle easily and are confident, happy and at ease in the care of the staff. Staff support new children well as they attend flexible settling-in sessions with and without their parents prior to starting. This enables staff to gain good information about children's individual needs and home routines. As a result, staff are able to support and meet children's needs consistently. Children regularly mix with each other and different age groups in the shared garden spaces and siblings have opportunities to spend time with each other during the day. This helps children build positive relationships and get to know the different areas and staff in the nursery. Mostly the staff understand the key person system well. For example, they work very well with parents and encourage a two- way flow of information. This helps staff to meet the children's individual needs on a daily basis. Children demonstrate good relationships with the staff as they cuddle into them in

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

the baby room and respond to their enthusiasm during activities. However, children do not always have their care needs attended to by their own key person and the 'buddy' key person approach is not always consistently implemented. This means at times, children are not fully supported in their play or care needs. For example, outside in the garden a toddler tries to use the different wheeled toys and staff do not quickly respond by providing support to enable the child's skills to be developed further.

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

Staff support children in developing their independent skills effectively. Children learn to be responsible and to manage their personal needs well. For example, at lunchtime when the jug of water is empty pre-school children take this to the sink and refill it. Children behave well. Staff provide age appropriate explanations to support children's understanding of right and wrong. Children benefit from positive praise and encouragement, which supports their self-esteem and confidence well. Consequently, children interact with adults well, for example, children call staff by name and request support when needed and approach visitors confidently to ask questions. Staff remind children about keeping safe through talking to them about what they are doing and any consequences of their actions. This helps children consider risks to themselves and others.

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

Children and parents benefit from welcoming and inviting premises. Children's photographs and artwork are on display, which values the children's efforts and achievements. There is a broad range of stimulating and interesting resources. These are easily accessible to the children in low level storage units. Children have appropriate spaces for sleep and rest in all areas of the nursery. Suitable furniture is available, such as cots for babies and sleep mats for the older children. Good information is gained from parents about their children's sleep routines and any comforters required. Staff sing and gently pat children to help settle them to sleep. This helps children feel safe and secure as they fall asleep.

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

A varied healthy menu is offered to children, which caters for their individual dietary needs. For example, there are weaning foods for babies and vegetarian options. Children follow good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before eating. Pre-school children demonstrate they understand why they need to wash their hands as they 'might have germs on them'. A visit to a local dentist by the pre-school children raises their good awareness of caring for their teeth. As a result, children develop a strong knowledge of a healthy lifestyle. Children enjoy daily time outside where they benefit from fresh air and physical activity. Different activities mean that children who learn better outside are able to access resources that support all areas of learning in the outdoor areas. For example, pre-school children weighed construction bricks using scales outdoors.

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provision

The managers and staff demonstrate a good understanding of their responsibilities to meet the welfare and safeguarding, and the learning and development requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery has a comprehensive safeguarding policy and procedures in place. Staff regularly review the policies and attend training, which promotes their good understanding of their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. Staff undertake daily risk assessments to ensure that the premises, equipment and outside areas are suitable. This means children play in a secure, safe environment where risks are minimised. All required documentation is in place for example, thorough records of children's attendance and the staff who work with them are meticulously recorded. The management demonstrate a strong understanding of how to manage complaints in line with the requirements.

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provision

The nursery is well organised and staff work well together to provide an environment that is inclusive to children's learning and development. Staffing is organised effectively so that children's learning and development is supported consistently. For example, some staff work longer days as new children start or move rooms so that they are there when children arrive in the morning and when they leave to go home. This promotes effective partnerships with parents and ensures children are supported well through the day. Regular supervision meetings and appraisals monitor staff practice securely and support staff in identifying their training needs. Staff are suitably qualified, and undertake training in-house, online and through staff meetings to support their ongoing skills. Recruitment and induction procedures are robust with new staff undertaking suitability checks and an in-depth induction. As a result, new staff are effectively assessed for their suitability to

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provision

Staff form good partnerships with parents, which enables them to support children well in line with parents' wishes. Good information is available to parents, such as on notice boards and newsletters. Staff provide ongoing feedback about children's time in the nursery including their learning and development progress. In addition to daily exchanges of information, parent evenings are held to discuss children's progress in more detail. Partnerships with other professionals are very effective. This enables staff to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities very well. As a result, appropriate interventions are secured and children receive the support they need.

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provision

Self-evaluation is good. Managers, staff, parents and children are all involved in evaluating the provision. For example, parents are invited to complete questionnaires and offer their views. Action plans are in place to target improvements and monitor the success of them. Consequently, there is a strong drive for effective continuous improvement.

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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 EY305866 Local authority Reading Inspection number 909484

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 124 Number of children on roll 157 Name of provider Bright Horizons Family Solutions Limited Date of previous inspection 09/12/2010 Telephone number 0118 9260000

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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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