Kids Planet Gables

Fisherfield Farm Nursery Ltd 34 Bagslate Moor Road, Norden, ROCHDALE, Lancashire, OL11 5XT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/09/2013 28/11/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The nursery places a very high priority on the safety of children through its practical measures. Staff have excellent knowledge and understanding of how to manage any concerns they may have about a child's welfare.  The nursery provides excellent opportunities to develop all children's communication, language and early literacy skills, which supports their progress in other areas of learning. Consequently, all children are exceptionally well-prepared for their next steps in learning, including full time school.  Staff in the nursery show an exceptional commitment to providing challenging and vibrant learning experiences based on children's interests and support this with observation, assessment and planning that is of meticulous detail.  The nursery and its parent company have a deeply embedded culture of reflection and evaluation, as well as sharing excellent practice. This means that the drive for

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This provision is outstanding

continuous improvement is relentless, producing outstanding provision for children's care and learning.  Performance management of staff, including their training needs, is rigorous, so that quality of teaching and standards for children's welfare are maintained to an exceptionally high level.  Parents are regularly provided with highly effective information to help them engage directly with their children's learning. They are also encouraged to make ongoing contributions to the drive for the continuous improvement of the nursery.

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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 reviewed a range of information available about the nursery, to prepare for the inspection and examined a selection of documentation.  The inspector toured the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out observations of childcare staff and their interactions with children throughout the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with one of the company owners and the manager and spoke with staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection.  A joint observation was completed by the inspector and the manager.

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Information about the setting

Fisherfield Farm Nursery Limited, Bamford, Rochdale, is one of eight provisions run by Fisherfield Farm Limited. The nursery was registered in 2001 on the Early Years Register. It operates from three rooms and associated facilities in a detached bungalow. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 6pm for 51 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays. There are currently 54 children on roll, attending for a variety of sessions. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The manager has an early years foundation degree and one member of staff is working towards this qualification. The nursery also employs a cook and a cleaner and receives premises support through the company's handyman. The nursery provides funded, early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports a very small number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

The nursery receives support from the local authority and also makes use of private consultancies regarding children's care and education and human resource management.

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

 enhance the opportunities for children to learn about diversity by including different communication methods such as musical notation, braille and signs, as well as scripts and characters from a variety of languages.

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who attend

Children make excellent progress in their learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as key persons have an exceptional knowledge of how individual children learn. Staff make plans for inclusive activities based on their observations of what individual children can do. They use information from parents about children's interests and experiences at home to help motivate them in their learning. Educational programmes have depth and breadth and are precisely matched to children's ages, stages and resulting needs. Observations are made frequently on children's learning and these are compared to expected developmental norms for children's ages. The breadth of observations made by staff is also monitored, to ensure that children are receiving a balance of experiences in their learning. Highly comprehensive assessments are made of children's learning, through tracking their development in meticulous detail. This enables staff and managers to see if

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who attend

progress is as expected, above, or below for their age and stage. Consequently, staff can address any gaps in learning that may emerge, so that early intervention can prevent greater future difficulties. This also means that support from other professionals, including the early years consultant, can be quickly sought as part of interventions. All children are exceptionally well-prepared for their next steps in learning, including full time school.

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who attend

Staff interaction with children and babies is of a consistently high standard. As a result, the quality of teaching and learning is exceptional. This is because of the emphasis on developing children's communication and early literacy, in order to underpin learning in other areas. For example, staff are careful to provide writing and drawing materials in conjunction with construction toys, small world toys and role play areas. This enables children to make marks and assign meanings to them, whilst developing their manipulative skills in preparation for learning to write. Staff in pre-school provide excellent activities to help children learn the alphabet and the initial sounds made by letters, using drawing and discussion. They also praise children enthusiastically when they write their names by copying from cards, to encourage them in their early literacy. Staff use children's interests, like fire engines, or experiences, such as going to a cafe to set up role play activities. This

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who attend

provides a very strong basis for developing children's learning across many areas, through spontaneous talk and planned activities. For example, staff in the older toddler room make a fire engine for the children from a large cardboard box and equip this with hard hats, writing materials and relevant books. This provides an excellent opportunity to engage children in making marks and talk about their imaginative play. They also learn to enjoy books based on their interest, further developing their early literacy experiences, because staff read these clearly, with enthusiasm. Staff develop children's interest by planning opportunities for them to make their own fire engine models using small boxes and glue, with a variety of other media to stick on, as part of their creative experiences.

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who attend

Children in the cafe role play area shape play dough and use tools to cut it. Staff use the opportunity to help children to count and also to identify shapes using the cutters. They extend children's knowledge of words by modelling correct terms for them and consistently ask questions that require children to think critically before they answer. This extends children's communication skills, as they have to reply in full sentences. Children learn about the natural world through going on local woodland walks and also by staff providing toys such as plastic minibeasts and magnifying glasses. This develops children's relevant vocabulary and also enables them to correctly identify these creatures. Staff also use the activity to develop children's ability to count and learn words regarding size and colour, as part of their early learning in mathematics and number. Babies are provided with an ongoing range of exploratory activities, such as play with water, sand, and collage

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who attend

materials, to develop their manipulative and communication skills. Staff talk to them about size, colour and texture, along with providing a narrative of what the child is doing, to extend their speech and thinking. Babies delight when staff blow bubbles for them and staff use their enjoyment to extend their ability to use single words or put words together. This further develops speech and language. The nursery makes excellent use of text displays at child height across all rooms, although it has not yet extended this to cover other methods of communication. For example, by displaying braille, musical notation and scripts or characters used in languages from across the world to broaden children's experiences of this and enhance their understanding of diversity. However, the nursery celebrates a variety of festivals and events to teach children about different cultures and religions. Consequently, they develop knowledge and understanding of the wider world,

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who attend

such as through creative activities, dressing up and tasting different foods.

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who attend

Parents have excellent opportunities to contribute to their children's learning. This includes providing photographs to make 'family books' for children. This helps them to settle and to talk about significant people in their lives. Consequently, this develops children's speech and language. The nursery also regularly provides information sheets with suggestions for activities for parents and children to do at home, to support children's learning. Parents are frequently asked for information about their children's interests and experiences away from the nursery in order to support planning for learning. The nursery also asks them to make suggestions about activities they would like for children, to gain their views. Parents are aware of the records kept of their children's learning and attend twice-yearly parents' evenings to discuss these with their child's key person. The nursery passes on highly

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who attend

comprehensive information about children's learning directly to their next setting, such as full time school. This promotes continuity of learning and hence progress. Staff provide daily verbal or written information about children's activities and learning in order to support parents' engagement with their child's learning. Parents participate in activities, such as charity fundraising events with the nursery to further extend their opportunities to engage with their children's learning.

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

The nursery operates a key person system in order to support children's emotional welfare and key persons show a consistently thorough knowledge of children, their routines and their preferences. They therefore provide excellent support for children's emotional well- being, which consequently enhances children's learning. Children and babies demonstrate superb confidence by exploring the space and resources thoroughly. In all areas of the nursery, children developing a sense of responsibility and independence is a priority. For example, at meal times, children in pre-school take turns to help set the tables, to develop learning about responsibility. In the room for two- to three-year olds, staff set out name cards with photographs on the tables at each chair. Children then have to find where they are going to sit by looking where their name card is, as part of learning independence. They also begin to recognise their own name, learning that text carries meaning. All

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

children, apart from babies, are encouraged and supported to serve themselves at meal times, further developing their self-help and manipulative skills. Babies begin to learn about personal hygiene and self-help by being encouraged to use wipes on their hands before meals and snacks. This also forms a sensory learning experience for them because they explore the wet feel of the material. Children learn to manage their own needs for drinks by having ongoing access to drinking water throughout the day. This is because they choose to take drinks based on their recognition of their own need.

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

Children's behaviour is excellent and they use resources safely, showing a high regard for their own safety and that of others. Staff use motivators, such as stickers and reward charts highly effectively to support children's learning about managing their feelings and behaviour. Resources and toys are highly accessible indoors and outdoors, covering the breadth of the areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, children develop independence because they can make decisions about what to play with. Children's welfare is exceptionally well-protected by a comprehensive range of policies and parental permissions. The nursery provides outdoor experiences, including play in local parks, which gives children the opportunity to take reasonable risk with careful supervision. This enables children to enjoy exercise outdoors and learn about the benefits of this in a healthy lifestyle. The nursery also provides weekly sessions from an external

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

specialist to help children enjoy dance, action songs and rhymes to support their coordination and communication development. Food is prepared on the premises and children can make choices from a nutritious range of options, supporting their enjoyment of a balanced diet. This helps them to learn about the basis for a healthy diet, through discussion with staff. The nursery has gained a local authority 'gold' award for healthy eating through its work with children, including developing their knowledge of good dental hygiene. Staff are skilled at building children's language skills, such as by repeating older babies' words or phrases with extra single words. This helps children to learn gradually to speak in short sentences. Staff take care to inform children and babies about care routines that are required, such as nappy changes, in order to maintain their emotional well-being and dignity. Staff in the baby room talk brightly and continuously to babies about their

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

families during nappy changes, in order to use the time to help communication development. Overall, the use of everyday routines by staff across the nursery actively contributes to helping children in their social, communicative and physical development.

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

Children show a very good level of self-care and are able to manage a variety of aspects of personal hygiene appropriate to their age and stage. For example, staff talk to children about the importance of washing their hands thoroughly after wiping their noses or playing outside. As a result, children have opportunities to learn effective hygiene routines. All areas of the nursery are clean and well-maintained to help prevent the spread of any germs. Robust practical safety measures are in place to help prevent accidents. Staff answer the main door and check the identity of visitors, to protect children by preventing unauthorised access to the building. Staff deployment is observed to be highly effective in supporting children's welfare and learning. For example, staff and the manager in the baby room are careful to inform each other when children choose to play outside, so that the correct staff to child ratios, or better, are maintained. This means that

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

children's safety and learning is always very well-supported.

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

The times when children change room within the nursery are smoothly managed, with plenty of discussion with parents to support children during this. A highly flexible approach, which is based on the needs of the individual child, is taken at all times, to maintain their emotional well-being. Children receive exceptional preparation in terms of independence skills and confidence for their next steps in education. The nursery requests information from any previous settings attended by children in order to inform their initial planning and also seeks highly detailed information from parents to supplement this. Comprehensive information to support children's good health and well-being is kept from when children join the setting, in order to meet their needs, such as dietary requirements. This is regularly updated in order to continue to meet children's care needs effectively.

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provision

Risk assessments and safety checks are meticulous and reviewed whenever required, so children can safely play and learn on the premises and through local outings. Staff, as well as the designated safeguarding officers, have a very strong understanding of how to manage any concerns they may have about a child's welfare, due to excellent knowledge of safeguarding procedures. This includes knowledge of the role of the local area designated officer to protect children's welfare. Staff make regular declarations regarding their ongoing suitability to work with children. All documentation related to statutory requirements is completed to a very high standard to support the safe and effective running of the nursery. This includes a policy for the use of devices with cameras on the premises, such as mobile phones. The nursery's highly comprehensive policies and procedures underpin an outstanding level of care and learning for all children in the

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provision

nursery. Staff demonstrate an excellent understanding of how to carry out their roles and responsibilities. This is because these are clearly defined and frequently reviewed with them.

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provision

Procedures for recruitment, induction and staff performance management are exemplary. The nursery is also able to draw on staff from the company's other settings, when filling positions and this further strengthens the team. As a result, the nursery has a dynamic and enthusiastic staff team, which provides excellent care and learning for children. The appraisal and supervision process is rigorous, so that staff receive highly frequent feedback in order to enhance their practice. Staff plan educational programmes based on the needs and experiences of individual children, which provide precise challenge for their age and stage of development. There are multi-layered systems in place to monitor the quality and consistency of observations, planning and assessment of children's learning. The quality of staff teaching is monitored through continual informal observation by room managers, along with formal peer observations as part of the cycle of six-weekly staff

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provision

supervisions. Continuous reflection on practice by staff and managers is embedded throughout the nursery as part of the company's ethos. As a result, practice to support children's learning is outstanding in all rooms.

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provision

Partnership working is an utmost priority. The manager and staff work tirelessly to ensure that all children receive the help and support they need in and out of the nursery. This ensures that the nursery plays an exemplary role in multi-agency working, to ensure that all children receive the support they need. Parents' and children's views are frequently sought in order to bring about continuous improvement. Evaluation of the nursery's provision is relentless and the owners work continuously to enhance their existing high standards. Views and ideas from other professionals, agencies and the other company settings are used frequently to inform the evaluation of the nursery's practice. The nursery has monthly visits from a private early years consultant in order to provide additional information for evaluation. This includes evaluation of the learning environment, the staff quality of teaching and the record keeping that supports children's learning. Consequently,

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provision

the owners and managers can implement precise and highly effective strategies for enhancing the care and education provided for children. As a result, all children make excellent progress in their 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 503234 Local authority Rochdale Inspection number 909593

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 49 Number of children on roll 54 Name of provider Fisherfield Farm Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 28/11/2011 Telephone number 01706 352 000

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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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