Bright Horizons Epsom Waltham House Day Nursery and Preschool

Epsom Day Nursery 28 Worple Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 5EH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/10/2013 30/07/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 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

 An effective key person system, home visits and gradual settling in procedures help children adapt well in the change from their homes to the nursery environment.  Children are safeguarded effectively because management and staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures, which ensures they act appropriately to safeguard children.  Children benefit from activities which staff plan that are clearly linked to children's next steps in their learning and development, to help them progress.

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It is not yet good because

 On occasions communication between some staff and the way they are deployed, does not fully meet the babies' needs.  Observations and assessments are not being used consistently and rigorously enough to identify precisely all children's next steps in learning.  Interactions between some staff and children do not always make the most of opportunities to extend their language development and promote critical thinking.  Opportunities for children to develop and learn across all the required learning areas in the outside environment are not always available daily.

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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 all rooms and in the outdoor learning environment. This included a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager, assistant manager and quality and training manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's development records, activity planning and spoke with staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector saw evidence of suitability of staff, a selection of policies and procedures and other record keeping.  The inspector spoke to some parents on the day to obtain their views.

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Information about the setting

Epsom Day Nursery is part of Asquith Court Nurseries Ltd and has been registered under the present ownership since 1999. The nursery registered with Ofsted in 2001. The nursery is situated in a detached building. Children occupy all four levels, grouped in ages and have use of 11 nursery rooms. Children can access an outdoor play area, which is divided to provide areas for different age groups. There are 14 shallow steps out in top the garden. There are five steps leading up to the main entrance. There is also a separate entrance to the baby unit with a few steps leading down to the door.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is situated in a residential area of Epsom. The nursery serves Epsom and the surrounding areas. It is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm throughout the year, excluding Christmas and Bank Holidays. There are currently 111 children in the early years age group on roll. The nursery caters for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery is funded to provide free early education to children aged three and four years. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are 21 members of staff, 17 of whom hold early years qualifications at levels 3 to 6. Four members of staff are unqualified. The nursery also employs a chef.

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must:

 improve the deployment of staff, and communication between staff, who are caring for babies so that babies' individual needs are met at all times

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must:

 ensure observations of children's learning and development are used effectively to clearly identify children's next steps consistently throughout the nursery.

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

 extend the teaching skills of some staff in relation to developing children's language skills and critical thinking, such as through using increased language in everyday activities.

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

 develop all the staff team's understanding of how the outside are can be used to promote learning for children across all areas of learning on a daily basis.

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who attend

Staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and effectively plan activities to ensure children make satisfactory progress in their learning. Their independence is promoted well as staff store toys in low level units so that children are able to choose what they would like to use. The babies have various items of furniture and equipment to support them as they learn to pull themselves up and progress to taking their first steps. As they become move stable on their feet, staff encourage them to climb small carpeted steps and slopes to improve their balance and develop their coordination and physical development.

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who attend

Staff provide various materials for all age ranges to explore, through using all their senses. Babies, who are able to sit upright, explore treasure baskets. A low level tray enables older babies to pull themselves up and stand whilst scooping up flour and pouring it into different containers. Staff caring for toddlers provide an easel for children to experiment with paint, trays with coloured water and porridge oats. All these activities help children develop their creative and mathematical skills as they explore these different textures and fill and empty different size containers. The children in the pre-school may use a large craft unit, where they are able to experiment with collage materials and ways of fixing and joining things together. During the morning of inspection, the children played a shape game outside and then sought shape stencils to draw around, cut out and stick, developing their hand control. One child found an 'X' shaped stencil, which then instigated

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who attend

a conversation about treasure maps and pirates, a theme children had been learning about the previous week. This shows how the children make links between different learning experiences.

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who attend

Children's communication and language development is generally promoted well by staff. In the pre-school, children enjoy playing a game called 'What's in the bag?' This creates lots of opportunities for children to extend their descriptive vocabulary, problem solving skills and ability to listen. However, some staff miss opportunities to describe what they do in order to extend vocabulary and involve children in tidying away toys with the younger ones. Staff provide some written signs throughout the nursery that helps children develop an understanding of how print carries meaning. Children and staff in the pre-school have made an interactive alphabet display where children are able to remove the letters and pictures and then practice matching them together. As a result they are beginning to recognise and write letters in their names, promoting literacy development and preparation for school.

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who attend

Due to the layout of the nursery, it is not possible for all age groups to move freely between the indoor and outdoor environments, but staff ensure that all children have as much time as they would like outside. Staff ensure all children have equal opportunities to use the outdoor area, including when very wet. They provide all-in-one waterproofs so children can enjoy splashing in puddles and experience the cold, wet rain on their faces. Raised flower beds enable children to plant and grow vegetables, which they are now cooking and eating as part of their lunchtime meals. This process helps them understand where some foods come from. However the outside area is not being used to its full potential; planning shows it is not being given the same importance as activities indoors.

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who attend

Settling in procedures work effectively. Parents appreciate the time staff take to help their child settle and especially the home visits. Staff build on initial assessments by making regular observations of the children. However, these are not consistently built on throughout the nursery to clearly identify their next steps in children's learning. For example, younger children's next steps are just linked to an area of learning and development, whereas staff in the pre-school clearly highlight what skills and activities children would enjoy in order to progress. Staff in the pre-school have recently begun using 'Talking and thinking' books to find out about children's interests and to plan fun activities to help promote their learning and development. Therefore, overall, not all children are making as good progress as they could.

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

Staff provide a welcoming environment for parents and children. There are a variety of positive images of diversity in the children's rooms; staff display family photographs of the children to help them feel settled and at home. The key person system is effective and enables staff and children to make secure attachments. However, on occasions, communication between staff and their deployment with the babies means that staff do not always support each other to ensure their needs are fully met. For example, a member of staff goes to collect the babies' snacks from the kitchen whilst another staff member is changing a nappy. Therefore, the remaining staff are not able to give all children the attention they need.

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

Staff help children as they move into different rooms, as the key person goes with them as they visit their new environment to ensure they receive sensitive support during times of change. The staff also prepare older children well for their move to school. They invite teachers into the nursery to meet the children and plan activities to help them adapt to their new learning environment and school routines.

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

There are some strategies in place to support children who learn English as an additional language. For example, during a home visit, the key person was able to learn a few words in the child's home language and the names of their pets so they were able to talk about them at the nursery, to help children feel secure.

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

Children learn about healthy lifestyles and benefit from daily opportunities to exercise outside in the fresh air. Freshly cooked healthy meals and snacks are prepared daily by the nursery's chef. The menu takes account of children's individual dietary requirements and colour coded place mats means that all staff know what they are. Staff create opportunities for children to develop their independence skills during snack and meal times. Children are able to pour their own drinks and use small serving scoops to transfer food from dishes onto their plates. This also helps children understand about healthy portion sizes and their differing appetites. Staff are good role models for encouraging good behaviour and hygiene practices. Each room has a hand sanitizer dispenser and children know to wash their hands before eating and using the toilet. Staff are also vigilant of helping children understand why they need

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

to wipe noses to prevent cross infection. Recent changes to the organisation of the pre- school rooms has meant children are more engaged with the activities. Children's behaviour is better as staff use positive reinforcement in order to boost children's self- esteem.

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provision

Established and effective procedures are in place for safeguarding children's well- being. There is a robust programme of ongoing monitoring and training in place to ensure all staff know what to do should they have concerns about children in their care. The manager, alongside management from the wider company, follow stringent safeguarding procedures working with outside agencies when necessary. Accurate record keeping for accidents, incidents and complaints clearly shows actions taken to address any concerns, including those from parents. Staff carry out daily risk assessments on the indoor and outdoor environments and the equipment in it. As a result, one of the rooms for the toddlers is not being used, as the bolt on the door is broken and raises safety concerns.

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provision

Since the last inspection a new manager has been appointed. The quality and training manager for the company has worked closely with the new manager to ensure she has a clear understanding of the company's policies and procedures. The manager has begun her own evaluation the nursery to identify its strengths and areas in need of improvement. Requirements from the last inspection have been suitably addressed, therefore showing commitment to continual improvement. Children are now always supervised when using the internal staircase and there is a low level hand rail for their use. Also staff have improved mealtime organisation, encouraging children to be independent and responsible for small tasks. However the manger knows she needs to address the communication between staff in the baby room to ensure effective staff deployment.

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provision

Recruitment is the responsibility of the manager, with some administration support from the head office. Records show there are clear procedures in place for all staff obtaining suitable clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Services to ensure children are safeguarded. The manager also reminds staff they are required to declare any issues which may affect their ongoing suitability. The manager understands her responsibilities for monitoring the quality of the staff team and the education programmes provided.

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provision

The manager has carried out supervision meetings with all staff and knows the individual strengths of each team member. Training opportunities help staff extend their knowledge and improve practice. Although the manager has a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage, she realises not all staff assessing children's learning and development well. She is working closely with the company's quality and training manager to put in place additional training to help improve the outcomes for children. Staff work well to develop an effective partnership with parents. The key person has daily discussions with parents and each month, parents from one of the age groups are invited to a 'Play and stay' session. Here, parents are able to join in with activities their child likes to do, such as a recent teddy bear's picnic. Parent evenings are held twice a year and along with the progress check at age two, parents are able to discuss their child's

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provision

progress. The children's records are kept in low level units for easy access for parents and staff to view. This means parents are able to see on a daily basis the achievements their child is making and how to support their learning at home.

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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 EY289713 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 936728 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 100 Number of children on roll 111 Name of provider Asquith Court Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 30/07/2013 Telephone number 01372 723332

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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