Corner House Nursery Trafford Park

The Village Nursery The Village Nursery, Third Avenue, Trafford Park, MANCHESTER, M17 1JE

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Inspection date

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

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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

 Children make very rapid progress in their learning because they are supported by highly skilled practitioners who have high expectations of them. As a result, they are offered a wealth of stimulating and innovative activities that challenge their thinking and help them to develop their ideas.  An exceptional commitment to parental involvement at all levels means parents have a thorough understanding of how excellent quality teaching promotes children's learning. This means children enjoy high levels of support at home because parents fully understand how to promote their learning and development.  An established staff team that is proactive in developing superior partnerships ensure children receive outstanding levels of support during transitions. This means their need for additional emotional support during periods of change is met exceptionally well.  There is a very precise drive for improvement throughout the nursery because self-

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This provision is outstanding

evaluation is rigorous and accurate. As a result, strengths and areas for improvement are clearly identified and swift effective action is taken to address any weaknesses.  Children's learning is significantly enhanced because staff deployment is planned exceptionally well to ensure the individual outstanding skills of each practitioner are used to maximum effect.

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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 observed activities in the main playrooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector held meetings with the manager and provider of the provision.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children, and the provider's improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and from information included in the nursery's own evaluations.

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Information about the setting

The Village Nursery was registered in 2006 and is on the Early Years Register. It is one of four nurseries owned by the same provider, and is situated in a purpose built premises in the Trafford Park area of Manchester. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from seven rooms and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 25 members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above. The owner has achieved Early Years Professional Status.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 83 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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

 enhance children's already strong knowledge of equality, culture and diversity by providing them with more images that portray children and adults with disabilities.

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who attend

The children who attend the Village Nursery make excellent progress in their learning because they are supported by a highly skilled, motivated team of practitioners who have high expectations of every child. Practitioner's outstanding knowledge of how superb quality teaching promotes children's progress means they enjoy a wealth of innovative a stimulating activities. Practitioners continually challenge their thinking. For example, a topic looking at vehicles and how children travel to nursery, explores the use of maps and satellite navigation systems. This supports their developing knowledge of how different media can be used to obtain information. Parents are included in children's learning through activities they can complete with them, such as identifying traffic and road signs during journeys. The activity encompasses the work of diggers and construction vehicles that are being used to install the nursery's new 'hobbit hole'. As a result, children make

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who attend

connections between different aspects of their learning. The youngest children's attention is captured by a range of sensory experiences that spark their curiosity, such as exploring the sound and feel of 'crunchy' fallen leaves in the outdoor area, or investigating the sensations caused by cold baked beans as they squeeze them through their fingers. Their concentration and facial expressions, such as surprise and wonder, show how much they enjoy the activities. Parents comment that practitioners 'Work very hard to make every day different and fun'.

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who attend

The nursery is welcoming, vibrant and lively. Every space is planned exceptionally well to optimise learning opportunities for children and promote their wellbeing. For example, the outdoor area has a wealth of interesting resources such as a mud kitchen, beach area and large construction materials. The new 'hobbit hole' provides an outdoor room where children can enjoy stories and learning experience outside in the winter. Trips to local places of interest significantly enhance children's learning experiences and help them to understand the community they live in. The nursery demonstrates an exceptional commitment to involving parents in children's learning. This is highlighted by parents as one of the outstanding aspects of the provision. It has an 'open door' policy and parents are welcomed into the nursery to work with their children at any time, or to join them for meals. Through a large variety of media, including newsletters, emails and social

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who attend

networking sites, the nursery keeps parents very well-informed about their children's activities and progress. 'Communication books' in each room record children's activities using photographs. They support parents and children who have difficulty communicating through spoken language to share their experiences. The children are keen to share them and demonstrate that they are very proud of them.

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who attend

Detailed information about children's starting points, and their interests, is obtained from their parents. This is regularly updated through discussions with parents and each child has a daily diary where parents can add information. Individual 'learning journeys' provide a detailed ongoing record of children's interests and skills. This means practitioners have an exemplary understanding of each child's needs and therefore, they can develop individual learning plans that are tailored to target the needs of each child and focus on the skills they have already gained. As a result, children are provided with imaginative adult-led activities that challenge their thinking and help them to extend their skills. For example, they participate in a 'When you grow up' day, where parents come in to talk about what they do at work, such as nursing, the fire service, and people who work in the media. Practitioners are highly skilled in using children's interests, props and sign language

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who attend

to promote children's language development. They use objects, stories and songs to support children's understanding of spoken language. The nursery seeks support from other professionals including speech and language therapists, to promote learning for children who have special educational needs. Children who speak more than one language receive high levels of support to develop their understanding of both English and their home language. Development records show that all children are achieving exceedingly well from their starting points, across all areas of learning. Parents comment that 'staff have a very good understanding of the different ways in which children learn and as a result, children make significant progress'.

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who attend

The required progress check at age two has been completed for all children and shared with all relevant partners. Assessment is rigorous. All educational programmes are evaluated to ensure they are supporting children's continuing progress towards the early learning goals. Detailed observations not only provide a comprehensive record of children's progress, they depict how much children enjoy their learning by portraying their curiosity, excitement and pleasure. Practitioners are fully committed to helping children achieve the targets set for them. They have an excellent understanding of where each child is in their development, which ensures children are provided with stimulating educational programmes that significantly enhance their learning. Children enjoy sessions of adult-led learning, and combined with child-initiated exploration, children experience a very good balance of child-led and adult-led education, because they have a wealth of

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who attend

exciting activities and resources offered to them.

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who attend

The nursery demonstrates an outstanding commitment to developing partnerships with other providers. The support they offer children during transition, such as visits to childminders and visits to the nursery by school teachers, means children are confident and very well-prepared when they move on to the next stage in their learning. Rooms have been developed so that those used by the older children begin to reflect the school setting with more focus on structured adult-led activities, for example, group time, early literacy and mathematics. Detailed assessments ensure information shared about children's learning is accurate and precise. Feedback from the local schools shows that children who attend the nursery are very well-prepared when the time comes for them to move on.

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

When children enter the nursery, the short settling-in sessions they enjoy with their parents, help to smooth transition, providing some continuity in their care. An outstanding key person system is implemented by practitioners who have an exemplary understanding of how strong relationships promote children's wellbeing. This ensures children develop strong, secure attachments early in their care and receive consistently high levels of support at all times. Comments made by parents such as, 'I trust them totally', 'It's like a second home', and 'It's not just a job to them', demonstrates the nursery's success in building robust relationships. High staffing ratios mean that children who require one-to- one care receive intensive support from a dedicated practitioner. As a result, their needs are given priority at all times. Children in the nursery demonstrate they are extremely confident and self-assured. They welcome visitors and are keen to share their learning

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

experiences. The support children receive to get them ready for transition into school is exceptional. Nursery routines, such as mealtimes, familiarise them with the routines they will experience in school. The Early Years Foundation Stage teachers from a large number of schools visit the nursery to meet them. As a result, children from the nursery are well- prepared for the changes because they have support from familiar adults when they enter the school setting.

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

The rooms in the nursery are planned exceptionally well to ensure children's well-being needs are met. Separate sleep rooms for babies ensure they enjoy uninterrupted rest. The baby room is equipped with sensory lighting and soft music quietly plays, creating a relaxing and calm atmosphere. Comfortable sofas reflect children's home environment and provide a place to sit where children can enjoy being cuddled when they need reassurance or while they have a bottle of milk. Parents comment that 'Practitioners are very supportive', and they 'Love how the nursery feels'. The majority of rooms provide free access to the outdoor area and children enjoy outdoor play and learning in all weathers. This means they develop physical skills, while learning how exercise supports their overall health and well-being. The outdoor area has been developed to provide different sections that are used for a variety of purposes. Children can recreate holidays in the 'beach' while

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

exploring sensory play with sand and water. The 'road' develops their physical skills as they ride bicycles and scooters. They explore growth and change by gardening and investigating how the natural world changes with the seasons. Small equipment such as eggs and spoons, challenge them to test their balancing skills. The youngest children enjoy their play in a separate area where they can interact with older children, while being kept safe to enjoy the natural resources around them.

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

Children's safety is given utmost priority without restricting their independent exploration because practitioners are vigilant at all times ensuring children are well-supervised and kept safe. Children are encouraged to risk assess for themselves and consider the needs of others. For example, they learn how to use the obstacles courses they have built, safely. They are taught to use small tools safely and they develop spatial awareness while using ride on toys. As a result, they are developing a superb understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. The nursery works closely with parents to reinforce boundaries for children who demonstrate unwanted behaviour and this means children receive clear and consistent messages. They are developing a thorough understanding of right and wrong and as a result, behaviour in the nursery is excellent.

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

Children develop their understanding of equality and diversity through a wide range of activities, including role play and activities they enjoy in the community, such as charity events. Through first class teaching children begin to understand the needs of others and this is helping to prepare them for the larger social environment of school. Children are learning to embrace each other's differences and this is demonstrated through the very robust peer relationships they have both with staff and each other. Although there are a few resources that depict people with disabilities, children are not as aware of this group of people as they are about people from other cultures, because they are not portrayed throughout the nursery as well as they could be.

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

Children enjoy an excellent range of healthy meals and snacks prepared by the nursery cook. Cafe style dining areas mean mealtimes are a social occasion and practitioners use the opportunity to engage children in conversations about their learning at home. Discussions at mealtimes also help children to understand how making healthy choices promotes their overall health and well-being. Ideas and recipes are shared with parents to help with 'fussy eaters'. Children learn personal hygiene through practical routines and this helps them to be independent in their self-care when they move onto school.

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provision

The management team is exceptionally motivated to drive improvement and continually raise the already high standards of the nursery provision. They are keen to share outstanding practice with other providers and have established a partnership with a nursery school in Paris to explore how they deliver early years education. A rigorous monitoring process facilitates a precise and accurate assessment of strengths and weaknesses. This means swift action is taken to address any areas identified for improvement. For example, the nursery has worked exceedingly hard to develop partnerships with schools to ensure children's transition is supported. To ensure very high standards are maintained, all users of the nursery, and practitioners, are actively involved in evaluating teaching, learning, and the overall service of the provision. The nursery takes into account that parents they work in partnership with, often have very busy lives, so

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provision

their views a sought in a variety of different ways, such as questionnaires, emails and through social networking sites.

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provision

Rigorous recruitment and induction procedures are in place to ensure practitioners are suitable to work with children. Practitioners in the nursery have an excellent understanding of child protection issues and children's safety is given utmost priority. They have all have attended safeguarding training, and senior practitioners have completed advanced safeguarding training, to develop their knowledge of how to keep children safe. There are clear lines of accountability and practitioners are vigilant. They demonstrate a thorough understanding of their responsibilities for ensuring children, are kept safe at all times. Security is stringent. Entry to the nursery is by a buzzer and staff within the nursery move from one area to another using keypads and scanners. Security measures are strictly adhered to. Safety is highlighted by parents as one of the outstanding features of the nursery. Detailed records of visitors are maintained. A register of the children's

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provision

attendance, including when they arrive and leave, is in place. The manager supports parents' understanding of the nursery's practice by providing copies of the policies and procedures and they demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the service provided. Detailed risk assessments are in place to ensure children are kept safe both on the premises and during trips. There are 16 members of staff who hold a current first aid certificate, which means that they can give suitable treatment if there is an accident to a child in the nursery's care.

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provision

The management team has an exemplary knowledge of the learning and development requirements. Implementation of planned learning is closely scrutinised, to ensure children's experiences consistently offer them optimal challenge, and help them to maintain speedy progress across all areas of learning and development. Individual skills of each practitioner are assessed and they are deployed in roles that utilise their skills to maximum effect, such as working with babies. Ongoing mentoring of staff is robust and this means training programmes are targeted to tackle any underperformance, and improve the proficiency of practitioners who are already highly skilled. For example, how positive attachment promotes and reinforces strong relationships with children.

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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 EY334615 Local authority Trafford Inspection number 915123

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 131 Number of children on roll 83 Name of provider Julie Lightley Date of previous inspection 11/10/2011 Telephone number 0161 876 7994

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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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