Oakland Hall Day Nursery

Oakland Hall Day Nursery Oakland Hall, Hadleigh Road, SPROUGHTON, Ipswich, IP8 3AS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/10/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 make good progress in their learning and development because staff challenge them through skilful questioning and provide a range of stimulating play activities that follow their interests.  Priority is given to support the children to settle well and to make smooth transitions. Staff get to know the children and families well and build close, trusting emotional attachments.  The manager is highly effective in monitoring the provision and she identifies and values the strengths in the staff. As a result, staff are motivated and keen to move forward in their professional development to benefit the children.  Partnerships with parents are strong and daily discussions ensure that parents are very well informed, enabling them to work with the staff to ensure their children make good progress.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not consistently collect evidence on children's prior skills, knowledge and understanding on entry to the nursery to ensure that they always receive appropriate challenge from the beginning.  Some staff do not fully understand the importance of conveying to parents the benefits of activities which promote a strong foundation in a child's home language in 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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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 the play rooms and the outdoor learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision, spoke to staff and interacted with the children.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of inspection and information included in the self-evaluation documents.  The inspector carried out two joint observations with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Oakland Hall Day Nursery was registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a converted grade two listed building in the Sproughton area of Suffolk, and is privately owned and managed. The nursery serves the local and wider area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three main rooms and there are two enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 1pm and from 1pm until 6.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. They also run a holiday club for school aged children during school holidays. There are currently 20 children attending who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 4 and eight staff hold early years qualifications at level 3. One member of staff is working towards a higher qualification and all unqualified staff are working towards a level 2 or 3 qualification. The nursery also employs a cook and an administrator.

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

 gain more information about new children's prior skills, knowledge and understanding on entry to the nursery in a consistent to ensure all children make the best possible progress

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

 assist staff to fully support parents and children by enhancing their understanding of the significance that the children's home language plays in the role of identity, learning and the acquisition of English.

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who attend

Children show enthusiasm for learning because the staff engage and capture their interests and fully recognise that they learn through play. For example, they extend the children's interest in insects and earthworms. Children excitedly collect earthworms to go into the wormery and watch them as they crawl though the layers of soil mixing them. They draw pictures of centipedes and spiders, look at webs, and discuss ideas about how they can make an additional enclosure for spiders and insects.

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who attend

Children have fun with a large cardboard box as they pretend it is a cave and make their own drawings on the inside. As the children's interests evolve, the staff support them to change the box from a cave to an aeroplane. Children paint the outside with the colours of flags from a range of countries they were learning about previously. They cut out windows in the sides to look out of as they play flying off to Menorca and Scotland.

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who attend

The quality of teaching in the nursery is good. Staff use skilful questioning to challenge and extend the children's learning as they support them to work out how to get water from the water tray into a large bucket. Staff value and except the children's ideas and let them work out for themselves how effective using a small spade to transfer the water will be. Staff extend children further in the sand tray, watching as they begin to use their fingers to make marks. Staff extend this by writing the first letter of each child's name and then extended this to the whole name. The children take the lead from the staff and mirror this, developing their early writing skills. Conkers and twigs are added to the sand to provide additional items for the children to use to make marks and patterns. Children use large circular movements to make faces in the sand. Staff use this opportunity to introducing them to words about feelings, for example, asking whether the faces are

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who attend

happy or sad, providing words for children to express their own feelings.

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who attend

Staff plan for children's next steps in their development as they observe, assess and provide appropriate resources and equipment. For example, children in the baby room who show an interest in walking have many opportunities to pull themselves up to standing and walk around the furniture. Staff provide them with push along trolleys to encourage them to take a few steps. Babies proudly move around their room accessing toys and equipment from low-level storage units. They have lots of opportunities to play with a range of good quality, natural resources and enjoy exploring treasure baskets. This provides them with opportunities to use their senses as they touch, taste, smell and listen to a range of materials. They play 'peek-a-boo' with staff as they hide in different areas of the room behind drapes in the cosy area. They move their whole bodies to music and bang spoons and blocks together delighting in the sounds they make.

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who attend

Toddlers enjoy singing and join in with some actions and words to familiar songs and rhymes developing their communication skills. Staff are creative and use cold spaghetti and finger paint to encourage the children to explore a range of textures. The children delight in squeezing the spaghetti and making patterns on the tray as they mix it with the paints. They use magnifying glasses and concentrate as they look at the ground as they copy the older children exploring the outdoor environment.

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who attend

The staff prepare the children well for the next steps in their learning and development as they develop the skills needed to support their eventual move into school. They support the children with their use of phonics and older, more able children successfully sound out the initial letters of their friends names on the coat pegs. Communication and language skills are supported well by staff for children of all ages. They encourage the babies' sounds and repeat single words, taking an interest in what babies are trying to communicate. They build on the children's vocabulary by offering choices of food for example, apple or carrot. Staff support all children to develop a love of books. Babies use them with confidence making noises for animals in the pictures as they point them out. Some of the older children and can retell favourite stories from the pictures. Children use counting in number rhymes and when collecting conkers and leaves that have fallen from

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who attend

the trees. They are encouraged to solve problems as they work out if there is enough space for them all to get inside the aeroplane. They confidently use measure as they plot their height on the wall and use mathematical language to explain comparisons, such as, taller and shorter.

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who attend

Staff find out as much as they can from parents about the children before they start and request developmental records from previous nurseries that some children have attended. They skilfully use this information to plan activities that interest the children and meet their individual needs. However, starting points are not consistently obtained for all children to ensure staff know what they can do already when they start at the nursery. Therefore, activities for some new children may not provide sufficient challenge to ensure that they make the best possible progress.

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who attend

The staff successfully assess the observations they make on children's play to identify next steps in the children's development. These are fed into the planning and discussed with parents daily to ensure that they are kept well informed of their child's development and contribute their own observations from home.

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who attend

Although there are no children at present who do not speak English at home, there are a number of children who are bilingual. Staff find out from the parents the languages they speak at home and some staff learn a few important words from those languages. However, there is scope to improve the resources in this area to provide more opportunities for children to see and hear other languages in the setting. In addition, some, less experienced staff, lack a secure knowledge of the full importance that a child's home language plays in their identity, learning and acquisition of any additional languages.

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

The staff prioritise supporting the children's emotional well-being, consequently, children form secure, emotional attachments with their key person, the staff and their peers. The settling-in process successfully supports the individual children and their parents. They attend with their parent and then build up the time they are left gradually over a period of time. This enables the children to get to know their key person and become familiar with the nursery, ensuring that transitions from home to the nursery are as smooth as possible. Children bring comforters from home and staff follow the babies and younger children's home routines for sleeping and eating. Staff support the children to feel comfortable in the new routines and lay down with them to help them to sleep or sit next to the cot until they are asleep. They comfort them when they are upset and give lots of cuddles and reassurance when needed. Children's transitions into the next room are supported by their

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

key person. They spend short periods of time in their new room with their key person and join the older children during outdoor activities and meal times to become familiar with the new areas and staff. Staff understand the importance of working closely with the schools that they feed into to support children to make smooth transitions. They are building links with the schools to ensure that children have the opportunity to meet their new teachers in familiar surroundings before they start.

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

Children move around the nursery with confidence accessing the toys and equipment independently. They learn to take pride in their nursery from an early age as they help to tidy up the toys. The older children clear their plates after snack and meals, taking them through to the kitchen to thank the cook. This helps to develop independence, confidence and good manners. They are developing good independent skills as they manage personal hygiene routines, such as, toileting and hand washing. They are encouraged and supported to manage their own coats and shoes before going into the outdoor area.

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

Children's physical skills are developing well as they balance on the indoor slide and the two wheeled scooters. They have space to run outdoors and use an undercover outdoor area ensuring they have daily fresh air and exercise regardless of the weather. The nursery have their own off-site swimming pool and all children have regular opportunities to use it. As a result, children are making exceptionally good progress with their swimming skills as they become confident in the water.

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

Children's good health is promoted as they learn about healthy food options through discussions and taking part in growing their own vegetables. The nursery employs an experienced cook who provides healthy and nutritious meals and snacks. The food is freshly cooked on the premises and the majority of it is sourced locally and is organic. Children enjoy the food and are provided with choices to ensure their dietary needs are met. Menus are reviewed regularly to ensure that they take into account views of the children, parents and seasonal produce.

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

They learn to keep themselves safe through the simple nursery rules which are reinforced throughout the day when necessary. For example, they are reminded to walk indoors and to sit down to eat. They learn about road safety in the security of their own grounds as they cross the road to go to the trees. Babies and younger children are secured into pushchairs for walks and all children have appropriate car seats and restraints to travel to the swimming pool. The staff have a consistent approach to behaviour as they support the children to take responsibility and manage their own behaviour. They use clear, age appropriate explanations to support the children to treat others with kindness, to share and to take turns fairly. The staff provide good role models for the children as they treat them with kindness and respect.

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provision

Staff work as a close and supportive team under the strong guidance and leadership of the manager. She is skilled in her ability to monitor and evaluate all areas of the nursery. She inspires the staff to take responsibility for their own rooms and to further build on their knowledge and skills. The systems for performance management are very effective. The manager monitors the staff and provides regular supervision for them. This provides her with a good understanding of individual staff members strengths and weaknesses. As a result, she is working effectively to monitor and address any inconsistencies in staff practice.

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provision

The nursery has only been open for a short while, therefore self-evaluation is in its infancy. However, staff and parents are involved and there is a clear action plan for improvement. For example, plans are imminent to introduce an electronic programme to record children's achievements and interests. Parents will be able to access the programme at all times and contribute to their child's records providing a consistent approach to heighten the children's learning and development.

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provision

Children are protected from abuse and neglect due to the staff's secure understanding of their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding. Clear policies and procedures support their practice and they have all attended recent safeguarding training. Thorough risk assessments are carried out and daily checks of the premises ensure that it is safe and secure for the children. The manager also carries out her own checks to ensure that she is aware of what is happening in the nursery each day and knows of any important issues. Staff recruitment is robust and thorough induction procedures are followed to ensure all staff are suitable to work with young children.

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provision

Partnership with parents is a strength of the nursery and parents speak very highly of the nursery. They comment that their children settle exceptionally well and many have seen marked progress in their communication skills and confidence. Staff value the parents' comments and feedback and each key person makes time for them when they drop their children off and collect them to ensure information is shared. Partnerships with other settings are developing. Links are made with the local children's centre, other nurseries and schools to ensure that best practice ideas are shared and they can work closely with any children they share in the future.

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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 EY461296 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 916998 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 49 Number of children on roll 20 Name of provider Oakland Hall Day Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 0845 838 8955

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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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