Acorns Day Nursery Ltd

Acorns Day Nursery Ltd 532 Reading Road, Winnersh, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG41 5EX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/10/2013 01/12/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 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's behaviour is very good and they develop positive attitudes towards learning. This helps to ensure that they are very well prepared for the next stage in their education.  The nursery team actively promote two-way information sharing with parents and carers. Together they work effectively in partnership to meet children's individual care and learning needs. Parents say how happy their children are and they feel well informed.  The management team provides strong leadership, based on a clear vision and supported by a motivated staff team. Together they focus on continually developing good practice for the benefit of the children and consequently the children make good progress.  Parents and carers are offered opportunities to share resources which encourage children's learning at home.  Staff make sure children feel safe, secure and are well looked after.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 A small minority of staff miss opportunities to extend children's language, thinking and understanding to a higher level.  Staff do not give full consideration to the potential impact of noisy activities on the activities of other groups of children.

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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 the premises and resources with the manager.  The inspector observed the children and staff at play.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined records and documents provided by the owner and manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the nursery with parents and viewed comments from parents.  The inspector read the provider's self evaluation.

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Information about the setting

Acorns Day Nursery is run by Acorns Day Nursery Limited and is privately owned. It opened in 2001 and operates from four rooms in a converted private house. It is situated in Winnersh on the outskirts of Wokingham, Berkshire. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 8.00am to 6.00pm for 51 weeks of the year. There are currently 44 children aged from eight months to under five years on roll. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. Children come from the local area. The nursery currently supports a number of children who are learning English as an additional language. The nursery employs 21 staff. The manager and 13 staff hold appropriate early years qualifications with three staff currently undertaking training at level 3 and one at level 2 . One member of staff has Early Years Professional status and one a foundation degree in Early Years.

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

 develop the abilities of some staff to talk and listen more attentively with children to further encourage communication and language skills and extend their thinking and understanding to a higher level

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

 give greater consideration to the organisation of noisy activities so that there is no negative impact on the activity of other groups.

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who attend

The majority of staff demonstrate enthusiasm and motivation to provide children with a stimulating, attractive environment. This enables children to have fun, develop positive relationships and make good progress. Children appear confident and secure in the nursery environment. They relate well to their playmates and the staff. Children enjoy a range of well planned activities which the majority of staff skilfully extend to meet the children's individual abilities.

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who attend

Staff implement good systems of observation and assessment which are supported by photographic evidence. The observations are used to identify and plan for the children's next steps in development. This helps to ensure children's learning needs are promoted well and children make good progress. Evidence indicates children make good progress in relation to their starting points. They have many opportunities to gain new skills and develop existing ones as they participate in the many activities. Progress checks for two- year-olds are completed and shared with parents. Parents are kept well informed about their children's progress through formal and informal meetings. A daily diary is also used with the youngest children to keep parents well informed about their children's care and learning. Story sacks are available for parents to loan. This helps parents to build on the children's learning at home. Good links are formed with schools that children move onto

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who attend

and with other professionals involved with children. This helps to ensure continuity in their care and education.

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who attend

Children enjoy exploring a wide variety of developmentally appropriate resources and activities that help them make good progress in each area of learning. Each day a short focused activity session is planned for groups of children to encourage their skills. They enjoy using musical instruments and participating in planned movement and music sessions. Staff plan and prepare for these sessions focusing on the potential for each child's individual learning. For example, children develop their listening skills as they listen to the music and follow the audio instructions. Through their actions with colourful scarves they develop awareness of 'round and round', 'up and down'. This encourages their creativity and coordination. However, the location of some activities which are noisy is not always conducive to the learning of other children. For example, children at times struggled to her the instructions above the noise of musical instruments in the adjoining

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who attend

room. Social skills develop as children enjoy snack and mealtimes together at the table. Good manners are encouraged as they pass around the snack they help to prepare. Children enjoy looking at good quality books which are attractively displayed around the nursery. They are developing awareness of the value of books as they use them for information and pleasure. The more skilled staff naturally extend children's thinking by encouraging them to recall events and predict what will happen next as they take part in activities. Mark making and early writing skills are encouraged both indoors and outdoors. Many children recognise and write their names and some recognise letters. The environment is rich with attractive text to feed the children's awareness of the written word.

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who attend

The majority of staff encourage children's developing communication and language skills very well. However, a minority do not provide enough narrative to their actions or initiate conversations with the children to extend their thinking. The nursery provides books and posters in other languages and information about the languages children hear and use at home is gathered when they first start. The management team are working with staff to make sure that home languages are valued successfully in the nursery. Dual language resources are available for staff to use and parents have been asked to write signs in their script. Children have opportunities to learn French but the opportunity to share key words such as 'hello' or 'goodbye' in the language they are familiar with is still in its infancy. Awareness of size, shape and pattern is increasing as children complete puzzles, and build with wooden blocks. Some count confidently and show awareness of quantity. They talk

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who attend

about the number of legs the spider has and how many legs they have. Children apply their knowledge to different situations showing increasing awareness of size and shape. Overall, children's all-round development is promoted successfully.

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

The key person system is well established and working patterns ensure that parents get to see staff at the start and end of the day. Children show they feel safe and secure in this environment where there are many familiar staff to support them through the day. They develop warm bonds with the staff who are good role models. Staff are calm and patient and demonstrate good manners to the children and each other. Staff are well deployed and relate to the children appropriately encouraging children to learn boundaries in their behaviour. The management team and policies provide staff with clear guidance regarding appropriate behaviours when working with the children. Children behave well and are proud of their individual display boards where they display their work if they wish. This builds on their sense of achievement.

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

Careful risk assessing and accident analysis helps to promote a safe environment. Children learn about safe behaviour. For example, as they use knives with supervision to cut fruit for snack. They also remind each other not to run indoors or bump into people. Children learn how to evacuate the nursery swiftly in an emergency. Confident relationships develop between the staff and children and consequently children relate well to the staff.

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

Freshly prepared nutritious food is offered each day and good care is taken to ensure dietary needs are met consistently. Children learn about healthy eating as they grow and eat fruit and vegetables from the garden and confidently recall an outing to pick strawberries. Well-being is further promoted as physical skills are encouraged well. Children enjoy opportunities to freely use the garden area where they climb, use wheeled toys, balls and dig in the sand or soil. This helps them to develop their coordination and balance and enjoy the fresh air and natural light. Children manage their personal needs well relevant to their ages and abilities. The caring and nurturing staff work proactively with parents and children to encourage potty and toilet training. This provides children with a confidence boost when they can manage their own toileting needs and is also an important aspect of preparing children for school. In addition to this staff plan and support

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

children when they are moving within the nursery or away from the nursery, enabling children to confidently move on. The new setting is well informed about each child's progress enabling them to quickly understand children's individual needs.

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provision

The leadership and management team is strong. The educational provision is overseen by senior staff who also work proactively with other staff and children to identify the next steps for children's individual development and plan activities to promote these. Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of the areas of learning and key people confidently identify how they are extending children's skills. Very good care is taken to seek appropriate advice and support for children from appropriate services if they feel development is not progressing as it should. They work sensitively with parents and assist in anyway they can for the benefit of the children.

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provision

Robust recruitment, vetting and induction procedures are implemented to safeguard the welfare of the children. Staff are knowledgeable about the action they must take if they are concerned about a child in the nursery. Staff meetings, training and clear policies all help to maintain staff awareness and vigilance with regard to safeguarding, whistle blowing and the use of cameras in the setting. Comprehensive records are made in relation to any concerns from parents or staff and clear records are also kept in relation to any work with outside agencies to support individual children.

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provision

Self evaluation is informed through using the views of parents, staff and the local authority assessment system. A 'vision' plan indicates the many aspects of the provision the setting is working on in order to continuously improve. The management team are forward thinking and proactive in building the skills and confidence of the staff team by having regular staff meetings, bi annual and annual appraisals. They are aware of the weaknesses in the practice of less experienced staff and are actively encouraging staff to increase their qualifications and also attend relevant short courses. Staff motivation is high.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and others are very strong. A wealth of good quality information is available for parents. This includes daily diaries for children in the baby room in addition to face to face conversations, to promote two-way communication with parents Close partnership working takes place to seek any extra support for children who need it. As a result all children make good progress from their individual starting points. Notice boards are attractive and well maintained. They indicate the setting's intention to keep parents well informed about aspects of the provision, the Early Years Foundation Stage and issues relevant to the care of young children. Staff greet parents warmly making them feel very welcome. A large screen is updated daily showing photographs of the children at play, reassuring parents of their children's activities. Strong links with local nurseries and schools, the local early years team and participation in local professional meetings all help

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provision

the nursery team to constantly develop their strong practice.

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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 148596 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 937365 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 45 Number of children on roll 44 Name of provider Acorns Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 01/12/2009 Telephone number 0118 9786483

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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

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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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