Hillsides Secret Garden Day Nursery

Hillsides Secret Garden Day Nursery 23 Gladstone Street,, Staple Hill, BRISTOL, BS16 4RF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/11/2013 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 are actively involved in decision making processes such as designing the new garden, which helps them gain a sense of belonging to the nursery.  Parents speak highly of the nursery and have good opportunities to discuss their child's progress. This means parents know how their children are progressing.  Staff have a good knowledge of the learning and development requirements and plan a good range of experiences that help children make good progress in their learning and development.  Staff have a good understanding of how to safeguard children, which promotes children's welfare.  Children are developing the skills that they will need for the future in preparation for the next stage in their learning, including school.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always tailor adult-led activities to meet the individual attention spans of older children.  At times, adults miss opportunities to further develop children's speech and language as staff do not always allow children time to think about an answer to a question before answering it for them.

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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 all rooms and the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of an adult led activity.  The inspector spoke to parents to gather their views on the nursery.  The inspector examined a range of documentation.  The inspector spoke to the staff and children at the nursery.

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Information about the setting

Hillside Secret Garden Day Nursery re-registered due to a change in ownership in 2013. It has been previously registered since 1998. It is located in a private house in Staple Hill, South Gloucestershire. Babies and toddlers aged under three years are situated on the ground floor. Older children have access to the whole of the first floor consisting of three activity rooms. There is a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, all year round, except for bank holidays. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register only. The nursery provides funded early education for two, three and four-year-old children. There are nine members of staff who work with the children, of these seven hold a relevant childcare qualification at level 3. In addition there is a cook employed. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language.

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

 improve the organisation of some adult-led activities to support older children's differing attention spans

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

 enhance children's development of speech and language skills by improving opportunities for children to have time to think and then reply to questions.

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who attend

Hillside Secret Garden Day Nursery provides a welcoming, homely environment that effectively meets the individual needs of all children. Staff routinely gather important information about children from parents in order to establish similar care routines between the home and nursery such as sleep times and the offering of favourite foods. This helps children to feel secure during their flexible settling in period.

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who attend

Children are keen to attend the nursery and the consistent staff team helps children to settle quickly. Children select from a good variety of age appropriate resources and activities that are displayed at a low level and this enables children to make independent choices.

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who attend

Staff consistently complete developmental checks for children at two years of age. These detail how to support children's progress effectively in the future. Parents actively contribute to these assessments by completing them with their family's special member of staff. This then helps to identify children who may not be making consistent progress in all areas of their learning and encourages parents to support their children's learning at home. Routine observations of children's daily play are used effectively to monitor and plan for children's progress. For example, staff plan to offer plenty of singing, talking and book reading activities to a young child who is babbling, which will support the development of their communication skills in the future.

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who attend

Adults offer a good range of adult directed and child chosen activities. For example, a game of lotto is used to promote older children's relationships and sharing skills. Children are keen to join in and staff praise children for waiting for their turn. Adults ask questions of children while playing the game and children talk about the pictures they pick up. However, on occasions, staff miss opportunities to further develop children's speech and language as they do not always allow children enough time to think about a reply before moving on with the game. The game also continues for longer than some of the children's attention span allows resulting in some children wandering off or becoming disengaged with the game. This means group activities are not always tailored to older individual children's concentration spans. Nonetheless, there are plenty of other stimulating activities for children to join in with, including water play, sand play, drawing, computer games and

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who attend

books. Staff read stories, which support children's acquisition of pre-reading skills as the reader points to each word as she reads it and then allows time for discussion between each page of the book. The story is used as an effective opportunity to teach children about crossing the road safely and why children should wear a seatbelt in the car. This gives children the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe. Interspersed with the story are songs such as 'the wheels on the bus,' which helps to extend children's attention span by providing variety.

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who attend

Activities for the youngest children are effectively tailored to meet their shortened attention spans. For example, adults provide plenty of floor level toys such as sand, musical instruments and books, which sustain children's interest. For example, a child looks at a book with a member of staff. This opportunity is used to name objects such as a flower, a bed and a butterfly. The member of staff speaks slowly and clearly and this helps to develop the child's speaking and listening skills.

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who attend

Evidence of children's learning is displayed throughout the nursery with ample examples of work with children writing their own names. This shows that children are forming many letters of their own names correctly and making a plausible attempt at others. This is a good indication that children are developing the skills that they will need in their future educational career.

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

Children are cared for by adults who act as good role models, who establish the rules of the nursery through collaboration with the children. For example, children have decided that one of the golden rules of the nursery is to have a quiet area and this rule is displayed for all to see. When it becomes too noisy in a quiet area, children collect the golden rule and display it in the quiet area with a verbal reminder of the golden rule. This enables children to have control over their environment without the direct influence of adults.

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

Freshly prepared meals are offered to the children every day. The nursery has an extensive variety of meals suggested by parents as being popular with the children. Children are actively involved in the preparation of these meals such as grating cheese and carrots to make tortilla wraps for dinner. This encourages children to try different foods, which help them to remain healthy and supports the development of cooking skills in the future. Children also have access to fruit snacks throughout the day which they prepare themselves, such as cutting up oranges and apples. Children wash up the cups and plates after their snack, which teaches children life skills and responsibility. All children have an opportunity to play outside frequently in the newly revamped gardens that the children and parents helped to build. Children have dug out their own sandpit and built hills with the excess soil, which they use to create games such as seesaws with planks of

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

wood. This gives children a sense of ownership of their nursery and offers them regular opportunities for fresh air and exercise . Children each have a special staff member and caring relationships are built between the child, their family and the special adult. This leads to children settling quickly when they arrive at the nursery and being confident to talk to visitors about what they are doing, such as their plans to go outside and play football or dig in the garden. Staff demonstrate a good commitment to keeping children safe through the nursery's training programme. The nursery manager also leads by example, has an enhanced knowledge of how to keep children safe and knows the action to take in the event of a concern. This helps to keep children safe. The nursery manager has a good understanding of how to recruit new staff safely and this helps to ensure that adults who work with the children are suitable to do

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

so. Children are also protected when using computers in the nursery by effective filters and this demonstrates a good commitment to keeping children safe when online.

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

The nursery is proactive in its efforts to provide a positive transition for children from the nursery to school. This includes taking children to one of the local schools to participate in physical education lessons and story sessions as well as walking to and from the school. Parents also attend a transition evening organised by the nursery to discuss issues surrounding starting school and children learn basic skills such as putting on their own coats. This effectively supports children's readiness for starting school.

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provision

The staff team have a secure understanding of the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, staff looking after the youngest children, including babies, focus on supporting children's physical, personal and language development, whereas older children receive a broader education. Regular staff supervision and appraisal processes are effective in highlighting and changing ways of working, such as providing more child led activities and spending less time on administration. This demonstrates a commitment to bringing about positive changes for children. Parents and children are also effectively engaged in the nursery's future improvement plans. Changes have recently been made to the garden after input from the children such as a new play surface for babies and a digging area where children enjoy collecting frogs. Children now benefit from outdoor benches where they have picnics and

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provision

they grow beans in their garden planters. Plans for the future include increased independence for children choosing when they wish to play outside, more versatile indoor floor coverings for messy play and a painted road outside to support children's acquisition of number knowledge. This demonstrates that plans are likely to bring about further improvements to children's experiences in the near future. The nursery is also working with a highly regarded childcare setting in the local area to bring about positive changes for their own children. These changes include lessening tidy up times and encouraging children to be more independent. Plans for the future include staff swapping roles to maximise the potential benefits that the other setting may bring.

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provision

The nursery also works closely with local childminders in the area and organises stay and play sessions. Children's learning records are also shared. This demonstrates a strong commitment to working in partnership with other professionals to enhance children's experiences whilst attending the nursery. Parents speak highly of the nursery. They know what areas of development the nursery are focussing on for their children and value the regular opportunities to meet with staff to discuss their activities to learn how their children are doing. This helps parents to stay informed of their children's progress.

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 EY461990 Local authority South Gloucestershire Inspection number 921805 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 30 Name of provider Hillside's Secret Garden Day Nursery LTD Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01179 047106

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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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