Windmill Hill Nursery

Windmill Hill Nursery Windmill Hill Cp School, Norton Hill, Windmill Hill, RUNCORN, Cheshire, WA7 6QE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/10/2013 22/02/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Staff are not always deployed effectively to ensure that the required ratio's are met, which compromises children's safety and well-being.  The recruitment of staff is not robust enough to ensure all staff have the skills and experience required to work with children. The supervision and appraisal of staff is not specific enough to help staff understand what they need to do to improve their practice and so more effectively support children's learning.  Parents are not encouraged to share their views of the setting or what they know their children can already do on entry and are not kept well-informed about their ongoing progress. This means they are less able to support their child's learning at home.  Methods to review the assessment of children's progress, generally and specifically, at age two are not robust. As a result, gaps in children's learning are not always identified promptly enough to enable staff to provide targeted support or plan effective next

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This provision is inadequate

steps for them.  Children with English as an additional language are not encouraged to use their home language in their play and opportunities for babies to begin to explore the natural world are limited, as the resources available are predominantly plastic.

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It has the following strengths

 Relationships between staff and children are warm and friendly and parents comment on how much their children enjoy coming to 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 and care practices in the playrooms and within the outside play area. She conducted a joint observation with the manager, looking at the practice of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the children and staff from each room. She also held a meeting with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including planning, observations and assessment records. She also looked at a range of policies, staff rotas and attendance registers, as well as information used to assess the suitability of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took into account the views of parents and carers spoken to during the inspection and read their comments in the parents' comments book.

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Information about the setting

Windmill Hill Nursery was registered in 2007 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in purpose-built premises in the grounds of Windmill Hill Primary School in Runcorn and is managed by a committee comprising of Windmill Hill school staff. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above and one has an appropriate qualification at level 2. The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30 am to 6pm and the out of school club operates from 7.30am until 9am and 3pm to 6pm, during term time and 7.30am until 6pm, during school holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 39 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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enforcement action:

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice with a completion date of 4 December 2013 requiring the provider to:

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enforcement action:

deploy staff over lunch breaks to meet the ratio requirements and to ensure children's well-being and safety are not compromised

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enforcement action:

ensure all staff working with children are subject to a rigorous recruitment procedure, including checking staff have suitable skills and experience by gaining suitable references and completing application forms so employment history can be checked.

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must:

 improve the assessment of children's learning by: developing the information gathered from parents to include what they know about their child's development in order to identify each child's starting points, providing parents with regular ongoing information about the progress children make and offer suggestions on how parents might extend children's learning at home

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must:

 ensure that children who are not making steady progress in their learning are promptly provided with targeted support by: consulting with parents , seeking advice and guidance from health specialists and working in partnership with other settings that children attend

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must:

 provide opportunities for children whose home language is not English to develop and use their home language in play and learning to further support their unique culture

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must:

 ensure methods of managing the performance of staff offer clear guidance on how to improve their knowledge and skills so that children's needs are more effectively met.

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

 review the termly tracking data to identify individuals or groups of children who may be making less steady progress, so that an action plan can be devised to effectively address any gaps

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

 extend the opportunities for babies to explore and investigate by providing them with a wider range of natural materials

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

 develop the progress check at age two further by considering the aspects within the prime areas in detail, so that a more robust assessment of children's progress can be made.

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who attend

Children are observed during their play and staff plan specific activities to support the next steps in their learning. Longer more detailed observations and short 'post it note' comments are recorded. This ensures that staff know most children's interests and needs across most of the areas of learning. Consequently, the majority of children are making sound progress in their learning.

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who attend

Staff assess each child's learning and plot their progress on a development tracker. However, were gaps are evident, specialist advice and support is not always sought promptly. In addition, where children also attend another setting, there are no partnerships in place to exchange information or share learning strategies to support their development. As a result, some children make limited progress in some areas of learning. The progress check at age two explains some possible next steps for children's development but lacks the detail required to fully assess their progress in the prime areas of learning.

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who attend

Staff are making attempts to understand and promote children's unique cultural background. Words in some of the additional languages children speak are displayed around the playrooms and plans are in place to celebrate special festivals. However, staff are not confident or knowledgeable enough yet to be fully effective in teaching children to value the uniqueness of others or about the similarities and differences between people. As a result, some children are not well supported in their home language.

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who attend

The information gathered from parents when children enrol includes their basic care needs, which is recorded on an 'All about me' sheet. However, parents are not asked to share what their children can already do when they enrol. Consequently, staff are not able to plan for children's learning as promptly as possible, as they take time to get to know each child well. While verbal information is shared with parents on a daily basis, a regular summary of children's learning is not provided and so sharing information that would enable parents to better support their children's learning at home is limited.

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who attend

Children begin to learn about cause and effect in the baby room, where they have access to a range of pop-up and battery-operated toys that make sounds when they are pressed. Babies enjoy moving items in and out of containers as staff model how to do it, counting how many items there are as they do. However, opportunities are limited for babies to investigate a range of natural materials as the resources available are predominantly plastic. Older children have access to computers and so begin to learn about technology. Sand and paint are available to all children, helping them to develop their creativity. Outdoors, older children run around in the fresh air and enjoy pedalling bikes and negotiating the climbing frame, which helps them to develop their physical skills.

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who attend

Staff teach children about the wider world through planned circle time, which also supports children's developing communication. They tell stories and lead discussions in an animated way, which children enjoy. They have interesting discussions about the change in the weather, asking children what they might need to wear now the weather is getting colder. Children respond enthusiastically as staff give them time to think and praise them for their contributions.

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who attend

For example, children recalled a recent nature walk and described conkers as being 'inside with spikes' and an owl being 'nocturnal'. Staff developed the discussion by discussing what squirrels liked to eat and modelling the sound an owl made which children enjoyed copying. As a result, children are developing the confidence to speak in a group and learning how to listen and take turns, which will help them become ready for school when the time comes.

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

During the inspection sufficient staff are on duty throughout the day to ensure children's safety and well-being is not compromised. However, this is not always the case over the period of staff lunch breaks, when staff are free to leave the premises. Children of different ages are sometimes grouped together to manage staff lunch breaks more effectively; however, on occasion, the ratio requirements are not met, which puts children's safety and well-being at risk.

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

Staff are warm and friendly, they are responsive to children and help them to feel secure. In the baby room babies have their bottle on demand and are cuddled while they drink. Individual care needs are followed, so some babies sleep safely in their cot, while others play in the bright and cheerful play room. New babies and children have several settling-in visits so they begin to develop attachments to their key person. Basic care needs are recorded on the 'All about me' sheet and discussed verbally with parents so staff understand each child's needs. Consequently, the transition from home to nursery is usually smooth for both children and their parents.

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

Children appear happy and engaged in play and seek out staff when they need help or support. Resources are plentiful in most rooms and are stored at low level so that children can access them independently. Outdoor activities offer children the opportunity to take measured risks in their play, supported by the staff. For example, children reach out to grasp the fireman's pole on the climbing frame, while staff stay close by to reassure and guide them. Other children negotiate balancing apparatus while staff hold their hands as they move along the beam. These challenging activities help children to develop a 'have a go' attitude and to persist with more difficult tasks, which will help them become confident and active learners when they eventually start school. Staff gently remind children to play safely and praise kind behaviour. For example, they model good manners, saying 'please' and 'thank you' to children and remind them not to

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

push each other when they are in a line. Children confidently say 'we cannot eat conkers' because staff have explained this to them on a nature walk. As a result, children are learning how to stay safe and are well-behaved. Pre-school children are learning to become independent. They wash their hands before eating and pour their own drinks at lunch time. They join in activities where they learn to take turns and so are able to cooperate in their play. Consequently, they are beginning to develop the skills which will help them become ready for school.

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

Meals and snacks are healthy, with fresh fruit being offered every day. Themes such as 'Healthy me' are planned for staff to teach children how to adopt the habits that will contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Staff have had appropriate training to deliver a tooth brushing scheme, which parents have allowed their children to participate in, helping children to learn good oral health habits.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward as a result of two previous concerns regarding an accident to a child in the outdoor area and a child leaving the premises unsupervised. As a result, a Welfare Requirement Notice was issued, requiring the registered person to ensure children are adequately supervised through effective deployment of staff and that risk assessments identify all possible risks and inform staff practice, so that all possible risks are minimised.

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provision

During the inspection, the inspector found that sufficient staff were on duty to meet the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, four staff changed their planned working hours. Part-time staff stayed on duty rather than leaving at the usual time and staff came in to work, who usually have a planned day off. Closer scrutiny of staff rota's and children's attendance records show that, particularly over staff lunch breaks when staff can and do leave the premises, there continue to be occasions when insufficient staff are deployed to meet the ratio requirements. As a result, the safety and well-being of children cannot be assured.

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provision

Attempts to rectify the deployment of staff, by recruiting additional practitioners, have been made. Disclosure and Barring Service checks are in place for all staff, however, some recently employed staff have not been interviewed and records, such as, application forms and references are not in place. Consequently, the procedures followed have not been rigorous enough to ensure that all new staff have the aptitude, skills or experience required to be effective early years practitioners.

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provision

The environment is safe, staff check each room first thing in the morning for any potential risks to children and the garden is also checked before use. Additional safety measures have been implemented, such as, audible alarms on all external doors and extra locks at adult height, to prevent children from being able to open them. Policies and risk assessments have been reviewed and where necessary, changes have been made. For example, children are now always supervised by staff when using the bathroom and some outdoor play equipment has been removed for the winter, as it becomes too slippery when wet. Staff have first-aid certificates, record accidents appropriately and inform Ofsted of all serious accidents and incidents. Documentation is in place to record medicines given and to identify children with food allergies or specific requirements. Staff have a sound understanding of safeguarding procedures, they are able to identify possible signs of

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provision

abuse and know who to contact should they have concerns.

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provision

Ongoing support for staff, through effective performance management procedures, is too basic to ensure all staff know what they need to do to support children's learning more effectively. Appraisal and supervision records do not set specific targets for development and training opportunities have been limited. While the manager has informal discussions with staff, there are infrequent meetings arranged to ensure all staff understand any new procedures or initiatives fully. Some staff are unsure about specific areas of learning, or how to use new methods of assessment. As a result, staff practice is not consistent enough to ensure all children's learning needs are effectively met in all areas of learning.

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provision

The manager has a good understanding of the need to monitor children's overall progress and how the data collected could be used effectively. However, this has not yet been implemented and so there are no plans in place to address any possible gaps in their learning. In addition, while she is able to identify accurately the nursery's areas for development, through her own evaluation of the service, parents are not regularly consulted so that their views can be incorporated into an action plan for improvement. The manager acknowledges that involving parents in social events, such as, coffee mornings and graduation ceremonies has been more successful than encouraging their contribution to the assessment of their children's learning. She also identifies the weaknesses in working closely with other providers, to better support children's progress where care is shared.

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provision

Partnerships with others agencies are generally sound. However, not all children receive prompt and targeted support that stronger relationships would provide. Teachers are invited into the setting to meet children prior to them starting school and effective links are in place to support the transition for children who go on to attend the adjacent school.

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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 EY346757 Local authority Halton Inspection number 936713

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 55 Number of children on roll 58 Name of provider Windmill Hill Nursery Committee Date of previous inspection 22/02/2012 Telephone number 01928 759384

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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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