Abbey School Nursery

Abbey School Nursery Abbey School, Hampton Court, Fore Street, St. Marychurch, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 4PR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/11/2013 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff provide an extremely warm and nurturing environment in which children form close and trusting relationships with them. As a result, children feel safe, secure and explore confidently.  Staff make excellent use of the very well-resourced eco-garden and outdoor play areas. This has a positive impact on children's physical development and understanding of the world.  Staff successfully plan and promote children's learning individually, responding well to children's interests and ideas to bring their learning to life. As a result, children are making good progress.  Management and staff are all driven to maintaining continuous improvements, and actively involve parents in the development of the nursery.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children are not fully able to learn how to look after and handle books carefully, as the book areas are not kept tidy.

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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 and the quality of teaching in the three playrooms and outdoor play areas.  The inspector sampled children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the nominated person and manager to assess suitability and qualifications of staff and management's knowledge and understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements.  The inspector took account of the views of parents.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the nursery manager.

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Information about the setting

Abbey School was founded in 1951 and has been registered to provide day care since 2003. The nursery operates from four rooms in the independent Abbey School in Torquay, Devon. Children also use the school facilities such as the hall, swimming pool and the extensive grounds.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 68 children on roll in the nursery in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three- and four-years. The nursery supports children who learn English as an additional language, and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery is open five days a week from 8 am to 5.30 pm all year.

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Information about the setting

There are 12 staff members employed to work directly with the children in the nursery, most of whom hold relevant early years qualifications. A qualified teacher is responsible for children in the reception class.

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

 develop children's understanding of how to handle and appreciate books further.

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who attend

Staff successfully plan and assess children's learning according to children's individual needs. Staff observe children closely to assess their progress and to prioritise their next steps of learning. Staff plan activities linked to changing topics and which incorporate children's interests. They skilfully adapt and shape these activities in response to children ideas. Consequently, children are interested and motivated learners who make good progress in their learning. Staff work effectively with parents from the start, obtaining information about children's needs, interests, routines and some aspects of development. Parents contribute information about what their child is doing at home. For example, parents display observations of what their children are saying at home and note their achievements on the 'Can Do tree'. Parents also meet with staff each term to contribute to their child's learning and development book, and staff provide parents with the required

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who attend

progress check for two-year-olds. This information supports staff well in planning and assessing children's on-going progress.

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who attend

Staff know the children they care for well and have a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn. This enables them to skilfully interact in children's play to provide challenge and enhance children's learning experiences. For example, children help dig out a planting box in the garden. They use their hands and tools to dig out old flowers and weeds which they put in a wheel barrow for the compost bin. Staff ask them questions about the smells of the herbs, the names and texture of the things they find and ask children to re-call past experiences. Staff provide children with spyglasses to more closely explore the creatures they find and show interest in; children find a worm which they describe as 'wiggly' and 'juicy'. These experiences successfully help to promote children's communication and language skills, understanding of the world as well as their physical development.

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who attend

Staff working with younger children provide a nurturing environment with lots of close contact and re-assurance. This enables the children to explore and investigate new experiences and to communicate their needs to staff. Staff are receptive to the communication of babies, encouraging their shouts, babbles and early first words. They promote this further by using quiet times to cuddle up with younger children to look at books and name familiar things together. Staff and parents celebrate children's language development by displaying 'things we say at home' as well as at nursery as children progress. Staff use speech and language sessions each week to provide additional support to help all children fulfil their potential. As children progress, staff encourage them to develop greater independence by completing tasks, changing their own clothes for activities and managing their self-care tasks. These experiences help to develop children's

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who attend

skills for the future in readiness for school. Children play with different media and materials freely indoors and in two outdoor play areas. This allows children to explore, create and use their design skills well. Children enjoy stories and use books to find out facts. They join in by contributing to elements of the story and telling others what might happen. However, staff do not maintain inviting book areas in the transition and pre- school rooms, where some books are damaged and torn. As a result, children do not all learn to handle books carefully to further strengthen their literacy skills.

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who attend

Children benefit from the extensive and very well-resourced outdoor play areas. Staff include the babies by taking them on walks around the garden in the nursery 'bus' to look for birds, explore the natural environment and watch others playing. Staff are deployed effectively to allow toddlers and pre-school children to enjoy free-flow to the covered play area. Here children play with toys promoting their imaginative, creative and social skills. Children play ball and group games in the garden and on the playground using the wide range of physical play equipment. This all helps to promote children's physical skills and encourages them to move in different ways. The newly developed eco-garden provides children of all ages with a wealth of exciting activities. Here, staff help children to plant and tend to flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables throughout the year and compost appropriate waste. Children observe the natural environment with staff who teach them to

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who attend

care about living things and join in games and storytelling in the willow tunnel. These experiences provide a rich learning environment while also helping children learn to become responsible young people.

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

Key persons work extremely effectively with parents from the start to settle children in and develop a very good understanding of their needs. For example, staff know what temperature each baby prefers their milk feed to be, how to settle them to sleep well and what comforts them. Key persons are present to attend to the youngest children's personal care routines during the day to provide even more security and re-assurance. Consequently, children are developing very close and trusting relationships with staff. Staff provide a very good reflection of each child as an individual throughout the nursery. Children see photographs of themselves displayed on walls and in activity books as well as family photograph books showing images of those important to them at home. This helps children very effectively in the move between their home and the nursery.

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

Staff prepare extremely warm and welcoming environments for children with an excellent range of exciting and changing experiences. Staff supervise children closely at all times, and are deployed very effectively to provide children with close support. As a result, children feel very secure and explore freely. Staff have a very good understanding of how to manage children's behaviour. Staff implement highly effective systems to promote positive attitudes and address inappropriate behaviour, which are consistent throughout the nursery. Staff remind children of what is expected of them through simple discussion and use a colour coded 'traffic light' system to help children understand what is not acceptable and how it might make others feel. Children enjoy praise, stickers and certificates to acknowledge their achievements which they show off with pride. As a result, children behave very well, learn to manage issues themselves and are kind and helpful to

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

others. Children take the nursery 'Teddy Bear Ted' home with them and record his adventures in his diary to share at nursery. In response to the activity becoming so popular, staff have extended the number of bears to include all children regularly. This helps to promote children's personal, social and emotional development very well.

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

Staff promote children's healthy lifestyles to a high standard. Staff maintain an extremely safe and secure environment in which they successfully teach children how to keep safe. For example, children use stop and go signs in the garden to practise road safety before a walk and learn about fire safety around Guy Fawkes night. Children also know to keep staff within their sight in the garden 'to keep us safe'. Children enjoy very healthy and nutritious meals and snacks which they sit to eat together with staff at sociable meal times and access water independently in all areas of the nursery. Children also harvest the fruit and vegetables from their garden to eat at meals and snacks. This all helps to ensure they are very well-nourished throughout the day. Children benefit greatly from free flow to the garden where they play in the fresh air in all weathers. This allows more active children to thrive in preferred environment.

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provision

Management and staff all have a secure knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. They have a good knowledge of the correct procedures to follow if they have a concern about the welfare of a child. Management follows robust vetting procedures to help ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Staff implement clear policies, procedures and risk assessments and keep written records of any accident or injuries to children which they inform parents of. These systems help maintain good standards of health and safety.

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provision

Management and staff demonstrate a commitment and drive to maintain continuous improvement in the quality of care and learning for children. The views of staff, parents and children are valued and management use these to contribute to the self-evaluation form and monthly action plans. As a result, children benefit directly from the improvements made. For example, staff display relevant information for parents outside each of the age related play rooms to keep parents well informed, and parent workshops have been introduced to get parents more involved in their child's learning. Management implement successful systems to monitor the impact of the staff practice on children's care and development. This includes staff appraisals, supervision sessions every half term and carrying out observations of staff's interaction. As a result, staff have a positive impact on children's care and learning needs.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good. Staff provide parents with comprehensive information about all aspects of the provision, including where to find more information about the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff keep parents informed well through displays, home diaries and meetings each half term. Key persons, in most cases, are present to welcome children and parents on arrival and to feed back to them at the end of the day. Parental views are valued and sought through questionnaires and verbal feedback. Parents state they are very happy with all aspects of the nursery provision and their children are achieving well. They state their children have friends and love attending. Staff work together successfully with the other early years settings some children also attend to help ensure continuity of care and education.

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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 EY234164 Local authority Torbay Inspection number 941314 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 46 Number of children on roll 68 Name of provider Schools In Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01803327868

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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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