Cranbrook Independent Nursery and Preschool

Cranbrook Independent Nursery and Pre-School Acorn Cottage, Antlands Lane, Shipley Bridge, HORLEY, Surrey, RH6 9TE

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/10/2013 18/09/2008

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

p.1

This provision is satisfactory

 An effective key person system means children get welcoming support and develop close and caring relationships with staff.  Partnerships with parents are good due to good systems for sharing information and promoting consistency of care for children.  Managers in the nursery and in the parent company, respond positively to advice and are keen to introduce new ideas, to promote ongoing improvements.  Children benefit from spending time outside promoting their physical and healthy development.

p.1

It is not yet good because

 Risk assessments do not clearly identify all hazards in the outdoor learning environment. Staff have also not fully developed opportunities for children to learn about the natural world and investigate outdoors.  Staff do not always make the most of lunchtime routines to allow all children to develop their independence skills.  Staff do not always support all children who require more support to develop their communication and language in the best possible way, this includes the support of children who learn English as an additional language

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the baby, toddler and pre-school rooms. Also in the outside learning environment.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with staff and children and held meetings with the manager, deputy manager and operations manager.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documents, evidence of suitability of staff, selection of policies and procedures and nursery's self-evaluation.

p.2

Information about the setting

Acorn Cottage was registered to its current owners, Childcare and Learning Group Ltd in 2006. The nursery operates from a purpose-designed, detached house on the outskirts of Horley, Surrey. There are designated sleep areas and a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The nursery opens from 07:00 to 19:00, from Monday to Friday, throughout the year and provides full and sessional day care. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 66 children aged from five months to five years on roll. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for three- and four-year-olds. The nursery supports children with special education needs and children who have English as an additional language. A team of 8 staff work with the children; of these, two hold Early Years Professional Status, one has an Early Years Degree, four hold recognised early years

p.3

must:

 ensure that risk assessments are carried out and implemented in the outside area; this specifically relates to ensuring that old and broken toys are removed and toys are safe and suitable for children to use in the different areas outside.

p.3

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

 develop further the lunchtime routine so that all children have a greater opportunity to develop their independence and physical skills.

p.3

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

 develop the use of the outdoor areas to give children more opportunities to investigate, explore and learn about the natural world.

p.3

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

 further improve the ways that staff interact with children require more support to develop their speech and language, and those with English as an additional language in the outdoor environment.

p.3

who attend

Children are happy and eager to play in the nursery. Staff spend time getting to know the children prior to their start and during a gradual settling in period. Staff link activities to children's current interests and this promotes their effective learning and development. Staff value information provided by parents who complete an 'all about me' form. This helps staff find out children's starting points and plan activities to support their next steps in learning. As a result, children make progress as expected.

p.4

who attend

Staff caring for young babies develop trusting and caring relationships with their key person. Key persons are attentive to babies' developing needs and respond accordingly. Babies are able to feel different textures as they crawl across different floor surfaces and spend time investigating objects in a treasure basket. This supports their explorative skills and invites their curiosity. Staff encourage babies' communication and language development as they vocalise their actions and repeat babies' attempts to communicate. For example a baby picks up a wooden picture frame and holds it to their face and says 'hi ya.' The member of staff copies the child, repeating the words and then extending the child's vocabulary by pointing to their nose through the frame and saying the word 'nose.' This helps babies link words to their meaning. Staff recognise and understand babies' sleep patterns and help them settle. Recently staff have created an area for older babies

p.4

who attend

with a variety of toys to help support as they learn to pull themselves up and prepare for taking their first steps. This underpins children's walking development well.

p.4

who attend

The location of the toddler and pre-school rooms means children are able to choose between indoor or outdoor learning environments. The nursery has invested in waterproof clothing so children are able to go outside in all weathers. On the day of the inspection it had rained and staff put bubble mixture in the puddles. Children were able to splash in the puddles mixing the bubble mixture with the rain water to make bubbles. This helps promote their physical development and their understanding of the world around them as they learn how bubbles are made. However the outdoor learning environment is not being used to its full potential. Staff have created areas where children are able to plant and grow things from seed, but these have been left unattended and children do not have the resources outside to allow children to fully investigate the natural world. Also, staff have placed some bikes and ride in cars on uneven and over grown grassed areas, which makes

p.4

who attend

them difficult for children to use effectively to thoroughly develop their physical skills outdoors.

p.4

who attend

Indoors, children are able to choose their own toys as they are laid out in low level storage units. This helps to promote their independence and allows children to follow their own interests. An area is set aside for children to develop their imagination and creative skills using a selection of art and craft materials. However some materials are pre-cut and during a collage activity, opportunities to introduce vocabulary and to enable children to talk about the look, sound and feel of the textures were limited.

p.4

who attend

A large summer house, and outside decking provide children with the opportunity to enjoy looking at books or having stories read to them by staff. This helps support their literacy development as they discover that print carries meaning and the pictures help them retell stories themselves. Newly made books, with photographs children have brought in from home, provide some lovely opportunities for staff and children to talk about their families and friends. This especially helps young children settle and supports children who learn English as an additional language to share information from their home cultures. Staff also use a pictorial time table and picture cards to help children settle and understand the daily routine. However these cards are only displayed indoors. This means that these are not readily available to support children who learn English as an additional language, or who have particular speech and language needs, when they are playing outside.

p.4

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

Staff operate an effective key person system, which helps children settle and feel secure. All rooms are bright and colourful as staff display children's art work and photographs imaginatively so they feel valued and at home in this nursery. Staff display toys and books in low level storage units, so children are able make their own choices and develop their independence overall. Risk assessments are carried out daily by staff, but some hazards in the outdoor environment have not been clearly identified and acted upon. On the day of inspection a child fell over while driving a ride in car as they tried to negotiate the bumpy ground and long grass. There are also some discarded and broken toys, which have not been removed to fully promote children's safety and ensure they enjoy this environment freely.

p.5

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

Children learn about being healthy as they follow familiar routines for their personal care. They know to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. Children have access to their own drinks bottle, so they are able to refresh themselves when thirsty. Children benefit from the nursery cook preparing healthy meals and snacks. However during the lunchtime periods, not all children's independence skills are being promoted well. Although children take turns being a lunchtime helper this means the other children are left waiting. Staff serve the food for children to collect, so children are not able to learn about portion size or fully develop their independence and physical skills by doing it themselves. .

p.5

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

Children benefit from being able to move freely between the indoor and outdoor environments, whatever the weather. This supports their physical development as well as being able to exercise on a larger scale and in the fresh air. Children are able to learn about the different seasons, weather and clothing they need to wear in order to keep themselves warm and dry. All staff have up to date training in paediatric first aid and they are vigilant in assessing and responding to children's medical needs. This ensures their health is fully supported.

p.5

provision

This inspection took place following concerns raised to Ofsted and the provider about the provision's safeguarding policy and knowledge of its implementation. The provider took prompt action and management have recently revised and updated their safeguarding policy in line with current requirements and local safeguarding children's board procedures. Management are now clear about their roles and responsibilities and have put in place clear procedures to follow; further training has been booked to strengthen existing knowledge.

p.6

provision

The manager has support from the wider company regarding recruitment to complete paperwork, such as advertising and ensuring references and Disclosure and Barring Services checks are completed. All staff have regular supervision meetings with the manager as well as an annual appraisal. This helps management and staff identify their strengths and any additional training they would need to develop their knowledge and skills.

p.6

provision

The deputy manager has undertaken the self-evaluation of the nursery, showing areas the nursery needs to improve. This is also explained in more detail in the management plan showing timescales for each project. This shows the management are committed to raising standards in the nursery and receptive to making future improvements. An action set at the last inspection has been met and all children have access to their own drinking bottles. In general, recommendations have been suitably addressed with the children's sand pit now covered. However, the provider is in breach of a requirement of the Early Years Register and the Childcare Register as risk assessments have not been used to manage hazards relating to some broken toys and children using bikes and cars on uneven surfaces in the outdoor environment.

p.6

provision

The manager has built effective links with outside agencies to support those children with speech and language concerns. As a result staff are able to incorporate this advice to support children in their next steps in learning and development. The manager various systems in place to support an effective two-way communication flow between parents and staff. As well as daily opportunities to exchange information verbally, staff and parents are able to use their child's communication book. The manager also has a comments box for parents to give feedback and uses their views when setting priorities for improvement.

p.6

The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

p.6

actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

p.6

To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)

p.7

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY330799 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 938016

p.9

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 66 Name of provider Childcare and Learning (Cranbrook) Limited Date of previous inspection 18/09/2008 Telephone number 01293 785215

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.10

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,

p.10

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’.

p.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11