Acorn Grove Nursery

Acorn Grove Nursery Pre School Learning alliance Shirley Road, Woodville Resource Centre, MANCHESTER, M8 0NE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/10/2013 13/11/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Effective planning provides children with a broad range of exciting and stimulating activities that engages them and builds on their individual interests and learning needs. As a result, they consistently make good progress in relation to their starting points.  The secure and well-embedded key person system helps children to form secure emotional attachments as staff skilfully support them in their play. Consequently, children are well prepared for their transitions, both across the nursery and into school.  Arrangements for safeguarding children are well established, and clear policies and procedures are implemented consistently to ensure children are kept safe at all times.  Leadership is effective, creating a positive ethos within the nursery. The high expectations are communicated through the implementation of the recently reviewed documentation, team meetings and one-to-one supervision to ensure that the

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This provision is good

implementation of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage is strong.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are times when staff do not always give children the freedom and opportunity to find their own solutions to problems as they play in order to continue to build on their already good exploratory skills and learn through trial and error.  On occasions, the management of children and organisation of mealtimes is not used to maximum effect in order to further enhance children's good social development.

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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 children's activities in the two playrooms and the outdoor environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager and talked to children, staff and key persons throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents, including a sample of policies and procedures, children's records, observation, assessments and planning systems and evidence of the suitability of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Acorn Grove Nursery was registered in 2005. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register and is managed by the Pre-School Learning Alliance. It operates from self-contained premises attached to Woodville Sure Start Children's Centre in Manchester. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from two ground floor playrooms and the centre creche room. There are two enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs ten members of childcare staff who work directly with the children. Of these, two hold an early years qualification at level 4 and seven hold an early years qualification at level 3. The manager holds an early years qualification at level 6. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, 8am until 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery also cares for school age children after school and during the school holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 42 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age range. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports many children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 provide consistent opportunities during play for children to further develop their good exploratory skills, for example, by allowing them the freedom to experiment with materials at their own pace so that they can find their own solutions to problems

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

 review the arrangements for the organisation of mealtimes so that all children are consistently provided with the space, time and opportunities to build on their existing good social skills.

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who attend

Teaching is rooted in staff's secure knowledge of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and a comprehensive understanding of how children learn. Staff practice is good and in some instances, outstanding. As a result, children's individual needs are well met and they make consistently good progress including those children whose starting points are below expected levels of development. This demonstrates how the nursery is successfully narrowing the achievement gap. The environment is stimulating and challenging and well equipped with a wide range of interesting and good quality resources to promote children's natural curiosity and develop their exploratory skills. This means that children experience a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities to meet their individual learning styles and help them continue to make good progress. For example, babies and young children use their senses to explore different textured objects

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who attend

and materials, such as fabrics, musical instruments and bottles filled with pasta, rice and paint. Older children investigate assorted materials and media, such as sand, water, shredded paper, paint and play dough. Children have a wonderful time in the creative area where they independently experiment with glue and recyclable materials and find out what happens when they mix colours, join things together and combine materials. The vast majority of staff are skilled at knowing when to interact with children as they play and when to stand back and observe. However, there are occasions when staff intervene too quickly, which means that sometimes children are not given the freedom to make their own decisions and learn through trial and error to build on their already good exploratory skills.

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who attend

There is a strong focus on helping children to acquire communication and language skills and supporting their physical, personal, social and emotional development to provide a solid foundation for all areas of their learning. Consequently, children acquire the skills, abilities and attitudes to prepare them well for their future learning and school. For example, staff teach children to share and take turns and cooperate with each other as they play. Children demonstrate high levels of confidence as they freely move around the environment and make independent choices about what they want to do. Staff provide sensitive support to help children to achieve, which effectively builds their self-esteem. Children settle quickly into the nursery because staff work very closely with parents from the point of entry to gather information about children's likes, dislikes and favourite activities. Through close links with parents, changes are discussed and plans updated to

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who attend

reflect the alterations in the child's overall development, especially across the prime areas of learning. As a result, children very quickly adapt to the environment and daily routines and confidently form new friendships.

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who attend

Children develop good language and communication skills and listen attentively to staff as they talk to children during play and daily routines. Staff know the children in their care very well and intuitively 'tune in' to the individual words they use to communicate their needs. For example, they introduce new words, such as melon, strawberry and samosa to extend children's vocabulary and skilfully use open-ended questioning techniques to help them to communicate their thoughts and ideas. Children confidently talk to staff about their home and family as they explain 'I was carrying my cat, she was scratchy, she didn't like me'. They can make links in their learning, for example, when they talk about jelly they start to sing the 'jelly on a plate' song. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who need additional help in this area of learning, as well as those who speak English as an additional language, are exceptionally well supported. For example, staff

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who attend

skilfully use pictures, props, puppets, symbols and sign language to reinforce their communication skills. Children are provided with a wealth of opportunities to develop their physical skills, both indoors and outdoors. For example, babies have space indoors to move, crawl, roll, stretch and reach. The environment is well organised with sturdy, low-level units so that they can pull themselves up to a standing position and cruise along the furniture. Older children develop their large muscle control and coordination as they ride assorted wheeled toys, use climbing equipment and handle large digging tools.

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who attend

Staff gather detailed information from parents on entry about children's favourite activities and their individual interests, and this information along with subsequent observations is used to plan for children's future learning. Staff have a very secure knowledge of each child in their care, a thorough understanding of how they learn and their preferred learning styles. They successfully support children and recognise that they learn through well-planned play in a rich and stimulating environment. The accurate and precise observations and assessments of children ensure that their needs are clearly identified and this information is used effectively to inform future planning. In addition, staff complete regular summaries of children's learning, the progress check at age two years and a language screening tool at ages two, two and a half, three and three and a half years. Consequently, any gaps in learning are quickly identified and appropriate interventions can

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who attend

be sought if necessary, to enable all children to achieve their full potential.

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who attend

Children's progress is tracked through a continuous assessment of their achievements. This helps staff to support them to make good progress in their learning and development, as their unique needs are recognised and planned for. Children's learning journey records are maintained to a high standard and contain a wide range of information, including photographs, detailed observations and examples of their work. Children's individual needs are further enhanced through strong, close and effective partnerships with parents. Staff value parents' input and share information about how they can help their child's learning through simple activities at home. Parents are given information about their children's learning through verbal feedback, daily diary sheets, regular written summaries of children's progress and opportunities to review children' learning journey records.

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who attend

Children are well supported as they move onto school. Staff complete a transfer document to summarise children's learning which is passed on to the school they will be attending. Reception class teachers are invited into the nursery to visit the children and meet with their key person. They share information about children's needs and their stage of learning and development to ensure continuity of learning and care.

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

The effective and well-established key person system means that children form secure attachments and their emotional well-being is consistently supported. Babies are looked after by loving, caring staff who intuitively understand and respond to their physical and emotional needs. Children are cuddled and comforted if upset and spend quality one-to- one times with their key person engaging in activities, such as circle times, and sharing stories and rhymes. This enables children to feel safe and secure within the nursery which consequently has a significant impact on their learning and development. Staff greet and welcome children and their parents into the nursery, which ensures that the children feel valued and cared for and that relationships with parents are strong. The arrangements for supporting children as they move from home to the nursery are carefully planned with parents from the point of entry. Staff gather information about children's

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

likes, dislikes, routines and favourite activities. As a result, children very quickly adapt to the environment and daily routines and confidently form new friendships. Effective systems are in place to support children as they move rooms, such as discussions with new key persons, sharing children's developmental progress reports and settling-in visits. As a result, children experience continuity and consistency of care and learning. Children engage in challenging and motivating tasks and develop a good level of emotional security. This means they can make the best of all activities in preparation for their next stage in their learning and eventually the move to school.

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

Children demonstrate high levels of independence and competently manage their own care needs. For example, young children access and put on and take off their aprons and pre-school children serve their own meals. They sit and chat with staff at meal and snack times and are encouraged to interact with other children. However, on occasions the management of children at this time and organisation of the eating space is not used to maximum effect as an opportunity for children to further enhance their social development. Children are provided with a rich and varied range of vegetarian meals and healthy snacks which are carefully planned to ensure they are well balanced and nutritious. They learn about the importance of a healthy diet as staff talk to them about eating fruit and vegetables to make their bodies grow. Children's learning is further enhanced as they plant, grow and harvest produce in the nursery garden, which they then

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

prepare, cook and eat. Consistent access to outdoor activities means that children benefit from daily fresh air and exercise. Cosy areas within the indoor environment give children opportunities to rest and relax and play quietly.

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

Children's good health and self-care is securely embedded as they attend to their personal needs. For example, children are independent as they self-select resources, choose their own meals and manage their personal needs in readiness for school. Staff role model good hygiene practices and ensure that surfaces, floors, resources and equipment are maintained and cleaned to a high standard. As a result, children's health and hygiene is successfully promoted, which in turn has a positive impact on their physical and emotional well-being.

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

Staff help children manage their behaviour as they explain about sharing, distract children with resources and talk about feelings. Any minor disagreements are managed calmly and sensitively using strategies and techniques that are appropriate to each child's level of understanding. Children show a good understanding of the behavioural expectations, demonstrating self-control, as they listen to staff explanations, share resources and play harmoniously together. Through effective daily reminders staff reinforce the behavioural expectations, such as using scissors safely and not running indoors.

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provision

The inspection took place following concerns raised regarding a child who briefly escaped from the setting. At the inspection the manager showed the inspector documentation of the incident which was meticulously recorded and immediately reported to Ofsted. Following the incident, doors have been checked to ensure they self-close, the risk assessment has been reviewed and staff are extra vigilant at supervising children at arrival and collection times. In addition, parents have been informed that they must go into the rooms to collect children and ensure that doors are always closed behind them when they leave.

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provision

All staff, including those employed from a recruitment agency, have a very good knowledge and understanding of how to protect and safeguard all children and policies and procedures are known by all staff and implemented consistently. They have attended safeguarding training and this continues to be updated to ensure they strengthen their knowledge, understanding and skills in this area. Staff are fully aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and know what to do and who to contact in the event of child protection concern. Playrooms are open-plan and the effective deployment of staff means that there are always at least two members of staff in each room and outdoors. This means that in the event of an emergency staff can react quickly with the support of their colleagues. An effective and extremely detailed set of risk assessments, which have recently been added to and reviewed, and daily checks of the indoor and outdoor

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provision

environment ensure that children can learn and play in complete safety. The vigilance of staff, consistent supervision of children and widespread security systems, such as keypad locks on doors, ensure that children are consistently protected from harm. A secure password system is in place for unknown adults collecting children and verification of the identity of visitors ensures that children are kept safe at all times.

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provision

The manager and staff team are passionate and committed to their work with children and this is reflected in their enthusiasm and the enjoyment they demonstrate when interacting with the children. Priorities for improvement are clearly identified through the effective self-evaluation process and consistent monitoring of the environment. Furthermore, the nursery effectively uses the local authority 'Quality Assurance Framework' and the Preschool Learning Alliance 'Reflecting on Quality' as valuable audit tools to promote the consistent improvement of their practice. Parents and children's views are sought, responded to and acted upon. For example, parents enquired about how their children were being taught literacy and mathematics. Staff responded by creating a display to explain that children learn through purposeful, planned play and daily routines and used photographs of the children to illustrate this. Staff constantly reflect on their practice to

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provision

ensure they continue to improve, as they strive to provide the best possible care and education for all children. Close links with the other nurseries in the local cluster group provide staff with opportunities to gather and implement new ideas and share good practice. All actions and recommendations from the last inspection have been fully addressed. For example, role play areas are now further enhanced with resources that reflect cultural diversity, such as food packets from different countries and labels and texts in a variety of scripts. This results in children developing their knowledge of the similarities and differences between people and encourages parents to be involved and valued within the nursery. The manager takes overall responsibility for overseeing the educational programme and ensuring its effective implementation. Furthermore, she oversees and regularly checks children's learning journey records to ensure that they are up-to-date and that

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provision

observations and tracking accurately reflect children's learning and progress. The manager uses her knowledge, experience and skills to lead the staff team and continually enhance the already good practice. Through robust support systems, such as role modelling, mentoring and coaching, staff are expertly guided to achieve the high aspirations of the manager and senior management team.

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provision

Robust recruitment and selection procedures, for example, induction processes, probationary periods and completion of checks pertaining to suitability, ensure that practitioners are suitable, safe and appropriately skilled to work with children. This means that children remain safe and protected. Staff's ongoing suitability and quality of teaching is monitored through one-to-one supervision and a targeted programme of professional development training to address underperformance and increase staff skills.

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provision

Staff fully understand that working closely with parents has a significant impact on children's learning and development. Partnerships with parents are strong. Children's learning journey records are shared with them and they access a wealth of information in the form of displays, photographs and regular newsletters. A great emphasis is placed on daily face-to-face communications, achieved through the meet and greet open door policy. Systems for effective working with local schools and external professionals are in place to provide continuity and consistency for children's care and learning.

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provision

Parents are highly complimentary about the staff and the care and education their children receive. They comment that they can confidently leave their children, knowing that they are happy and that security systems in place ensure they are kept safe. They say that children are settled and content because staff are warm, friendly and approachable and show genuine care for their children. Parents are appreciative of the consistent information they receive about their children's development and progress, through parents' meetings and regular discussions with their child's key person.

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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 EY280214 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 940924

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 65 Number of children on roll 42 Name of provider Pre-School Learning Alliance Date of previous inspection 13/11/2012 Telephone number 0161 740 5687

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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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