The Meadows Nursery School

The Meadows Nursery School 18 St. Helens Crescent, HASTINGS, East Sussex, TN34 2EW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/11/2013 13/04/2010

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff support children's expanding vocabulary in child-initiated and adult-led play, which means they develop sound communication skills.  Children benefit from having committed staff who know them well as individuals, meaning that their needs can be suitably met.  Children enjoy a balanced range of snacks and meals which supports their healthy lifestyles.

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It is not yet good because

 Teaching skills do not consistently support children's thinking skills and creativity, as staff do not use questions and planning techniques effectively.  Managers do not consistently monitor the impact of some aspects of policy, which weakens the effectiveness of partnership with parents and the implementation of new teaching skills.  Staff do not consistently teach the skills children need to manage their own behaviour or negotiate with other children.

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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 at play in each of the age groups in different rooms.  The inspector and manager carried out a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined a sample of documentation and saw how information is stored.  The inspector discussed management issues with the manager.

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Information about the setting

The Meadows Nursery School has been registered since 2006. It is one of seven nurseries run by the same owners. The nursery operates from the ground and first floor of a large, detached house on the outskirts of Hastings. It is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm all year round. There is access to secure enclosed outdoor play areas. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 101 children on roll. The nursery has funding for the provision of free early years education for children aged two, three and four. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs or learning disabilities. There are nine staff, plus two apprentices. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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must:

 improve teaching skills in planning and the use of open questions to support children's creativity and thinking skills.

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

 monitor the impact of initiatives such as those to improve teaching skills, and the system for meeting with parents

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

 support children's skills in learning how to manage their own behaviour.

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who attend

Staff have a sound understanding of how to support children's learning and development in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They plan a suitable range of play activities to engage children's interests and cover all aspects of the seven areas of learning. They also plan a routine which, includes group activities and circle times, as well as providing for some child-initiated play. This means that children make steady progress and are generally working within their expected levels of development.

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who attend

Staff have suitable teaching skills. They play alongside children and chat with them, naming objects and suggesting ideas for play. In child-initiated activities, staff comment on what children are doing, such as 'tickle your neck, tickle your tummy', helping young children to learn the words for body parts. In adult-led activities for example, staff name different creatures to expand children's vocabulary on a theme about 'under the sea'. Staff consolidate children's vocabulary by following the theme in different activities so that children have opportunities to repeat what they have learned. Staff ask questions to see what children think, but these questions generally only require a one word answer, and staff do not consistently give children time to think and respond. This means that children do not have sufficient opportunities to engage in open-ended conversation and share their ideas and thoughts. This limits their creative and critical thinking. Staff plan activities to

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who attend

meet children's identified next steps and also along themes such as firework night. However, the themed activities are tightly planned and children's own ideas are not consistently facilitated. For example, staff ask children to make a firework picture and are given resources, which adults have chosen for the purpose. Children enjoy exploring the materials and use them in any way they choose, such as using a brush or making handprints. When their painting is finished, children are sent back to the other playroom so that other children can have their turn. Children have few opportunities to choose their own materials and play with them in open-ended ways, or decide what they want to use the materials for. This limits children's creativity and decision-making skills. Children enjoy playing with a variety of construction toys. They develop their hand-eye coordination skills as they build towers, and are careful to match the shapes of bricks, so that the tower is

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who attend

stable and strong. For example, a child looks carefully for all the square blocks as she builds. Staff chat about what she is building, asking who might live there for example and she enjoys describing what she is doing. Staff engage children in singing activities by taking their suggestions for songs. Staff also use some simple sign language as they sing to reinforce communication.

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who attend

Staff work with parents to gather information on children's starting points and make observations of children's achievements. Staff review children's progress regularly in each area of learning. This helps them to make summary reviews of children's progress and identify children's strengths and developmental needs. This means that staff have the skills they need to complete the progress check when children are aged two years, and the transition forms for school. The summary reviews are sent home so that parents are kept informed of children's progress, and it includes ideas for activities at home. This supports coherent care for the children. Staff work with the manager and parents to devise suitable strategies to address any achievement gaps. As a result, children make sound progress given their starting points and capabilities.

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

Staff get to know the children well, which helps the key person to build an effective relationship with the child and the family. Staff work with parents to establish the child's routine, likes and dislikes. For example, staff know which comforters young children like, and the children can have them whenever they choose. This means that staff can meet the child's individual routines in the nursery and help them feel safe. Children separate confidently from their parents and are clearly very secure in the staff's care. When children are developmentally ready to move on to the next age group, staff work with parents to make sure that changes happen at the child's pace. This helps children to be confident in moving on. Staff create suitable learning environments. Each age group uses different rooms for different play opportunities and each room has sufficient equipment to suit the numbers and ages of children. Staff follow a regular routine so that children play

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

in each room on a daily basis. For example, all children will have some messy play during the day. The garden areas are also used for a variety of play activities.

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

Children gain a suitable understanding of how live a healthy lifestyle. Children benefit from a choice of cooked, well-balanced meals and snacks. They have their personal drinks bottle at hand through the day, which staff will top up when required. Children also have extra drinks at lunch and snack time, so they need not be thirsty. Children follow suitable hygiene routines and staff are careful to change children's nappies frequently through the day. Staff prepare the tables for meals thoroughly to minimise the risk of cross infection. They are aware of any allergies and dietary needs children have and are vigilant to make sure individual children's needs are met. Children's physical development is adequately supported. Young children use an indoor climbing frame, which helps them to stand, climb and crawl. Older children have more challenging equipment and all the garden areas have space to dig or run around. Children's small muscle development is aided by regular early

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

writing activities, such as painting and drawing. Older children take part in activities such as using scissors to cut along an outline.

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

Children's behaviour is suitably supported. Children learn to take turns and cooperate in play because staff ask them to share resources. Where children do have disputes in their play staff quickly intervene, although they often impose solutions, rather than helping the children resolve the disputes themselves. Children enjoy taking responsibility for tidying up their equipment at tidy-up times. They also benefit from taking part in events for national charity days, such as dressing up in fun costumes, or making poppies for remembrance day. This helps them to gain an understanding of the wider world. Children are generally confident to have a go at activities and are familiar with following a routine. This means they have the basic skills they need to be emotionally prepared for school.

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provision

Leaders and managers have a suitable understanding of how to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements. All staff have been checked as to their suitability and they are familiar with the comprehensive safeguarding policy. Staff undergo regular safeguarding training to update their knowledge and understanding of child protection. They know who to report concerns to should they have concerns about the welfare of a child. Staff are careful of children's safety and remind children of how to keep themselves safe, such as being careful with scissors. Risk assessments are carried out and these identify potential hazards to children. The building is suitable and organised well to meet the needs of the children. Managers and staff keep children's personal records in locked cabinets and children's daily diaries are stored in the child's home room so they can be updated through the day. Other record keeping, such as the registers, are well maintained which underpins

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provision

children's well-being. The manager carries out regular supervisions of staff and is present in the playrooms every day. This means she has a sound understanding of the staff's strengths and areas for improvement. For example, the manager is aware that staff do not consistently ask open questions or give children time to respond. However, her approach to tackling the issue has not been sufficiently robust to have an impact on staff practice. The manager and deputy work together to review the tracking records and they support staff in writing accurate next steps for children. If a child is not achieving within expected levels, they devise specific education plans in consultation with the parents to support the child's progress. Although there are currently no systems in place to review the progress of groups of children, such as boys, there are definite plans to introduce such a system in the short term as it is rolled out across the nurseries in the chain.

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provision

Staff build generally effective relationships with parents. Parents receive daily diary notes, which give detail about the child's activities and care. Staff send copies of the summary reviews to parents, which also give helpful ideas for ways to support the learning at home. Parents are very appreciative of the care that staff provide and comment on the impact they see on their child's development. For example, a parent said that her child's speech became clearer in the first week of attending. The nursery policy is to offer parents termly consultations with the key person. However, monitoring of this is not effective as some parents report that they have never had a meeting, which reduces the effectiveness of the partnership. The nursery has built sound relationships with local schools. Teachers visit the nursery to meet the children and staff organise specific activities for the rising fives to

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provision

help them understand what is happening. This helps children to be confident about the change. The nursery also works in partnership with other carers such as childminders. Staff share information about plans and activities, which gives children coherent support. Staff also liaise effectively with other professionals to secure the help children require should they have additional needs. This helps children to make sound progress.

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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 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 EY340486 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 938917 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 57 Number of children on roll 101 Name of provider Places For Children Limited Date of previous inspection 13/04/2010 Telephone number 01424 422611

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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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