Snowdrop Cottage Day Nursery

Snowdrop Cottage Day Nursery 56 St. Mary Street, CHIPPENHAM, Wiltshire, SN15 3JW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/12/2013 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The very committed and reflective staff team use their good knowledge and experience to support children to settle in quickly and ensure they make good progress.  Staff build up warm and supportive relationships with children building their self- confidence and positive attitudes to learning.  Staff plan stimulating activities and experiences that build on accurate assessment of what children can do and make good use of their interests.  Staff make parents feel welcomed and make time to talk with them about their child's learning and well-being on a daily basis.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff are in the early stages of developing formal systems to review the educational programme and approaches which support parents' involvement in their children's learning at home.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities across all age groups both indoors and outdoors.  The inspector talked with parents and children.  The inspector had discussions with one of the managers and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed documentation, including children's learning journeys, planning, risk assessment and policies.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with one of the managers.

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Information about the setting

Snowdrop Cottage Day Nursery Ltd opened in 2013. It is a privately owned nursery located within a grade 2 listed cottage in the town centre of Chippenham. All children share access to a secure, enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is open each week day between 8am and 6pm for 52 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Currently there are 37 children on roll. Children aged two-, three- and four-years receive funding for early education. The nursery supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language. The nursery employs 9 staff. One of the managers holds Early Years Professional Status and the other is qualified to level 4. The seven other staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3.

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

 further develop approaches to engage all parents in supporting their children's learning at home

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

 Improve the systems used to monitor the progress made by different groups of children.

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who attend

Children make good progress in their learning at nursery as staff enable them to actively play and explore. Staff use their good knowledge of how children learn through play alongside a range of observation methods to identify children's interests and make accurate assessments of children's development. Staff find out from parents what children can do and enjoy at home. They use this information well to plan stimulating activities and opportunities enable all children to make good progress across the areas of learning and development. Staff have high expectations of children and support children effectively to achieve.

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who attend

Staff support children's early communication and language development extremely effectively. This is because staff expose children to language throughout the day. Staff actively engage babies and children in conversations. Staff in the baby room use Makaton well alongside spoken language to support them to convey what they are trying to communicate. They skilfully extend what children say. Staff use props, clear gestures and body language and adapt their language appropriately to support children's understanding. Staff are very successful in developing children's creativity and thinking skills. They provide natural resources, which children can use in different ways. They use questions very effectively to help children think about different ways to do things as they build models out of different lengths and shapes of wood. Babies enjoy finding ways to move to the rhythms of music. They explore how to make different sounds when they tap

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who attend

simple percussion instruments and push the buttons on an electronic toy. Staff stimulate children's interest by paying attention to them, talking with them about what they are doing and praising their achievements.

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who attend

Staff have developed the outdoor areas extremely well so that children have good opportunities to play and learn outdoors. They teach children to play cooperatively as they develop imaginary play around the toys they find in the sand pit. They develop their physical skills as they build with wooden blocks and practise balancing on wooden planks or walking down steps with the support of a member of staff. Children start to understand about science and technology as they listen and talk to each other at different ends of a long pipe.

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who attend

Key persons use opportunities such as parents' evenings and informal discussions at the start and end of day to share information about individual children's progress and to offer ideas about how to support their child's learning at home. Whilst the nursery displays some useful information for parents, for example about early language, it is in the early stages of developing strategies for supporting children's learning at home.

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

Staff have a very good understanding of how to support children's wellbeing. They use this to provide a warm and welcoming environment for the children and to build strong relationships with children. Flexible settling in sessions are offered so that children can build up their time in nursery at their own pace. The effective key person system means that staff work closely with parents. Staff find out about children's routines and interests and use this information very well to help children settle in quickly. Staff provide parents with a useful summary of their child's routines and what the child has enjoyed during their day. Staff place great emphasis on talking with parents on a daily basis. This promotes effective consistency in care between home and the nursery and supports children's emotional well-being. Staff involve parents in discussions about when their child is ready to move to the toddler or pre-school rooms and how this move will happen. This means

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

that children's needs are a central focus.

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

Staff make stimulating resources accessible to children. As a result, children can easily make choices about their play. Staff make effective decisions about when to intervene to extend children's learning. Older children enjoy exploring independently, finding ways through the bushes to get into their den. They interact effectively to help children develop an understanding of risk as they find ways to stack plastic crates and balance on lengths of wood and low seesaws. Staff supervise children well so that they are safe and remind children about why they need to walk and not run down steps. Consequently, children develop independence and positive attitudes to learning as they play and explore. Children behave well because knowledgeable staff use consistent approaches to help them to understand and develop positive behaviours. For example, staff give specific praise, they sensitively explain ways children can share toys and help them to think about other

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

children's feelings. Staff also provide positive role models during their interactions with children and other adults. The nursery organises routines so that there are opportunities for children to play with older and younger children. This is to promote older children's sense of responsibility and to promote social skills. Staff also use these sessions so that children get to know all the staff, which helps them to settle in quickly when they move to the next room. Children learn about healthy lifestyles as they enjoy the healthy snacks and meals provided by the nursery and as they run and play outdoors. Older children enjoy their daily yoga sessions and show their parents what they have learnt. Staff remind children about hygiene procedures such as washing their hands and getting a tissue to blow their nose. Staff encourage children to eat independently at mealtimes, providing developmentally appropriate resources to support this, such as spoons and forks for

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

toddlers and knives and forks for older children.

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provision

Management has a very clear understanding of their responsibilities under the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. They have relevant policies and procedures in place that staff are taken through at induction to make sure they are aware of the day to day running of the nursery.

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provision

Management has put in place robust policies and procedures for safeguarding and child protection. Staff understand and implement these well. All staff have a relevant childcare qualification at level 3 or above and have previous experience of working in childcare. The managers carry out a full Disclosure and Barring Scheme check and ask for references before they appoint new staff. All staff undergo appropriate safeguarding training to make sure they know what to do if they have concerns about a child's welfare. There are two designated safeguarding officers. Most staff have current paediatric first aid certificates, with plans for remaining staff to attend training. Risk assessment is comprehensive. It covers all areas indoors and outdoors and is reviewed and updated regularly. For example, the staff had quickly identified that a lower stair rail would be easier for children to use.

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provision

All staff are involved in the ongoing evaluation and improvement of the nursery. Consequently, there is a proactive culture of collaborative working which brings about change quickly. For example, staff changed the sleep arrangements for toddlers and pre- school children so that parents arriving to collect or drop off children did not disturb them. This review also informs a development plan such as making covered areas outdoors so that children can use the area in all weathers. Management uses effective systems such as on-going review of provision and monthly one to one meetings with staff to identify training priorities and put in place a training plan.

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provision

There are good assessment systems in place that quickly identify children who would benefit from additional support. The setting works closely and effectively with parents and other agencies such as speech therapists to meet children's needs. Individual observation, assessment and planning systems also ensure each child receives a balanced and enjoyable education programme, though these do not include the analysis of different groups of children.

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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 EY461482 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 923484 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 37 Name of provider Snowdrop Cottage Day Nursery LTD Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01249 658086

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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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