Growing Places @ Morelands

Growing Places @ Morelands Morelands Primary School, Crookhorn Lane, WATERLOOVILLE, Hampshire, PO7 5QL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/01/2014 03/12/2008

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Staff competently plan activities to follow children's individual interests and this results in high levels of engagement and fully promotes children's learning through play.  The strong level of staff continuity and the well-organised key person allocation fully supports and maintains very positive relationships with children, parents and families.  The organisation of children in mixed age groups across the nursery provision effectively promotes relationships and increases children's sense of belonging.  Staff work closely with parents to share and plan children's transition across the nursery provision and this enables children to develop rapidly at times and prepares them for future learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 At times, the number of children at one activity means they have less space to explore and this sometimes leads to minor conflicts.  Staff support for younger children during lunch lacks consistency at times and this reverses the positive benefits of children learning from each other in mixed age groups.

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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 showed identification documents on arrival and outlined the inspection process with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children and staff in all areas of the nursery and during outdoor play.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children, staff and senior staff throughout the inspection and interviewed parents at various times.  The inspector viewed a range of documentation.  The inspector gave the inspection judgements and provided feedback.

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Information about the setting

Growing Places @ Morelands registered in 2008. The nursery and after school provision operate from the children's centre, situated in the grounds of Morelands Primary School in Waterlooville, Hampshire. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 108 children on roll and 70 children are in the early years age range. The nursery is open from 8 am until 6 pm for 51 weeks of the year and children may attend for part or the whole day. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. Currently 24 children of school age attend for after school care, which operates from 3.15 pm until 6 pm during term time only. Limited spaces are available for children attending the breakfast club. A team of 14 experienced staff including the manager, work with children in both the after school care and the nursery provision. The majority of staff are qualified in childcare and early years

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Information about the setting

education. Staff support children learning English as an additional language and also support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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

 encourage children to understand clear and consistent boundaries by reviewing the organisation of some activities so they have space and time to explore

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

 support younger children's developing independence during lunchtime routines to enable them to manage capably.

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who attend

The manager and staff plan and provide a wide range of focused activities, which effectively encourage children to develop across all areas of learning. Staff focus on enabling children to explore and follow their play ideas indoors and outside. This increases children's ability to make choices, develops communication skills and promotes friendships. Staff observe children's play closely to gain precise knowledge of their interests. They develop and extend activities linked with children's ideas and interests. For example, staff have recently organised and included a 'baby clinic' because many children are keen to play with dolls. Children prepare by carrying their dolls to a separate room to give them space. They practise dressing and undressing the dolls, using a baby bath and towels to dry the dolls. Children develop their physical skills and staff encourage them to understand the importance of being gentle and providing care and comfort. Staff teach children to

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who attend

constantly increase their speech and language throughout their play. They are encouraged to develop imaginative play by naming the dolls and taking turns to speak. Staff spontaneously suggest songs and actions to encourage children to sing to their babies. All children show enthusiasm and strong levels of focus, they learn to listen and follow instructions, they watch each other and copy movements. There is plenty of laughter and enjoyment and children relate to each other well.

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who attend

Staff use children's individual interests during outdoor play and this currently includes dinosaurs and pirates. Staff involve themselves in children's imaginary play ideas; they encourage children's to extend activities by making marks with chalk on the playground to promote their early writing skills. Staff draw ships and crocodiles and they talk about finding treasure. Children use the clipboards available to draw imaginary maps. Children show their level of knowledge and interest by naming and pronouncing particular types of dinosaur. Children across the age range have continual access to books and they constantly read to each other from pictures. Staff also read to children frequently and explain words to ensure children understand the meaning. Staff use opportunities during daily routines to encourage children to count, especially at mealtimes when children help by counting plates and organising chairs at the tables. Staff spontaneously extend this

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who attend

learning for older children by asking if certain numbers are more than or less than the number counted.

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who attend

Staff competently provide records of learning for each child attending. They gain full details about children's development from parents at the start and they share information very regularly. This includes timed written summaries of children's progress and each key person includes the next planned steps in children's learning. Staff use children's next steps at regular planning meetings, they also record children's individual interests. These methods enable staff to focus on particular aspects of learning for each child. Staff also complete very thorough written progress reports for each area of learning once children have reached the age of two years and this ensures that parents have full information. Parents eagerly explain how much they benefit from the daily opportunities to liaise with staff and this has helped them to focus on children's learning and development at home. In this way parents, key persons and managers recognise the strong level of progress that

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who attend

Parents demonstrate strong enthusiasm for the support the nursery has provided in meeting children's individual needs. They clearly recognise when staff have learned words in children's home language and when staff liaise with other agencies. These embedded systems have especially benefitted the learning of children. The nursery has detailed leaflets available to offer guidance and give ideas for activities at home. Parents explain how much they enjoy taking children's records of development home and there are clear systems in place to enable them to add any details to show their child's progress.

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who attend

Children's independence is fully encouraged during all daily routines. The providers have initiated and included a 'boys' project', which has evolved across the nursery group. This aims to regularly involve male practitioners in team games and widening children's experiences, particularly for boys. In this way, staff raise children's capabilities and confidence in preparation for moving on in their learning. There is very close liaison with the adjoining school and visits take place towards the end of term for children who will transfer. The nursery and the school also open the gates between the adjoining playgrounds at times and children mingle with each other and visit each other's play areas. This provides nursery children with opportunities to see and mix with older children, to meet the staff and understand where their new learning will take place.

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

The nursery has a fully organised key person system and the introduction of mixed age group 'family pods', effectively encourages children to settle and gain a sense of belonging. There is a high level of staff continuity across the nursery. Families are well supported because the nursery often maintains the same key person for siblings. This promotes good relationships and helps children to form attachments. Children frequently learn to take responsibility during the daily routines, they show enthusiasm for helping to tidy-up and they instantly follow staff requests for help. Staff thank children individually for responding and praise their efforts and this increases children's feelings of being valued and develops their trust.

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

Older children behave well and they show growing skills of independence. The mixing of age groups during play and daily routines mostly enables all children to learn positively from one another. However, there are moments during some routines and activities when staff are less able to manage and fully maintain positive levels of behaviour. For example, during lunch, there is inconsistent support for some younger children at times. This results in younger children not fully coping during the meal and having less opportunity to develop the beginnings of independence. Also during some activities, there are too many children wanting to take part at the same time and this leads to a lack of space and limited resources which has an impact on some children's behaviour.

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

All children have ample opportunities for developing physical capabilities during their play. Staff supervise babies continually when they learn to crawl and walk. Babies have a dedicated outdoor play area where they can gain strength through clambering over tyres and learn to manoeuvre. Once babies can balance on their feet, they are encouraged to investigate the wider nursery areas at quiet times with close supervision. All children have continual access to the varied outdoor play facilities. They can ride on wheeled toys; use the tyres for stepping inside and steering around. They learn about gardening and planting and spontaneously use tools and equipment.

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

Older children are encouraged to recognise risks and hazards during their physical activities and staff explain and promote safety very regularly. For example, children are keen to work together and clean up after the stormy wet weather. They move rapidly using soapy water with cloths and mops to wipe surfaces. They show high levels of enthusiasm and staff encourage children to take time and understand about safety when handling the brooms and they encourage children to learn about slipping on wet surfaces.

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

Older children show they are effectively gaining an understanding of being healthy during daily routines. They manage their own toileting as they become capable and they clearly follow hygienic routines of hand washing before meal and snack times. Staff remind children about hand washing by singing songs and they display pictures to encourage children to use tissues themselves and put these in the bin. The regular routines for mealtimes and the planned content of the menu fully sustain children's health. Children show they relish the hot lunches during colder weather; they talk about their favourite food with enthusiasm. There are weekly menus displayed for parents; all nursery food is based on a vegetarian diet to meet most children's needs.

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

The very wide range of resources and planned activities fully supports children's all round development in each area of the nursery provision. Staff in the baby section demonstrate strong dedication to meeting children's individual needs when transferring children to the wider family groups. They provide a clear list of how the daily care will change and what this will mean for children and this enables parents to fully understand and help to make decisions.

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provision

The provider, manager and staff have a very clear understanding of their responsibility in meeting the learning and development requirements. There are high levels of qualified staff and effective systems of liaison across the provision, which promotes strong and balanced teamwork. Consequently, the systems in place to manage children's progress and development have successfully evolved. The manager has competently developed processes to enable her to check children's level of progress and work with staff to close any gaps in children's achievement.

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provision

The nursery follows well-organised procedures for safeguarding children and there are detailed policies in place. Staff have a strong understanding of child protection, they all attend training and they are clear about the signs and symptoms. They work very closely with one another and fully understand the need to raise any concerns with their senior staff members. They know that there are dedicated procedures in place to refer any concerns. The regular staff meetings also provide staff with opportunities to raise any individual concerns, as child protection is always included. Full records are in place for each staff and family group meeting. The strong systems for staff induction show that all staff read and sign the policies and procedures to ensure their understanding. The manager holds detailed records of all staff applications and proof of individual clearance, which demonstrates the responsible attitude to maintaining staff suitability. There are

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provision

thorough annual appraisal systems and the manager works with staff to encourage staff input and agree levels of performance. Staff are clearly encouraged to pursue training and gain further knowledge.

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provision

The nursery follows well-organised systems for documenting all requirements. Children's daily attendance times are fully in place and there are individual records for all accidents and medication administered. Staff use a white board in the nursery as a reminder to gain parent's signatures at collection time. The manager reviews all systems of recording accidents every month to ensure staff fully complete the required information. This review process also helps to alert staff in recognising any risks and hazards to children during nursery routines. There are thorough records of risk assessment and regular checks are in place, these show how staff manage any hazards to reduce the risks to children, staff and parents attending. For example, there are currently areas of the garden that are wet and slippery and staff have used tyres and equipment to prevent access and keep children safe.

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provision

The provider has competently evaluated the provision through using a range of detailed information. This has led to effective changes in developing the family 'pods', encouraging staff to plan for individual children's learning and successfully engaging with parents to promote children's progress and learning at home.

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provision

The manager and staff have established highly effective partnership working with the adjoining school. There are strong links with other settings in the group and frequent opportunities for shared expertise and training. Many staff have ample experience and willingly work with other agencies to support children and families.

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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 EY374028 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 920149 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 58 Number of children on roll 108 Name of provider Community Childcare Centres Date of previous inspection 03/12/2008 Telephone number 02392 241798

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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

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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