The Garden Nursery and Preschool

The Garden Nursery and Preschool 201 New Church Road, HOVE, East Sussex, BN3 4ED

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/01/2014 18/02/2013

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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 create a welcoming and attractive environment where children feel at home and secure.  Children behave well, happily play together and share resources.  Staff interact well with children and successfully promote their learning through play.  Children develop good levels of independence as they make choices from the low level storage units.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children have access to a wide range of challenging resources although there are fewer that show positive images of diversity.

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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 in all the play rooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held meetings with the management team.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's assessment records and other relevant documentation including the provider's self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information from the nursery's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

The Garden Nursery and Pre-School opened in 2012. It operates from a converted house in Hove, East Sussex. Children have access to five play rooms on two levels of the building. There are stairs between the two floors. The nursery opens five days a week all year round. Opening times are from 7.30am to 6.30pm. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 108 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery also offers care to children aged up to eight years. Children come from a wide catchment area. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also supports a number of children who learn English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 18 staff. There are 14 staff, including the manager, who hold appropriate early years qualifications. There are three staff who are working towards a recognised qualification. The manager has Early Years Professional Status.

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

 further increase resources that represent children's diverse backgrounds in order to strengthen all children's developing positive awareness of differences.

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

 Children have access to a wide range of challenging resources although there are fewer that show positive images of diversity.

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who attend

Staff implement good procedures for settling new children in. They work closely with parents to promote consistency for individual children. This helps children quickly settle and feel confident. The key person system works effectively and they get to know their children well. They successfully plan to meet children's individual needs and provide activities that they know will reflect children's interests. This results in children being well motivated and keen to learn. Children enthusiastically join in with activities and become absorbed in their play. They take part in activities that provide challenge and cover all areas of learning well. For example, they do plenty of creative activities such as sticking, painting and drawing where they develop their skills in expressive arts and design. Staff give children plenty of support and attention. They skilfully talk to children and ask questions that extend children's thinking and learning. Staff help young children develop

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who attend

good communication skills as they reinforce new words with them. They encourage young children to say what they would like. Staff sensitively support children who are learning English as an additional language. As a result, these children are developing well in their use of English.

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who attend

Children like to explore their world with good input from adults. Children giggle and smile at staff as they have fun together at the water tray. They show good coordination as they use the different equipment such as funnels and scoops. They see what happens when water is poured through the funnels. Older children explore simple technology as they record their own voices and play it back for others to hear. Children listen well to each other as they make different sounds for their friends to copy. Toddlers explore toys that make sounds when buttons are pressed.

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who attend

Staff competently observe and assess their key children. They make good use of the assessments in their planning for individual children. Staff are well focused on making sure individual children's learning needs are identified and met. This is particularly evident for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, all children are helped to make good progress in relation to their starting points. Staff form good links with parents and keep them well informed about children's progress. They encourage parents to be involved in children's learning at home and to share what they know about their child. This contributes to children's continuing good progress.

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

The key persons form good close relationships with their children. They make sure they are available for any 'hand overs' so that they can speak to the parents and share any concerns. The use of a buddy key person also means that every child has a special adult available for them at all times. Children form strong emotional attachments to their key persons. This results in them developing good levels of security and a strong sense of belonging. When they arrive they soon leave the adults side to play with their favourite toys. Staff have good systems for supporting children who move on to another group in the nursery. They deal sensitively with these moves and involve parents in the decision making. The key person moves up with the children so there is always a familiar adult with them. Older children are also well prepared for a successful move on to school.

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

Staff make sure the rooms and resources are stimulating, interesting, safe and clean for children. They make good use of the rooms as they create inviting play areas that are well resourced. As a result, children become independent learners who like to explore by themselves and with others. They help themselves to resources and move freely around the child friendly nursery. There is a good range of high quality child sized furniture that contributes to children's independence. However, there are slightly less resources that show positive images of diversity for children to learn about differences. Children are happy, content and play well with their friends. They are good at sharing resources and taking turns. Children show care and concern for others. For example, a child gets up to pick up a bib that her friend has dropped and gives it to them to wear. Children do a painting together at the easel outside. Very young children have fun

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

following each other up the steps and down the slide indoors. Staff have good strategies for managing any inappropriate behaviour. They help children develop a good understanding of the impact of their behaviour on others. Staff are currently seeking children's suggestions in order to involve them in deciding the nursery rules. Staff build children's self esteem well as they praise and celebrate their achievements. They are very caring, friendly and speak kindly to children.

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

Staff consistently take positive steps to promote children's good health. They encourage children to adopt good personal hygiene practices such as teeth brushing and washing their hands after going the toilet. Staff help younger children stay clean by wiping their noses and frequently changing their nappies. They follow good procedures for toilet training young children and help them learn to manage their own personal care.

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

Staff provide healthy and nutritious home cooked meals. Children enjoy healthy snacks and have easy access to drinks. Young children and babies sleep in comfort and safety. Their individual home routines are followed as much as possible so these very young children feel secure. All children enjoy more active play outdoors. They develop good physical skills and learn to manage risks as they tackle more challenging play equipment such as the climbing equipment and trikes. Very young children learn to take risks as they climb the indoor play steps and go down the slide. Staff stay nearby to provide support when they need it. However, the support is rarely needed as these children show good coordination and control.

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provision

The management team has a good knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare and the learning and development requirements. They follow safe recruitment practices that help ensure staff are suitable to work with children. The management team carries out robust induction procedures with new staff which strongly focus on safeguarding issues. All staff are made fully aware of the safeguarding procedures and their role in reporting any child protection concerns. Staff carry out thorough checks on the premises and equipment to help identify and minimise risks to children. Good use is made of the accident record in the risk assessment process. As a result, children move around safely and independently.

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provision

There is an effective system for promoting the ongoing development of staff. The management team actively encourages staff to increase their knowledge and skills by attending further courses. Staff appraisals and supervision help identify any training needs. The managers make effective use of staff meetings to improve practices. For example, they act out different role play scenarios to encourage staff to think about how children feel and react. They recently did one where they had to consider what it was like to be a blind child in the nursery. As a result, staff made improvements to their provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The management team consistently oversees the educational programme and the assessment system to make sure they are meeting children's individual needs.

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provision

The management team has recently successfully evaluated their practices with support and advice from external advisors. This has resulted in a number of positive improvements including the way children are handed over to staff when they arrive with their parents. A regular senior management meeting has been set up so that room leaders have the opportunity to discuss practices in their rooms and learn from the managers. These new initiatives show there is a strong drive for improvement within the nursery. A current ongoing development plan is to continue to improve the outdoor area as a stimulating learning environment.

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provision

Staff form very good links with agencies and support workers. They work closely with them to help children with additional needs achieve. Parents are closely involved in the monitoring and support of these children in the nursery. Parents and carers give very positive comments about the nursery. They feel that their children are developing well as a result of staff interaction. Parents say they are kept well informed about their children's progress and welfare through the development sheets and parents evenings. They talk about how they can regularly discuss their child with the key person and how they contribute to children's learning at home.

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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 EY449358 Local authority Brighton & Hove Inspection number 946281 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 84 Number of children on roll 108 Name of provider Early Education Alliance Ltd Date of previous inspection 18/02/2013 Telephone number 07709 449 701

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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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