Oaklands Childcare

Oaklands Childcare Staffordshire County Council, Oaklands Nursery School, Oaklands Avenue, NEWCASTLE, Staffordshire, ST5 0EX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/02/2014 18/03/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 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

 Children are effectively supported in gaining skills in communication and language, and in their physical, personal, social and emotional development. As a result, children are making good progress in their learning.  Children engage in a range of experiences in a well-resourced, stimulating and welcoming learning environment, both indoors and outside. As a result, children's emotional well-being and overall development are well supported.  Rigorous and accurate monitoring and assessment systems, as well as effective partnerships with parents and external professionals, ensure consistency for children's welfare and learning.  Safeguarding procedures are effective. This ensures children's welfare is protected and children are kept safe from harm.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Occasionally, when children are not with their key person, their next steps are not as sharply focused upon as a minority of staff are not confident in what children are working towards when they are not one of their key group. This means that at those times children are not supported in making rapid progress.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in two rooms and the outdoor learning environment.  The inspector conducted two joint observations with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager of the provision and spoke to staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at planning documentation and children's assessment records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of staff qualifications and suitability to work with children and the provider's evidence of self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Oaklands Childcare was registered in 2007 and is on the Early Years Register. It operates from Oaklands Nursery School, which is situated in purpose-built premises in the Porthill area of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is a company limited by guarantee and managed by a voluntary committee. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff. Of these, 8 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including three with Early Years Professional Status or Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9am until 3.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 48 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports 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:

 improve the accuracy of the information that is shared between members of staff so that activities and challenges remain targeted to sharply focus on children's next steps when they are not with their key person, to support them in making rapid progress.

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who attend

The quality of the teaching is good and children are supported in making good progress given their starting points. This is because spontaneous observations identify children's skills, and key persons plan for children's next steps in their learning and development effectively. An appropriate mix of continuous child-initiated and adult-led activities, both indoors and outside, enable children to develop their own ideas and interests. For example, children enjoy working together to build a fairy house in the forest school learning environment, sharing ideas on how to make the structure more stable, discussing the size and shape of logs and enhancing their structure with ribbons. Children are encouraged to think critically and solve problems through the effective use of open-ended questioning from staff. For example, staff ask 'How will we make it stand up?' As a result, children are engaged and motivated for learning. There is a rigorous system to evidence,

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who attend

monitor and track children's progress through effective observation and assessment. Key persons have a clear understanding of children's next steps in their learning. However, this is not always effectively shared across the staff team, and therefore not every opportunity is taken by all staff to extend children's learning when they are not with their key person. Children are able to share and develop their own ideas and interests through the continuous provision of high quality resources and activities within the learning environment, both indoors and outside. For example, they play in the role play shop writing shopping lists and finding numbers on the till. Outdoors, they play with a range of equipment and make patterns in the water tray. As a result, children demonstrate the characteristics of effective learners.

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who attend

Children are well supported in their communication skills as staff model effective use of language for thinking and questioning. The development of key skills in the personal, social and emotional aspects of children's learning is further supported through adult-led focus groups for older children, who respectfully listen and pay attention to each other. Children are very physically able and have a wide range of activities to develop these skills. For example, they use wheeled toys and climbing equipment outside and painting and threading indoors. Therefore, children are ready for school when the time comes as they develop a range of skills to support their future learning. Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is very good as rigorous monitoring of children's progress leads to early identification of needs. Effective partnerships with other professionals enable staff to develop successful teaching strategies to meet the specific

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who attend

needs of children requiring additional support. For example, small intervention groups using puppets support children in developing self-confidence and language skills. As a result, children who have a lower starting point make good progress.

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who attend

The setting recognises the importance of working in partnership with parents, and this is a key strength. The setting keeps parents well informed about their child's learning. They use a variety of methods, such as daily verbal communications, newsletters and opportunities to share learning journey profiles. Key persons share comprehensive progress checks with parents, when appropriate, and strategies are shared to ensure all children make at least good progress.

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

The robust key person system ensures positive relationships are developed with children, parents and extended families. Staff are fully aware of the importance of meeting children's individual needs, to make them feel safe, secure and confident to explore. This means that staff effectively support children's emotional well-being and provide a readiness to learn at the earliest opportunity. Older children independently follow good hygiene routines for hand washing, with support sensitively provided by staff where appropriate. At snack time, staff take the opportunity to talk to children about a healthy diet. A variety of snacks are offered including fresh fruit and breadsticks, with a choice of milk or water to drink. Older children are able to serve themselves and sit in the 'cafe' area, and enjoy the responsibility for washing up their own cups and bowls. There are clear procedures in place with regard to children's dietary requirements, and staff work in

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

partnership with parents to ensure children's good health and well-being needs are met. Children benefit from regular opportunities to play outside and are provided with overalls and wellingtons to make trips to the forest school area. Staff remind children of the need to work safely. Children demonstrate that they are knowledgeable about their own and others' safety when lifting logs into place to make a fairy house, reminding each other to 'be careful, it might fall'.

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

The learning environment, both indoors and outside, is stimulating and very well resourced. All resources are stored at low level, allowing children to make choices and be actively involved in their learning. As a result, children are developing independence. Staff are good role models to children, sitting at child level, frequently offering praise and calmly establishing expectations. As a result, there is an atmosphere of mutual respect and behaviour is very good. Children are emotionally very well prepared for transitions both within the setting and on to school. Pre-visits for playgroup children and their parents are organised for transition into nursery. Parents speak highly of the support they receive from staff, especially when supporting their children in settling in and during transition from playgroup into nursery and then on to school. This ensures consistency of care is maintained and children's well-being is fully supported as they make adjustments during

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provision

The manager demonstrates very good understanding of her role and responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and in ensuring the setting is effectively organised. A regular review of the comprehensive policies and procedures ensures they are relevant to practice, and new policies ,such as mobile phone and camera use, are shared with all staff. This helps to keep them fully informed at all times and protects children's welfare. Safeguarding procedures ensure children are safe and kept from harm. The manager demonstrates good understanding of safe recruitment procedures. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and a clear knowledge of how to report concerns appropriately. The safeguarding policy contains detailed procedures to follow in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff. Risk assessments are thorough and reviewed regularly. Consequently, children are

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provision

There is a commitment to reflective self-evaluation, which clearly identifies strengths and areas for improvement. For example, the nursery aims to improve the quality of teaching from all staff through sharing good practice within the team and targeted professional development training. Rigorous systems are in place to monitor the effectiveness of the educational programmes through tracking children's progress, which means that gaps in learning are quickly identified and strategies are implemented to narrow the gap. Key persons are fully aware of children's next steps. However, there is more scope to improve the sharing of information with all members of staff to ensure opportunities to support children's learning are further enhanced. The manager is passionate about improving opportunities for children's learning. The manager and deputy observe staff practice and make accurate assessments on the quality of teaching. Where teaching is identified as less

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provision

than good, the manager provides opportunities for staff to share good practice through team teaching. Staff are further able to improve their quality of teaching through attendance on regular training courses, with further training identified to enhance supporting learning through children's interests. The impact of this training on children's learning is already evident as they are making good progress towards the early learning goals.

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provision

Partnerships are very good. Staff work alongside other professionals to ensure that children are kept safe and get the most from their learning opportunities. Facilities offered by the nursery, such as a 'stay and play' session, mean that children become familiar with the nursery from a young age, and parents and staff develop confidence working together, and with other professionals, to benefit the children.

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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 EY384053 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 849793

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 48 Name of provider Oaklands Childcare (Wolstanton) Ltd Date of previous inspection 18/03/2009 Telephone number 01782297585

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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

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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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