The Big Top Nursery

The Big Top Nursery 74c High Street, Waddesdon, AYLESBURY, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0JD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/02/2014 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

 Children are happy and engage well in their play. They behave very well.  The nursery environment is welcoming and inclusive. Therefore children feel content and secure.  Children enjoy a broad range of learning experiences that span all seven areas of learning effectively.  Staff know the children well and plan effectively for their learning. Observations and assessments of children inform staff of children's next steps and consequently, they are making good progress in relation to their starting points.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff miss some opportunities to extend how children can further develop their own learning, for example with readily available resources such as reference books.  Systems to encourage parents to contribute their observations of children's learning at home are not fully embedded in practice.

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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 children in their play and in their interactions with staff.  The inspector spoke with children, parents and staff.  The inspector sampled the nursery's paperwork and children's learning journals.  The inspector and manager conducted a joint observation.  The inspector read and took into account the nursery's self-evaluation document.

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Information about the setting

Big Top Nursery registered in 2013. It is one of three early years provisions that are owned by a private individual. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. The nursery is located in converted premises in Waddesdon, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. It is based over two floors, with areas for babies and toddlers on the ground floor, and pre- school children on the first floor. Children have access to a large outdoor area. The nursery operates every weekday for 51 weeks of the year and opening times are from 7.30am until 6pm. There are six permanent staff members including the manager, who holds Early Years Professional Status. The remaining staff all hold childcare qualifications. There is a permanent staff member to provide cover when needed.

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

 enhance opportunities to extend children's independent learning, for example through the provision of easily accessible resources such as reference books linked to topic work and their interests

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

 build on ways in which parents are involved in children's learning and are invited to contribute to their learning journals.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time at nursery, where they have fun. Staff support children well in their learning because they offer them a wide variety of toys and activities that span all seven areas of learning. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how children learn, and are confident in their teaching and interaction skills.

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who attend

The outdoor area provides a wealth of experiences for children. These include physical play, sand and water, as well as a good range of wider experiences, for example exploring in the 'mud kitchen', growing produce in the vegetable patch, and identifying and feeding birds at the bird feeder station. Indoors, babies develop well physically as they have space to move about, in order to develop skills in grasping, stretching, crawling and walking. Toddlers take turns to play on the small climbing frame and slide. They laugh with the staff, who remind those who are more adventurous to go forwards down the slide.

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who attend

Children excitedly come in from the outdoors, explaining they have found worms. Staff provide them with magnifying glass boxes to view the worms. They talk about the worms being 'wriggly' and a child explains she found it in 'the mud'. The children learn that they need to return the worms to their natural habitat and discussions take place to extend children's learning about this. However, staff miss some opportunities to further extend children's curiosity and independent learning, by providing additional resources, such as easily accessible reference books.

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who attend

Children have fun and are eager to join in. For example, they play together using their walkie-talkie devices. They listen as staff explain how to operate the transmitters and stand on either end of the room. A child laughs as he states 'I can hear you loud and clear'. Children have regular opportunities to make marks and read books. They can write on clipboards, paper, white boards or chalk boards. Toddlers make marks in the sand or in the gloop as they enjoy these 'messy play' activities. Children enjoy singing action rhymes and songs together, and are confident to join in. These activities all promote children's self-esteem, communication and language.

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who attend

Staff know the children well. They use their knowledge of children's backgrounds and interests to plan effectively for their future learning. All staff make thorough observations and assessments on the children, which means they can accurately plan for their next steps. Consequently, children are making good progress in their learning, in relation to their starting points.

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

The nursery is welcoming and inclusive. Children enjoy a broad range of good quality play resources that promote their learning in all seven areas. Overall children can easily access their toys and activities. They are engaged in their play and have very warm bonds with the staff who care for them. Children benefit from regular opportunities to play outdoors. These opportunities broaden their learning further but also offer children fresh air and physical exercise, which supports their well-being.

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

Children demonstrate that they understand the routines of the day and staff expectations. For example, they take off muddy boots before walking on the carpet and know to wash their hands after outdoor play. Children are eager to join in with group activities or to help tidy up prior to lunch. The key person system works very well. Staff know children's needs and routines. Children contently cuddle up with staff for stories or invite them to join in their play. Staff interact with babies and toddlers, both verbally and non-verbally. They make regular checks as babies and toddlers sleep and offer reassurance when they wake, so that they are ready to resume their play. All children therefore demonstrate that they feel safe, content and emotionally secure.

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

Children are very happy at nursery and behave very well. Staff offer timely reminders to promote children's awareness of safety, for example by explaining why they need to be careful when bringing twigs in from the garden for the nature table. Staff are able to extend children's awareness of safety in everyday activities. For example, when looking through a book about emergency vehicles, they help children to identify the ambulance driver who arrives to help a boy who has fallen off his bicycle. This provides opportunities to talk about the importance of wearing a helmet when riding a bicycle.

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

Children are learning to be independent. Older children put on and take off coats and shoes with minimal support, and wash their hands prior to snack or lunch. They are eager to help set the table and count out how many plates, cups, spoons and forks they will need. The nursery provides nutritious snacks, and meals are supplied by an outside caterer. Those parents wishing to provide lunches independently can do so. Lunchtimes are sociable occasions and offer further learning opportunities to support children's understanding of healthy eating, for example by talking about the different foods they enjoy eating. Staff adhere to children's dietary needs, preferences and requirements relating to allergies.

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

Children are confident and are developing social relationships with one another. They are happy to enjoy solitary play, or interact with their friends in small groups. Children are making good progress in their physical, personal and social development. The care provided by staff supports children's skills for the future and their readiness for the next stage in their learning.

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provision

Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements for the Statutory Framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All staff have completed child protection training. They are therefore aware of the procedures to take should they have a concern about a child in their care. The nursery implements robust policies and procedures, which staff adhere to appropriately. These policies are shared with parents so that they can understand the procedures that support their children's health and safety. The manager displays a policy of the week on the notice board, to further promote parental and staff understanding of procedures that promote children's well-being. Risk assessments of the environment, and ongoing daily checks both indoors and outside, promote children's safety well.

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provision

The leadership and management of the nursery are effective. Recruitment and induction procedures for new staff and the systems for the supervision and training of all staff are robust. This means that the adults working with children are suitable to do so. Staff morale is high, and they work well together as a team. Partnerships with other professionals and the local authority are well established. The nursery has secured links with the feeder schools in the area, in order to support children when they move on to school.

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provision

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. They demonstrate a very secure understanding of children's backgrounds and interests. When children start at the nursery, staff spend time with parents to find out about children's achievements to date and their routines, which means that children settle well. Staff are proactive in using transition reports from other settings children may have attended, so they can build up an accurate picture of children's progress and developmental stage. Staff plan well for children's next steps. They are confident to make timely interventions if needed.

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provision

Parents are positive about the care their children receive. They explain that staff are supportive and add that children are happy to attend. Staff invite parents to contribute to children's learning journals, through offering opportunities to share 'wow' moments relating to children's learning at home, and to regularly review their children's learning journals. However, this practice is not fully embedded in practice for all parents.

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provision

Staff have been proactive in evaluating their priorities. They take on board the views of children, parents, staff and other professional involved in children's care. The manager offers parents questionnaires in order to assess the nursery's strengths and make plans for future targets. As a result, staff are confident to acknowledge what they do well. Priorities for the future include a covered area for the outdoors, and developing further the partnerships with parents through social events and a parents' forum.

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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 EY465545 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 930848 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 46 Name of provider Big Top Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07780 441070

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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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