The Old Station Nursery, Granta Park

Granta Park Day Nursery Granta Park, Great Abington, CAMBRIDGE, Cambridgeshire, CB21 6GP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/01/2014 24/09/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from strong support due to clear, professional links with other specialist agencies and parents.  Partnerships with parents are strong with effective two-way communication to promote children's emotional well-being.  Children enjoy healthy and nutritious meals and take an active part in food preparation. As a result, they develop their independence and their good health is supported well.

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It is not yet good because

 Teaching skills are variable and not all staff have the skills and experience that enable them to respond to children's emerging needs. As a result, children's good progress is not assured.  Performance management arrangements are not focused clearly enough on teaching and learning to give less experienced staff the knowledge and confidence to successfully promote children's learning.  Children have fewer opportunities to play outdoors than indoors, which affects all aspects of their development.

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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 toured the nursery to look at the areas used by the children.  The inspector observed the children at play and their interactions with staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager and other members of the senior management team at convenient times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 A range of documentation was examined, including the children's learning journals, staff records, registers and parent questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

Granta Park Day Nursery is one of 10 nurseries owned by Sunhill Daycare (Europe) Limited and was registered in 2001. It operates from purpose-built premises on a science park near Great Abington, Cambridgeshire and is on the Early Years Register and compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is open Monday to Friday each weekday from 7.30am until 6.30pm, for 51 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 77 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education places for three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 18 members of childcare staff, nine of whom hold an appropriate qualification at level 2 or 3. Two members of staff hold qualifications at level 5 and one has Qualified Teacher Status. Nine staff are currently on training courses to improve their qualifications. The nursery also employs catering staff, a gardener and a cleaner. The nursery is a member of the National Provider's Scheme.

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must:

 develop further the consistency of teaching by developing the skills of staff in extending children's learning through skilful questioning and responding to their emerging needs and interests.

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

 improve the monitoring and support of the newer and less confident staff so there is a clear focus on the quality of teaching

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

 make better use of the outdoor learning opportunities by enabling children to move freely between the indoor and outdoor areas according to their individual needs and preferences.

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who attend

Staff teaching skills are variable, and not all teaching is good. Staff interact with the children in friendly ways, but some do not successfully promote and extend children's learning through effective questioning and related language. As a result, children do not make the best progress possible towards the early learning goals. However, those staff who have a more confident understanding of how children learn are evenly deployed through the nursery. This helps to ensure that activities mostly meet children's individual needs and suit their learning styles. For example, interest in the new African Land snails in the pre-school room, has led to a range of related activities, enabling children to develop an enthusiastic understanding of their new pets. Parents are suitably involved in their children's learning through the individual learning journals and daily diaries. They have regular opportunities to contribute to their children's assessments, including a progress

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who attend

check for all children aged between two and three years.

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who attend

Staff plan enjoyable activities for children, including a range of arts and crafts. Young children show interest in using glue and tissue paper to create colourful collages. A member of staff demonstrates tearing the paper ready for gluing, and some children follow her lead. However, other staff are less able to motivate children's interest through appropriate questioning and conversation. This results in children soon losing interest, and they move on to other activities. In some areas of the nursery activities are well-presented to hold children's attention, for example, the older pre-school children gather to use musical instruments. They use them softly, then loudly, and listen intently to the adult as she focus's their attention by whispering the next instruction. Visual aids, such as a hand- washing sequence, enable all children to learn the expected routines. Children with special needs and/or disabilities receive good support through strong partnership working with

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who attend

other professionals, parents and agencies. One-to-one support staff demonstrate a good understanding of the children in their care, and help to ensure other staff understand their additional needs. As a result, all children are helped to play an active part in nursery life. Staff effectively support children's home languages and their individual backgrounds. They plan activities to help children celebrate special occasions, such as Chinese New Year, and talk to them about their families and homes. This helps children to learn about each other and develop a respect for differences and similarities.

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who attend

Staff help children to develop their communication and language appropriately through friendly two-way conversations. All the children benefit from daily access to books and group story times. Staff plan small and large group singing sessions, and engage the children in choosing their favourites songs and rhymes. During some of these activities, staff remember to ask questions to enable children to think, such as when they sing about the wheels on the bus, they ask, who else might be on the bus? However, this is not consistent, which means not all children enjoy the same level of positive interaction. Children play imaginatively with a reasonable range of role play resources. They put their pretend babies to bed, and talk to their daddies on the toy telephone. Staff listen, and add to children's enjoyment by suggesting who else is on the phone and pretending to take part in the conversations. All children have ready access to writing and drawing materials,

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who attend

which supports their interest in early writing. Some staff are good role models, for example, they write their observations alongside the children, and use clipboards to record information. Children enjoy exploring flour, water and baked beans and have fun with 'squirty' water bottles, which develops their senses and understanding of the world.

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

Children develop secure relationships with staff and, as a result, are happy and settled. Senior staff within the rooms monitor the key person system, and each key person has a buddy, who develops the same links with the children. This helps to ensure children build relationships with other staff, adding to their sense of security. New children receive reassuring cuddles, and are encouraged to sit alongside staff as they play to build their confidence. Parents complete a comprehensive 'all about me form' with their key person before children start. This enables staff to meet children's needs from the outset and ensure a smooth transition from home into nursery. Staff arrange children's move into new rooms in partnership with parents and there are secure arrangements for the key persons to share their knowledge. Children learn appropriate behaviour because staff explain expectations, for example, they remind children about being mindful of others

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

As children grow staff extend their independence, encouraging them to prepare themselves for outdoor play, or help to wash up after snack time. All this helps them to get ready for the next stage in their learning. The nursery environment is reasonably organised to support children's independent choices. The provider is gradually replacing old and worn resources, and all areas have a suitable range of good quality, accessible, age-appropriate toys and equipment. Displays in the rooms promote children's self-esteem well, with a good range of art work, early writing and photographs. Staff support children to learn good hygiene routines. Even the youngest children quickly develop the habit of visiting the bathrooms to wash their hands and use paper towels to dry them. Children take part in fire drills, and staff encourage them to tidy away, which develops their sense of safety.

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

Children benefit from exciting outdoor areas that include mature woodland trees and shrubs. Staff plan interesting activities to support children's understanding of the world, for instance, they take older children out to look for snails, encouraging them to note their findings with clipboards and pencils. Each age range has a secure safer area close to their base rooms, where children play with sand and water. They enjoy active exercise with slides and climbing frames and develop their sense of risk in enjoyable play. Although children enjoy outdoor experiences every day, they are unable to access the areas freely and make their own decisions about outdoor play. In some instances, their time outdoors is quite limited, due to other routines and activities. As a result, their outdoor learning is not fully supported. Healthy, nutritious meals and snacks are freshly prepared each day by the nursery cook. Food takes into account children's special dietary needs and reflects

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

their diverse backgrounds. Meals are taken in sociable groups, so children develop good habits and enjoy their meals. Bowls of fruit are readily available at each meal time to supplement children's choices. Staff sit with the children and support them well to ensure all children eat safe and suitable foods. Older children take an active part in food preparation to support their understanding of where food come from. Some staff engage the children in friendly conversation during meal times, but overlook opportunities to teach children more about healthy foods.

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provision

This inspection was carried out following concerns being raised about the security of the premises, cleanliness, lack of interaction between staff and children and the procedures for staff smoking. At the inspection the provider demonstrated that the security of the nursery is adequate. Visitors are admitted to the nursery after their identity is checked and the entrance is kept locked. All areas of the nursery have recently been refurbished, with new, washable flooring and soft furnishings. Staff carry out daily checks and ongoing cleaning to ensure children play in appropriately clean and hygienic rooms. The nursery is professionally cleaned after the nursery closes to further ensure rooms are kept in good condition. Worn out and damaged toys and equipment are currently being replaced in response to a recommendation made at the last inspection. Although the inspection found that staff skills are variable, interactions between children and staff are warm and friendly.

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provision

Children go to their key adults for reassurance, and play confidently in their care. Children settling-in, in particular, enjoy cuddles and attention from staff. There are appropriate procedures to manage smoking, for example, there is a designated smoking area away from the nursery. Staff are familiar with the procedures and their implementation is monitored by the manager.

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provision

The senior management team have a secure understanding of safeguarding procedures. There is a suitably trained designated person for child protection, and new staff undergo training within their induction period. All this helps to ensure children are kept safe in the event of child protection concerns. All staff undergo the appropriate checks, including those by the Disclosure and Barring Service, before they take up their posts. Staff conduct daily risks assessments and checks of the premises and equipment to ensure children play safely. The nursery has experienced a high number of staff changes. Recently this has slowed, and there is a stable senior management team, which is beginning to implement clear procedures to manage and support staff. The induction procedure has been tightened up since the last inspection, and new staff demonstrate a suitable understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Staff deployment is much improved since the last

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provision

inspection, enabling children to settle and build warm relationships with their key people. To monitor the quality of teaching, regular team meetings and individual supervision meetings take place regularly. These enable the manager and her deputy to identify training needs and support weaker staff. This has resulted in a number of staff being enrolled in apprenticeship and qualification programmes. However, there are still a significant number of inexperienced staff working with the children, and new initiatives, such as mentoring and peer observations, have not yet been implemented. As a result staff skills are variable and not all teaching is good. This affects children's progress towards the early learning goals. An aspirational self-evaluation shows the nursery has a good understanding of the areas for development. The action plan shows there has been a steady improvement since the last inspection, with a range of well-prioritised initiatives,

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provision

such as new resources and the refurbishment of the rooms. All of this has a positive effect on children's well-being, and, consequently, their learning and development.

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provision

The partnerships with parents is strong. Parents speak well of the setting and say the nursery staff are friendly and welcoming. A recent staff survey indicated that almost all parents rate the nursery provision as good or better. Staff verbally feed back to parents on a daily basis, and younger children have daily written diaries. This gives parents a good understanding of their children's well-being. The nursery offers regular open evenings, where parents are invited to discuss their children's progress with their key person. There are well established links with other providers, such as schools. Staff prepare summaries of children's learning and invite teachers to visit in the summer term, which helps to prepare children for a smooth transition. Few children share care with other early years providers, but there are suitable procedures to gather and share information about children's learning as necessary.

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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 259680 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 950725

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 75 Number of children on roll 77 Name of provider Sunhill Daycare (Europe) Limited Date of previous inspection 24/09/2013 Telephone number 01223 471010

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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

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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