Bright Horizons Wilmington Day Nursery and Preschool

Wilmington Day Nursery Common Lane, Wilmington, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7EU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/03/2014 30/04/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 All staff demonstrate a highly effective knowledge of how children learn and adapt their teaching to help each child learn with well-planned and stimulating activities.  Key staff know children extremely well. They understand children's interests and learning preferences and use this information to help children develop in all areas of learning.  The whole staff team continuously reviews the way they work so that children are supported extremely well in their learning and are prepared as they move rooms or get ready for the move to school.  Children, particularly in the pre-school room, are confident learners who enjoy planning for and explaining their learning experiences.  Staff have an extremely secure knowledge of safeguarding practices and this is because managers ensure that appropriate training is provided and policies are reviewed and discussed with staff.

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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 carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children and staff in all rooms of the nursery and in the outside play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documents including children's development files and staff records.  The inspector spoke to children, parents, staff and managers.

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Information about the setting

Wilmington Day Nursery was registered in 2000. It is one of a large chain of nurseries owned by Asquith Nurseries Limited. The nursery operates from purpose-built premises situated in the grounds of Wilmington Grammar School, Wilmington, Dartford, Kent. The nursery has three group rooms. There is a baby/toddler room for children under two years, which has its own milk kitchen and nappy changing area. There is a nursery class for two to three year olds and a pre-school room for three and four year olds which share a bathroom area. All children have daily access to enclosed outside play areas. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register, and there are currently 85 children in the early years age group on roll. It supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. There are 25 staff, including the manager, deputy manager and cook. Most have relevant childcare

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Information about the setting

qualifications.. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early years education for three, and four year old children.

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

 continue to develop the already well- established opportunities for parents to make contributions to planning.

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who attend

Staff at this nursery fully embrace children's interests and involve them in planning their own learning. As a result, children are enthusiastic about their learning and enjoy talking about different projects. Along with the children, staff plan exciting activities based on themes and topics of interest to the children. Staff in the pre-school room work with small groups of children to plan a rich variety of learning experiences which are linked to their chosen topics. For example, children choose to learn about dinosaurs. They make dinosaur feet, use paint to make their own footprints and make models using different resources. Staff record children's learning in a 'thinking and talking' book and children are proud and excited as they explain their experiences. This approach to planning means that children are fully motivated to learn.

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who attend

Staff are extremely knowledgeable about the children in the nursery and their actions demonstrate their excellent knowledge of how children learn. This means that they know when to give children time to explore and challenge themselves, and when to intervene to support their learning. For example, staff observe as younger children survey and explore the environment. Using their accurate knowledge of the children, they explain that children are building up their confidence to move around and try different activities as they familiarise themselves with the outside area. Staff in all rooms provide a highly stimulating level of challenge for all children as they play. Babies are fully engaged in their learning as they play in the warm, nurturing environment of the baby room. They experience textures and sounds with a range of age appropriate activities, and caring staff take time to demonstrate new skills for them to learn. Older children make dough to play

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who attend

with. They mix the ingredients together and decide that they need more flour as the mixture is too sticky. This demonstrates that children are expert at managing their own learning. They make decisions about whether the ingredients are mixed to the right consistency and use problem solving skills to plan what they need to do next.

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who attend

Children show that they are active learners as they take part in a balanced variety of free- play and structured learning experiences. Older children plant bulbs outside and they enjoy studying the worms and ants they find in the soil. Staff extend this activity, encouraging the children to bring the insects inside and place them in a large tray with other natural materials. Children use magnifying glasses to look at how the worms move and excitedly compare them to the ants. Staff make excellent use of resources to extend children's learning by using an overhead projector to give the children a clearer view which makes the activity accessible for all the children. Conversations during this activity are varied and this is a fantastic opportunity for children to learn new vocabulary as staff model correct language and introduce new words.

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who attend

Staff monitor all children's progress extremely effectively. They review the learning styles of groups of children and plan to meet their needs. For example, staff are proud of how they built a range of dens with the children and explain how these had a significant impact on boys' enjoyment of their favourite stories as they shared them with friends. This demonstrates that staff are committed to helping children develop their skills in all areas. Staff support children who are learning English as an additional language in a range of ways in partnership with parents.

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

All children demonstrate that they feel very secure in the nursery. Children and babies have built close relationships with key members of staff and show their delight when staff arrive. Younger children all have 'family books' which they can look at as they play if they want to look at their family photographs. This supports their emotional well-being.

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

In all rooms, staff are teaching children to develop their independence skills. Younger babies choose their play and older babies are learning to wash their hands at the low sink in the baby room. Highly effective, newly designed routines mean that staff can support children in small groups as they learn to put their coats on for outside play. The implementation of these new routines is one example of how staff are constantly reviewing their practice to meet children's needs. Nursery room children are learning to feed themselves and these skills with serve them well when they move into the pre-school room. These older children manage their meal times extraordinarily well. Parents describe the nursery as a 'home from home' and this is clearly demonstrated here as children set the table, hand out place mats to their friends and clear away when they have finished. Children work and chat with staff as they dry dishes and this develops their awareness of

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

how to look after their environment. This nurturing atmosphere promotes children's well- being as they work together cooperatively and enjoy social chats with each other and staff.

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

Staff fully promote healthy lifestyles for all children. They provide an exciting range of outside activities to develop children's physical skills and promote their development in all areas. Children enjoy digging for treasure, planting flowers and playing hide and seek games with staff, giggling as they hide in the secure space. Older children continue their learning about dragons and dinosaurs as they draw with chalk and are fully engaged and excited as they compare their own drawings with others'. Children are fascinated as they study their shadows and try to stand on them as they play. All these planned and spontaneous activities enrich children's learning and time at the nursery.

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

Staff fully prepare children as they move rooms within the nursery. They make careful observations of individual children so that they can recognise if children feel insecure and they use these observations to inform parents. Staff also observe how children play in their new rooms and they use this information to introduce similar activities in the younger rooms. For example, staff observe that when children move into the pre-school room, they enjoy experimenting with different resources on the writing table. They then introduced these resources for the younger children, capturing their interests. Staff sensitively support children when they are learning to use the toilet. They reassure children if they have had an accident and respect their privacy as they help them to change into clean clothes. Parents comment that children are fully prepared for the move to school. Activities to study letters and sounds in a range of ways are fully embedded. Children

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

enjoy phonics activities, bring in items for 'letter of the week' and some are able to write their names using different resources. This enthusiasm for learning and enjoyment of activities fully prepares them for the next stage in their learning.

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provision

Recruitment procedures are extremely robust. Managers make careful checks on staff suitability, obtaining effective references and implementing thorough induction procedures. Staff have a thorough knowledge of safeguarding procedures and confidently explain how they would act to safeguard children in a range of different scenarios. The nursery is secure. Managers greet all visitors to the nursery who they ask to sign in so that they can keep an accurate record of all persons on the premises.

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provision

Staff complete daily safety checks so that they minimise risks to children. The outside area is an exciting environment for children where they can play safely. If accidents occur, staff record details of them and of any treatment given. Parents sign to acknowledge the accident and are given a copy of the accident report for their own records. Staff supervise and support children well in all areas of the nursery. Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents comment that staff fully inform them of children's activities with daily chats and regular meetings when they discuss children's progress. Many parents contribute a range of ideas for staff planning by providing photographs or written observations of children's learning at home. The manager is developing a range of other ways to encourage this involvement from all parents, including holding regular open days. Parents are highly complementary of the nursery.

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provision

They say that staff have supported them in the development of their own knowledge about how children develop at different stages. Managers work closely with outside agencies when referring children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This means that children receive the additional support they need.

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provision

Staff and managers are fully committed to reflective practice. They work extremely well together and share their learning with each other to improve their skills. For example, the team researched the effect of providing dens to enhance children's communication skills and their enthusiasm for this project is clear throughout the nursery. This highly effective teamwork has a positive impact on children's learning. These actions form part of the improvements the staff have made following the recommendations made at the last inspection, demonstrating how all staff are committed to continuous improvement.

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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 EY307170 Local authority Kent Inspection number 952094 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 53 Number of children on roll 85 Name of provider Asquith Court Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 30/04/2013 Telephone number 01322 294 888

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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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