Stockport Village Nursery

Stockport Village Nursery Fletcher Street, STOCKPORT, SK1 1DY

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/02/2014 Not Applicable

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is good

 The educational programme is well planned by skilled and knowledgeable staff to cover all areas of learning and provide challenging and motivating experiences for all children. As a result, children consistently make good progress in relation to their starting points.  The well-embedded key person system helps children to form secure emotional attachments as staff skilfully support them in their play. Consequently, children are well prepared for their transitions, both across the nursery and into school.  Staff have a very good knowledge and understanding of their responsibility to safeguard children, which is successfully translated into practice. This means that children are well protected and can play and learn in a safe environment.  Leadership is effective, creating a positive ethos within the nursery. The high expectations are communicated through team meetings and one-to-one supervision to

p.1

This provision is good

ensure that the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage is strong.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 There are some missed opportunities to further extend children's learning on a larger scale and in different contexts through even more effective use of the outdoor environment.  Staff have not yet fully considered using photographs of families, significant people and places in children's lives to enhance the settling in process and further develop children's sense of belonging.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's activities in all playrooms and the outdoor environment.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager and talked to children, staff and key persons throughout the inspection.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents, including a sample of policies and procedures, children's records, evidence of the suitability of staff and recruitment procedures.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability of staff working with children and discussed the process in place for self-evaluation.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of several parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

p.2

Information about the setting

Stockport Village Nursery was re-registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It operates from seven rooms in a converted building in the town centre of Stockport, Cheshire. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. Each age group has their own enclosed area for outdoor play.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery employs 28 members of childcare staff. Of these, one member of staff has an early years qualification at level 2 and 22 staff have early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 151 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years and the National Day Nurseries Association.

p.3

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

 extend opportunities for children to use outdoors for learning throughout the year and in a wide range of contexts, such as, problem solving, risk taking and exploring an extensive range of natural and open-ended materials

p.3

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

 build on existing good arrangements to help children settle quickly in the provision as they prepare for new experiences, for example, by displaying photographs of family, significant people and places in their lives.

p.3

who attend

Babies and children thrive in this good quality nursery and consistently demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning. Teaching is rooted in a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and a comprehensive understanding of how children learn. Practice throughout the nursery is good and in some instances outstanding. As a result, children's individual needs are well met and they make good progress in relation to their starting points. The indoor learning environment is well organised into areas of continuous provision and planning links to the seven areas of learning to ensure children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. It is highly stimulating and exciting and well equipped with a vast range of unusual and interesting resources to promote children's natural curiosity and develop their exploratory skills. For example, babies thoroughly enjoy exploring metal objects using all their senses; they feel them with their hands and mouths

p.3

who attend

and listen to the sound they make when they shake them. Older children have a wealth of opportunities to explore and investigate through the provision of heuristic play materials, such as logs, corks, beads, buttons, rice mixed with shiny materials, pom poms and feathers. Children's learning is significantly enhanced as they access a wealth of resources and activities in the sensory room. For example, staff teach children mathematical concepts, such as full and empty, as they use scoops to fill up containers with florescent coloured rice. Children squeal with excitement as they complete the action over and over again.

p.4

who attend

Staff place a high priority on helping children to acquire communication and language skills and supporting their physical, personal, social and emotional development. As a result, children gain the skills, abilities and attitudes that prepare them well for the next stage in their learning and eventually, school. For example, staff teach children to share and take turns and cooperate with each other as they play. They demonstrate their learning as they play harmoniously together, collaborate with each other and swap resources. Staff are particularly competent at developing children's communication and language skills as they consistently talk to them during play and daily routines. They intuitively 'tune in to babies' attempts to communicate through facial expressions and gestures and repeat the sounds they use to enhance their understanding of two-way conversation. Babies thoroughly enjoy this one-to-one attention as they shout out sounds,

p.4

who attend

babble and excitedly wait in anticipation for a response from the member of staff. Children are given a wealth of opportunities to listen and talk to each other for a variety of purposes to meet their individual development needs. Staff skilfully introduce new words to extend children's vocabulary and ask open-ended questions to promote their creative thinking. Children continually demonstrate their ability to express their thoughts, ideas and knowledge and are confident communicators. For example, as they make skeletons out of assorted sized wooden sticks they make links in their learning as they name parts of the body, such as, liver, heart, lungs, kidneys, small intestine and spine. They beam with pride as they explain that 'lungs help us breathe' and 'our heart pumps blood around our bodies'. Staff provide children with a wide range of opportunities, activities and experiences to promote their physical skills. For example, babies enjoy the freedom and

p.4

who attend

space indoors to move, stretch, crawl and cruise along furniture. Staff encourage them to crawl as they hold out toys that excite them just beyond their reach. Older children develop large muscle control and coordination outdoors as they ride wheeled toys, negotiate obstacles as they run around outside, chase staff and each other and play ring games. However, there are some missed opportunities to extend children's learning on a larger scale and in different contexts through even more effective use of the outdoor environment.

p.4

who attend

Staff gather information on entry about children's favourite activities and their individual interests, and this information along with subsequent observations is used to plan for children's future learning. Staff have a very secure knowledge of each child in their care and a thorough understanding of how they learn and their preferred learning styles. They successfully support children and recognise that they learn through well-planned play in a rich and stimulating environment. The accurate and precise observations and assessments of children ensure that their needs are clearly identified and this information is used effectively to inform future planning. Consequently, any gaps in learning are quickly identified and appropriate interventions can be sought if necessary, to enable all children to achieve their full potential. Children's progress is tracked through a continuous assessment of their achievements. This helps staff to support them to make good progress

p.4

who attend

in their learning and development, as their unique needs are recognised and planned for. Children's learning journal records are maintained to a good standard and contain a wide range of information, including photographs, detailed observations and examples of their work. Children's needs are further enhanced through strong, close and effective partnerships with parents. Staff value parents' input and share information about how they can help their child's learning through simple activities at home. Parents are given information about their children's learning through verbal feedback, babies' daily diary sheets, regular written summaries of children's progress and opportunities to review children' learning journal records.

p.5

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

The effective and well-established key person system means that children form secure attachments and their emotional well-being is consistently supported. Babies are looked after by loving, nurturing staff who intuitively understand and respond to their physical and emotional needs. Key persons make the most of every opportunity to bond with babies, and this is particularly evident at meal times. For example, babies sit in high chairs opposite their key person, who talks to them and teaches them to feed themselves, with caring and sensitive support. Children are cuddled and comforted if upset and spend quality one-to-one times with their key person engaging in activities, such as sharing stories and rhymes. This enables babies and children to feel safe and secure within the nursery which, consequently, has a significant impact on their learning and development. Staff greet and welcome children and their parents into the nursery, which ensures that

p.5

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

the children feel valued and cared for and that relationships with parents are strong. The arrangements for supporting children as they move from home to the nursery are carefully planned with parents from the point of entry. Staff gather information about children's likes, dislikes, routines and favourite activities. As a result, the majority of children quickly adapt to the environment and daily routines and confidently form new friendships. However, staff have not yet fully considered using photographs of significant people and places in children's lives to further enhance the settling in process. Effective systems are in place to support children as they move rooms, such as discussions with new key persons, sharing children's developmental progress reports and settling-in visits. Therefore, children experience continuity and consistency of care and learning.

p.5

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

Babies and children demonstrate high levels of independence and competently manage their own care needs. For example, babies feed themselves, toddlers access and put on and take off their aprons and pre-school children serve their own meals. Children learn about the importance of a healthy diet as staff tell them that they need to eat fruit and vegetables to make their bodies grow. Children's learning is further enhanced as they plant, grow and harvest potatoes, carrots and herbs potatoes and carrots in the nursery garden, which they then prepare, cook and eat. Regular activities outdoors means that children benefit from daily fresh air and exercise. Staff teach children about their bodies and what happens to them following exercise. For example, children feel their pulse before and after exercise and comment that after exercise their pulse is faster. Cosy areas within the indoor environment give children opportunities to rest and relax and play

p.5

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

quietly. Their good health and self-care is securely embedded as they attend to their personal needs. For example, children are independent as they self-select resources and manage their personal needs in readiness for school. Staff role model meticulous hygiene practices and ensure that surfaces, floors, resources and equipment are maintained and cleaned to a high standard. Furthermore, in the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease, staff are extra vigilant with hygiene practices, quickly and effectively inform parents and put in place effective procedures in order to reduce the risk of cross contamination. As a result, children's health and hygiene is successfully promoted, which in turn has a positive impact on their physical and emotional well-being.

p.6

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

Staff help children manage their behaviour as they explain about sharing, distract children with other resources and talk about feelings. They respond to minor disagreements sensitively and calmly and encourage children to think about what they can do to resolve the situation. Children show a secure level of understanding of the behavioural expectations, demonstrating good self-control, as they listen to staff explanations, share resources and play collaboratively together. Children learn about keeping themselves safe as staff teach them the safety rules of the nursery. For example, they teach children to turn off the taps in the bathroom so that the floor does not become slippery because they might fall. Staff encourage children to manage their own risks by supporting them when climbing and allowing them the freedom to take controlled risks. Consequently, children's understanding of keeping safe is fully promoted and ensures that they can play and learn

p.6

provision

Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how to protect and safeguard children and policies and procedures are known by all staff and implemented consistently. They have attended safeguarding training and this continues to be updated to ensure they strengthen their knowledge, understanding and skills in this area. Staff are fully aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and know what to do and who to contact in the event of a cause for concern. An effective and detailed set of risk assessments, which are regularly added to and reviewed, along with daily checks of the indoor and outdoor areas, ensure that children can learn and play in a safe and secure environment. The vigilance of staff, consistent supervision of children and widespread security systems, such as keypad locks on doors and CCTV cameras, ensure that children are consistently protected from harm. Robust recruitment and selection procedures, for example, induction processes,

p.6

provision

probationary periods and completion of checks pertaining to suitability, ensure that practitioners are suitable, safe and appropriately skilled to work with children. This means that children remain safe and protected. Staff's ongoing suitability and quality of teaching is monitored through supervision, appraisal and a targeted programme of professional development training to address underperformance and increase staff skills.

p.6

provision

The owner adopts a manager's role and together with the employed manager has overall responsibility for overseeing the educational programme and ensuring its effective implementation. Staff have a very secure knowledge of the educational programmes and consistent monitoring ensures that children experience a broad and balanced range of experiences that help them make good progress in relation to their starting points. Assessments are consistent and precise and children's progress is carefully monitored to ensure children who may need extra support are quickly identified. Managers oversee and regularly check children's learning journal records to ensure that they are up to date and that observations and tracking accurately reflect children's learning and progress. They use their knowledge, experience and skills to lead the staff team and continually enhance the already good practice. Through robust support systems, such as, role modelling,

p.7

provision

mentoring and coaching, makes sure staff are expertly guided to achieve the high aspirations of the managers and senior management team. All staff are passionate and fully committed to their work and the service they provide, and this is reflected in their enthusiasm and the enjoyment they demonstrate when interacting with the children. The self-evaluation system involves staff, parents and children and areas for development are clearly prioritised. Staff constantly evaluate their practice and the environment to ensure they continue to improve as they strive to provide the best possible care and education for all children.

p.7

provision

Staff fully understand that working closely with parents has a significant impact on children's learning and development. Partnerships with parents are strong. Children's learning journal records are shared with them and they access a wealth of information in the form of displays, photographs and regular newsletters. A great emphasis is placed on daily face-to-face communications, achieved through the meet-and-greet open door policy. Systems for effective working with local schools and external professionals are in place to provide continuity and consistency for children's care and learning. Reception class teachers are invited to visit the nursery to get to know the children and share their learning and development, which effectively supports children with the transition to school. Parents are highly complimentary about the nursery and staff and the care and education their children receive. They comment that children have made good progress

p.7

provision

since starting at the nursery, especially in their speech and language development and social skills. Parents state that children have a fantastic relationship with their key person and are confident that they are safe and secure.

p.7

The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY467905 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 949672 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 120 Number of children on roll 151 Name of provider Stockport Village Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 0161 4778855

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.10

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,

p.10

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’.

p.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11