Learning Tree Nursery

Learning Tree Nursery 200 Kirkby Road, SUTTON-IN-ASHFIELD, Nottinghamshire, NG17 1GP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/03/2014 24/04/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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 making good progress in all areas of learning due to the competence of staff and their commitment to all within their care.  Staff have an excellent understanding of their roles and responsibilities in regard to the safeguarding and welfare requirements, including child protection issues.  Effective monitoring is carried out with regards to planning and assessment to ensure all children's needs are well-met and early intervention is available should it be required.  The manager is highly committed within her role ensuring the setting goes from strength to strength and works closely with all staff to ensure this.  Children have access to a wide range of quality resources and stimulating activities and experiences as they learn through play.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities for children to experiment further and extend their experiences of writing for a purpose are not fully enhanced within imaginative role play areas.  There is room to extend conversations between staff and children by consistently following the children's lead, in order for them to fully engage with adults and share their experiences and ideas.

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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 observed activities in the playrooms and outdoor areas.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the owners, manager and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the setting, and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

The Learning Tree Nursery was registered in 2000. It is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a converted house in the Sutton-in-Ashfield area of Nottinghamshire. It is one of seven nurseries and is family owned. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 17 members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an appropriate qualification at level 5, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 4, seven have qualifications at level 3, three have qualifications at level 2 and three are unqualified. The senior management team have qualifications at level 4 and level 5 and the owner holds Early Years Professional Status and also Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7am until 6pm all year round and only closes during bank holidays. Children attend for a variety

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Information about the setting

of sessions. There are currently 87 children attending who are in the early years age group. Five children attend who are older. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, 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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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 explore ways in which to enhance and promote experiences of writing for a purpose; for example, through providing writing materials within imaginative role play areas

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

 follow children's lead in conversations consistently in order for them to fully engage with adults and share their own experiences and ideas.

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who attend

Children are provided with a good range of activities and experiences which support their development across all the areas of learning. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and take great care to ensure that children's individual needs and interests are known and catered for. Children are settled and feel secure in the setting. Therefore, they enjoy attending and are motivated and enthusiastic to engage in the activities and experiences provided. Communication and language are encouraged with all the children and they receive lots of praise and encouragement from the experienced staff. This builds on children's confidence and self- esteem. Children who have English as an additional language are well-supported as staff learn frequently used words in each child's home language. Staff use these to support children throughout the day. Books in dual languages support children's literacy

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who attend

development. The key person system is very effective in establishing positive partnerships with parents to support children's all round development. Parents contribute to the initial assessment of their children's starting points on entry and share information on their child's individual needs, likes and dislikes. Staff use this information effectively and due to this, know all children well. This ensures every child makes good progress and their individual needs are effectively met.

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who attend

Opportunities for outdoor and physical play are very good as children have daily access to the well-appointed outdoor area. They run and climb using a wide range of equipment to support this. Children enjoy digging and being creative as they explore nature in the vegetable area. Others concentrate as they paint on the fence with water to develop gross motor coordination and pre-writing skills with a variety of writing materials. Large gymnastic balls are rolled by babies as they practise standing and walking while under the watchful eye of staff. Staff play actively with the children playing hide and seek and chasing each other around the garden. Children have access to a wide range of books and print is used effectively inside and outside the setting to develop children's recognition of letters and simple words. Children are able to access writing materials to make marks and develop early writing skills. However, opportunities for older children to experiment and

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who attend

further develop early writing skills are not fully enhanced within role play areas. This means children do not get the chance to make lists and practise early writing in purposeful situations as frequently as they could. There are planning systems in place to ensure children have experiences across all areas of learning as well as being able to initiate their own ideas in their play. Staff have good systems in place to assess children's learning and development and use supporting documents to identify and appropriately plan for the next steps in their learning.

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who attend

Children enjoy sharing books and listen to stories both in group sessions and individually with staff in the comfortable and inviting book area. This further enhances their understanding of early literacy skills and the importance of caring for books. Children sit well and revel in the adult-led story session. They patiently await their turn and delight as they each choose a listening glove and match similarities with the buttons and ribbons sewn onto the gloves their friends have chosen. Listening gloves are used to give children a resource to fiddle with to support them in developing their concentration. Children listen and join in at appropriate times with repetitive sentences in the familiar story. However, staff do not always take the opportunity to listen to children's ideas and follow their lead in conversations. Children sing and learn about counting and number as they sing well- known rhymes and songs alongside dedicated and enthusiastic staff. Such group activities

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who attend

help them learn skills for their move to school or the next step in their learning. Children are encouraged to choose their own activities and to move around freely within each room. They are confident to look on the low-level units to choose the items they want to explore. Staff sit with the children during their activities and they understand how to ask them questions that contribute to their ongoing interests. For example, children enjoy playing imaginatively with the doctors dressing-up resources and happily engage with staff as they put bandages and plasters on each other. Staff allow children to explore with the resources on offer and praise children effectively. Trips out into the local area and to the nearby school help and promote their understanding of the community around them.

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

Children are supported well as they make the move from home to starting at the setting. Their individual needs are consistently well-considered and reflect the needs of the children and parents at this time. Consequently, children settle well and form secure attachments to their key person and staff. As a result, they are confident and motivated in their play and learning and there emotional well-being is secure. Staff review what they enjoy and the resources used, to provide activities that engage and further their interests. They promote an inclusive environment where all children can develop and make good progress. Staff work effectively as a team and know the children and their differing needs well. They respond sensitively to them, to enable them to express how they feel. For example, during circle time the children sing a song to reflect how they are feeling. Children are aware of the basic rules in the setting including being kind to each other, to

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

share and take turns, as staff consistently give gentle reminders. This approach reflects on the children's behaviour, which is good, because they feel secure. Staff are thoughtful and understanding and children feel safe and comfortable within their care. This effectively promotes their sense of belonging.

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

The setting has good partnerships with the local school and information is shared to effectively support children as they move on. This ensures continuity in their learning and development. Staff discuss with the children their understanding of safety issues. For example, children are reminded why it is not safe to run indoors and staff explain the dangers of this should they fall. The setting provides healthy snacks and drinks for the children. Menu details are displayed for parents and allergies are displayed in each room to ensure staff are kept aware of these. Good hygiene practices are managed with all the children, such as hand washing, and they learn why this is important.

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

Well-implemented policies and procedures, such as fire evacuation procedures also contribute to children's good health. Children have many opportunities to access fresh air and to promote their physical development through the well-resourced outdoor area. Sheltered areas and safety surfacing are in place to further enhance children's safety and well-being whilst outdoors. Children are cared for appropriately following any accidents and staff deal sensitively with any injuries they have. Records are kept of any accidents, as are records of medicines given and these are shared with parents. All staff have received appropriate training on routines to follow if a medical emergency arises and hold paediatric first aid qualifications. In addition, clear procedures are in place to make sure that nappy changing is completed to meet the individual needs of the children.

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provision

The manager has a very good understanding of her roles and responsibilities regarding the Early Years Foundation Stage. Safeguarding arrangements are well-established and all staff within the setting have completed safeguarding training as part of their induction and ongoing professional development. All staff have a good understanding of steps to take and who to contact should they have a safeguarding concern. Staff are vetted and comprehensive induction procedures are in place to ensure their suitability. As part of the induction process all newly appointed staff are made aware of the policies and procedures and their understanding is checked during supervision. Staff access training to ensure their continued professional development and knowledge. The setting implements robust risk assessments, which ensures a child-friendly and safe environment for children to play in and explore with confidence. Staff assess all areas on a daily basis and remain constantly

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provision

vigilant to potential hazards. In addition, the close working partnerships between staff ensures the levels of supervision are consistently high.

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provision

Planning for children's needs is clear and effectively linked to their next steps in learning. The educational programme is monitored well to ensure children make good progress in their learning. Practice within the setting is monitored well by the manager and regular supervision meetings are held to ensure information is shared. The management team work closely together to identify the strengths of the setting and areas for future improvements. The manager has prepared a detailed self-evaluation document, which shows the setting's strengths and highlights areas in which they plan to adapt, develop or change. Parent contributions regarding improvements and their comments and ideas are greatly valued and used to further enhance the setting. The manager ensures children's interests and suggestions are embedded throughout the setting. There are appropriate procedures for dealing with concerns raised by parents and this also supports ongoing

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provision

The setting welcomes help and support from a number of other agencies as required to ensure children's individual needs are met. Children with additional learning needs are well-cared for and staff work closely with all involved to produce individual education plans to ensure all children are included fully into the setting and make good progress. Partnerships with parents are strong and they are encouraged to fully contribute to meeting their children's needs. Parents' evenings are held and parents are invited into the setting regularly to look at their child's learning file and to comment on their progress. Parents speak about how the staff take excellent care of the children and the good progress children make at the setting. Others discuss how several of their children have attended over the years and how the setting is held in very high regard within the local community.

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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 258584 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 954507

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 46 Number of children on roll 93 Name of provider Childcare (UK) Ltd Date of previous inspection 24/04/2013 Telephone number 01623 552144

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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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