Ryehills Farm Day Nursery

Ryehills Farm Day Nursery Northampton Road, West Haddon, Northampton, nn6 7as

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/03/2014 12/08/2013

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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

 The commitment to excellence continues to be evident throughout the nursery, with very high quality teaching, a robust approach to safeguarding and insightful leadership and management. This provides children with a memorable, inspiring and secure early years experience.  Partnership working with parents is a strength of the nursery. The strong relationships, which develop ensure that children's learning at home results in the provision of highly beneficial, consistent learning.  Children respond readily to practitioners who interact with them in warm, friendly tones, building affectionate, effective relationships. Children feel secure and their well- being is superbly promoted.  The inspirational early years professional has made a superb difference to the quality of teaching and as her expertise is shared across the nursery, all children are benefitting from enhanced learning opportunities, which recognise them as individual, independent

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This provision is outstanding

learners.  Children enjoy extensive opportunities for learning in a natural setting through the exceptional outdoor learning environments. They grow vegetables and fruit, enjoy forest school activities and engage in imaginative play as they go on a dinosaur hunt and create mud paintings.  Children engage deeply in the motivating and challenging activities on offer, developing their knowledge and understanding through the skilful support and timely interaction of practitioners who have a secure understanding of how they learn best.

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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 each of the rooms in use by children and the outdoor learning environments.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and deputy and met with other key practitioners during the inspection.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included in the nursery's recent survey.

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Information about the setting

Ryehills Farm Day Nursery was registered in 2009 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is privately owned and operates from a converted and extended, bungalow in a rural area close to the village of West Haddon, Northamptonshire. Core group rooms are all located at ground floor level. Each group has their own secure, enclosed outdoor play area as well as access to various parts of the extensive grounds.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, all year round with the exception of public holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 124 children in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 16 staff who work directly with the children. Of these, one holds Early Years Professional Status and the manager and deputy hold a qualification at level 4. All other members of staff, except for one, hold qualifications at level 3. One member of staff is level 2 qualified and is working towards a level 3. The nursery employs holiday staff and others working towards qualifications, including modern apprentices. They are a member of the National Day Nursery Association.

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

 embed the new computerised system for tracking and monitoring children's learning and development to further enhance children's progress towards the early learning goals.

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who attend

Throughout the nursery, children are offered an extensive range of activities and experiences designed to support their specific learning styles and needs. All practitioners demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and employ a wide range of teaching strategies to help children learn effectively. Skilful use of children's emerging interests enables them to plan a balanced range of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Children's opinions, thoughts and ideas are also used to ensure their learning takes account of preferred learning styles and practitioners differentiate activities to take account of their age and stage of development. Observations are instantly captured on the newly introduced computerised system for assessing children's progress. This ensures children's learning is accurately tracked and monitored throughout their time at the nursery. Practitioners take photographs of children

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who attend

as they participate in activities, which are uploaded to become observations linked to the areas of learning. This enables them to accurately assess children's next steps in their learning. They concentrate effectively on the prime areas of learning with younger children. Consequently, children make impressive progress from their initial starting points, with any gaps closing rapidly. Within each of the nursery base rooms, children have free access to an extensive range of quality resources, which offer them motivating, highly enjoyable activities.

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who attend

Babies are offered sensitive, nurturing care and practitioners bring lively enthusiasm and gentle humour to their interactions with them. Careful thought is given to how to offer these very young children learning experiences, which support their emerging interests and love of learning. For example, babies explore innovative sensory activities as they handle fresh herbs. They pick them up and squeeze them in their hands, releasing the distinctive aromas of mint, rosemary, oregano and chives. Their senses develop further as they spend time in the sensory room, taking in the various lights strung about the room. They listen to the soft music playing and experience new and varied textures as they explore the many treasure baskets. Practitioners encourage their emerging speech as they talk to them about their play, or offer initial sounds and single words. Babies gather in a cosy corner as a practitioner reads a favourite first book with them and an older baby

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who attend

sitting next to them 'reads' their own copy of the same book. Toddlers engage readily in activities planned to suit their developing awareness and encourage them to develop early learning skills. These young, active learners free flow between the indoor and outdoor learning environments, busily investigating the wide variety of activities on offer. Children visit the bubbly water tray where they tip, pour and refill different containers to operate the water wheel. They enjoy time spent with a practitioner at the sand tray as they scoop sand to fill trucks and copy the practitioner to create marks in the sand with their fingers. These language rich activities encourage them to use associated vocabulary as the practitioner introduces new words.

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who attend

Children hear the music playing in an adjacent play area and spontaneously move their bodies in time to the music, having fun with the practitioner who joins in with them. They are encouraged to think and learn more as the practitioner asks them where the music is coming from, gently guiding their thoughts as they look around trying to work this out. Practitioners in the pre-school room use their considerable knowledge and experience to provide children with inspiring activities, which take account of their individual interests and capabilities. For example, children have recently shown increased interest in stories and fairy tales. The door to the room welcomes children and parents into their 'fairy-tale room' and the entire room reflects this sphere of interest, which has garnered children's interest for a number of weeks. Children's work adorns the walls as they create displays of the fairy tales they have studied, with props to offer an additional dimension to the effect

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who attend

created. The current fairy tale of 'Goldilocks and the three bears' offers children a range of innovative activities. Children are engrossed as they 'feed' their bears porridge of differing consistencies and learn new words, such as 'dry', 'sticky' and 'lumpy'. Practitioners encourage them to speculate and test their ideas, as they work out how much water to add to the oats in their bowls. Children learn simple mathematics as they link numbers on the table to how many bowls there are or discuss the comparative sizes of the three bears miniature chairs also provided. Children discover the difference between hot, warm and cold porridge as they test it in the tuff tray outside and have fun role playing the story in the bears' house. Children develop their imagination and express their ideas as they dress as fairy tale characters creating their own scenarios. Practitioners deliver teaching that enables children to develop valuable skills for their future learning. For example, they

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who attend

create a character called 'Munching Mike' whose nose lights up when children recognise the correct phonic sound and post the corresponding letter or picture into his mouth. This enables children of differing ages and abilities to take part. The careful attention paid to children's individual progress ensures that all children are superbly catered for. Of particular note is the work done to support gifted children and those with September birthdays who narrowly miss going to school.

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who attend

Practitioners liaise very effectively with parents and external professionals, such as the local authority, early years settings and local schools to ensure that children receive a consistent experience. Parents are involved successfully in their children's learning as they respond to the regular updates they receive online; via newsletters sent by e-mail and strategies they share with their child's key person. Links with the local school are superb and practitioners accompany children on five separate visits before the transfer to begin their formal education. Other receiving schools are invited to come into the setting and meet children who will be joining them and key persons play an important role in supporting children during these visits too.

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

Children settle easily at the nursery as practitioners offer them individualised settling-in arrangements. These can be spread across as many sessions as a child needs and practitioners secure comprehensive information to support their needs. Each key person has a secondary key person, who steps in if ever they are away, offering children additional security. The detailed 'All about me' form completed as children enter the nursery provides a thorough insight into their development to date, interests and preferences. Practitioners' use of this information to support children in their early days at the nursery is exemplary and children settle easily as a result. Equal importance is attached to children's moves within the nursery. Both the outgoing and new key person meets with the child's parents to discuss their progress. Key persons accompany children until they feel settled in their new room and the gradual move is timed to suit children's

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

individual needs, ensuring their emotional well-being is superbly promoted. For example, to ensure they do not coincide with significant changes in a child's home life, helping to provide stability for them. Medical and dietary needs are taken account of and practitioners follow children's individual routines. Consequently, these happy, confident children form secure attachments and feel highly valued as individuals.

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

Children throughout the nursery develop strong interpersonal skills during their time here. They are nurtured and feel valued as they see their work reflected within the environment, and practitioners listen to them and take account of their views and opinions. For example, a display adorns the stairway, showing children's representations of their favourite new film, including the words they have used. Babies receive affectionate care and are encouraged to explore their environment. Toddlers thrive through the familiar daily routines they follow and the growing freedom they experience to explore and try things for themselves. All children make excellent use of both the continuous provision and the stimulating, well-resourced learning environments they are offered. Children behave very well and feel secure through the consistent approach taken by practitioners. They develop good manners and learn social skills as practitioners teach them how and

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

when to use them. Practitioners are motivated, enthusiastic and interact skilfully with children knowing when to intervene to support learning and when to stand back. Through the range of strategies used, children learn to care for and respect their peers and the nursery environment.

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

Practitioners are attentive to children's developing health. Children eat nutritious, balanced, freshly cooked meals and much produce is organically grown on-site. Through thoughtfully planned activities, children become aware of how foods grow and how exercise contributes to their overall well-being. All children, including babies benefit from play and learning in the fresh air daily. The stimulating and unique outdoor learning environments offer children superb outdoor learning experiences. Forest school trained practitioners deliver teaching, which inspires children, such as mud painting and dinosaur hunts. Children feed the ducks and chickens and collect the eggs, which are sold to parents to fund their feed. They know they need to wear their 'wellies' and wash their hands well after they have done so, thereby, learning valuable lessons for life about hygiene and cleanliness. They enjoy growing cucumbers and tomatoes in the greenhouse

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

and year round gardening is available through the new poly tunnel. Children eat the onions, leeks and courgettes they grow as the nursery cook makes them leek and potato soup and moussaka with courgettes in place of aubergines. Nature walks through the field, which the nursery owns, offer exhilarating opportunities for children to collect and study natural objects. The newly formed bridges, hill and undulations in the garden offer children fun and additional risk and challenge. They enjoy playing 'trip, trap, trot' across the bridge, as they enact the story of the 'Billy Goats Gruff' as part of their fairy story topic. Mealtimes are social occasions and practitioners sit with the children as they eat. Children become increasingly independent as they grow. For example, they serve themselves with their meals and snacks, help tidy away their plates and beakers and wipe the tables clean after they have finished. Children learn to dress themselves for outdoor

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

play and take responsibility for their personal hygiene. Even young children are taught skills, such as helping to tidy toys away and sweeping up with the dustpan and brush to help them learn to keep themselves and others, safe. During the summer term, before children leave for school, activities offered further promote their readiness for this new experience. Practitioners teach children to listen attentively, put their hands up to be heard and children meet their new teachers. Practitioners maintain close liaison with children's parents as children transfer to new settings or school to further ensure they feel supported.

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provision

The manager and deputy work exceptionally well together. They demonstrate a continuing commitment to the provision of the highest quality care and learning for children in their care. Together, with excellent support from the nursery owners and the dedication of the team as a whole, the nursery delivers an outstanding service. The manager and deputy have a comprehensive understanding of their responsibilities to meet the learning and development requirements and closely monitor planning and development records to ensure children make excellent progress. Practitioners' focus plans exceptionally well on children's individual learning needs using their knowledge of child development and in- house expertise. The recently introduced on-line programme for tracking children's progress has been welcomed by practitioners, both for the time it saves and for the detailed reporting it provides. Parents also value its introduction as it offers them instant

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provision

access to their child's day and learning record. However, it is still being embedded in practice to ensure practitioners can make full use of all it offers.

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provision

The manager oversees the well organised, effective and professional continuous development programme, which ensures the quality of teaching continually improves. Practitioners are keen to update their skills and are confident in managers that their training needs are always met. Responsibility for professional supervision is shared between the manager and deputy and is based on their joint assessment of staff practice. This is consistently checked and monitored to ensure children receive high quality teaching. Child protection, food hygiene and first aid training are renewed on a continuous cycle ensuring that all practitioners remain up to date with current good practice. The comprehensive, routinely updated suite of policies and procedures are revisited regularly with the staff team, who all show a clear understanding of their responsibilities. This is particularly true of safeguarding: all practitioners are confident about the procedure to be

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provision

followed should they have any concerns about a child in their care. Risk assessments also promote children's safety as they are thorough and are given high priority. The premises are extremely secure with coded access to the nursery and external cameras at each exit. Visitors show identification and a record is kept. Practitioners take positive steps to minimise hazards. Throughout the nursery, they are highly motivated and create a safe, attractive and stimulating learning environment where children make rapid progress.

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provision

Practitioners know individual children exceptionally well and are aware of the progress of particular cohorts. This enables them to ensure that all children receive targeted teaching and make rapid progress and that gaps in learning are narrowed. Recruitment procedures, which follow safer recruitment guidelines, ensure that those appointed are eminently suited to their roles. Tailored inductions are offered for apprentices, students and practitioners: all are subject to a probationary period to further ensure their suitability. Annual appraisals and mid-year reviews means that practitioners feel valued and supported. Consequently, they work exceptionally well as individual teams and as a nursery as a whole. Parents are viewed as children's primary educators and practitioners work closely with them, welcoming them into their child's experience at the nursery. Careful attention is paid to offering parents feedback in whichever way suits them best

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provision

and daily feedback is friendly and detailed. Together, with regular three monthly progress meetings, parents are offered plentiful opportunity to discuss any emerging issues and are kept superbly informed of their child's progress. Parents speak highly of the nursery, saying they 'provide outstanding care and support in an amazing location' and many comment on how much they value the importance placed on children as unique, individual learners and the attention paid to internal transitions.

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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 EY379904 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 954979

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 81 Number of children on roll 124 Name of provider Climbing High Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 12/08/2013 Telephone number 01788 510333

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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

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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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