The Oaks Day Nursery

The Oaks Day Nursery The Oaks Day Nursery, Bristol Road, SELLY OAK, Birmingham, B29 6LG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/03/2014 14/07/2009

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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

 Staff are friendly and interact very well with children, demonstrating a genuine interest. As a result children, particularly babies, demonstrate that they feel safe and are developing very secure emotional bonds.  Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress given their starting points because of sensitive teaching and good partnerships with outside agencies.  Children are safe and secure within the nursery. All staff are confident in meeting their responsibilities to keep children safe.  Leadership is strong. The management and staff team are committed to improving the nursery in order to improve learning outcomes for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Occasionally staff are overly directive during activities and do not always extend children's learning by allowing them to complete activities freely, to enhance their development in all areas.  There is scope to obtain further information from parents about children's continued learning at home in order to secure an ongoing flow of information between the setting and all parents that further supports children's all round development.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the nursery and the outdoor play area.  The inspector held a joint observation with the Early Years Teacher.  The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at samples of children's assessment records, planning documentation, the nursery's self-evaluation and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children, staff and the manager at appropriate times throughout the day.

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Information about the setting

The Oaks Day Nursery is owned by the University of Birmingham and was registered in 2004. The setting is in two locations within the same vicinity, which are fully accessible to all children and their parents or carers. Each location has its own fully enclosed outdoor area. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, except for a few days at Christmas and Easter. Sessions are from 7.45am until 6.10pm. There are currently 201 children on roll in the early years range. Funding for early education is available for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. It supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 36 permanent members of childcare staff. One member of staff has Qualified Teacher Status. One member of staff holds Early Years Professional Status. Seven members of staff are qualified to degree level. 25 members of staff hold relevant childcare qualifications at level 3 and two members of staff hold level 2 qualifications.

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

 improve existing strategies to monitor the quality of teaching so that all staff are less directive and have a clear knowledge of the characteristics of effective learning, to secure the best possible outcomes for children

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

 improve the partnership with parents further to enhance the ongoing exchange of information relating to children's learning at home.

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who attend

Staff have a sound knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They use this knowledge to plan effectively across all seven areas of learning, both indoors and outdoors. This wide range of interesting activities means that children are engaged in their learning and make good and in some cases, rapid progress. Effective procedures are in place to observe, assess and plan for children's individual progress. Activities and opportunities are planned around the children's interests and their next steps in development. All children benefit from the attention of staff who are enthusiastic, energetic and make learning fun. However, on occasions, staff overly direct children during activities. Consequently, children are not always able to follow their own interests and some learning opportunities are missed. Children's language and communication skills are extended by knowledgeable staff who use a range of open-ended questions. Babies

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who attend

are supported particularly well by experienced and knowledgeable staff who provide age- appropriate activities for development. As a result, first steps are taken tentatively and valuable language skills are emerging.

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who attend

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive beneficial levels of support from staff who are very knowledgeable about their individual needs and circumstances. Staff place a high priority on building the foundations for children's early reading skills in readiness for their next stage in their learning. For example, children enjoy interesting activities, such as listening to stories through wireless headphones, and engaging in rhyming activities based on a letters and sounds phonics programme. Children have opportunities to learn about letter sounds as they chat about words that begin with certain letters. Children sit and listen to group stories and participate in repeating rhymes and staff read stories exceptionally well. Children's natural curiosity and interest is stimulated as they observe builders removing a tunnel from the play area. Staff skilfully introduce a variety of construction materials to the outdoor area to promote physical and

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who attend

imaginative skills. As a result, the children pretend to be builders and engage in sustained play and learning opportunities. When the area is cleared and seeds planted, staff challenge the children to explain what it is that seeds need in order to grow and children confidently answer 'rain and sun'. Children love to explore the properties of sand and water, using a range of equipment to sustain their interest, such as pots, spades and a variety of containers and sieves. Staff use a range of questions and comments to promote mathematical development and children use mathematical language spontaneously in their play. For example, children say 'i've got three, like me, i'm three'. Older children count fish as they play in the water, closely supported by staff who repeat numbers and encourage children to join in. Children develop an understanding of growth over time, as they observe the seeds transformation to grass seedlings and eventual grass. Children use

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who attend

technology confidently as they select educational programmes on the interactive whiteboard.

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who attend

Parents are very happy with their children's progress at the nursery and say the staff encourage them to take home their children's learning journeys to look at and add to. A recent parents' evening was attended by many parents and staff chat daily about children's learning as parents drop off or collect their children. Staff take steps to include parents in more formal updates, such as the progress check at age two and the completion of summaries as children start school. Dedicated staff work hard to welcome and engage all families in improving opportunities for their children's learning and development. For example, parents recently gave up part of their weekend to help clear the forest school area and a wide range of open-ended resources have been donated by parents for the children to use during creative activities.

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

Staff at the nursery are friendly and enthusiastic and effectively create a comfortable and welcoming environment. A buddy key person system is well-embedded and information about children is effectively shared amongst the staff. They have formed warm and affectionate relationships and attachments with children who feel secure in their care. Robust settling-in procedures mean that staff have time to foster close bonds and share meaningful information with children and their parents when they first start. This helps to ensure that children settle well because any likes, dislikes and needs have been identified through the process and catered for during their initial sessions. Staff are good role models, they show respect for children and each other. This helps children to learn to respect and tolerate each other's differences. The behaviour displayed by children throughout the nursery is impeccable. Behaviour management strategies are effective and

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

are consistently applied. Staff constantly praise children's achievements, which helps them to build confidence and develop self-esteem. For example, they are given stickers for good work, which children proudly show their peers.

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

The outdoor environment, including a forest school area, is extremely well-resourced, vibrant and exciting. This offers children the opportunity to explore a natural environment, be more physically active and take managed risks. For example, children climb small earth mounds and laugh excitedly as they roll down, supporting each other by holding hands companionably. This helps to foster children's emotional development as they learn how to take care of others.

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

Lunch time is a relaxing occasion where staff sit with the children and chat pleasantly about food they like or dislike. This ensures children learn about healthy eating and develop good hygiene habits. Staff are well informed of children's dietary requirements and have clear procedures in place to ensure their good health and well-being. Children are encouraged to keep themselves safe, for example, as they help to clean tables. Staff are effective in helping children prepare for moves within the setting and into the new schools so they feel happy and secure. Children have the opportunity to spend time in their new rooms to enable them to become confident with new staff and surroundings. This in turn helps children gain confidence and familiarity. Comprehensive information about each child is shared with their new school and teachers are invited to visit them in the nursery. These strategies help the children feel confident when they ultimately

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provision

Children's welfare is of utmost priority within the nursery as the management team fully understand their responsibilities under the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Comprehensive safer recruitment procedures are in place, which help to keep children safe. All staff members are checked rigorously to ensure that they are suitable to work within the setting. All staff attend regular updated safeguarding training and subsequently, have a good understanding of how to keep children safe from harm. Staff are clear on child protection procedures and who they should report any concerns to. Risk assessments of the indoor and outdoor areas are completed on a daily basis. Robust policies and procedures are in place, which help to support children's well-being.

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provision

The management implements regular, good supervision opportunities for staff to discuss any issues concerning children's development or well-being. Staff effectively identify training needs and secure frequent opportunities for professional development. For example, the staff team have recently attended training in Makaton sign language and have introduced it to children in all rooms. This means that children are learning about different ways to communicate. Parents comment 'my child does the signs at home'. Staff can approach management at any time and have regular staff meetings to discuss any issues around the children they care for. This in turn, helps to ensure that staff support children's individual needs. Inclusive practice is very successful. Highly effective provision is in place to secure timely support for children with special educational needs and /or disabilities to ensure they achieve well. Well-established multi agency links provide

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provision

extensive access to specialist knowledge, skills and resources.

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provision

The management have recently introduced a range of initiatives to encourage more parents to contribute to their child's learning journey. For example, one innovative strategy encourages parents to share details of learning at home by providing comments and photographs through a private social media site. However, this initiative is in its infancy and currently, information about children's learning at home is not as well-shared between parents and the nursery. As a result, staffs' ongoing ability to support children's interests and learning is not based on the most comprehensive picture of the child.

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provision

The leadership and management team have effective systems to evaluate their provision and practice. These help them to inform the nursery's priorities and drive improvement. They conduct a thorough self-evaluation to create action plans and set targets for improvement in the outcomes for children. For example, they have implemented a new tracking system to identify any gaps in learning. As a result, plans have been put in place to increase some children's access to technological and mathematical activities. The nursery also values parents' views and fully takes account of them to help drive improvement in their partnership working and care of the children. For example, parents are invited to complete an online survey and the results are used to inform future improvements. A range of information is provided for parents, which includes the nursery's policies and procedures and regular newsletters. This helps everyone be aware of their

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provision

responsibilities and what is happening in the nursery. Parents are very happy with the care and learning provided for their children. Parents comment that staff are 'great' and 'friendly' and this means that their children enjoy their time at the nursery.

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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 EY286105 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 861240

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 120 Number of children on roll 201 Name of provider University of Birmingham Date of previous inspection 14/07/2009 Telephone number 0121 4147999

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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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