The Old Station Nursery Harpole

Harpole Day Nursery 47 Carrs Way, Harpole, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN7 4BZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/04/2014 04/03/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The environment is well planned, rich and stimulating, which motivates children to learn.  Children feel safe and secure in the environment because staff develop strong relationships and support children through transitional periods. Partnerships with parents are positive.  Staff plan effectively for children's individual needs and interests, which is aided by a successful key person system, resulting in the children making good progress.  Children are kept safe in the nursery. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding and keep the environment safe and secure.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are fewer opportunities for children to be suitably independent, especially at mealtimes, therefore the chance to develop their skills is not fully optimised.  Monitoring of daily staff practice by management is not fully embedded, resulting in inconsistences with regard to nappy changing and cleaning of toys.  Monitoring of staff's understanding and abilities to plan, assess and progress the children's individual needs and learning is not fully implemented.

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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 had a tour of the nursery and observed activities in the three rooms used.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager of the provision and the regional manager, and spoke to staff throughout the inspection when appropriate.  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 staff working with children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Harpole Day Nursery opened in 2005 and is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register. The setting is privately owned and managed. It operates from three rooms within a single-storey building in the village of Harpole, Northamptonshire. The nursery serves the local area and has developed strong links with local schools. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. There are currently 66 children on roll who are within the early years age group, some of whom receive funding for early years provision. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It opens five days a week all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, 10 hold appropriate early years qualifications and the manager holds Early Years Professional Status. The setting receives support from the

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

 strengthen the monitoring of staff's implementation with of nursery procedures, including nappy changing and the maintenance and cleaning of toys

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

 extend the monitoring of staff's assessments, observations, planning and practice for their individual children's learning and development to ensure continual progress is being made, including observations carried out by the nursery manager

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

 provide children with opportunities to become independent at snack and meal times, for example, by serving themselves and pouring their own drinks. Support younger children to use appropriate cutlery and cups, allowing them to learn and develop skills to aid independence while continually promoting the use of manners.

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who attend

Throughout the nursery staff have a strong understanding of the learning and development requirements. Consequently, children are acquiring the necessary skills that they need to be ready for school. Staff use their in-depth knowledge of the children within their key group to plan individually, providing activities and opportunities to develop their skills and extend their learning. Children make relevant and continual progress in line with their age and stage of development. Staff ensure that activities cover all areas of learning, both indoors and outside. Observations are conducted and recorded and are supported by photographs and the child's work, which feeds into the planning and provides the next steps to extend learning. Parents are encouraged to look at their child's profile and have discussions with the key person at any time. Loose arrangements are in place to track and monitor children's progress. However, these have not fully been embedded to maximise

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who attend

Resources and activities are set up to allow all children easy access. They cover all areas of learning and include painting with different types of brushes, sticking and the use of scissors, and some mathematical games. The children have a large role play area which is currently set up as a space centre. Children are actively engaged in play and have previously made a robot. Staff are positioned within the area to help extend the learning with carefully considered questions and actions. This helps to promote children's imagination and thinking skills. Children have access to a computer with a large keyboard and a new colourful mouse; they are very excited about this and are eager to show the staff and other children. This shows that they have an interest in the environment around them. They continue to use the computer with ease, confidence and skill, independently selecting what games they want to play. This helps to develop their awareness of

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who attend

everyday technology. Children enjoy time when they sing as a group, and this is shown through laughter and smiling. Staff members show enthusiasm and encouragement, which enables the children to join in with action songs. During singing, staff members ask the children what their favourite songs are. When the children reply, the staff start singing the chosen songs. This helps the children to feel empowered, grow their self-esteem and feel part of the group. Children have access to a variety of mark-making tools which include chunky chalks. Staff use these to extend children's learning. For example, a child is standing at the chalk boards and the member of staff draws a picture of the child. She asks questions which include 'How many eyes do you have?' and 'Do you have curly hair or straight hair?' The child engages with the staff member and they then continue to draw a picture of the child's mother, which the child is excited about. Staff use open-ended

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who attend

questions to help develop the children's communication and language skills and give them the time and space to think about their answers or the questions they may want to ask. Staff listen to the children's ideas and thoughts, and role model the formats of holding conversations, including body language and eye contact.

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who attend

Members of staff know the children well and are able to use strategies, such as distraction, when children are unsettled. For example, children are taken on a hunt to find the frogspawn within the garden. A staff member shows great enthusiasm, actively engaging all the children, especially a child who is unsettled prior to the activity. She asks questions while on the hunt, such as 'Is it on the strawberry plant?' The children shout in excitement their reply, 'No', and this continues until the frogspawn is found. The member of staff continues the activity by asking questions about the frogspawn and what happens to the tadpoles. The member of staff exemplifies good practice and shows the impact of positive interactions and strong relationships when children are unsettled.

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who attend

Arrangements are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. Staff work closely with parents to collect information and starting points which will help the child settle into nursery. They have access to specialist equipment to ensure that children can use all areas of the nursery, and aid them to be as independent as possible within the environment. Staff understand that support from outside agencies can help the child's development and know how to access this if it is needed. For example, children with identified special educational needs are observed and individual educational plans are put in place with set targets. Staff then monitor these to see if the input from outside agencies is needed.

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

Children and parents are at the forefront of the settling-in process, and the chance for parents and children to visit and play in the nursery is a priority. The parents have opportunities to meet the staff who will care for their child, especially the key person. They are invited into the nursery for stay and play sessions. Additional visits during the settling-in process include parents completing in-depth paperwork regarding their child's likes, dislikes and achievements. Children are encouraged to play within the room with staff and other children for short periods of time. During a child's time at nursery, information is given on their daily activities. These include all elements of care; for example, nappy changes, sleep times and amount of food they have eaten. Parents value the sharing of this information at the end of the day and state that is gives them things to talk to their children about during their time at home. Transitions for children throughout

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

the nursery are managed with the same importance. Staff explain that the children move rooms for an eight week period at different points during the day so they feel confident and at ease with the new routine and staff when the transition is permanent. Parental contributions in the child's learning and thoughts and ideas for the nursery are very important. The nursery has set up various different methods to try and gain this information. This includes a blog which is password protected, forums, newsletters, questionnaires and parents' evenings, which happen at different times of the year.

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

Children feel relaxed and confident within the nursery environment and are aware of what is expected of them in terms of behaviour. A child is eager to show the inspector the behaviour chart on the pre-school room wall. He is able to describe in detail the different stages of the chart and then talk through the nursery rules, which he states he helped make. This shows that staff have high expectations of the children, who understand the rules. This is because the staff have actively involved them and discussed in detail the expectations and consequences.

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

Children have the opportunity to move freely between indoors and outdoors throughout the day to enjoy fresh air and exercise. The babies have a fenced off section of the garden, which enables them to use the space when they want regardless of the activities of the other children. If it is quieter outside the babies and toddlers are encouraged to use the whole of the outside area with supervision. The nursery has obtained a healthy eating award for the second year running and employs a cook who prepares a variety of home- made, nutritional meals for the children. It is evident that the children enjoy these foods from witnessing mealtimes. The parents have also told staff that the children enjoy the cooking. This has resulted in the cook sharing recipes so they can be recreated at home. The nursery has a robust system in place to minimise the risk of food allergies and cross- contamination. This was first implemented due to a high number of children with

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

specialised dietary requirements. These have since decreased but the nursery still follows this system. Mealtimes are social occasions and staff members sit with the children and sometimes eat with them, making conversations around what they have been doing in the morning. However, manners and the use of utensils are sometimes not promoted as often as needed, and opportunities for older children to become fully independent are not maximised. For instance, during snack and meal times staff dish up the food and spread toast themselves at the tea trolley, rather than encouraging children to do this independently. In addition, children are not encouraged to take responsibility for cleaning away their plates and cups. Water is available for the children all day in labelled sports bottles, which are also used at lunchtime. Therefore, the opportunity for the children to pour their own drinks is unavailable. As a result, learning opportunities are lost and the

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

skills to develop independence are not fully maximised. Babies are encouraged to use spoons and drink from beakers with lids. The opportunities to use different utensils, such as forks and knives, are hampered. Staff say that the opportunity to learn the skills to drink from a beaker without a lid is usually only promoted before the child moves to the next room at approximately two years of age.

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

Standards of cleanliness within the changing areas are good. A range of different facilities are used. These include a pull-down changing unit for the babies, a changing mat on the floor for older children, a toilet, potty and training toilet seat. Staff have access to gloves, aprons and antibacterial spray which is used to wipe down the changing area surfaces. However, inconsistences in staff practice shows that not all staff are following the nursery procedure for changing nappies. This presents the potential for the spread of infection. Staff have good interactions with the children during this time, which helps them to feel at ease and relaxed. Older children are encouraged to develop appropriate hygiene routines and understand the importance of washing their hands after using the toilet and before mealtimes.

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provision

Safeguarding is given high priority in this nursery and staff are confident and able to talk about the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about a child. The nursery follows safe recruitment practices and all staff are vetted for suitability before being left to work alone with children. The premises are kept secure and all visitors are required to show identification and sign the visitor record book. Risk assessments ensure a safe environment.

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provision

An effective and well-established programme of in-house staff training is helping staff to continually improve their knowledge, understanding and practice. The nursery has undergone some management changes in the last six months, including the appointment of a new manager and the previous manager moving to a regional manager post. The new manager had an in-depth induction period lasting four weeks, however, support and guidance are always available. The manager has put into place a new planning system. This focuses the key person's attention on the children within their group, and planning is now completed on an individual basis. The manager is continuing to develop systems to monitor the effectiveness of these changes, which include the quality of teaching and learning and staff's practice. As a result of these changes not being fully embedded, some practice shows inconsistent implementation within the workforce. As a recently appointed

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provision

member of management has identified this issue, focus on spending time within the nursery observing staff practice and daily routines has been highlighted on the nursery action plan. The manager demonstrates she is enthusiastic and is committed to improve and develop the nursery as a whole. Self-reflection is used as a tool for the staff team to add their views and ideas for improvements and to highlight strengths. Parents' views are also used to contribute to the self-evaluation process, and these are gathered at different times throughout the year.

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provision

Management and staff have sound relationships with parents, while staff understand the importance of strong parent partnerships and the impact they have on children's learning and development. Staff and management have a good knowledge of outside agencies available to them to ensure that interventions needed to support a child are in place. Secure relationships are held with local schools, which help to ease the transitions in the summer term and provide continuity in the children's care and learning.

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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 EY310020 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 848985

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 33 Number of children on roll 66 Name of provider Bambino Ltd Date of previous inspection 04/03/2010 Telephone number 01604 830324

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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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