Napley Lodge Farm Day Nursery

Napley Lodge Farm Nursery Napley Lodge Farm, Mucklestone Road, Norton-in-Hales, Market Drayton, Shropshire, TF9 4AL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/04/2014 09/03/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Children are sociable, courteous and well behaved. They understand the importance of being kind and considerate to each other and share and take turns during play. Praise and encouragement from staff ensures children feel secure and included. This promotes children's social and emotional well-being.  Children enjoy the stimulating environment. There is a wide range of resources and facilities which children are keen to explore and investigate.  Partnerships with parents ensure a smooth transition between home and the nursery.

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It is not yet good because

 The safeguarding policy does not always reflect practice when using mobile phones on outings or clarify at what point an investigation is carried out if there is an allegation against a member of staff. As a result, staff are not always supported in their roles and responsibilities by up-to-date policies.  Children's assessments are not always carried out frequently enough or monitored consistently. This means that parents are not always consulted or accurately informed of their child's progress.  The monitoring of staff's knowledge, understanding and performance is not fully effective. Consequently, teaching practice is variable across the nursery.

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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 play and learning activities and spoke to staff and children in the indoor learning environment.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of children's assessment files and progress tracking information and spoke to the key person.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a meeting with the manager and registered person. She looked at and discussed a range of policies and procedures.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Napley Lodge Farm Day Nursery was registered in 2005 and is privately owned. It operates from converted barns situated in a working dairy farm in the village of Norton-in- Hales, near Market Drayton. Children are cared for in two separate buildings which have two floors. The nursery serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round except for bank holidays, from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children have access to individual enclosed outdoor play areas and a forest school area. There are currently 92 children on roll, of whom 50 are in the early years age group. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language. There are currently 10 staff working directly with the

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Information about the setting

children, who all have an appropriate early years qualification. Of these, one has Early Years Professional Status, seven hold early years qualifications to level 3 and two are qualified to level 2. The setting receives support from the local authority and is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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must:

 update the safeguarding policy so it fully reflects practice when using mobile phones on outings and clarifies the procedures for carrying out an investigation should there be an allegation against a member of staff

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must:

 develop a robust system to ensure all assessments are monitored to ensure parents are given regular information about their child's progress across all seven areas of learning and ensure management regularly review the quality and content, so that they are confident that staff are knowledgeable and understand the process

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must:

 review and access procedures for monitoring staff performance to ensure all staff have appropriate training, skills and knowledge to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.

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who attend

Staff offer a welcoming and stimulating environment for children. They recognise that children learn through play and therefore, provide a broad range of interesting activities, which engage and capture children's interests. The nursery is set amongst a farm and this enables children to observe their natural surroundings. The outdoor learning environment is well equipped and children benefit from forest school outings, tending to their own gardening plot and observing chickens in an outdoor coop. The pre-school room displays words in Polish to support children with whom English is an additional language. Staff use Makaton sign language to assist in communicating with children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and adapt routines to help settle and calm children. Children's personal, social and emotional development is promoted well during circle times as staff encourage all children to take turns and listen to each other.

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who attend

Acceptable planning across the seven areas of learning ensures that all aspects are suitably covered. There is a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Staff encourage children to be active learners. For example, children in the toddler room become actively involved in story time and enjoy using props to re-tell the story. Staff are enthusiastic and eager to promote children's learning, however, this can sometimes result in a rushed delivery of activities and songs which are difficult to follow. In contrast to this, pre-school staff are aware of allowing children enough time to engage and respond to questions as they discuss the weather and days of the month. As a result, teaching is varied throughout the nursery. Staff carry out observations of children and use these to identify children's next steps in their learning and development. However, there are occasions where children's next steps are not accurately identified, this means that staff

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who attend

do not always accurately build on what children know and can do. Staff record children's achievements in their 'Learning Journey' book, which also includes a range of annotated photographs. Children's development is tracked and summaries are written every four months to inform parents of progress made. However, staff only report on personal, social and emotional, communication and language and physical development and do not inform parents of children's progress in mathematics, literacy, expressive arts and design or understanding the world. As a result, parents are not fully informed or regularly updated about some aspects of their children's learning. In addition, some staff are not fully secure in their knowledge of the areas of development. Consequently, staff practice is varied throughout the nursery and does not always fully promote children's learning and development. However, children are acquiring the basic skills they need for school or their

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who attend

Staff strive to form effective partnerships with parents. For example, they discuss care arrangements and future settling in procedures with parents. This promotes children's transitions from home well as staff gather information from parents about their children's individual needs. Staff obtain information on an 'All About Me' enrolment form which provides staff with personal details about children and their families. This is used by staff to help settle children into the nursery. Parents are provided with an induction pack which includes various information about the nursery. It includes information about children's preferred learning styles and asks parents to feedback their thoughts regarding how their children learn best. This helps to support parents in understanding aspects of their child's learning and development.

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

Children are happy and settle well because staff treat them with kindness and respect. All staff have a good understanding of how important it is that children develop a secure sense of well-being. All areas of the nursery provide a welcoming environment for all children, parents and visitors. Children develop trusting relationships with their key persons, who act as good role models, treating children with sensitivity and kindness. As a result, children settle and separate happily from parents. This ensures that children's emotional well-being is effectively fostered throughout the nursery. Parents spoken to during the inspection, praised staff for their ability to settle children into the setting and comment that they are happy with the provision.

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

Children are allocated a key person who is responsible for carrying out observations and assessments of children's learning and development. On the whole, staff are knowledgeable about children in their group and plan activities to meet their needs. Staff listen to what children have to say and respond accordingly. For example, staff in the toddler room asked the children what was inside the egg shown in a book, when children said a chick, she sensitively explained to children that there might be a caterpillar inside this egg. Children have formed secure attachments to all staff members and this results in children enjoying their time at the nursery. Children play cooperatively with each other and share toys and resources. They are confident to speak with visitors and are polite and well behaved. Staff are good role models and explain to children about keeping themselves safe by teaching them how to use knives safely as they spread their toast with

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

Children enjoy regular nutritious snacks and freshly cooked meals. They are offered milk and water at mealtimes and this promotes their health. Staff are aware of children's individual dietary requirements and cater for them accordingly, adopting safe and inclusive practice. Children enjoy snack time and are encouraged to pour their own drinks and spread butter on toast. This helps to promote their independence and helps to prepare children for the next stage in their learning. Children are encouraged to have regard for their personal hygiene, as they wash their hands before eating. The outdoor area and facilities provides regular opportunities for children to access fresh air and physical exercise on a daily basis. This helps to promote a healthy lifestyle and keep children healthy. Children benefit from regular forest school sessions and enjoy being outside in the nursery's gardening area where they are encouraged to grow vegetables and plants.

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provision

The management team have an appropriate knowledge and understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Good recruitment and vetting procedures help to ensure all adults are suitable to work with children. All visitors are required to show identification and sign in and out of the visitor's book to ensure that a full and accurate record of everyone in contact with the children is in place. Staff are qualified, experienced and ensure children are properly supervised at all times. Risk assessments are carried out and supplemented by visual safety checks on a daily basis, this ensures effective measures are in place to eliminate hazards to children. Staff are aware of their role and responsibilities in protecting children from abuse. The designated member of staff has attended relevant training and has a sound understanding of how to protect children from harm. This enables her to

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provision

provide support and guidance to other staff to implement procedures correctly. However, the policy regarding the safe use of mobile phones does not reflect the procedures followed when children are participating in forest school outings, because staff take their personal phones with them to use for emergency contact. In addition, the policy does not clarify at what point an investigation is carried out following a referral to outside agencies if there is an allegation made about a member of staff. As a result, staff practice is not always supported by up-to-date policies.

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provision

Most of the recommendations from the previous inspection have been addressed, however, systems for reporting on children's progress across all areas of learning is still not fully in place. Some staff do not have a secure knowledge of what information is required in children's assessments and do not report regularly enough to parents on their child's development. For example, children's ongoing assessments do not cover details of children's progress in the specific areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. It is not completed in a timely manner or accurately enough to advise parents of their children's learning and development. Staff are appropriately qualified for their roles, however, there is some inconsistency in the quality of teaching across the nursery. For example, some staff are over exuberant in their approach to teaching, which results in some children not being able to join in with planned activities as the delivery of these are

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provision

rushed. Despite having in-house training, some members of staff are unclear about the statutory requirements regarding the progress check at age two and areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The manager carries out annual appraisals of staff but does not consistently monitor staff's knowledge and understanding or performance to ensure this is fully effective. Consequently, teaching practice is variable across the nursery.

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provision

Relationships with parents are positive and enable staff to become aware of children's changing welfare needs. Parents say staff are friendly and share information about their child's day and feel their children are happy and make good progress. Links with other agencies, such as the local authority, are established and used as required to support children's needs. Staff work with a range of specialist services in the local authority to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the support they need. This collaborative approach works well for children and families attending the nursery.

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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 EY310660 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 873109

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 72 Number of children on roll 92 Name of provider D E & S E Furnival Limited Date of previous inspection 09/03/2009 Telephone number 01630 674366

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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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