Timbers Nursery School

Timbers Nursery School Oakridge Hall for All, Forsythia Walk, Oakridge Village, BASINGSTOKE, Hampshire, RG21 5RL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/04/2014 18/06/2013

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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

 Children benefit from exceptionally good teaching as staff routinely reflect on their own practice and challenge themselves to increasingly high levels of competence as they inspire and nurture every child in their care.  Senior managers monitor the delivery of the educational programmes, planning and assessment extremely effectively. As a result, children's needs are quickly identified and well met through highly effective partnership working and timely interventions.  Staff are highly committed to helping children improve their ability to manage their own feelings, recognise the feelings of other children and adults, and increase their skills in solving problems with each other.  An excellent range of initiatives engage, support and build on parents' interest in their children's development and provide children with continuity in their learning and care.  The manager's impressive systems of self-evaluation measure the impact of new

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This provision is outstanding

practices on children's achievements and inform priorities for further improvements.

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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 compulsory part 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 a wide range of activities across all areas of the nursery and talked with staff and children about what they were doing.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed documents and procedures relating to safeguarding, staffing, supervision, risk assessment, health and safety, and checked a selection of other policies.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of children's records, the nursery's systems for planning, evaluation and exchanging information with parents and external professionals.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and reviewed written comments from parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the leadership team and conducted a joint observation with the assistant manager.

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Information about the setting

Timbers Nursery School previously registered in 2002 and re-registered in 2012 to become a limited company. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is situated in the Oakridge area of Basingstoke, Hampshire. The nursery is based within the Oakridge Community Hall for All and shares the site with a children's centre. It has access to two self-contained rooms, use of a third large room in the same building, and part-time use of the children's centre. Children freely access a secure outdoor play area at the front of the building and may use the outdoor play area linked to the children's centre at the rear of the premises.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open from 8.15am to 3.45pm, each weekday except Wednesdays when it closes at 4.30pm. It operates during term-time only, offering morning, afternoon or full- day sessions with a lunch club. The nursery supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs nine members of staff to work directly with the children. The manager holds a foundation degree in Early Years Education and is studying for an honours degree. Two more staff are currently studying for foundation degrees. All staff have either completed or are studying for appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 with the exception of a very new trainee.

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

 develop opportunities for children to plant, nurture and harvest living things so they may enjoy and discover nature at first hand.

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who attend

Strong leadership and high quality teaching ensure children make excellent progress across all areas of their learning and development in this bright and happy nursery. Before children begin at the nursery, staff work closely with parents and carers to develop a sound understanding of children's achievements, needs and preferences. Senior staff also meet with parents to highlight their emphasis on developing strong partnerships with parents. Staff prepare many resources and workshops to share their outstanding practice with parents. Parents commend staff for all the additional services they offer to help them build upon their children's enthusiasm for learning. Staff prepare simple guides that outline educational programmes, reviews and the progress check for two-year-olds. Parents note that they enter these more formal discussions with staff, feeling confident, valued and better prepared to shape the outcomes they want for their children. Children

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who attend

thrive in the stability and consistency of co-ordinated practice and respectful partnership working.

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who attend

Staff are constantly evaluating their practice and raising the quality of the education programmes they deliver for children of all ages. Building on the success of 'Better for Twos' training, staff immediately adapted their play areas, enhanced their own skills and prepared sensory play bags to support home links for two-year-olds. Other recent initiatives include; communicating and talking together, developing children's problem- solving skills through use of open-ended questions, and mathematics in everyday situations such as cooking. Children benefit directly from these initiatives as inspired staff pass on their excitement and interest in finding new ways to learn and achieve. Staff delight as they see the benefits of changing connecting bricks for a mixture of wooden or foam blocks. Children choose to create a supermarket. They constantly review their construction, negotiate about additional car parks and roadways and make joint decisions

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who attend

about the way forward. Staff give children time and freedom to become deeply involved in activities which are accessible and open-ended and which challenge children's thinking. Children concentrate for long periods, persist through difficulties and are proud of their achievements, and then adapt them to meet a new idea.

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who attend

Staff provide innovative opportunities for children to experiment and discover as they learn about the world around them. Children explore the changing properties of melting ice, and variations in speed as balls of different weights roll down pipes. They use magnifying glasses and tweezers to examine small objects and track and sort toy dinosaurs according to the shape of their footprints. One noticeable absence is children's opportunity to plant, nurture, harvest and dig for worms. Children currently miss these exciting ways of exploring magnifiers, scientific tools and living mini-beasts.

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who attend

Interesting and challenging opportunities meet the needs of all the children who attend because staff know each child extremely well and have clear ideas about how to help them learn and develop. This results from the staff's daily observations and reflections, extremely thorough record-keeping and clear identification of next steps in children's progress. Staff facilitate a wide range of stimulating activities in and outdoors to engage children's interests. Their planning brings together individual goals for each child in the nursery, surrounding every child with opportunities to learn, and skilled staff to help them. Such rigorous, shared planning and assessment means that staff and parents are quick to identify when children excel or need more help in specific areas. Staff are then quick to add on strategies to extend or boost children's skills, or support parents as they seek guidance from outside agencies. Consequently, all children make the best possible

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who attend

progress in their learning and development. Children are extremely well prepared for their next ventures at home, in their local community and new schools.

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

Senior staff make excellent use of their recently designed 'Getting to know you and your child' pack to ensure families settle happily and quickly into the nursery routines. Each child's key person is, therefore, in a better position to help them form secure emotional attachments and promote their independence and confidence to explore. Another recent initiative at the nursery is the trial of a planned approach to promote socially responsible behaviour. Children develop emotional understanding as they engage with staff's puppetry skills and listen intently to stories about feeling lonely and making friends. Staff teach children that it is all right to feel sad or angry. They teach them ways to develop self- control and to manage difficult feelings in a positive manner. Children also learn the joy of knowing how to give and receive compliments. Managers diligently evaluate the impact of every new initiative on children's progress. They clearly demonstrate the highly significant

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

improvement in children's skills to give and receive compliments within the first two months of the trial. Committed staff help children and their parents learn and practise this approach. As a result, boys and girls are adopting more positive and polite ways of interacting with each other. The staff's investment of time is beginning to show benefits as children's self-esteem and independent problem-solving skills rise across the nursery.

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

Staff are excellent role models for children as they consistently model clear expectations for good communication, co-operation and safekeeping. During the inspection, a member of staff commented that a baby doll has rather a lot of plasters on her arm. She listened attentively as children explained that 'the doll had been helping her mummy in the kitchen, but she had not listened, her mummy had told her not to play with knives because they are sharp and can hurt you'. Children can clearly express this key message in how to keep safe because staff model these phrases routinely in a natural context. Children sit with staff at snack time as they chop and prepare a wide range of fruit and vegetables to eat. Even the two-year-olds have their own chopping board and, carefully positioned next to a member of staff, learn to handle a small serrated kitchen knife safely. They learn to saw and chop and replace the knife on the table, growing in responsibility

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

and becoming acutely aware of how to keep everyone safe.

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

Staff use most daily routines to scaffold children's increasing ability to manage risk and grow in independence. Children learn to wash, dry and replace their bowls and chopping boards. They learn to choose a healthy balance of fruit and carbohydrates and appropriately sized proportions at snack time. Staff help children learn how to dress appropriately when moving freely between in and outdoors. Children learn to zip up their own coats when choosing to eat snack or play in the cold. They dip into the adjacent drawer of ponchos when it looks like rain. By the time children reach school age, they are not only emotionally well prepared for their next ventures, but also increasingly independent in the management of their personal needs.

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

Children spend vast amounts of time playing outside in the fresh air in all but the most extreme weather. Staff and older children make sure the younger ones dress warmly when it is cold and erect gazebos when they need shade. Children move freely between inside and outdoors for much of the day as staff provide a wonderfully rich and varied learning environment in both areas. Ample and attractive spaces enable children to group together for music sessions or big art and construction projects in either area. Similarly, indoor rooms and outdoor corners offer soft, cushioned retreats for quiet chats, a rest or cuddle and another story. Children choose and easily access the activities and locations that interest them, with staff close at hand to observe, keep them safe and when appropriate extend their ideas.

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provision

The nursery manager has exceptionally high standards across all areas of the provision and ensures that her staff rise to her example and expectations. Senior staff work closely with newer recruits to pursue excellence in all of their activities. The nursery team has an uncompromising, highly successful and well-documented drive to improve achievement for all children. The team constantly reflects on its practice, identifies ways to improve it, sets a timescale for doing so and achieves one improvement after another in rapid succession. The manager shares these achievements with parents and visiting professionals through high quality presentations, parent workshops and practical take-home activities. As intended, children benefit directly from this energetic drive to improve as their parents link in with their learning experiences and visiting professionals share other ideas.

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provision

All senior staff have an excellent understanding of their responsibility to meet the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Managers monitor the delivery of education programmes diligently and routinely moderate tracking and assessment of children's progress to ensure accuracy. Detailed analysis of children's individual progress and trends across the nursery informs daily practice. Individuals, or groups of children who could achieve more, do so because staff identify better ways of supporting or teaching them promptly. Highly effective professional networks and partnership working ensures children have smooth and efficient pathways to support from external services. Optimal early intervention strategies help to close gaps and reduce delays in children's learning and development. This keeps children moving forward, helps to keep peer groups and friendships on track, and better meets the needs of the whole

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provision

family. Children are also extremely well-prepared for changes at home, across nurseries and when moving to school. Staff compile and share home link bags to aide parents as they explain life events to children. These include bags of suitable resources on bereavement, separation, new siblings, potty training, and moving to school.

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provision

Senior managers also take their responsibilities very seriously and implement robust procedures to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The manager meticulously details and follows through systems for vetting, recruiting and inducting new staff. This helps to attract the most suitable candidates to work with young children. Regular staff supervisions, appraisals and astute and targeted programmes of professional development ensure staff remain suitable and highly skilled carers. Staff attend regular training in safeguarding and child protection with further items for discussion at every staff meeting. This ensures that keeping children safe and healthy is the highest priority for all staff at all times.

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provision

Systems to prevent unauthorised access are tight and staff have a procedure for checking visitors. Measures are in place to ensure that staff only release children to parent approved individuals and all staff adhere to these. Staff and children rehearse emergency evacuation procedures on a regular basis so children learn to act quickly and without undue anxiety. Staff are keen to pursue plans to develop children's understanding of the positive attributes of the emergency services and other helpful members of the local community. Children's welfare and safety is the highest priority to all staff.

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provision

The nursery has clear and well-understood policy and procedures for assessing any risks to children's safety. Routine updates and daily records indicate excellent procedures for risk assessments in each area of the nursery. All staff have recently updated certification in first aid and fully equipped first-aid kits on hand. The nursery has clear policies and procedures for administering medicines, managing health and hygiene and caring for children who are ill while at the nursery. Staff follow clear and well documented procedures to contact parents, reduce temperatures and call emergency services when necessary. A highly effective key person system ensures that all children benefit from the additional security and reassurance of staff who know them extremely well.

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provision

Staff are well deployed and work as an exceptionally efficient team. Management limit the number of children who attend the setting and keep ratios of staff to children favourable to ensure flexibility of care and times for individual teaching.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY457530 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 965625 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 38 Number of children on roll 61 Name of provider Timbers and Lychpit Ltd Date of previous inspection 18/06/2013 Telephone number 01256 475833

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Setting details

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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