Hainault Forest Community Association

Hainault Forest Community Association Hainault Forest Community Association, Community Centre, 100b Manford Way, Chigwell, Essex, IG7 4DF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/05/2014 05/12/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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 provide stimulating play areas, indoors and outdoors, which encourage children to play and explore. Children are able to follow up their individual interests and learn through play and discovery.  The outdoor area is particularly well resourced and offers a wide variety of learning experiences. Children enjoy the challenge of large and small equipment, as well as the garden and quiet areas.  Staff are vigilant about safeguarding. They encourage children to be aware of safety issues and to assess risks themselves.  There are good systems for monitoring children's learning and development. These contribute to children making good progress in their learning, given their individual starting points.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff in the toddler and foundation rooms do not make the most of opportunities to interact and talk purposefully with children during free play to further extend their learning.  Staff in the foundation room do not always plan group times in sufficient detail to ensure that they always provide opportunities for children to move on in their learning.

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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 children taking part in a range of indoor and outdoor play activities.  The inspector talked with staff and observed their teaching.  The inspector talked with parents and interviewed the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled the nursery's documentation, in particular that relating to children's progress and safeguarding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation of an outdoor activity with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Hainault Forest Community Association opened in 1992 and registered in 2001. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a purpose-built centre in Hainault in the London Borough of Redbridge. The nursery is open every weekday from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. Children have the use of three play rooms, a dining area and a secure outdoor play area. There are currently 65 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 16 members of staff, most of whom hold relevant early years qualifications. The manager has Early Years Professional Status. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and /or disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language.

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

 encourage staff in the toddler and foundation rooms to look at ways of using talk to further extend children???s learning during free play

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

 support staff in the foundation room in reviewing how they plan group times to ensure these are focused and continually move children on in their learning.

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who attend

The nursery provision meets children's learning needs. Staff offer a range of interesting activities within a stimulating play environment. They are attentive to children and support them well as they play and explore. Staff working in the baby room are particularly good at offering encouragement and support. For example, they introduce children to different resources, sit with them and talk to them as they explore. They maintain good eye contact with children, encouraging them to communicate using their bodies, sounds and words. In this way, they reassure children of their continuing presence and encourage them to investigate further, thereby extending children's learning experiences. As a result, these children are very content and curious. For instance, they delight in finding out how toys work. They enjoy opportunities to relax in a comfortable 'den' and have fun learning action songs. They gain much self-confidence and a keen interest in learning.

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who attend

Staff working with children in the toddler and foundation rooms follow up children's interests effectively, helping children to engage in a variety of learning experiences. Children benefit from opportunities to take part in hands-on messy activities, such as exploring modelling dough, painting paper tubes and digging in soil. They often make their own discoveries and staff build on these to encourage further learning. For example, children have discovered special interests in insects and dinosaurs, leading to staff setting up extra play situations to engage children in further learning, such as bug hunting in the garden.

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who attend

Staff engage with children to support them in their learning and to encourage them to communicate. For example, staff working with toddlers enhance children's imaginative play by taking on different roles. They readily share big books with children, promoting an interest in reading. In the foundation room, staff help children find resources for model- making to help them express their ideas creatively. They support children as they learn how to count, sort and order objects correctly. However, staff in these rooms do not always make the most of opportunities to join in and talk enthusiastically with children to encourage them in their thinking and further extend their learning during free play.

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who attend

Staff provide many opportunities for children to find out about the natural environment. For example, children learn about rain and growth during a special topic on water. They learn how to plant seeds and tend fruit and vegetable plants in the garden. All children enjoy the freedom to explore using different creative materials and many pictures are displayed around the rooms. Staff make good use of the outdoor play area to provide a wide variety of alternative activities to promote children's learning. For example, children explore climbing and balancing equipment, negotiate space on wheeled vehicles or sit comfortably to draw and do jigsaw puzzles. They enjoy organised games, such as 'What's the Time?' which help them to move and travel in different ways. Children gain confidence as they explore and investigate. This helps them when needing to work together to achieve a goal, for instance, when they search for bugs in the soil or work through a

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who attend

Staff observe children as they play and learn. They compile their written observations and photographs into individual learning profiles. These profiles are well maintained and so provide a useful record of children's progress over time. Staff to get to know their key- group children well and can therefore offer appropriate support for children, according to their interests and needs. They set relevant targets for children to move them on in their learning. Staff in the foundation room plan and organise group activities to help children increase their skills in the key areas of language, literacy and mathematics. These activities help to prepare children for their future learning at school. For example, children learn about the shapes and sounds of letters of the alphabet. They have opportunities to develop good hand skills as they draw and construct. They are encouraged to count and recognise patterns. However, staff do not always plan these group times with a particular

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who attend

focus in mind so that they are able to continually extend children's learning in these key areas.

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

Staff prioritise children's well-being and, consequently, children are happy at nursery and show developing self-confidence. They build close relationships with others in the group, as well as a sense of community within the whole nursery. This sense of belonging is fostered well at meal times and outdoor play times when children from different rooms join together to eat or play. As a result, children feel emotionally secure and learn to respect and care for each other. They also learn to be aware of potential risks when gathered together in a large group and consequently to look out for each other and keep safe. Children behave well and respond positively to staff's instructions or requests. They readily help staff to tidy up after free play, and at group times sit attentively. In this way, children learn to be aware of their boundaries and to know what is expected of them at nursery.

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

Staff are aware of children's individual care needs and provide one-to-one attention if necessary to help children feel secure and included. The play rooms are kept tidy while maintaining easy access to the resources and activities. Therefore, children are able to move around safely making their choices. Staff talk with children about safety issues in order to increase their understanding of the need to assess risks for themselves. For example, children are aware they must not use the large outdoor equipment if there is not a member of staff nearby. They are quick to warn others to wait for an adult too. Children develop the ability to assess potential challenges, for example, when using a balancing beam they check carefully and walk slowly so that they reach the end safely. If children become involved in a dispute, staff intervene to encourage negotiation, thereby helping children to develop good social skills.

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

Staff promote an awareness of good hygiene and encourage children to adopt good hygiene practices. There are many notices and pictures around the nursery as reminders to staff and children about good health and hygiene. The nursery cook provides a variety of healthy and nutritious meals for children. The menu is written out clearly on large boards in the dining room so that parents are well informed. Children also enjoy a selection of fresh fruit at snack times. Older children help to prepare food for snack, serve themselves at mealtimes and clear away. In this way they are encouraged to become more independent. Additionally, children enjoy the social aspect of mealtimes and benefit from sitting in small groups with a member of staff to eat. Staff take into account the differing health and dietary needs of individual children. They display information about children with individual care plans in each room so that all adults are aware and can take

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

Staff organise regular outings for children to help them learn more about their local community and environment. Children who are learning English as an additional language receive good support, especially in the baby room, as staff request information about their home languages. They speak slowly and clearly to children when using English. Children also learn more about a wider community by celebrating special festivals and events. Staff support children effectively through times of transition, for example, when moving rooms or going onto school. They talk with children about forthcoming changes and share their learning profiles with other professionals. In this way, children are able to approach change with confidence and to develop an open attitude to new opportunities.

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provision

The manager is new to her post, having been appointed since the previous inspection. She works closely with the provider to support staff in implementing the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has initiated some changes to the safeguarding policies and procedures in order to ensure these are fully effective. For example, she has reviewed and updated the main safeguarding policy, in liaison with staff, so that it covers all safeguarding issues and procedures in detail. There is a rigorous employment procedure in place for new staff, including checks on their suitability. Staff are asked to review their suitability at regular intervals to ensure that they remain suitable to work with children. All staff are well trained in safeguarding and know what to do if they have any concerns relating to child protection.

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provision

The manager leads staff in risk-assessing the different areas of the premises, as well as the outings and activities that children take part in while at nursery. The written risk assessments are on display so that parents and visitors can be reassured these are up to date and appropriate actions are taken to minimise risks. Recently, the manager has added extra notices around the premises to alert parents to possible safety issues and to re-route them, when necessary, to a safe entrance/exit. Staff promote an awareness of safety amongst children so that they learn to play and behave in ways that are safe. In the foundation room, older children participate in keeping everyone safe by acting in turn as 'safety spies', alerting adults to anything they feel may be unsafe. In this way, the manager is helping to make everyone in the nursery more safety conscious.

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provision

The manager organises regular supervisions and appraisals for staff in order to support them in their own professional development and, in addition, to improve outcomes for children. She has put effective monitoring systems in place to check on the nursery's educational programmes. These include the close scrutiny of children's learning profiles, observation of staff's teaching and target setting to prompt further improvement. The manager has also introduced a tracking system which shows clearly the stages of development of all children in the nursery. This enables her to monitor staff's coverage of the various learning areas in their teaching and any gaps in children's achievement. She can then highlight areas that need improvement or arrange extra support for individual children. This is particularly helpful for children with special educational needs.

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provision

The manager is keen to continually improve the provision for children and makes good use of self-evaluation to help staff reflect on their day-to-day practice. She has introduced reflective diaries in each room so that staff can write about activities that have gone well and also note ideas for new learning experiences. The manager has written an action plan for the whole nursery, setting relevant targets for future development. These include, for example, suggestions for developing the partnership with parents and extra training opportunities for staff. The nursery is well supported by an early years advisor. Staff have good opportunities to attend local authority training courses. The manager has initiated regular meetings for room leaders and staff, as well as setting out in writing exactly what she expects of staff with regard to the daily provision for children. In this way, she is successfully motivating staff and promoting a more consistent approach across the

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provision

Staff have good relationships with parents and are developing an effective working partnership with them. Parents receive clear written information about the provision for children, including details of the different learning areas and the system of observational assessment. Parents are encouraged to contribute to children's learning profiles, enabling their observations to be taken into account when staff set future targets for children. Staff make themselves available to talk with parents every day so that they can exchange information about their children's care and learning. Parents are also invited to parents' evenings, when they meet with key persons to discuss their children's progress. Parents commented that they find these meetings very useful and are pleased with their children's progress. Parents also enjoy the recent introduction of 'family weeks'. They are able to join children for breakfast and spend time with them as they participate in activities. The

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provision

nursery has close links with a nearby children's centre and local schools. In this way, they can offer extra help and advice for parents and children when needed.

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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 128507 Local authority Redbridge Inspection number 963118 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 70 Number of children on roll 65 Name of provider Hainault Forest Community Association Committee Date of previous inspection 05/12/2013 Telephone number 020 8501 6862

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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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