Forest Park Day Nursery & Pre-School

Forest Park Day Nursery Units 3 & 3a, Birchlands Business Centre, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 5JH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/05/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 Children are really well challenged, because staff provide a range of high quality, exciting and stimulating experiences and resources.  Children make good progress and are fully engaged in learning. The staff have an extensive knowledge of each individual child and their preferred way of learning.  Close relationships are formed with children and parents and information is shared on a daily basis so that the needs of each individual child are met.  Systems for self-evaluation and monitoring of provision are well established and effective.  Staff are good role models, and rules and boundaries are clear and effectively in place, resulting in children being well behaved during their time at nursery.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Transitions between events in the daily routine, for example, from having snack to going in the garden, are not always smooth, so that children do not always remain fully engaged at these times  Resources and opportunities for children to further explore ethnicity and other cultures are limited.

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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 toured the areas used for the children.  The inspector observed the staff and children interacting.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled written documentation, including children's progress reports, policies and procedures.  The inspector spoke in depth to the staff, children and gathered parents' views.  The inspector held discussions with staff regarding observation of activities.

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Information about the setting

Forest Park Day Nursery and Pre-school opened in 2013. It operates from a converted barn on Birchlands Business Centre on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells, Kent. There are three play rooms, kitchens, office and toilet areas. The nursery opens five days a week all year round. Opening times are from 7.30am to 6.30pm. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery offers care to children aged up to eight years. The manager has Early Years Professional Status. Five other staff have appropriate qualifications in childcare.

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

 extend opportunities for children to further explore ethnicity and other cultures

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

 review the way that transitions between events in the daily routine are organised, so that children remain engaged at these times.

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who attend

Staff are well qualified and knowledgeable and they demonstrate a good understanding of how children learn and develop. They provide interesting activities that promote children's learning effectively and use children's views and interests to support planning. As a result, children's learning is competently reinforced and children remain engaged. For example, when children show excitement about planets, staff plan a space project and support children to build a giant rocket to fly to the moon.

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who attend

Staff obtain general information from parents about new children's likes and routines, supplementing this with some early observations to know children's starting points in learning. They use this information to inform their planning and to track children's progress from the start.

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who attend

Staff provide a wide range of resources, both indoors and out, to motivate children and promote their learning and development. For example, children use their imagination and learn to socialise as they enjoy playing in the role-play area with a variety of dressing-up clothes. They use their fine motor skills and learn about shape and space as they make jigsaw puzzles, for example, and they have good opportunities to create marks and they develop early writing skills using a variety of materials. Children enjoy fresh air and exercise in the garden They learn about growing things in planting area, and have opportunity to use all their senses in the sensory area of the garden. They develop their physical strength and skills of balance and coordination ride as they ride on bikes and push-along toys. Effective deployment of staff results in a calm environment in which children of all ages move confidently and purposefully to select favourite toys and to

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who attend

explore and investigate the opportunities and experiences on offer.

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who attend

The key person system is effective in ensuring that children develop strong and secure relationships and that parents have a designated person with whom to share information. Children speak fondly of their teachers and can excitedly name their key person. Staff interact well with children to support and encourage them during child-initiated play, extending children's learning by using challenging questions that, such as, 'What will happen if?' This helps children to develop the ability to attend and concentrate, and encourages them to think, which prepares them well for the next stage in their learning.

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who attend

Parents are able to take learning journals home on a regular basis, to write their own comments about what their children do when they are away from the nursery school, to add photos and note children's achievements at home, and staff build on this information in the nursery.

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who attend

Staff let parents know what the weekly focus is by displaying this on the notice board. They involve parents in planning by asking them for their suggestions. For example, they ask parents for ideas about how they might further develop the mud kitchen. They also provide suggestions for parents to support their children effectively at home. For example, children are given the chance to take home some frog-spawn from nursery so that they can watch as tadpoles change into frogs. This means that children experience continuity in their learning and their understanding of lifecycles is reinforced.

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who attend

Children of all ages are curious and inquisitive to learn; they are engaged in enjoyable activities, developing good social skills and learning as they interact confidently with other children and adults. Children communicate effectively through facial expression, body language and emerging vocabulary, to share ideas, ask questions and ensure their specific needs are recognised and met. Staff follow good procedures to achieve a smooth transition for children from room to room. However, transitions between events in the daily routine, for example, from having snack to going in the garden, are sometimes less smooth, so that children do not always remain fully engaged at these times.

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

The attentive and experienced staff team meet the needs of children well. Carefully thought-out settling in sessions that include the children's family and friends are effectively in place. These opportunities help children to find their feet and to ease the transition from home to the new environment.

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

Consistent praise from staff, and their ability to react sensitively to situations, creates a caring environment in which children feel safe, valued and secure. Consequently, they are well behaved and develop caring attitudes to others. For example, children persist in encouraging others to join in their play and they give each other spontaneous hugs.

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

Daily physical activities, for instance, movement to music and using large instruments, and large obstacle courses and climbing equipment in the garden, develop children's large muscle skills. These experiences help children to learn about the effect of exercise on the body, as they explain that they feel tired and access the freely available water after such activities. Children clearly know the routine of the nursery school as they independently wash their hands before eating and pour their own drinks under close supervision. This helps children to develop good self-care skills relative to their age.

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

The staff encourage all children to join in with tidying away resources by giving reasons for clearing the space, and this helps children to gain an awareness of safety. Staff are good role models and children follow their lead. As a result, social skills are developing rapidly, children are polite, kind and helpful and are beginning to cooperate and negotiate successfully to maintain harmonious play.

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

Children of all ages learn to identify and manage risk to help keep themselves and others safe. For example, at lunchtime they talk about being careful to ensure that food is not too hot before they eat it and about how to use the cutlery safely. Children are relaxed and happy, secure in the knowledge that adults are keeping them safe from harm.

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provision

The nursery owners are highly committed to providing high quality childcare and education. There are effective systems for the recruitment and induction of a well- qualified and experienced staff team in place. Suitability checks are completed and extremely embedded systems are in place to safeguard all children.

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provision

Staff understand the nursery safeguarding policy and demonstrate confidence in their ability to identify, record and report concerns in line with the local safeguarding procedures, and this is a focus during thorough staff inductions. The premises, toys and equipment are safe, secure and suitable for their purpose, due to the long and short-term, detailed risk assessments.

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provision

The manager has a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and supports the staff effectively in meeting children's needs. She monitors the activities, planning and assessment to prioritise support for children's care and learning, and staff are provided feedback to ensure continuous development. The self-evaluation process, to review strengths and weaknesses in the provision, is well embedded owing to the implementation and regular review of changes. Staff are responsive to suggestions from parents, for example, to extend opportunities for learning at home, and they provide detailed information to provide ideas for home and to share experiences between home and the setting, giving the children a sense of a personal touch and a link to things that are important to them, as well as consistency of care. The management team works closely with the staff to review their quality of practice and

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provision

care, to support the development of the nursery and have clear plans for improvement. For instance, they have identified the importance of the outdoors as a key learning experience and continue to develop their garden area. Staff are enthusiastic and have a secure knowledge of how children learn. They know the children well and are dedicated to ensuring that their individual interests, abilities and preferences are listened to, valued and respected. As a newly established team they have achieved their goal of providing children with a well-organised, comfortable and child-centred environment. Appraisals are used effectively to monitor staff performance and to identify future professional development needs, these happen on a regular basis.

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provision

Positive relationships are in place with local schools, pre-schools and childminders, who also provide care for children who attend. Partnerships with parents are strong and are generally very effective. A prospectus provides detailed information about the nursery, including policies and activities delivered under the Early Years Foundation Stage as well as questionnaires, which are used to gather and respect their views and suggestions. Overall, parents provide positive feedback about the quality of provision; they comment on how much the nursery is caring and provides a home from home feeling for their children. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities successfully, in partnership with parents and other professionals. As a result, all children are making good levels of progress towards the early learning goals.

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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 EY468185 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 943656 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 59 Name of provider Claire Braidwood Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07971 199020

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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

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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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