Acorn Day Nursery

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD Telephone: 0300 123 1231 Fax: 0300 123 3159 Minicom: 0161 618 8524 Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk Web: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Acorn Day Nursery 25 Wessex Place Somerton Business Park Bancombe Road, Somerton Somerset TA11 6SB Our Reference EY345531

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Monitoring for provision judged as inadequate

An Ofsted inspector, Brenda Flewitt, monitored your provision on 15/05/2014 following your inspection where the provision was judged to be inadequate.

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Outcome of monitoring

As a result of our inspection on 25/03/2014, we sent you a notice to improve. The actions you were set are included at the end of this letter.

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Outcome of monitoring

During the monitoring visit, the inspector discussed with you the steps you have taken to address the actions raised in the notice to improve. The inspector spoke to you and individual members of staff. She observed staff interaction as they supported children's activities. The inspector looked at attendance records, risk assessments, records of staff suitability checks, your updated recruitment policy, samples of children's progress records and planning, and your action plan.

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Outcome of monitoring

The inspector found that you have developed a clear action plan to address the issues raised at your last inspection and welcomed the support of local authority advisors and an external training organisation. You have been active in obtaining reference materials to improve your knowledge. This has enabled you to accurately plan how to address the areas for improvement identified and to plan for ongoing improvement.

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Outcome of monitoring

You are reviewing the formal risk assessments to include specific activities, as well as all the areas that children access. Children are never allowed to access the enclosed area unaccompanied where there is a ground level container that can hold rainwater. You explained that you ensure that staff remind children of risks and hazards, so that they are aware of their own safety.

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Outcome of monitoring

You have retrieved the confirmation that all staff have been vetted and now hold this on file so it is available for inspection. Recruitment policies and procedures have Our Reference EY345531

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Outcome of monitoring

been reviewed and strengthened to include an application form and two written references, to be followed up verbally. You have compiled individual staff files for clarity. All this helps to protect children and promote their safety.

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Outcome of monitoring

Records of children's attendance have been improved by ensuring that staff detail times of children's arrival and departure rather than relying on parents to do so. They still use the white board to record information to help them plan staff deployment effectively. This means that children's attendance is recorded accurately, which helps staff promote children's safety.

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Outcome of monitoring

You have been active in seeking support from a recognised nursery association to supply materials to help you improve your knowledge about monitoring staff. Monthly supervision meetings have been planned in addition to the annual appraisals, in order to identify any staff training needs more quickly. You are planning to implement peer observations, which you say will help all staff to recognise one another's strengths in promoting children's language skills and to identify any areas for development. Less confident staff have already been supported by more experienced members of the team to develop their skills in interacting with children to promote their learning and development.

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Outcome of monitoring

You have contacted a training organisation and welcome any additional training they can offer on the Early Years Foundation Stage. You are arranging to visit other settings to gain ideas of how to further improve your assessment systems, which already include planning for individual children according to their interests and stages of development. You have recognised that the tracking sheets could be used to help identify any gaps in the educational programme.

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Outcome of monitoring

Management are to conduct a review of the programme for physical development by carrying out an audit of children's progress records. This is to identify any gaps in physical development to enable staff to make adjustments in resources and to planning to improve children's experiences.

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Outcome of monitoring

You sent a letter to all parents seeking information about family backgrounds to gain information about languages spoken at home. You explain that this information will be used to enable staff to learn key words from children's home languages to use in the nursery to promote children's language and communication skills.

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Outcome of monitoring

Self evaluation methods are being reviewed to more formally include ideas from staff, and to request parents' views in order to make changes that improve children's experiences.

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Outcome of monitoring

Having considered all the evidence, the inspector is of the opinion that the setting has taken prompt and effective action to address the points for improvement. Our Reference EY345531

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Next steps

The next step will be a full inspection.

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Next steps

I hope that you have found the visit helpful in promoting improvement in your setting. If you have any further queries please contact us on the number at the top of this letter.

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Next steps

Nick Hudson National Director, Early Education Our Reference EY345531

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Action Due date Closed date

ensure the risk assessment covers all areas used by children and minimise any identified hazards, with particular regard to standing rainwater in the garden 26/03/2014 15/05/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

ensure recruitment procedures are effective and robust in relation to references and suitability checks, including the Disclosure and Barring Service disclosures for all staff, ensuring the number, the date it was obtained and who obtained it is recorded 15/04/2014 15/05/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

keep an accurate daily record of children's hours of attendance, including their hours of attendance and the names of each child's key person . 26/03/2014 15/05/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

improve systems for monitoring staff practice to ensure they offer a quality learning experience for children that continually improves the quality of teaching, with particular regard to promoting children's communication and language through positive interaction 30/05/2014 15/05/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

improve systems to regularly observe children and assess their progress to enable staff to plan age appropriate and challenging learning experiences for each child to help them make good progress 30/05/2014 15/05/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

improve the programme for physical development by making sure children have appropriate challenges according to their age and stage of development. 30/05/2014 15/05/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

ensure children who are learning English as an additional language are provided with opportunities to develop and use their home language in their play and learning, to better support their acquisition of English 30/05/2014 15/05/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

develop secure system for monitoring and self-evaluation, to foster a culture of continuous improvement to promote the interests of children. 30/05/2014 15/05/2014 Our Reference EY345531

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Action Due date Closed date

ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks 26/03/2014 15/05/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

ensure there are effective systems to demonstrate that that any person caring for, or in regular contact with, children is suitable to work with children which must include obtaining an enhanced check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. 15/04/2014 15/05/2014

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