Holly Bank

Holly Bank Nursery 10 Queens Rd, Huddersfield, HD2 2AE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/04/2014 12/12/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are highly motivated and consistently demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning. Staff have very high expectations of themselves and children and use their expert knowledge and understanding of how children learn to provide an educational programme that stimulates and engages all children.  There is a lively atmosphere where practitioners are pro-active and passionate about childcare; their energy is contagious and has an very positive impact on both other practitioners and children.  Children are safeguarded effectively as all practitioners have a comprehensive knowledge of the safeguarding policies and procedures.  Children's needs are extremely well met through effective partnerships between the nursery, parents and outside agencies.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is room to enhance the very informative displays to focus more sharply on the excellent examples of children's work, in order to boost their self-esteem even further.  Group story time is, on occasion, less engaging for some children because sometimes too many children are involved to allow them all to become fully absorbed in the story.

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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 activities in the playrooms and the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, senior manager and staff at regular intervals throughout the inspection and made observations of children present.  The inspector sampled a selection of relevant documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of the parents and carers spoken to on the day of inspection.  The inspector spoke to a variety of children during free play.  The inspector checked the suitability of staff and their qualifications.

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Information about the setting

Holly Bank Nursery was registered in 2001 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is situated in Huddersfield and is managed by a private company. The nursery serves the local and surrounding areas. It operates from four playrooms and there are areas available for outdoor play. The nursery employs a total of 20 members of staff, five of which are on maternity leave. 12 staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or 3 and one is qualified to level 4. Two members of staff hold Early Years Professional Status and Qualified teacher status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 99 children attending, who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language

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Information about the setting

and children with special needs and/or disabilities.

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

 consider ways to incorporate more examples of children's artwork and mark making in to displays, in order to celebrate and focus on the excellent examples of children's work and so further enhance children's self-esteem and sense of achievement

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

 enhance all group story times for children by, for example, reducing the number of children taking part so that they can all become fully engaged, point to the pictures, touch the book as they wish and experience the props and puppets used.

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who attend

Staff have a very good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and fully understand how children develop. They use extremely successful teaching strategies to provide children with a wide range of exciting, motivating and challenging activities, which cover all of the seven areas of learning. Teaching is consistently good across the setting and in some areas is outstanding. This is because practitioners are pro-active and passionate about supporting children's learning and know how to make sure children become effective learners. As a result, children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals and they are well-prepared for later life and their eventual move on to school. Children have individual learning files containing details of their progress; these include some creative work, observations and assessments. These are all linked to the areas of learning and are used to identify the next steps in each child's development.

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who attend

The child's key person works closely with parents to support children's learning from the start. Ongoing discussion and sharing of children's learning files ensures that parents remain involved and are up to date about their child's progress. Parents are invited into the setting to talk to their key person regularly, as well as being invited for 'stay and play' workshops. Each key person also encourages home learning by suggesting activities parents can do at home, for example, finding objects of interest to put in the chatter box or finding objects that begin with a specific letter to put in the jars for letters and sounds activities.

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who attend

The setting provides a good quality learning environment for children covering all areas of learning. All children can easily access resources and equipment as they are stored at low- level, which promotes their independence. Children are also aware of resources that are stored away and feel confident to ask for these resources if they want them. Children are praised when they do well and this helps to build their confidence and self-esteem. Children learn about the wider society well; they use resources that reflect positive images of a wider world, such as, dolls, books, play figures and dressing-up clothes. They take part in activities and learn about different festivals and celebrations, such as Christmas and Chinese New Year. This helps children understand about different cultural celebrations. Children and staff also take part in fund raising activities, such as car washing, in order to raise money for various charities. Children play outside where they

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who attend

learn to be physically active. The older children enjoy playing on the bikes and younger children prefer being close to staff, looking at books or using their imaginations with the role play resources. Children also have access to open-ended resources, such as planks of wood and crates, which they can use in different ways to explore, build and solve problems. All children, including the toddlers, benefit from moving freely from inside to outside, which allows access to the different activities outside as children wish. Babies are also encouraged to be physical in the outdoor area and have a very good range of equipment available to support the development of their large muscles. Staff fully understand the importance of supporting young children to develop their skills in using technology. For example, younger children have fun playing with the small world activities that have flaps, buttons and lights. Children giggle and smile with enjoyment to show how

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who attend

much fun they are having. Children's literacy skills are well supported because books are freely accessible for them to choose from and enjoy. However, there is scope to enhance story times throughout the setting so that all children can consistently gain full benefit from these. For example, staff occasionally have large groups of children sitting together for stories, which results in some children being less able to get fully involved in the activity. Children have many opportunities to make marks through their creative work and show excitement when giving meaning to the marks they make. This results in their early handwriting skills being developed well. The setting uses displays, signs, labels, marks and symbols well to support children's learning, although, there is room to incorporate more of children's own work into these displays to show them their artwork and mark making is valued and so boost children's self-esteem even further.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time with staff and participate in a wide range of interesting activities. The activities are planned in advance but there is plenty of flexibility to ensure children have free choice. All activities successfully reflect children's individual interests. Staff support children's learning with good quality interactions with children eagerly speaking about their day and past home experiences. Children enjoy exploring the play dough using their hands and tools to manipulate the dough and construct various models. Children role play and explore the trains with the inspector with confidence, they push the trains around the track talking to each other and the inspector describing their movements; children think critically and problem solve quickly as the track comes apart.

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

Children have a good relationship with their key person in this welcoming and stimulating setting. The key person takes time to get to know all children very well. Children are comfortable within the setting and are fully at ease, which means children's individual emotional needs are successfully met. Staff work closely with parents from the start, gathering information, including any specific needs and information about any allergies or cultural requirements. Daily routines are followed after talking to parents to ensure they are consistent with home routines, such as sleep times. Staff plan highly effectively to make sure children are happy and have plenty of attention to make them feel special. The relationship between staff, children and their parents is highly effective in ensuring good quality care for all children. Children feel secure and thrive in staff's care because they form extremely secure emotional attachments. They smile and laugh freely and as they

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

get older, they begin to enjoy getting close to staff to talk about their experiences openly. This gives children a strong base and the confidence and self-esteem to progress and support their transitions to school. As a result, children are enthused and excited learners, who participate excitedly in games and activities. Children are confident in expressing their needs and play ideas, asking for specific games or toys and easily choosing from the ones they can reach.

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

Children are well mannered and handle their own behaviour very well because the rules for behaviour are fully embedded in routines. Sensitive reminders and positive reinforcement means children receive consistent messages, such as 'Please don't run inside as you may fall'. Children build strong relationships with their friends. They work together well as they play together and learn the social skills, which they can use in school. Children are taught about being safe and what to do if the fire alarm sounds. Staff sensitively teach children about 'stranger danger'. A good awareness of hygiene practices and healthy lifestyles is apparent at all times. Children enjoy nutritious, healthy snacks, such as fruit and vegetables. Mealtimes work very well and children make choices and serve and make themselves their lunch. Children enjoy fresh air and exercise daily. The setting works hard to ensure each child's individual needs are well met.

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

Staff are skilled in encouraging children's inclusion and learning during play and daily routines. Staff talk about what they are doing so that children understand about risks. Children are skilfully challenged and are effectively encouraged to take risks. As children become more aware of safety, make friends and learn self-care skills, they gain essential skills and attitudes to support their future move to other settings.

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provision

The inspection took place following a notification to Ofsted from the local authority regarding the supervision of children. The concern raised related to a child biting off a small piece of cellophane from an item in a treasure basket and subsequently being sick. The inspection found that children are supervised very well at all times and the setting deploys staff effectively to ensure all children are well cared for. Adult to child ratios are met and sometimes exceed legal requirements and staff are well-qualified and regularly update and refresh their knowledge. This includes recent training on supporting children during specific activities, such as, exploring their senses through the use of water play, treasure baskets and natural materials. Risk assessments are carried out on the building, outings and play experiences to further protect children. The provider was made aware of this after the event. They have put actions in place, including the review of their policies

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provision

and procedures and have refresher training for all staff to ensure that this does not happen again. The setting is well-organised and maintains all the required paperwork, such as, children's information, accident records and a record of their attendance. All policies and procedures are shared with parents so they are aware of staff's responsibilities towards their children. All staff have a good knowledge of the safeguarding procedures to follow in the event of any concerns about a child in their care and who to report any concerns to. They carry out thorough risk assessments of the setting, take appropriate steps and have named first aiders to keep children safe at all times. Good recruitment and induction procedures, including a strong probationary period, ensure staff are safe and suitable to work with children. There is an effective complaints policy in place for parents and the leaders fully understand what they must notify to Ofsted.

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provision

The leaders monitor children's progress well where they track their development through moderation sessions. Staff have a good awareness of their key children's abilities and skills and fully understand that children develop at their own rate. There is a well-thought-out planning system to ensure that each area of learning is covered with adult-led activities or supported child-led play. Leaders demonstrate a good understanding of monitoring and evaluating their service. For example, they value any support and advice provided by the local authority, briefing sessions and from training courses. Effective performance management systems are in place; staff mentor each other and work closely together, bouncing ideas off each other with commitment and high levels of enthusiasm. Supervision and appraisals are in place with training programmes for all staff, so children benefit from trained and motivated professionals.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are very well-established, ensuring children's development is effectively enhanced, while meeting their needs and supporting smooth transitions to nursery or school. The local schools and children centres have extremely secure relationship with the setting and work well together for transitions, training and support. Parents can share information about their children with staff and they discuss children's progress when dropping off and collecting their children. Staff have a clear understanding of their responsibility to work in partnership with other childcare providers and professionals to enhance learning opportunities. They have established very good links with local agencies and schools to support all children to ensure continuity of care and learning for all. The setting works very well with the local authority when needed, including speech and language therapists and family support workers.

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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 EY428579 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 966567

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 51 Number of children on roll 99 Name of provider Portland Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 12/12/2013 Telephone number 01484429464

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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

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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