Orchard School Nursery

Orchard School Nursery Orchard Close School, 21 Holly Road, RETFORD, Nottinghamshire, DN22 6BE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/05/2014 26/03/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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 treated with care and respect as unique individuals. Trusting relationships between children and staff help children to feel safe and secure.  Children who speak English as an additional language are well-cared for as staff provide effective care that meets each child's specific needs, ensuring every child makes good progress in respect of their individual starting points.  Children of all ages are secure, happy and curious to explore their environment through activities that provide challenge and interest. They are supported by good quality teaching, which prepares them for school.  Good partnership with parents means that they are happy with the service provided. Effective information sharing takes place, to meet the changing care needs of individual children.  Safeguarding procedures are robust, as the manager conducts a rigorous recruitment procedure, which includes vetting checks to ensure that all staff are suitable to work

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to further promote children's independence and self-help skills, by encouraging children to wipe their own nose, pour their own drinks and serve their own lunch.

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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 took account of the views of parents, staff and children spoken to on the day.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector observed activities indoors and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the headteacher and manager at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation and a range of other documentation.

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Information about the setting

Orchard School Nursery is part of an independent school for children from two to 16 years of age. The main school operates from South Leverton and the provision for the pre- school children is provided in its nursery building, five miles away in Retford, Nottinghamshire. The property is an adapted Victorian house with a rear garden for outdoor play. The nursery has been running for over 30 years and provides care and education for children aged between two and five years. The two to three-year-old children are based in one room on the ground floor. They have their meals with the rest of the nursery children in the dining room on the first floor. Children attending mainly come from Retford and the surrounding villages. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 17 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age range. The nursery

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Information about the setting

is registered to provide funded early years education for two, three and four-year-old children. It is open from 8.30am until 4pm each weekday during school term time. Children attend for a variety of sessions throughout the week. They are required to wear the official school uniform. There are five members of staff employed to work with children. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualification at level 3 and one at level 5.

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

 review daily routines and promote children's independence through allowing them to freely access tissues, serve themselves and pour their own drinks at snack and meal times.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All staff have good knowledge and understanding of child development and how to assess children's learning, including the progress check at age two. Staff gather useful information from parents before their child starts at the nursery and this contributes to the identification of starting points. This helps children to settle as it enables staff to provide activities and resources that build on their interests and that link with their home learning environment. Staff work with parents and provide good opportunities for them to become involved in their child's learning. Parents state that they feel included in their children's learning and that their contribution is valued by the staff. Children's progress is accurately tracked and monitored by staff who demonstrate a good quality of teaching.

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who attend

Children enjoy outdoor play and this promotes physical development and provides opportunity for children to explore the natural world. For example, there is a growing area where children grow strawberries. They check on how they are growing and are excited to see some berries starting to bud on the plants. They notice some dandelions growing near to the strawberries and pick the ones that have become seed heads. Children blow the seed heads and count out the time as they do so. This is supported by staff and helps to develop children's mathematical awareness and counting skills. Children excitedly try to catch the seeds as they blow away in the wind, this provides opportunity for physical activity and promotes children's good health. Staff support the children to explore the garden for other interesting things and use a broad range of descriptive language throughout the activity, which provides children with the opportunity to develop

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who attend

their communication and language skills and supports their learning about the world around them. Staff teach children through a good balance of planned and spontaneous activities that are adult-led or initiated by children.

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who attend

Children settle well within the nursery, staff develop effective relationships through a robust admissions and settling in procedure. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported through an effective key person system and the building of good relationships with parents, who are keen to share information and engage in their children's learning and development. The use of a support tool aimed at developing children's bi-lingual skills helps staff to provide programmes of support tailored to individual children. This in conjunction with communication and information shared by parents, contributes to all children making good progress in their learning and development and being ready for school.

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

The key person system is well embedded and children's individual needs are understood and are effectively met at all times. Children and staff have close bonds and secure attachments have been formed and this supports children's personal, social and emotional development. Staff work closely with parents when children start at the nursery to identify and agree their starting points, well as, providing a robust settling-in procedure to ensure continuity of care and to support children's emotional well-being. Children behave well because they are busy and engaged in activities that provide challenge and follow their interests. Staff role model good manners and hygiene routines consistently. Staff use hand gel before and after wiping noses and changing nappies. The changing mat is cleaned before and after use and nappies are appropriately disposed of. However, children's independence and self-care skills are not always effectively encouraged as staff pour

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

drinks and wipe children's noses, using tissues, which are often out of their reach. This means there are fewer opportunities for children to do things for themselves. Meals are prepared on the premises by the cook and there is a varied menu provided. Children can also bring their own packed lunch if preferred. The nursery is inspected by environmental health and have robust hygiene procedures in place. All staff are aware of children's dietary requirements and preferences. Staff sit alongside children during lunch time and this promotes discussion about the food they are eating and the benefits of a good diet and exercise on children's health. This supports children's awareness of healthy eating and the importance of making healthy choices. Children access the toilet area independently and wash their hands. As a result, children are learning to manage their own personal hygiene needs.

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

Children have a good awareness of keeping themselves safe and staff routinely encourage them to consider aspects of safety. For example, staff remind children of the rules for keeping safe as they play outside. A child kicks a ball but his foot narrowly misses another child's face. The staff member reminds the child to only kick the ball along the ground and not to raise his foot. The child acknowledges this and says 'sorry' to the other child involved. As a result, children are learning about potential hazards during play and have an awareness of the feelings of others. This supports children's personal, social and emotional development and helps them to learn to play cooperatively with their peers. Older children support younger children in their play and are good role models for the boundaries and rules of the nursery. Staff offer children lots of praise and encouragement, therefore, promoting their self-esteem and self-confidence.

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

Children are supported for the move onto school through effective transition arrangements both within the nursery and with other providers. Children wear a uniform, which gives them a sense of belonging. They are supported to fasten coats, put on jumpers and take shoes off and put them back on again. When children approach the age of three years or are developmentally ready, they are supported to spend time in the older age group classroom. They mix socially during outdoor play opportunities. These transitions support children to be ready for the next stage in their learning and the move to school.

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provision

Following a recent visit by Ofsted the provider received a notice to improve to update safeguarding policies and procedures; put in place appropriate arrangements for supervision of staff; ensure corporal punishment is not threatened; maintain a record of any occasion where physical intervention is used and make available to parents and/or carers up to date details about how to contact Ofsted. The inspection found that the provision is meeting the requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are comprehensive safeguarding procedures in place and all staff are aware of these. Staff access all statutory training including first aid and safeguarding and have a designated safeguarding officer for the nursery. This ensures that their knowledge is up to date and children's welfare is protected. Staff are fully aware of what to do should they have concerns about children or those caring for them: this includes notifying outside agencies.

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provision

Robust procedures for recruitment and comprehensive induction processes supports staff to understand their roles and responsibilities. Weekly supervision is recorded and training and development needs are identified. Performance is monitored by management to ensure ongoing suitability of staff.

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provision

All policies and procedures have been reviewed to ensure that they contain up to date information and necessary details. Risk assessments are carried out on indoor and outdoor areas and also outings and visits taken by the children. All required permissions have been sought from parents to ensure children are as safe as possible at all times. Staff understand the importance of recording accidents, incidents: including physical intervention and informing parents of any incident. Staff are deployed well and ratios are met and this is monitored by the manager on a daily basis through the register. The headteacher and manager are aware of the circumstances or significant events that would need to be reported to Ofsted. All staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare and the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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provision

The headteacher and manager work closely together in the monitoring of the nursery and have implemented a comprehensive development file to support continuous improvement. Staff contribute to the self-evaluation framework to ensure priorities for all areas of the nursery are incorporated into future development plans. There is a strong drive to build on the already good practice to ensure children make good or better progress in their learning and development. The educational programmes are monitored to ensure a varied range of interesting, challenging and stimulating activities linked to children's interests are provided.

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provision

Staff work well in partnership with parents to ensure children's individual needs are met. Newsletters, open evenings, events and daily diaries ensure parents are fully informed about what children are learning. Parents communicate verbally with staff on a daily basis and this means that they are informed about and understand what their child is learning about and day-to-day practice issues are shared. Parents comment positively about the nursery, stating that their children are 'given a brilliant start' and 'vocabulary is coming on really well'. They also comment that they are 'really happy' with the standards of care and education provided for their children. The prospectus has been recently updated to reflect changes to some policies and procedures and provides information about other services available, such as, the local children's centre.

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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 EY355338 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 969118

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider Sandra Mary Fox Date of previous inspection 26/03/2012 Telephone number 01777 700486

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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

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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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