Horn End Nursery

Horn End Nursery Egg Lane, Hixon, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0PR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/05/2014 28/05/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 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

 Teaching is good and in some instances outstanding, particularly in relation to partnerships with parents, assessments and planning for next steps in children's learning and daily routines that focus on supporting children to make choices and to do as much as they can for themselves.  The manager demonstrates a strong understanding of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, safeguarding procedures are robust and the organisation of the indoor space, deployment of staff, staff to child ratio and daily records of attendance effectively support the needs of children.  Staff are effective in helping children to develop a secure sense of emotional well- being. This contributes to ensuring children are able to embrace new experiences and continue with their learning journey with confidence.  The expert knowledge of the management team is effectively driving continual

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This provision is good

improvements, which enhance children's care and learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some staff are less skilled in supporting children to develop high levels of enthusiasm and motivation. Some staff are not sharply focused on capturing spontaneous opportunities to support children's next steps in learning, in order to support rapid progress in these areas.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all of the playrooms and the outdoor play area.  The inspector held discussions with the owner, manager and all staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation of a children's activity with the manager.  The inspector spoke with children and parents during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation, daily records of children's and staff attendance, deployment of staff and the organisation of space.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the staff and the improvement plans.

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Information about the setting

Horn End Nursery was registered in 1990 on the Early Years Register and is one of three privately owned nurseries. It operates from a converted bungalow with three main rooms used by children in the village of Hixon, Stafford. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. The nursery employs eight members of staff who all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level three, four or five. The nursery owner holds Early Year Professional Status. The nursery also has a cook, cleaner and maintenance worker. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 5.45pm all year round. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 62 children on roll who are all in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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

 develop and embed further strategies to support and coach staff so that all key persons promote high levels of enthusiasm and motivation in children and are sharply focused on capturing spontaneous opportunities to support children's next steps in learning, in order to achieve consistently high quality teaching.

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who attend

Children are well prepared for school and their next steps in learning because teaching is good with some outstanding aspects. For example, throughout the nursery there are embedded routines that focus on supporting children to make choices and to do as much as they can for themselves. This supports children to become confident and self-assured, eager and motivated learners. For example, children in Tommy Thumb and Toby Tall rooms are able to choose to play in or outdoors simultaneously with both areas proving a rich variety of resources that cover all areas of learning. This particularly motivates children who prefer to learn outdoors and learn best through larger scale activities. Extremely sharp focus is given to supporting the physical skills of younger children in Baby Smalls room, which leads to some rapid progress in their development. Throughout the nursery, staff give children lots of time and any required assistance so that they can learn

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who attend

to do lots of things for themselves, which results in children achieving high levels of independence. For example, children put a photograph of themselves on a peg with their belongings and with very little assistance they learn an easy way of putting on their coats. At dinner time they take part in selecting their food bowls and serving their dinner on their plate, which they can carry back to the table. These activities also support younger children's understanding, self-confidence and communication and language skills as staff provide commentary, provide gestures to support words and sing songs that reflect what children are seeing and doing. This provides continual support for younger children to learn the meaning and begin to use words and communicate.

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who attend

Highly successful strategies are used to engage and include all parents in their children's learning in the nursery and at home. This includes providing parents with comprehensive details about how planned and unplanned activities, daily routines and focusing on specific skills can be used to support their children's learning. Events for parents are also planned every month and these include stay and play sessions where parents can see and take part in activities, such as a picnic in the park, which is planned to support children's awareness of their local community. Monthly newsletters provide parents with best practice guidance in relation to children's care and learning. Discussions with parents demonstrate how successful this partnership is in supporting children's progress in learning. Assessment at all ages is precise, sharply focused and includes all those involved in the child's learning. This leads to sharply focused individual planning for all children that

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who attend

builds upon what children are interested in, know and can already do in all areas of learning. Consequently, staff are fully aware of children's next steps in learning and how they can support each of their key children through planned activities to make at least good progress in all areas of learning. However, not all key persons are focused sharply enough to capture spontaneous opportunities that present themselves during the day, in order to support children to make rapid improvements in these areas.

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who attend

Some staff are very highly skilled in supporting children's learning. They are playful, exuberant and enthusiastic as they take part in children's play. They have expert knowledge of the areas of learning and clear understanding of how children learn, which they use effectively to capture all potential learning opportunities that arise. This helps to maximise children's learning. They easily become involved in children's play and follow children's lead and interest to build upon what children know and can do. For example, as children play in the doctors' surgery role play area a member of staff is extremely successful in joining in with the children's play. During this play she effectively supports children to express their ideas and thoughts to demonstrate what they know and understanding about what happens when you go to the doctors. Most importantly, she captures this interest to introduce further information, explanations and new words, such

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who attend

as prescriptions, which helps to further support children's understanding of the meaning of words. She also supports and extends children's interest and understanding of the sounds letters make and their understanding and awareness that information can be relayed in the form of print. This high-quality interaction is also reflected in some other staff. They are extremely effective in responding to and inspiring children to use a trial and error approach. This means that they can solve simple problems of weight, measure, number and space as they explore and experiment with opened-ended resources. They capture all opportunities to encourage children to think critically by using open questions, such as 'What do you think will happen?' However, some staff are less skilled, which means this high quality teaching is not consistent. As a result, children's interest or activity is not always fully captured or extended, in order to support rapid progress in their learning.

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

The exemplary focus given to working in partnership with parents ensures each child's family experiences are recognised. These are celebrated and are reflected in activities, the environment and through resources. This is particularly effective in helping children to develop a secure sense of emotional well-being. Children can see themselves and family members displayed in photographs around their playrooms. Each child has their own special box and chatter bag that contain special personal items from home. Areas, such as the role play area contain items and photographs from children's play experiences at home. Each child's key person spends time with them looking at and talking about their items. This helps staff to develop their understanding of each child's interest and helps children to develop secure attachments with their key person. Every day staff capture photographs of children's play. They use these to create a memory book for children and

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

their families to share. Discussions with new parents at the nursery demonstrate how successful this approach is in supporting children to settle into their new environment. Daily activities are planned so that children from different rooms come together to play. For example, Baby Smalls visit their older siblings within the nursery and all children go outdoors together. As a result, all children become familiar with all staff and other children and all areas of the nursery. This helps to prepare children to make the move up to the next room when the time comes. Visits with local schools and activities and resources, such as school uniform and photographs of new schools are used to support children's move to school. These approaches are successful in supporting children to continue with their learning journey with confidence.

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

Throughout the nursery good focus is given to creating a flexible and stimulating environment. As a result, children initiate their own play and follow their own interest in all areas of learning, in and outdoors. This significantly supports children's independence. It also supports children to gain an understanding of risk as they explore their environment and undertake self-challenges such as, walking along balancing beams and using real garden tools. Staff fully understand how important it is for children to feel safe so they are on hand to provide encouragement and any assistance that a child requires, including being introduced to visitors. Good focus is given to encouraging children to become active. Children take part in an exciting range of activities that are planned to support children's motivation to become active. For example, children take part in activities run by professional sports and dance coaches and play outdoors throughout the year in all

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

weather conditions. This enhances children's experiences and skills. Throughout the nursery children's active participation in planned activities and topics, care routines and self-care skills, help to support their understanding of caring for their environment, eating healthily and staying safe. All staff are good role models who demonstrate good manners and a caring and kind approach. They spend time talking to children about their feelings and behaviour. As a result, children learn to manage their behaviour, take turns, share and consider others, which help them to play and learn together.

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provision

The manager demonstrates a strong understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, the organisation of the indoor space, deployment of staff, staff to child ratio and daily records of attendance effectively support the needs of children. Safeguarding procedures are robust, ensuring that children are kept safe and protected from harm and neglect. For example, recruitment and ongoing vetting procedures ensure that all adults working in the setting are suitable to work with children and are continually assessed to ensure they remain suitable. There is a comprehensive safeguarding policy, which is shared with parents and is effectively implemented. All staff receive training and have good knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures and the action that must be taken if there is a concern about any child's welfare. Children are further safeguarded through high levels of supervision and a culture

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provision

of assessing and minimising risk, which ensures children enjoy a safe and secure environment.

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provision

The owner of the nursery and the management team aim to provide the very highest support for all children's care and learning. In some areas they are very successful in meeting this vision. This is particularly evident in the highly successful strategies that are used to engage and include all parents in their children's learning in the nursery and at home. This results in parents making valuable contributions to children's learning and staff effectively meeting children's care and learning needs. It is also evident in the nurseries precise and sharply focused accurate assessment and planning systems. This ensures effective monitoring of children's progress so that any emerging gaps in children's learning are swiftly identified and addressed. Partnerships with other professionals are well established. This ensures children with special education needs and/ or disabilities are supported effectively if required.

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provision

The high focus given to supporting, coaching and training staff is securing continual improvements in staff practice and contributes to enhancing children's experiences. For example, staff take part in training events, such as Every Child a Talker programme and Mind stretchers. This training is reflected in their practice and contributes to supporting children's communication and language and mathematical skills. It has also resulted in staff creating a very stimulating learning environment. The expert knowledge of the management team and thorough self-evaluation, which takes into account the views of all staff, children and their parents, is effectively driving continual improvement. The owner uses her expert skills and knowledge to support and guide the manager and practice within the nursery. As a result, the manager is very focused in driving improvements, such as fostering reflective practice through peer observations and holding regular meeting and

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provision

in-house training events with staff. The manager is also an exceptional role model who works alongside staff in the playrooms. This enables her to monitor staff practice and to provide support to enhance staff skills. However, there are some inconsistencies in the generally very high quality of teaching. This is because current arrangements do not ensure that all staff are sharply focused on making the most of every opportunity to extend children's learning, particularly during unplanned activities.

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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 218439 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 968334

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 37 Number of children on roll 62 Name of provider Deborah Barton Date of previous inspection 28/05/2010 Telephone number 01889 271051

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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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