Bolton Nursery

Bolton Nursery Colby Lane, Bolton, Appleby, Cumbria, CA16 6AW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/06/2014 24/02/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff use a wide range of teaching techniques and plan a wide range of interesting and exciting play opportunities, supporting children's learning well across all areas.  Effective partnership working with parents and other professionals supports children's continuity of care and learning.  Staff are clear on the procedures for safeguarding children and the actions to take in event of reporting concerns about a child in their care.

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It is not yet good because

 There is no clear deputy leadership in place as the nursery does not currently have a named deputy to take charge in the manager's absence.  There are occasions when staff in the baby room do not meet the required training as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Role-play facilities do not always maximise opportunities for children to fully explore their imaginative skills.  Staff do not fully maximise children's awareness and use of different languages, particularly those spoken by the children attending the nursery.

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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 observed staff and children in all rooms of the nursery, during outdoor play and at snack and lunch time.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the staff and the children throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed documentation, including assessment and planning records, staff suitability checks and a sample of the policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the manager to discuss the leadership and management of the nursery, including self-evaluation, staff training and safe recruitment.

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Information about the setting

Bolton Nursery opened in 2004 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is run by a voluntary management committee and operates from a purpose-built nursery unit within the grounds of Bolton County Primary School near Appleby, Cumbria. Children are cared for in two main rooms and have access to three enclosed outdoor play areas. They also have use of the school field. The nursery serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. It opens five days a week from 8am until 6pm all year round. The nursery also offers before and after school care and a holiday club. Children attend the nursery for a variety of sessions. There are currently 45 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English

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Information about the setting

is an additional language. There are currently eight staff working directly with the children. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 2, three hold level 3, one holds level 4, one holds Early Years Professional status and one holds Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 ensure a named deputy is appointed and known by all staff, who is capable and qualified to take charge in the manager's absence

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must:

 ensure half of all staff working with the children aged under two receive training specifically for the care of babies.

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

 maximise opportunities for children to explore their imagination even further, through providing a greater range of resources and imagery in the role-play areas

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

 extend opportunities for children to learn about and value other languages, particularly those spoken by the children who attend the nursery.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery. The learning environment is bright and welcoming and provides children with the freedom of space and choice. Staff plan flexibly for the children, using their good knowledge of children's interests and developmental needs. The educational programme is interesting and exciting, offering children choice across all areas of learning. Staff encourage parents to share what they know about their children, including news from home, new achievements or general observations. Staff display the information on the 'wow board' within the nursery. Information shared is used to inform planning, as well as an opportunity to engage in quality conversations with the children about things that are happening in their lives. As a result of staff placing high importance on parents sharing information, effective relationships are formed. This has a positive impact on the children and the continuity of

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who attend

care and learning between home and the nursery. Furthermore, parents are encouraged to continue learning at home. Staff provide detailed information about planned activities and ideas for activities that can be done at home, such as phonics sounds and actions.

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who attend

Quality of teaching is very high. Staff use effective techniques to support children's communication skills. They ask lots of well-posed, open-ended questions and support children to be active learners and critical thinkers. A group of younger children enjoy a cooking activity together. They take turns completing the different tasks, measuring the ingredients, spooning in the mixture and mixing the ingredients. Staff offer an excellent narrative throughout, describing what they are doing to support children's growing vocabulary. Staff model being a thinker as they say, 'I wonder what's next? Let me check my recipe', demonstrating excellent problem-solving skills to the young children. Older children have great fun making masks and flying saucers for their space-themed fundraising event. Staff ask lots of questions about what we might find in space. Children talk about the stars, where they are and when we see them. A member of staff

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who attend

encourages children to recall a story they have read and asks what the character in the story used to see the sky; the children say 'a telescope', which prompts a conversation about how telescopes work. The member of staff uses excellent teaching skills to promote good communication, thinking and recalling skills. Later children enjoy continuing the space theme and pretend to be aliens. Outside they tell staff they are aliens from space. Staff join in and ask questions about where they are going to. She suggests they make a space den and demonstrates how they can weave the fabrics into the fence. Children are entirely inspired and set to work on their space den.

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who attend

Children display imaginative skills, however, there is scope to provide further opportunities for children to explore their ideas in more depth. For example, through providing a wider range of role-play resources in the home corner. Children have many opportunities to learn about the world around them. For example, they learn about the cultures of others during themed activities relating to gypsy travellers. Children have a wonderful time playing outside. They use a wide range of wheeled bikes and trikes, enjoy digging in the large planters with a range tools and have many opportunities to practise their mark- making skills. For example, some children paint with water on the floor while others sit in the shade of the tree to draw or write in quiet. Children demonstrate excellent early reading skills. They enjoy sounding out letters during phonics sessions and have fun finding items around the room that begin with the letter they are learning about. The

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who attend

good opportunities children have across all areas of learning helps them have the necessary skills needed for the next stage in their learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported very well in their learning and development. Staff work closely with the other professionals involved to establish good links and the sharing of information. Staff use information and guidance from parents and other professionals to plan specific activities for the children in order to support their individual needs. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported well. Staff use a communication aid in the form of a photo book with labels in both English and children's home language. However, staff have not yet fully explored all ways children's home languages can be acknowledged and celebrated within the nursery. For example, through use of labels and print around the environment.

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

Staff are warm, friendly and enthusiastic with the children. Key persons know their children well and gather good information from parents about their child to ensure their needs are met. They join in sensitively and appropriately according to children's age and stage. For example, staff in the baby room remain close by, offering lots of cuddles and attention. As children move up the nursery, staff are aware of encouraging children's smooth transitions and support them to be more independent in their play. The well- established key-person system results in children feeling confident and settled, with high levels of emotional well-being.

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

Children behave very well and play harmoniously together. This is a result of the good level of engagement children have in their play and the consistent approach staff take to managing behaviour. Staff offer lots of praise and support children in being independent at all levels. For example, when children pour out too much glitter on their paper, staff support them to manage the situation themselves by suggesting carefully pouring it back in, rather than doing it themselves. This effectively supports children to take ownership of their actions, promoting good independence and behaviour management skills.

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

Children demonstrate a good understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles and good hygiene. They engage in many activities planned to support children's understanding of important health topics. For example, during themes around 'taking care of ourselves', children learn about washing and the things we use, such as soap, flannels and toothpaste. Staff use appropriate language when talking to the children, and monitor the hand washing to help minimise the spreading of germs within the nursery. Children enjoy healthy eating activities, such as tasting sessions and discussions around what should be treats. Children develop their large muscle movements as they use a range of equipment during outdoor play. Young children have great fun experimenting with construction bricks and balance beams. They lift and pull the different blocks and shapes to build a track to walk along. Children use good risk assessment skills as they ensure the pieces are close

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

enough to be able to walk along. As a result of these good open-ended resources and staff's close supervision, children are able to take safe risks and learn about managing their own safety.

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provision

The manager has a suitable understanding of her role and responsibility in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The deputy managers recently resigned from their post and a new deputy has not yet been appointed. Furthermore, staffing in the baby room does not currently meet the requirements for training. These are breaches of requirements for the Early Years Register. However, both of these breaches have minimal impact on the children. For example, the small staff team work closely together and are aware of procedures to take in the manager's absence. Also, staff in the baby room have previous experience of caring for babies and an action plan for meeting training requirements is already in place.

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provision

Well-written policies are in place and procedures are effectively implemented and understood by all staff to safeguard and protect children from harm. All staff have completed safeguarding training, and therefore have a firm understanding of the steps that they would take if they had any concerns about a child in their care. The manager is the designated person for safeguarding and has received relevant training to support her in this role. Robust recruitment procedures are in place to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Detailed risk assessments ensure that children are kept safe as they play. The manager and staff are well qualified and have a strong understanding of how children learn. Staff are supported well by the manager, who is aware of the importance of ensuring the staff team remains skilled and knowledgeable. As a result, they attend regular training and implement their new skills into the nursery. The manager implements

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provision

systems to monitor staff practice and the progress of the children. For example, she undertakes observations of the staff and their interaction with the children, and collects summative assessments of the children's progress in order to track their development in each area. Staff work collaboratively to reflect on the service they offer. Staff use systems of self-evaluation to highlight areas where practice is most effective, as well as areas for development. Staff are encouraged to be self-reflective and contribute ideas via the 'reflective practice' sheet that the manager then monitors and uses to inform development plans. This helps to ensure the nursery maintains continuous improvement.

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provision

Staff share positive relationships with parents, who are made to feel welcome in the nursery. There is much information available on the parents' notice board and a regular two-way flow of information further enhances the good partnerships in place. Partnerships with other professionals, such as school teachers, are in place. Staff work together with the attached school to share ideas and planning and to seek specific ideas for activities to support children in the skills they will require for the next stage of their learning. Staff also take the opportunity to discuss any additional needs of the children to ensure continuity of care and learning takes place. This means children are well supported in their learning and are prepared for their future move. Staff also work in close partnership with the other professionals involved in the care and development of the children attending. For example, key persons work with physiotherapists and local authority special educational needs

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provision

coordinators to share information and contribute to a collaborative way of working to support children's individual needs.

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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 EY292208 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 856371

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Bolton Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 24/02/2012 Telephone number 017683 62468

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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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