Wolfson College Day Nursery

Wolfson College Day Nursery Linton Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 6UD

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Inspection date

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

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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

 The staff have well established settling-in procedures. As a result, parents are supported well and children settle quickly and securely.  Staff plan activities and use resources well to meet each individual child's learning styles and interests which extends their learning and development. As a result, all children are making good progress.  The staff provide good safe and secure environments for children. This enables children to move around safely, explore and play freely throughout the nursery.  The team of staff are well established as the majority of staff have been employed for many years. As a result, there is good continuity of care provided to the children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff provide good resources to explore sensory development inside. However, they sometimes miss chances to further develop children's senses outdoors. This means the outdoor environment is not used to its full potential.

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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 viewed children's activities in each room and outdoors.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector had a discussion with manager.  The inspector talked with staff, some children and parents.  The inspector scrutinised a range of relevant documentation.

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Information about the setting

Wolfson College Day Nursery opened in 1976 and is run by the governing body of the college. It is situated to the north of Oxford city centre. It operates from single storey accommodation comprising of two self-contained areas linked by a central courtyard with a canopy cover. An additional adjacent garden is also available and children have supervised access to the extensive college grounds. The nursery serves the local area but priority is given to children whose parents are associated with the college, as either students or staff. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is currently caring for 34 children in the early years age range. The nursery supports children who are learning English as an additional language. The nursery operates on weekdays for 49 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 8.30am until 5.30pm. It is in receipt of funding for

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Information about the setting

the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years old. It employs nine staff of whom six hold relevant qualifications.

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

 extend younger children's sensory skills further by providing more investigative experiences outdoors.

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who attend

Children make good progress in all areas of learning because staff provide interesting and challenging educational activities. For example, blowing through straws to sail boats across the water tray to teach children about cause and effect. Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to make choices and decisions, with a wide range of resources on offer in low level picture labelled storage. As a result, children learn through play and investigation. Staff promote children's physical development well by providing ample resources and activities inside and outdoors. Younger children move freely around the garden in walkers or on balance bikes and cars. Older children kick balls to one another in small groups and walk across balancing beams with confidence. As a result, children, of all ages, develop good co-ordination and control.

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who attend

Staff support children's communication skills well by using visual aids, such as picture labelling which children use to point out activities of their choice. Staff provide a continuous narrative for children as they play. This effectively supports their language development, especially for those children attending who are learning English as an additional language. Consequently, children are confident speakers in both their home language and in English. For example, children tell the parents at home some basic words in several languages. Staff provide a low-level well-stocked book rack for babies and younger children to freely access books and choose stories for staff to read to them. This builds children's interest in books. The children show good development in language and literacy skills, as they learn new words and recall stories. For example, younger children say 'cocoon' and 'flap' as they point to familiar pictures in story books. Staff provide older

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who attend

children with good activities to learn initial letters and sounds, to build upon their readiness for school. For example, children spontaneously sing rhyming songs with confidence.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good. Staff extend children's learning by building on their interests and abilities. For example, staff respond with genuine interest as children talk about what they see on the way to nursery. One child talks about seeing a tow-truck loading a car. They show staff, using body language, the position the car was in when moving onto the winch. The staff member introduces mathematical language to teach the child new vocabulary to support their conversation. For example, 'the car was at an angle' and the child repeats the word angle.

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who attend

Staff provide babies and younger children with ample resources to explore and investigate their senses indoors. For example musical instruments and baskets full of natural and textured resources. However, sometimes chances are missed to extend younger children's sensory development outdoors. For example, smelling and feeling the textures of herbs in the sensory garden. Therefore, the outdoor environment is not always used to provide rich experiences for younger children to develop their senses.

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who attend

Staff use effective systems to observe children and monitor their progress. As a result, staff show strong awareness of children's individual personalities, interests and needs. This enables them to plan activities and resources well to meet each individual child's learning styles and interests well which extends their learning and development. For example, one child shows a strong interest in dinosaurs and regularly draws pictures of the different types. Staff created a personal scrapbook for the child to collect the dinosaur pictures. As a result, the child learns more types of dinosaurs and asks to write the names of them. The staff use a comprehensive system to regularly assess children's learning and development and record children's next steps in learning. As a result, all practitioners have high expectations of each child and suitably plan activities to challenge them. For example, staff engage a small group of older children in a game of snakes and ladders to further

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who attend

develop their social skills, such as, turn taking. Parents are invited to meet with their child's key person to read and discuss summary assessments of their children's progress. They are encouraged to record their own comments about their children's achievements. As a result they are involved in their children's learning which builds continuity of learning between the nursery and home environments.

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

Staff embrace their roles as key persons. Staff allow flexibility over settling-in sessions and parents state that staff are very supportive during the change. They offer lots of verbal opportunities to discuss each child's needs daily with their parents. As a result of this, children are secure and settle quickly. Staff are attentive and form good relationships with children and their families. For example, when babies begin to cry they are comforted when their key person cuddles them. As a result, children form close bonds and attachments with them. Staff create a calm and welcoming environment and speak calmly to the children. As a result, children behave well and speak calmly to each other. Staff provide clear guidance to children to encourage them to take turns. Consequently, older children happily play board games together. They take turns to roll the dice and move their own counters.

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

The staff provide a safe and secure environment for children and as a result they move, explore and play freely in all environments. They responsibly teach children about safety and how to minimise risks. For example, when older children join the babies outside staff ask the older children to find larger counters for their board game to avoid babies choking on small pieces as they explore the garden. Fire drills are carried out weekly; staff use the drills to teach children about safety and what to do if they see a fire. The children excitedly follow the well-known procedure calling, 'fire, fire', and line up in a calm manner. Staff carry out training on safeguarding children to help protect children from harm. As a result, they are knowledgeable about the policies and procedures to follow and show strong awareness of what to do if they have a concern and who to report it to.

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

Healthy snacks such as, orange segments, and meals, such as roast dinners, are provided by the college chef. Staff use opportunities over mealtimes to teach children about healthy foods such as, vegetables. Staff support children to manage their own personal needs well by encouraging them to wash their hands and toilet themselves, with help when needed. Staff create a good environment that promotes children's choice and independence well by providing low level storage for resources. Staff clearly display photographs and children's art work all at a low level. As a result, children's self esteem is boosted as they recognise their own art work.

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

Staff provide ample access to the outdoor areas throughout the day which allows children to choose their learning environment. Staff removed the gate between the room and the covered garden and this enables children to freely move between the inside and outdoor area. This shows that staff have acted effectively on implementing the recommendation made at the last inspection. The outdoor areas are well resourced by staff. The resources are suitable for children of all ages and reflect the different areas of learning. For example, a role play area has been introduced and children dress up in outfits to carry out other activities. The nursery also has on going access to the college sports field, a play area and meadows where they go for regular nature walks.

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

Staff use good strategies to promote children's independence which builds upon their next steps in learning and their readiness for school. Younger children are encouraged to use forks and spoons to feed themselves and drink from 'big cups' with no lids. This effectively prepares them for the move up to the next room. Older children take turns to be helpers of the day and carry out tasks, such as setting up meal tables and they pour their own drinks. As a result, children develop self help skills in readiness for the move to school.

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provision

The management team members strongly support staff with tracking and supporting children's progress. As a result, children are making good progress in all areas of learning. They track the progress of the different groups of children well and identify areas where they can strengthen children's learning and development. For example, the management team called a staff meeting to discuss implementing more opportunities to teach and observe children's mathematical development. As a result, staff show confidence as they introduce mathematical language and concepts during everyday play and routines. For example, counting milk bottles. Consequently, all children are developing well in this area of learning.

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provision

The management team supports staff's professional development well by carrying out one-to-one discussions and encouraging them to further their qualifications and skills. For example, two members of staff are currently training towards a level five qualification in early years. Staff attend the appropriate paediatric 12 hour first-aid training and complete training in safeguarding to further develop their skills and knowledge in protecting children's safety and risk from harm. The management team shows strong awareness of the safeguarding policy and procedures and have both members recently attended 'specialist safeguarding training'. The manager ensures that staff are kept up to date with safeguarding matters. The staff implement a clear policy on the use of mobile phones in the setting. Parents and visitors are reminded that use of mobile phones is prohibited and a notice on the front door reiterates this. The manager works in partnership with the

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provision

college committee members to review risk assessments of the building and equipment regularly. This helps to maintain a safe and secure environment. There is a well established team, as the manager has been in the setting for 14 years and the majority of the staff have been employed for a number of years. This provides good continuity of care for the children and parents state this as one of the setting's strengths.

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provision

The manager is supported by the college's human resources team to implement robust procedures for safer recruitment. Appropriate checks are carried out on staff to check their suitability and safeguard children's welfare. Once staff are recruited they are given ample support through induction to become aware of the routine and the nursery's policies and procedures. As a result, new staff confidently follow routines, for example, taking the initiative to lead the planned singing session.

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provision

There is a good focus on reflection and self evaluation. The management team accurately identifies the strengths of the setting, as well as areas for further improvement. They have worked in partnership with their local authority early years advisory teacher to seek professional views and advice on how to extend the services they provide. The views of parents and children are obtained through verbal feedback daily, and staff use individual interests and suggestions where possible. For example, curtains were put up in the pre- school room to provide a cosy and darker area for children to sleep. This ensures that older children get the full sleep they need with limited distractions. The management team members are committed to improving their provision. They have made lots of improvements to progress children's learning and development. They now use a well- established system to observe and assess individual children's learning and have recently

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provision

introduced group tracking. These systems are working successfully to increase the good quality of teaching and care for the children.

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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 134014 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 842935 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 31 Number of children on roll 34 Name of provider Wolfson College Date of previous inspection 23/02/2012 Telephone number 01865 274074

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Setting details

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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