Basildon Hospital Day Nursery School

Seymour House Day Nursery School Fobbing Farm Close, BASILDON, SS16 5NP

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/07/2014 Not Applicable

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 Teaching is excellent as staff are extremely focused on meeting children's individual needs. This means that all children are making significant progress in all seven areas of learning.  Children are exceptionally content and happy as they enjoy the secure and affectionate attachments they have formed with their key persons.  The indoor and outside environments are extremely very well planned and resourced. Consequently, children become active learners and delight in investigating their surroundings with great levels of interest and curiosity.  Partnerships with parents and carers are excellent. Parents are extremely well informed about their children's progress and become fully engaged in their children's learning in the nursery and at home.  The exceptional leadership and high-quality teaching have maintained outstanding achievement for children. The management and staff teams provide a collaborative

p.1

This provision is outstanding

approach towards setting high standards of practice, which focus on providing the very best possible care and learning for the children in their care.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor and outdoor learning environments.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held discussions with the manager, staff and children.  The inspector viewed a sample of the children's development records.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector saw evidence of suitability and qualifications of the staff, self- evaluation, risk assessment and policies and procedures.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and from their comments in their children's development records.

p.2

Information about the setting

Seymour House Day Nursery School was established in 1996 and re-registered in 2014 under a limited company. The nursery is on the Early Years Register and is one of eight settings run and managed by Seymour House Limited. It operates from purpose-built premises on the site of Basildon Hospital, Essex. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Opening times are from 7am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children are cared for in three playrooms and have access to enclosed areas for outdoor play. There are currently 70 children attending who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. There are currently 10 staff working directly with the children, nine of whom have an appropriate early years qualification at level 3 or

p.3

Information about the setting

higher. One member of staff holds Early Years Professional status and there is an apprentice working towards a qualification at level 3. The nursery also employs lunch time assistants and bank staff to cover staff absences. It receives support from the local authority.

p.3

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

 build further on children's already excellent progress, by continually enhancing teaching strategies, particularly in relation to supporting the needs of children who have the potential to surpass the expectations for their age and stage of development.

p.3

who attend

Outstanding teaching over time ensures that the nursery continues to provide very high- quality education for the children in its care. In addition, excellent links with parents, and the sharing of information between home and nursery, means that children have very positive attitudes towards learning wherever they are. Staff have enormously high expectations for what children can achieve. They keep an extremely close check on the progress each child makes, to make sure all children learn exceptionally well. Children's achievements are frequently observed and assessed and key persons use this knowledge successfully to implement individualised weekly activity plans. There are also termly reports to review data on children's development and to set clear goals to ensure children make rapid progress in all areas. Excellent use of 'learning story' records and development journals, where children's special interests are tracked over time, provides very useful

p.3

who attend

information on the learning that has taken place. Parents are fully involved in the baseline assessments and the required progress check for children between the age of two and three years. They also eagerly contribute comments or photographs to the development records and specifically note their children's special individual achievements for the display boards. Other exceptional approaches that successfully engage parents in their children's learning include frequent stay and play sessions. These sessions allow parents to join in and see how their children learn through play. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities progress well because the nursery provides consistent and effective support from well-qualified staff, whenever it is needed. Children who speak English as an additional language are very well supported by staff who also speak their home language. They help children to understand instructions clearly and to learn to speak English fluently.

p.3

who attend

Children have excellent attitudes to their learning. They engage in all activities with huge enthusiasm and are eager to learn all they can. Children regularly take out their 'learning story' books and show great pride as they recall the activities they have enjoyed throughout the year. Children are offered an exciting blend of adult-led activities and experiences that children choose for themselves. The staff are skilled in knowing when to interact with children to extend their play and learning and when to allow them to play without their direct involvement. Babies and toddlers have many opportunities to develop early skills as they explore a variety of natural or sensory materials. This approach means they develop interests based on investigation, experimentation and using their imagination. Children relish the opportunity to choose between indoor and outdoor play. The outdoor space is extensive, well-equipped and includes many exciting features. As a

p.4

who attend

result, children enthusiastically follow their preferred learning styles and achieve well in the development of their imagination, creativity and in their understanding of the world. Outdoor activities are constantly purposeful and sustain children's interest. For example, children are excited when they discover a caterpillar on a nature hunt. They animatedly talk about the features they notice, such as the number of legs, or how they move and crawl. They go on to record their findings by making marks on clipboards, drawing pictures or by creating collages of natural discoveries, such as flowers and leaves. The enthusiasm with which staff approach the activities means children are very keen to try things out. For example, children carefully consider the cause and effect of moving chutes and blocks. This enables them to pour water or roll balls at varying speeds. Highly effective questioning by staff deepens children's understanding and promotes their

p.4

who attend

language skills. This, coupled with a strong emphasis on encouraging children to think for themselves and learn from their mistakes, ensures very effective learning.

p.4

who attend

The staff place an extremely strong emphasis on promoting children's skills for future learning and in readiness for starting school. These skills include helping children to listen attentively and become motivated and independent learners. Older children clearly demonstrate these skills as they organise their play, find the resources they need and communicate with adults and one another. Early reading, writing and mathematical skills are extremely well taught through a variety of interesting activities. Children show confidence in identifying initial letter sounds and the sounds that two letters make when blended together. They are also very keen to give words they know that began with the same initial sound. Children confidently learn that print has meaning, for example, they have recipe cards for baking in their role play and imaginatively use props and actions to illustrate a story. They also adeptly write their own names or captions and labels for

p.4

who attend

display. Children successfully apply their mathematical skills in purposeful activities. For example, they count as they add ingredients when making play dough, or enthusiastically recognise and discuss different shapes in the environment. There are excellent opportunities for children to learn about technology. For example, they confidently use computer tablets or suggest ideas for images on the projector that support their play.

p.4

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

The utmost priority is given to ensuring that all children and babies are settled and feel completely secure in the nursery. Every child's transfer, from their home into the nursery, is carefully managed through a gradual and flexible process for settling in. Staff gather a wealth of information from parents, and use this to plan precise support for each child's first sessions. In addition, parents provide photographs of family members and familiar people, which are displayed where they can easily be seen. This gives children and babies confidence and a real sense of belonging, when they are settling in. Staff prepare children exceptionally well for the next stage in their learning, whether this is moving age groups within the nursery, or going to school. Staff arrange visits to the new playrooms and show children photographs of their new key persons and the playrooms. Children benefit from this reassuring approach which provides them with a secure foundation for future

p.5

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

learning. The management also liaise with the schools children are due to attend, and invite teachers to meet children at the nursery. Consequently, children become familiar with new carers, which gives them confidence for the move onto full-time education.

p.5

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

Children develop extremely polite and respectful behaviour as they follow the exemplary role models of the staff who care for them. They are repeatedly praised for doing well and cooperate and take turns as they play harmoniously together. Staff encourage children to take on responsibilities and act as special helpers. For example, children count how many friends are in their group and make sure there are enough cups and plates for all. Children and babies feel extremely safe and well cared for. As a result, they approach all that is on offer, wholeheartedly and joyfully. Staff consistently draw children's attention to safety routines, such as putting on sun lotion and wearing sun hats before anyone goes out to play in hot weather. Interesting activities are also planned to promote children's awareness of safety. For example, role play using road signs and traffic signals is used effectively to ensure that children understand how to cross roads safely. As a result,

p.5

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

children confidently discuss potential dangers when using wheeled toys in the outdoor area. Organised visits by the emergency services also help to develop children's awareness of the people who help us and about potential dangers in the home.

p.5

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

Children and babies thrive because there are superb arrangements for them to learn about healthy lifestyles. The routine is well paced and allows plenty of opportunities for energetic play, as well as time for relaxation or peaceful sleep. Staff skilfully teach children about effective hygiene routines. Consequently, children learn about the importance of cleaning their teeth after meals, as well as washing their hands at appropriate times. Nappy changing and toilet training for the youngest children is carried out hygienically and discreetly to preserve children's self-esteem. There is fresh fruit and drinking water available in the playrooms throughout the day, so that children can make healthy choices. Lunchtime provides an excellent opportunity for the older children to develop independence skills as they confidently lay the tables and serve their own food, which is presented in small bowls to make this a manageable task. Children feel confident to ask

p.5

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

for help, and staff encourage the older children to try for themselves, without stepping in too quickly. Children enjoy nutritious meals and learn why it is important to eat healthy foods, as staff discuss the positive impact this has on their bodies. They also learn about healthy eating when they take part in gardening activities that enable them to grow and taste salad vegetables. Staff are extremely knowledgeable about any allergies or medical needs and make sure that any special dietary requirements are specifically catered for.

p.6

provision

The nursery meets all the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage exceptionally well. Leadership is inspirational and management has high aspirations for maintaining excellent quality. Consequently, there are exceptional arrangements for safeguarding children. The nursery leadership has robust recruitment, vetting and induction procedures in place to check that all staff are suitable to work with children. The core pathway training implemented by the company is extremely comprehensive. This means that the staff team have an excellent understanding of their duty to protect children's welfare, and fully understand the safeguarding procedures to follow, should concerns arise. Children's security and safety is rigorously monitored. Detailed risk assessments, safety checks of equipment and regular audits by senior management contribute significantly to children's safety. Exceedingly high standards of cleanliness are maintained. The nursery has recently

p.6

provision

been redecorated throughout to ensure that playrooms remain fresh and extremely welcoming to children and their families. All the required documentation that promotes the safe and efficient management of the nursery is meticulously maintained.

p.6

provision

In-depth self-evaluation of the nursery, involving staff, parents and children, ensures that actions for improvement are extremely well targeted and always highly ambitious. Comprehensive internal analysis with determined development plans are completed. This means the nursery has a very accurate view of its strengths and areas where any further improvements could be made. As a result, the nursery's extremely high quality provision is maintained. All staff have their performance regularly and thoroughly checked. Staff enthusiastically undertake training as well as ongoing involvement in new projects. For example, the focused reflective practice weeks are used successfully to specifically promote high quality communication and language skills. Staff fully appreciate the challenge and support they get to develop and extend their practice. Monitoring of children's progress is extremely thorough and this ensures that all children make the best

p.6

provision

possible progress. The management pay a high level of attention to checking how well both individuals, and different groups of children, are learning. This ensures that all children within different cohorts make similar, rapid progress. Some children demonstrate they have the potential to surpass expectations for their age and stage of development. As a result, the management recognise that there is scope to enhance further the expertise of staff, to ensure they constantly review and refine their teaching strategies, to enable the more able children to constantly rise to the challenges presented to them.

p.6

provision

The excellent partnership with parents contributes significantly to children's well-being and progress. Extremely well-presented information is provided for parents in newsletters, on notice boards and on the dedicated website. The combination of informal chats and formal written information ensures that a first-rate level of communication is maintained. Without exception, parents say they are delighted with the quality of education and speak with great warmth about the care shown to their children. Partnerships with other professionals are extremely effective. When there is shared care, observations are exchanged between key persons from each setting, to ensure that there is strong continuity in children's care and learning. The manager has established strong links with primary schools in the area to promote seamless transitions into the reception year. The staff team have also developed effective channels of communication with specialist teachers and outside support workers

p.6

provision

to develop individual education and medical care plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY472645 Local authority Essex Inspection number 952509 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 34 Number of children on roll 70 Name of provider Seymour House Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01268464422

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.10

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,

p.10

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’.

p.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11