The Early Bird Nursery School

The Early Bird Nursery School Heritage House, Woodlands Avenue, Rustington, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN16 3EY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/07/2014 20/05/2011

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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

 There are well-established key person systems in place, meaning staff build good relationships that supports children to feel safe and secure.  Staff promote children's communication and language skills effectively through enthusiastic stories and a variety of age appropriate resources.  Clear and detailed planning effectively meets children's individual learning needs.  Children are emotionally well prepared with an understanding of rules and boundaries, which staff model well.  Staff communicate closely with parents to include and value their views and needs.  Children are safe due to the priority given to safeguarding.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are fewer opportunities for babies to use resources for sensory exploration.  The range of visual prompts in the outdoor learning environment do not encourage early letter recognition to extend children's learning that print carries meaning.

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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 the areas of the nursery that children use.  The inspector observed staff interacting with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled written documentation, including children's progress reports, policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to children, gathered parents' views and spoke in depth with staff.  The inspector invited the manager to carry out a joint observation.

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Information about the setting

The Early Bird Nursery School opened under the present owners in 2001. It operates from several rooms on the ground and first floor of an adapted building in Rustington, West Sussex. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery opens each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 50 weeks a year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 35 early years age children on roll. The nursery is in receipt of the government funding for free nursery education. They support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who have English as an additional language. There are eight members of staff, of whom six hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 extend opportunities for babies to use resources and experiences for more sensory exploration

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

 extend the range of visual prompts in the outdoor learning environment to encourage early letter recognition and further develop children's learning that print carries meaning.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate a good understanding and commitment towards promoting children's learning and development. They are a qualified and experienced team with a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff ensure that stimulating activities and experiences are provided and accessible to all children on a daily basis. This helps promote children's learning in all areas, for example, sand and water play, role play and ICT equipment, such as a computer. This helps children make independent choices in their play, as they become curious and active learners. However, staff do not extend opportunities for babies to use resources and experiences to further develop their sensory exploration.

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who attend

Staff plan achievable and challenging targets and next steps for all children using their interests, ensuring that individual needs are being met. As a result, all children make good progress. Children's learning is purposeful and appropriate to age and ability, meaning they remain engaged for extended periods of time. Staff's effective planning strategies extend children's learning and enjoyment well. For example, staff enthusiastically tell a well-known story about a frog. They use resources and materials to bring the story alive and extend children's imaginations through visual prompts, such as explosions of confetti to demonstrate 'a big splash'.

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who attend

Staff obtain general information regarding new children's preferences and routines by liaising closely with parents. Staff use 'getting to know me' forms and initial observations to find out children's learning needs. Observations accurately identify children's starting points, which staff use effectively to plan and closely track the progress of all children. Strong relationships with parents and outside professionals are established and maintained to promote continuity in care. Staff have regular meetings with parents to share children's learning and development. Parents are encouraged to take an active role in their children's development. They take the learning journals home on a regular basis and add their own comments about what their children like to do at home, include photographs and sharing news. This ensures there is a consistent and accurate overview of children's learning and development. Parents say they feel supported and well informed, and state it is 'lovely to

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who attend

Staff provide a wide range of equipment and experiences, both in the indoor and outdoor learning environments, to motivate children and help them make progress in their learning and development. For example, children are encouraged to use their imagination in the garden and enjoy activities such as, magic painting and fishing for ducks. Staff develop children's physical skills well. Children learn about shape and space as they complete jigsaw puzzles, build towers, and prepare snacks. They have good opportunities to use a variety of materials to experiment with marks and develop their imagination and early writing skills. For example, children can freely choose to use paints, chalks, glue, sand and water on a daily basis. These activities support children well to develop hand eye coordination and their small muscles. Children have daily access to the secure outdoor area to enjoy fresh air and exercise in the garden. The garden is spacious and encourages

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who attend

children to enjoy the outdoor environment, where they can climb on large tyres, ride bikes and negotiate the slides and climbing equipment. This helps them to develop control and coordination of their bodies as they negotiate space and equipment to build their larger muscles. There are less visual prompts outside though to increase early literacy skills and develop children's understanding that print carries meaning in a range of different ways. Staff are deployed well in all areas of the nursery meaning the child-to-adult ratio is maintained at all times. Both the indoor and outdoor learning environments are calm and well organised, enabling children move confidently and purposefully to explore and experiment.

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who attend

Staff interact constantly with children giving high quality levels of communication to support children's language development during their play. Staff are skilful when extending children's learning and preparing them for their next stage by using challenging and thought provoking questions, such as, 'what do you think will happen next?' This encourages children to develop their thinking and problem-solving skills. Children remain engaged in motivating activities and interact spontaneously with adults and their friends confidently. This helps develop their good social skills as they learn to contribute towards discussions and conversations. Staff use facial expression, body language and talking which helps extend all children's language and communication skills, regardless of age and ability. Staff role model these strategies well.

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

The dedicated staff team meet the needs of all individual children, taking into account their specific needs, preferences and interests. The key person system is well established and as a result, children develop strong and trusting relationships. This helps them develop a sense of belonging in the nursery and feel safe and secure. The key person system is successful in helping children during periods of change such as, when they are settling-in, moving rooms and getting ready for school. Praise and positive reinforcement is consistent and constant from staff, and consequently, children demonstrate good behaviour.

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

Daily planned activities effectively cover all areas of development. For example, children learn about the effect of exercise on their bodies. They can explain that they are resting because they are tired. Children independently and confidently wash their hands before snack and lunch, and find their coats and shoes. They easily access water during the day to keep hydrated. They are encouraged to prepare their own snacks and choose their own fruit. This supports children to develop good independence and self-care skills. Children also develop awareness of using equipment safely, such as knives for cutting fruit under close supervision. Staff encourage all children to join in with tidying away resources, giving children an awareness of safety, as well as a sense of respect for the resources. Staff are good role models. They sit with the children during snack times and join in painting experiments. During these times, children mirror their positive language and

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

behaviour. As a result, children develop good social skills and behave extremely well. Children are encouraged to cooperate and problem solve harmoniously, resulting in them resolving conflicts confidently and independently. For example, they share equipment and resources without the prompting of staff. Children develop a good knowledge and understanding of every day life skills during the experiences the daily routine offers. This prepares them well for the next stage of their learning, such as going to school.

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

Safeguarding is a priority for all staff. They implement thorough daily and long-term risk assessments of the learning environments, outings and activities. This supports them well to provide safe and secure play areas. Staff support children of all ages to identify and manage risk to help keep themselves and others safe. For example, children are encouraged to use the stairs down into the garden one at a time and holding on to the children's handrail with support and reassurance from staff. Children participate in regular fire evacuation drills so they understand how to keep themselves out of danger in an emergency.

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provision

Staff provide high quality care and purposeful learning experiences. Management follow in-depth systems to ensure the safe recruitment of qualified, committed and experienced staff who are suitable to work with children. A thorough induction system includes detailed reviews of policies, the safeguarding process and effective planning for the children. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of the nursery's policies, particularly in relation to safeguarding procedures. They are confident to identify, record and report any concerns they may have about a child in their care.

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provision

The manager has a good knowledge of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and supports staff effectively in meeting children's individual needs. She regularly observes and monitors staff practice to identify areas to improve for their professional development. The manager routinely reviews children's learning journals to ensure staff track and plan for children's progress. Evaluations and feedback from staff and parents help to identify areas to develop and build on through the effective use of meetings, questionnaires and two-way communication books. This shows the nursery's commitment to make continuous improvements. There are clear plans for improvement in place. For example, management and staff have identified the importance of the learning environments, so aim to develop the garden further to provide a canopied, shaded cosy corner, and increase resources in the baby rooms to further develop their learning. Recent

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provision

changes to the learning environments mean they well organised, inviting and accessible for all children to effectively engage them in their play.

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provision

Positive relationships are in place with other professionals including the local childcare support officer, speech and language therapists and local schools. This provides a good support system and accurate information sharing to promote consistency of care for all children. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or English as an additional language effectively. The well embedded strategies, such as visual prompts and consistent ideas and activities from home and other professionals mean children with additional needs make good progress. Parents report positively on the support staff offer to help their children. They speak highly of the nursery, commenting how it 'feels like going to Grandmas everyday' and 'they feel well informed and supported'.

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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 EY263172 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 843523 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider Early Bird Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 20/05/2011 Telephone number 01903 774464

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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

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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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