Sawston Nursery

Sawston Nursery Tannery Road, Sawston, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB22 3UW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/08/2014 12/08/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff provide an inviting and stimulating range of resources and activities to engage children. Consequently, through their exploration and the staff's effective teaching, children make good progress.  Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of all safeguarding procedures. Therefore, children learn in a safe and secure environment.  Children are happy and secure because of the caring and trusting relationships they share with adults. This secure base enables children to develop effective relationships with their peers.  Children thrive in their health and physical development because the nursery offers a wide variety of physical activities, both indoors and outside.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children independence is not promoted consistently during the day, especially at mealtimes.  On occasion, staff do not consistently identify precise next steps for the more able children operating at a high developmental level.

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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 activities in the nursery rooms and the outside learning environments.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documents and other documents, including the safeguarding policy.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Sawston Nursery was registered in 2001 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in purpose- built premises in the Sawston area of Cambridgeshire, and is managed by a board of directors. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There are enclosed areas available for outdoor play accessible from each room. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 133 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery employs 41 members of staff. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 5, one holds level 4, 21 hold

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

 encourage further children's developing independence skills by consistently supporting them to do things for themselves

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

 strengthen the precision and focus of staff's identification of next steps for the more able children operating at a high developmental level.

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who attend

The nursery has a wide variety of toys and resources that children can easily access, both inside and outdoors, covering all seven areas of learning. The children are constantly interested in the wide variety of experience available to them. An activity using foam and paint engages the children well. Children's individual needs are met as staff support them by, for example, providing brushes and rollers for those who want to join in but who do not want to use their hands. Consequently, children make good progress in their learning and development. Staff have good knowledge of the children and make timely interactions in order to extend children's learning. For example, while children play in the role-play campsite, a staff member enhances their learning by asking effective questions and modelling imaginative play. Consequently, children manage their own play, organising themselves into roles and sustain their imaginative learning for a considerable amount of

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good. Speaking and listening skills are promoted during group times. A group of children engage in a music and movement session with the very enthusiastic staff members. They are encouraged to listen and follow instructions, and use their body to make movements. The children show excellent listening skills and this is further developed as they are encouraged to listen to musical instruments and talk about 'loud' and 'quiet' sounds. The staff in all rooms encourage children's development in mathematics as they count, point out numbers and use mathematical language in conversations. Young children play with shape sorters and inset puzzles, and they enjoy working out which shape goes where. Mark making is given priority as many opportunities are offered, such as water marking outdoors, making marks in foam, and in the pre- school, drawing detailed pictures and name writing, Consequently, children are developing

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who attend

the skills required for school very well.

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who attend

Children's starting points are clearly identified and effective planning and teaching ensure most children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Most of the staff members have a good understanding of their key children's development and next steps. The staff in each room make sure that the planning shows how the experiences on offer follow children's needs and interests. However, there are occasions where staff do not consistently identify precise next steps for children operating at a high developmental level. Consequently, the more able children are not always attaining the highest possible levels of achievement. Most parents feel they are well informed about their child's progress. Daily conversations with the key person and an open-door policy enable parents to have access to their child's development folder. The manager has plans to encourage parents to contribute observations about their child's learning at home, in order to enable

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who attend

children to have expanded learning opportunities and further develop the already good partnership with parents.

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

Children feel secure in the calm, caring, enabling environment. They are happy and enjoy their time at the nursery. All staff have high expectations of behaviour and are consistent in their approach. Therefore, children's behaviour is good and they develop skills to cooperate and sort out disagreements with their peers. Effective friendships are being made. The settling-in procedure for babies is robust and ensures the key person has a good understanding of the child's needs. Babies' individual routines are given priority and, as far as possible, the key person carries out nappy changing and feeding. This consistent approach enables babies to settle in very well and build a secure relationship with their key person. The staff are good role models and enjoy being with the children. They show respect for the children and support them well. Consequently, children feel emotionally secure and become active learners.

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

The staff proactively encourage the children to adopt healthy lifestyle choices. Vegetables growing in the garden enable the children to understand how food grows. They excitedly show staff a flower on the beanstalk and tell them that will turn into a bean. Children's excitement at eating the beans is further extended when the chef comes out into the garden to tell them how they can be cooked for lunch. Healthy food at mealtimes and freely available water promote children's health and well-being. Staff encourage children to be independent by washing their hands before and after eating and dressing themselves. The children in the pre-school room change their clothes independently for a physical sport session each week. This enables them to practise independent dressing and undressing in preparation for school routines. However, there is scope to enhance independence skills further as children are not consistently offered opportunities to be

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

independent at mealtimes. For example, staff ask them if they want carrots sticks and cucumber, and hand the vegetables to them. The nursery actively promotes learning outdoors very well. The outdoor environment is accessible from all the nursery rooms and most of the children choose to be outdoors. The space and wide variety of resources actively promote physical development. Therefore, children are becoming proficient at balancing, running and throwing. The children show they are learning how to keep themselves safe by explaining rules and how to use equipment appropriately to each other. The staff actively use the local environment for walks and outings, such as trips to garden centres and the local park.

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

Parents speak very highly of the provision and feel they are supported well by the staff. Many of the parents have been involved with the nursery for many years. The staff support the parents well by listening to them and giving effective advice. For example, parents who are anxious about leaving their babies for settling sessions can stay in the nursery building and are supported by the staff as they give them regular information on how their baby is settling. Therefore, parents are reassured and the relationship with the key person is enhanced. Grandparents' week gives grandparents an opportunity to stay and play at the nursery with their grandchildren. They value the opportunity to experience the nursery first hand. The staff develop good relationships with the local schools. The schools invite the nursery children to events and teachers visit the nursery. This enables the teachers to gain an understanding of children's starting points. Therefore, children's

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

excitement about going to school is increased and they eagerly look forward to the transition.

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provision

The manager and staff understand their roles and responsibilities to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements. A thorough recruitment and induction process is in place, with all necessary checks being made. All staff demonstrate a clear understanding of safeguarding procedures, which are reflected in the policy. They are aware of and understand their responsibility to report any concerns they have about a child. Most of the staff have a current paediatric first-aid qualification. Therefore, children are safeguarded well and are secure in the nursery.

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provision

Professional development of staff is given high priority. Many of them are currently undertaking, or have just finished National Vocational Qualifications. Continuous professional development records show that staff have attended recent relevant training courses. The positive impact of this is evident in the nursery as staff evaluate their practice. For example, attendance at course based on the 'Forest schools' has resulted in the manager actively seeking ways of how to develop this in the nursery. The manager and directors have plans to develop all the outdoor learning areas in the foreseeable future, and children's views are included. This means that they have a voice on matters concerning them and have an even deeper sense of belonging. Staff supervisions and appraisals are carried out at regular intervals. These are used to identify areas of strength and areas for development. Staff meetings are held regularly and used for self-evaluation

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provision

and reflection on practice. Consequently, ongoing development is planned and the provision is strengthened further. The systems used to track children's progress are monitored by the room leaders and managers. A member of staff responsible for coordinating the learning programme ensures summative assessments and the two-year- old check are carried out at regular intervals. Consequently, most observations and assessments of children are consistent and precise.

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provision

The partnership with parents is good. Most parents feel there is a good flow of information between the nursery and home. A parent and nursery committee meets regularly to discuss relevant issues, to fund raise and to organise social events. Following the previous inspection, the nursery has built up strong links with other providers. For example, the staff have close links with the local children's centre to support parents and children who qualify for free early education for two-year-olds. The staff in the pre-school room build up effective links with local schools. Teachers visit the nursery during the summer term and the children are invited to events at the schools. The nursery is not currently caring for any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, all staff are aware of the importance of working with parents and other professionals to make sure the needs of such children are met appropriately.

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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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 221629 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 854587

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 54 Number of children on roll 133 Name of provider Sawston Childcare Limited Date of previous inspection 12/08/2011 Telephone number 01223 472018

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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

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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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