Fledglings Nursery & Preschool

Fledglings Nursery & Preschool Fledglings, Chesham Road, BERKHAMSTED, Hertfordshire, HP4 2ST

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/08/2014 19/10/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 There are several breaches of legal requirements. Managers do not monitor the quality of the provision successfully to identify and tackle significant weaknesses. As a result, practice is inconsistent and does not consistently support children's well-being.  Practitioners are not effectively deployed to supervise children appropriately in order to ensure that their safety is promoted at all times.  Practitioners working with the babies and younger children do not risk assess practice or consider hygiene practice sufficiently. They do not organise snack time effectively and, consequently, children's safety is put at risk.  Practitioners do not consistently meet children's individual needs and emerging interests because they fail to respond to non-verbal communications and to fully consider ongoing interest in activities.  The outdoor area does not reflect the seven areas of learning and does not fully

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This provision is inadequate

stimulate and challenge children. As a result, learning is not fully extended.

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It has the following strengths

 Practitioners have caring relationships with the children and speak to them respectfully. Children are generally happy within the nursery and are confident learners.  Practitioners effectively support older children to communicate through conversations, stories, singing and music. Therefore, they make good progress in their communication and language skills.

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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 had a tour of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed play activities in all three age groups, in both the indoor and outdoor environments.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the two deputy managers.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked the suitability, qualifications and training of all staff in the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector read the nursery's self-evaluation form, and a range of policies and procedures.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documents.  The inspector spoke to parents and has taken account of their views.

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Information about the setting

Fledglings Nursery & PreSchool 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 a self- contained single storey building surrounded by the grounds of Ashlyns Hall, Berkhamsted. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from seven rooms and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery also has full access to the surrounding grounds of Ashlyns Hall. The nursery employs 17 members of childcare staff. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including one with Qualified Teacher Status, specialising in music. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, 51 weeks a year. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There is a collection service to four local schools for children in the early years age range to provide wrap-around-care. There are currently 110 children

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Information about the setting

attending, all of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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must:

 develop safe practice during snack time for babies and younger children, and ensure that staff are effectively deployed to allow for their needs to be met and for them to be kept safe at all times

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must:

 ensure that all activities within the nursery are effectively risk assessed, including snack times and hygiene practices, in order for children's safety and welfare to be promoted at all times

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must:

 ensure that the development and learning needs of all babies and young children are being met by following their interests and responding to their non-verbal communication effectively

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must:

 ensure practitioners comply with health and safety requirements, particularly in relation to good hygiene practices, at all times in order to keep children safe

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must:

 improve the methods for reviewing and monitoring care practices and quality of teaching, including effective supervision for practitioners, so that weaknesses are quickly identified and addressed.

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

 improve the outdoor learning environment to ensure that all seven areas of learning and development are being promoted, in order to challenge and extend children's learning and enjoyment.

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who attend

Practitioners do not have a sufficient understanding of how to deliver the learning and development requirements. They do not follow children's emerging needs and interests consistently to ensure they all make the best possible progress towards the early learning goals. Practitioners observe the children's progress regularly and plan appropriate next steps in learning, however, they do not always follow these through effectively. For example, children in the baby room enjoy a gloop and paint activity, which is a next step for some of the children. They smile and laugh in delight while patting the gloop with both hands and then wave their arms around, which causes the gloop to spray around them. However, practitioners do not always respond to the babies' non-verbal communication when they want to continue an activity or have new experiences provided. They remove children from this activity when they want to continue and fail to respond to other cues

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who attend

that children require additional resources. For example, they do not provide resources for young children to practise climbing and balancing, despite a child persistently showing a desire to develop these skills. Practitioners' lack of sensitive attention and interaction limits children's opportunities for extended learning. Similarly, while children in the pre-school class enjoy music sessions and are encouraged to listen carefully to the tunes that are being played on the guitar and recorder, the activity does not fully meet their needs as practitioners do not adapt the activity to their responses. Children eagerly anticipate the music and get excited when they know the name of the song. As a result, children develop their listening skills and explore the sounds of different instruments. However, at times interest in the activity is lost, as they have to wait until the end of the song and then put

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who attend

their hands up to answer. Consequently, children sometimes become bored and disinterested. The inconsistency in the quality of teaching, therefore, prevents all children from making the best possible progress from their individual starting points.

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who attend

Otherwise, children are generally happy and settled within the nursery. They engage in a range of activities in the indoor environment that are both adult-led and child-initiated, and allow them to learn through play. Practitioners support children well in their communication and language development through stories, singing and purposeful conversations. They give thorough explanations to children about why things happen and how things work, for example, when supporting them to use a piece of equipment. Children are encouraged to be effective communicators. Practitioners make good use of circle time to teach children about letters and sounds, numbers, shapes and colours. Children know that the phonetic sound a is for apple and that a circle is a shape that is round. This helps to support children's communication and language, and mathematical knowledge in preparation for future learning in school. In the garden older children

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who attend

develop their gross motor skills with the use of climbing equipment, bikes, scooters and various sized balls. Children play with rackets and small balls while pretending that they are playing squash 'like daddy'. However practitioners do not make best use of the outdoor learning environment by ensuring all areas of learning and development are included. The environment does not have a wide variety of activities available to children and there is room to improve this so it is more stimulating and provides a broader range of opportunities for children to engage in different areas of learning.

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who attend

Practitioners work well with parents to support children's learning needs. They regularly share information regarding progress in learning and development and current next steps, via daily feedback, termly reviews and six monthly parents' evenings. Parents are also effectively involved in the progress check between the age of two and three years that practitioners complete to report on children's progress in the prime areas of learning. Practitioners encourage parents to support children's learning at home and offer ideas on how to do this. They also receive feedback from parents about what they would like practitioners to teach their children in the nursery and incorporate this into planning. These effective partnerships allow practitioners to take into account all aspects of children's learning when planning their next steps.

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

Children's well-being is compromised because practitioners do not supervise snack time appropriately. They are deployed at other tasks such as nappy changing and tidying away activities and do not communicate to children the importance of sitting down when eating, in order to prevent them from choking and from potential cross-contamination. Children wander around as they eat and climb on equipment. This puts their welfare at risk and they do not learn how to keep safe from an early age. Children eat a healthy and balanced diet that is prepared by an on-site chef. They are encouraged to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. However, practitioners do not follow good hygiene practices consistently and younger children are at risk of infection as they are not prevented from touching the nappy bin. Children play outside in the fresh air and exercise daily in the large garden. Practitioners regularly take the children for walks in the

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

extensive grounds surrounding the nursery.

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

Children form good bonds with practitioners, who are caring and respectful towards them. They actively seek out their key person to share experiences, for example, to show them that they can ride a tricycle independently. Practitioners praise children for their achievements and increase their self-esteem. They encourage parents to share accomplishments from home using the 'moments' board in nursery to make children feel valued. Children generally enjoy their time at nursery and are confident learners. Practitioners take the time to help children, for example, when they are unable to use the tricycles independently, they demonstrate how to use it and give them step by step instructions. Children benefit from having one-to-one support to learn new skills. Key persons support children well when they move from one group to another by accompanying them during settling-in sessions and ensuring that they attend as many as

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

they need. These start off as short visits and build up in time until the child feels comfortable. Consequently, children's emotional well-being is well supported during changes, which prepares them for their next stage of learning in school.

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

Practitioners working with the older children have high expectations and set clear boundaries for children and, as a result, they behave well. Children learn to have good manners and play cooperatively with their friends. In the garden older children are encouraged to climb and have the opportunity to take some risks. Equipment and resources are of a good standard.

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provision

Practitioners do not have a sufficiently thorough understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are breaches to the learning and development, and the safeguarding and welfare requirements. These breaches also relate to the Childcare Register. Children are not consistently kept safe from harm. Practitioners do not identify potential risks and, therefore, do not take the necessary measures to ensure these are minimised. Children's needs are not consistently met and their well-being is not effectively protected. The monitoring of the educational programmes and teaching practice is also not sufficiently robust. Management check learning journals and planning regularly, they observe practice and use this information to form part of a one-to-one meeting to discuss standards of practice. However, they do not effectively identify weaknesses in teaching practice and, therefore, do not have strategies in place to bring about the necessary

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provision

improvements. Management do not always effectively deploy practitioners in order for them to supervise children appropriately. Children's learning and development, and their safety and welfare are, therefore, not sufficiently supported.

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provision

All practitioners have undergone suitability checks and management complete adequate reference checks. Practitioners welcome all visitors into the nursery ensuring they sign in and read the visitors policy. Everyone, including parents, must switch off their mobile phones when entering the nursery. This protects children from inappropriate use of technology. Practitioners' knowledge of some aspects of safeguarding is sound, they are aware of what would cause them to be concerned about a child's welfare and to whom they should report their concerns. This is because they have all undertaken safeguarding training to ensure they are up to date in this area of practice. There are currently 15 qualified first aiders in the nursery. This ensures practitioners can respond to accidents immediately and with appropriate knowledge. All practitioners have completed managing medicines training to equip them with the knowledge to support children with additional

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provision

health needs. Management also identify courses to support some aspects of their teaching practice. For example, letters and sounds training for practitioners caring for the older children has been accessed and had a positive impact on the teaching of communication and language, and literacy skills for this age group.

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provision

Practitioners work with parents to ensure continuity of care in the home and the nursery and partnersips with parents are generally strong. Parents state that communication regarding administration and policies could be better, however, they would still recommend the nursery and are happy with the care their children receive. Practitioners at the nursery have good links with four local schools. They offer a collection service for children in reception class to provide wrap-around care. This promotes a continuity of care for children who are in the early years age range. Management evaluate practice and involve all practitioners in this process. They incorporate feedback from parent questionnaires, valuing the views of parents, and identify some areas for improvement. Since the last inspection, practitioners have extended their use of observations to assess children's learning and plan appropriate next steps to support their development. They

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provision

benchmark children's progress against the early years outcomes as part of their on-going assessment. However, the breaches in statutory requirements were not identified by the management team and weaknesses in teaching have not been addressed. Therefore, their strive to continuously improve is not yet effective.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that children receiving childcare are kept safe from harm(compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks. (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that children receiving childcare are kept safe from harm (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks. (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)

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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 496336 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 855462

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 72 Number of children on roll 110 Name of provider The Fledglings Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 19/10/2010 Telephone number 01442 864 777

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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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