Freedom Day Care Nursery

Freedom Day Care Nursery Ford Farm, Braintree Road, Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1HU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/07/2014 24/03/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are very well cared for in a safe, caring and welcoming environment because staff have a good understanding of how to safeguard children. As a result, children are happy and settled and thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery.  Children make good progress because teaching is good. Staff provide rich learning opportunities for children to play and explore so children are highly motivated and eager to learn.  Children are well prepared for their transition to school because of the good arrangements that are in place and the good relationships that exist with the receiving schools.  Managers are committed to improving outcomes for children and incorporate the views of and staff, parents and children in the ongoing self-evaluation process.  The key-person system is very effective in engaging parents in their children's education. Parents value the quality of education and care provided for their children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The provision for reinforcing and extending children's literacy and mathematical skills outdoors is developing well, but does not yet mirror the good quality provided indoors.  Monitoring of staff performance is not consistently sharply focussed to set clear targets for continued staff professional development to raise children's attainment to the highest 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 held a meeting with the owner managers of the provision and spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all the rooms and the outdoor learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation relating to children's learning and development, assessment, safeguarding, leadership and management and self- evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with the children.

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Information about the setting

Freedom Day Care Nursery was registered in 2008 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a farmhouse in the Dunmow area of Essex and is managed by two owner managers. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There are two enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, 11 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above, including three with Early Years Professional status and one with Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday throughout the year. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 94 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional

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Information about the setting

language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 enhance the outdoor provision to provide even more opportunities to reinforce and extend children's literacy and mathematical skills

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

 extend the monitoring of staff performance so that it is more sharply focussed in order to accurately identify targets for performance management to help raise children's attainment to the highest level.

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who attend

Teaching and learning are good because staff have a good understanding of the educational programmes and the way babies and children learn. There are good systems in place for observation, planning and assessment. Staff observe children regularly and use this information to assess the children and identify the next steps in their learning. This enables them to plan suitable learning experiences based around topics and children's interests. As a result, children and babies make good progress from their starting points. Learning journey records are well documented with examples of children's work, photographic evidence and observations of what children a can do. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported. Individual plans are in place for those children to ensure they make good progress given their starting points. The well-established key person

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who attend

system is successful in engaging parents in their children's learning and development. Parents are encouraged to contribute to their children's learning journey records which can be accessed at any time. The progress check for children aged between two and three years is firmly embedded and shared with parents.

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who attend

All rooms are welcoming and well planned with attractive book corners and writing areas. These provide good opportunities for developing children's early reading and writing skills. Resources are attractive, appropriate and readily accessible to the children. Children's communication skills are well promoted because staff are in constant conversation with the children and model language well. Role play, circle time, puppets and nursery rhymes provide good opportunities for developing children's language and communication skills. Babies respond well to the adults and babble or imitate the adults. Pre-school children participate in a lively interactive story session with sustained concentration, high levels of engagement and enthusiasm. They predict what might happen and show a good understanding of the story. Effective questioning extends children's thinking and probes their understanding. They link letters and sounds and are able to blend sounds to make

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who attend

words. Younger children are developing good fine motor skills and identify letters as they engage in an aqua draw activity. Home learning packs provide good opportunities for the older children to practise and reinforce their literacy and mathematical skills at home. Therefore, children are acquiring skills and attitudes in readiness for school. Children visit the library regularly and borrow books to share at home with their parents. Pre-school children also learn French which is well supported by interactive computer programmes. Provision for reinforcing and extending children's literacy and mathematical skills outdoors are developing. However, this does not yet mirror the good quality of the indoor provision so that children have rich opportunities throughout the nursery.

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who attend

Staff take every opportunity to develop children's mathematical skills through number rhymes, cooking activities and practical counting activities. For example, adults encourage younger children to count as they bounce on the trampoline. Older children count, sequence numbers, and practice writing their numbers correctly. Staff model correct number formation well and introduce new concepts such as subtraction. Children are taught how to measure and use mathematical vocabulary as they compare the heights of their sunflowers and record their findings. Children and babies have access to a wide range of programmable toys, cameras laptops and hand-held devices, which support children's learning in literacy and mathematics. Children experiment with a wide range of media and materials. For example, babies help mix paint to paint ladybirds and children observe changes in materials as they experiment with corn flour. Visits and visitors to the

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who attend

nursery enrich children's learning experiences and contribute well to their understanding of people and communities and the wider world. For example, children visit the travel agents, the local bakery, the supermarket and the duck pond. As a result, children are well motivated and eager to learn. The digging area and mud kitchen allow children to play, explore and find things out for themselves. The nature garden gives children a chance to investigate living things as they pond dip and hunt for bugs. Children plant and water sunflowers, tomatoes, sweet corn and courgettes.

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

Children are very well cared for in a safe, calm, homely environment. They are happy and settled because of the strong bonds they share with the adults. Parents comment that the children are happy and enjoy their time at the nursery. Key persons develop strong trusting relationships with their key children and their families so children feel a strong sense of belonging. Staff follow babies' home routines so they feel secure and comfortable with staff. Children demonstrate a good level of self-confidence and are developing independence as they manage their personal care, help themselves to snacks and pour their own drinks. Older children collect their own cutlery and help staff at lunchtime. Babies help themselves to drinks and put their water bottles away when finished. Children learn about road safety and the dangers of talking to strangers through safety topics. They are taught to use equipment safely and reminded about safety rules when cooking.

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

Visits from police officers, the ambulance and fire services support children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Regular fire practise means that children understand how to vacate the building safely in case of an emergency.

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

Children enjoy good healthy snacks of crumpets and pieces of fruit and a nutritious lunch of roast chicken, roast potatoes and vegetables. Their dietary and medical needs are considered when preparing foods. Children are developing good hygiene practices. Picture prompts remind them to wash their hands after using the toilets. The spacious, well- equipped outdoor areas provide excellent opportunities for developing children's and babies' physical skills. They engage in daily physical activities where they run around, jump, slide, crawl and ride wheeled toys in the fresh air. Some babies love the swings and children enjoy feeding the animals. This gives them a good sense of responsibility and extends their knowledge of living things.

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

Children behave particularly well because the adults have high expectations and children understand that there are boundaries. Praise and rewards are used effectively to acknowledge positive behaviour and personal achievements. Each room has a praise book where children's names are entered. This is shared with the groups at circle time and with parents. This boosts children's self-esteem and self-confidence. Children play well together and take turns. For example, the younger children wait their turn on the slide. Babies learn to take turns as they build a tower together. Good settling-in arrangements means that babies and children settle quickly in to the nursery. Staff gather good information from parents about their child so that their individual needs are known and met. Room to room transition is carefully managed to suit each child depending on their need. Children are well prepared for school because transition arrangements are successful in ensuring

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

that children experience a smooth move into school.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding the children are good. Managers and staff have a clear understanding of their responsibility for keeping children safe. Staff have recent training in safeguarding and have a good understanding of the procedures for reporting any concerns they may have about children. The premises are safe and all visitors' identification is checked before gaining entrance into the nursery via an intercom system. The nursery has a wide range of policies and procedures, which help keep children safe. These are regularly reviewed and updated. Staff are thoroughly vetted to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. Risk assessments and daily safety checks are in place to ensure that all equipment and the learning environment are safe. Accident and medication records are well maintained and parents are informed of any accidents that occur. Staff hold current first-aid certificates so children are well looked after should they have an

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provision

accident. Sun hats and sun creams ensure that all children are well protected from the sun.

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provision

The nursery is well led and managed by well-qualified managers who are passionate about the provision. There is a good staff structure in place with a named child protection officer, a supervisor and a special educational needs co-ordinator. Systems for monitoring and evaluating various areas of the provision are good. Managers have a secure understanding of their responsibilities for meeting the learning and development requirements. They have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and know how to improve teaching. However, monitoring of staff performance is not focussed enough. This is to inform accurate targets for continued staff professional development so children's attainment is raised to the highest level. Annual appraisals and regular staff supervision identify staff strengths and training needs. Staff have regular opportunities to attend training as appropriate to their roles. They are very reflective upon their practice, and

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provision

work effectively as a team to improve learning outcomes for the children. Staff, parents and children contribute to the nursery's ongoing self-evaluation process. This enables them to identify areas for continuous improvement. The nursery has successfully addressed all recommendations from the previous inspection.

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provision

Staff have established strong partnerships with parents, who value the quality of care and education that their children receive. Parents share information about their child when they first start at the nursery and are encouraged to contribute to their child's learning journey records. They are kept well informed about their children's progress through daily informal chats with staff, regular emails and daily diary sheets about the children's routines. Parents receive information about topics and contribute resources to support the topics and children's learning. Parents are invited to parents' evenings and open days to discuss their child's progress. They receive a summary report when their children move on to school. Good partnerships with the other settings that the children attend ensure continuity of care. Transition into primary school is smooth because of good relationships with the receiving schools. The nursery has good partnerships with the children's centre.

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provision

They work closely with the area special needs coordinator, and the equalities officer who supports children who speak English as additional language. Staff attend cluster meetings regularly where they share good practice.

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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 EY374384 Local authority Essex Inspection number 858245

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 56 Number of children on roll 94 Name of provider Freedom Day Care Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 24/03/2009 Telephone number 07906127325

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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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