St. Martins Day Nursery

St. Martins Day Nursery Pontefract Road, BARNSLEY, South Yorkshire, S71 5PN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/09/2014 12/03/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Highly skilled practitioners complete precise and sharply focused assessments that are used to inform excellent educational programmes. This means children benefit from high quality teaching that promotes their very rapid progress.  Children are highly motivated to learn and are very eager to join the wide range of stimulating activities that are on offer. The exceptional focus on developing children's personal, social and emotional skills, and their communication and language skills means they make excellent progress from their starting points.  Children receive excellent levels of support to help them understand and manage their own feelings. They are self-assured and confident in social situations and they demonstrate very robust relationships with adults and each other.  Children's safety is central to the nursery's practice. Children learn to manage risks for themselves and they develop a superb understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

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This provision is outstanding

 The management team and practitioners are driven to achieve excellence in all areas of their practice. This is facilitated by rigorous self-evaluation and targeted action plans that quickly identify and address any areas for improvement.  Highly successful strategies ensure that parents are engaged in all aspects of their children's learning and they receive superb levels of support that help them to promote their children's learning and development at home.

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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 main playrooms and the outside areas.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the early years professional.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the provider, the early years professional and the manager of the provision.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included in the setting's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

St. Martins Day Nursery was registered in 2003 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a purpose built premises in the Lundwood area of Barnsley, and is managed by St. Martins Day Nursery Partnership. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three rooms and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 16 members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above, including one of the owners who has Early Years Professional Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 84 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

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Information about the setting

children who speak English as an additional language.

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

 enhance the already highly successful strategies for engaging parents by asking new parents what their preferred method of communication is so they access the wealth of information on offer to them from the outset.

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who attend

Children flourish and are motivated to learn in this very welcoming, child-focused environment. Practitioners have a detailed knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and a superb understanding of how children learn. They embrace learning at every opportunity and as a result, children are exceptionally well supported in their learning. Observation, planning and assessments are meticulous. Key persons record children's starting points and collect detailed information from parents when children enter the nursery. They complete regular, detailed evaluations to ensure planned learning and play opportunities target children's individual learning and development needs. Ongoing observations are used very effectively to plan activities that focus on children's interests, such as, making music with pots, pans, large tins and household utensils. Key persons complete learning records that give a precise and accurate summary of children's progress

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who attend

over time, including the required progress check for children aged between two and three years. Assessments are effectively shared between practitioners and they demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of each child's development needs. This ensures children continue to receive high levels of support when their key person is not in the setting. Key persons regularly share children's development records with parents and they are encouraged to add their comments. They also give parents high levels of support to promote children's learning at home. For example, they show them how to read with their children to maximise their learning and how to extend their child's developing spoken language. The nursery is proactive in developing partnerships with other professionals to develop a shared approach to children's learning. Through locality meetings, they find out what the gaps are in children's learning when they enter school and they use the

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who attend

information to plan focused educational programmes to address those gaps. This has a very positive impact on the progress children make and all children are very well prepared for their next steps in learning, which is usually school.

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who attend

Resources are very well presented in a clean and safe environment, which enables children to make independent choices and initiate their own learning. Key persons enhance their learning by taking advantage of spontaneous learning opportunities to capture their interest and maximise their learning. For example, they discuss where emergency vehicles might be going and ask if children travel on buses with their parents. Children investigate outdoors with enthusiasm. They fully engage in outside play and enjoy practitioners excellent outdoor teaching greatly as they develop new skills. They listen to favourite stories that are read by enthusiastic practitioners. Practitioners give them prompts to help them recognise and sound out words. By using skilful questioning, children are encouraged to tell the story themselves and make connections to other learning experiences. They are keen to share their knowledge and they develop lively

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who attend

discussions. Children are encouraged to listen to each other and each child is given time to think and speak.

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who attend

Children develop early writing skills using a range of resources that are accessible in all areas, including soil and sand for making patterns. Words in different languages are displayed throughout the environment and practitioners help children to identify letters and sounds. Children who are learning English as an additional language are very well supported because practitioners use everyday routines, and planned activities, to promote their understanding of spoken and written language. During play activities practitioners perceptively observe and listen to children and they use skilful questioning to help them share their knowledge and ideas. Lots of praise is given for their achievements and answers, enhancing their concentration, enthusiasm and self-esteem. Children develop their understanding of mathematical concepts during focused activities where they begin to group objects and recognise numbers of personal significance to them. They also use

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who attend

an interactive board to solve puzzles, which helps them to think critically and solve problems. As a result, they are developing firm foundations for the learning they will experience in school.

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

Children are emotionally secure, confident and happy in the nursery because they are respected and treated equally. As a result, they accept each other's differences and are building superb peer relationships. A very robust key-person system ensures each child receives high levels of support and this helps them to form extremely secure attachments. Settling-in visits for children ensure they become familiar with the nursery and give key persons time to find out about children's interests and routines. Information is exchanged with parents about children's individual care needs to ensure these are effectively met and that care is consistent. Children enjoy individual attention and relaxing routines through the day if they need to rest or sleep. As a result, children are very settled and their emotional well-being is fully promoted. Partnerships with parents, carers and outside agencies are excellent. Practitioners are proactive in ensuring they are fully involved in the

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

care and well-being offered to children and parents comment that the support they receive as a family is 'brilliant'.

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

Children's behaviour is excellent. This is because they are supported very well to understand how to manage their own behaviour and are constantly engaged in meaningful and challenging play. Children's work is displayed throughout the setting and they have helped to decorate the bathroom to depict an underwater scene. As a result, they learn to respect and value the environment and develop an awareness of responsibility within the setting. Resources are stored so they are easily accessible and children make independent choices about where they want to play. Children receive clear and consistent explanations about including others in their play and are encouraged to share, take turns and be considerate towards others. They enjoy lots of praise and encouragement from practitioners. This helps to boost children's confidence and self- esteem.

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

Excellent partnerships with outside agencies ensure detailed information is shared with relevant professionals. This ensures the most vulnerable children are kept very safe and are exceptionally well protected. They play in a safe and secure environment and are developing a thorough understanding of how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn how to use everyday tools safely as well as using their observational skills to assess hazards during their play. Healthy lifestyles are fully promoted and children develop a thorough knowledge of how healthy practices and exercise promotes their overall health and well-being. The nursery cook provides children with well-thought-out freshly cooked meals that are balanced and nutritious. Practitioners sit with children to eat their lunch and fully utilise the time to engage children in conversations that recap their learning and help them to share their experiences from home. Excellent hygiene practices are in place

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

at all times and daily routines support children in developing their self-care skills. For example, they find their own coats, hang their bags up and pour their own drinks. Health professionals, such as dental nurses, visit the nursery to promote children's understanding of how to develop their own self-care routines. These embedded practices mean children can attend to their own personal care needs when they move on to school.

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provision

Rigorous recruitment and vetting procedures are implemented to ensure all practitioners are suitable for their role and that they have Disclosure and Barring Service checks in place. Induction includes detailed information about safeguarding and makes sure practitioners are aware of their responsibilities. Ongoing suitability is supported through effective mentoring and supervision, which identifies any further training needs, leading to a very knowledgeable team. Key persons work exceptionally well together and make a strong team who are caring, enthusiastic and fully committed to caring for children. High priority is given to deployment of adults and this ensures that children are well supervised and supported at all times. Comprehensive risk assessments are completed to ensure children are kept safe. Completion of regular fire drills and a high number of adults qualified in first aid mean children's well-being is fully promoted. Documents record

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provision

children's attendance and show that ratios are met at all times. All visitor's identification is checked and the premises are secure, which means there is no unauthorised entry. Procedures are in place to record any accidents involving children, existing injuries, and medication administered to children. The provider has an excellent understanding of how to keep children safe. There are clear procedures in place for reporting concerns about children, adults, or the operation of the setting. Practitioners have a thorough knowledge of the possible signs and symptoms of abuse and the provider has a clear understanding of when to report significant events, including notifying changes to Ofsted. A robust safeguarding policy is in place that includes the use of cameras and mobile phones in the setting and this is shared with parents so that they understand the procedures in place to keep their children safe.

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provision

The management team lead their provision successfully with high priority given to promoting quality in all aspects of the nursery's practice. Discussions demonstrate that the provider is fully committed to making sure children are protected, happy and fully supported in making rapid progress in their learning. All practitioners have worked hard to develop robust self-evaluation that accurately identifies strengths and areas for improvement. The views of parents and children are sought and acted upon. For example, menus are changed to accommodate parents' ideas and preferences and the nursery now makes sure all parents know who new students are when they come for placements. This means that the nursery has a clear action plan that reflects the views of individuals who use the nursery. The management team are highly motivated to improve the skills of all practitioners and they ensure regular training is completed to enhance their knowledge.

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provision

For example, the manager has attended training that focuses on promoting children's personal, social and emotional development and she cascades information to practitioners to further enhance their skills. The nursery employs very effective methods for monitoring the quality of teaching and scrutinises the effectiveness of the educational programmes to ensure children make excellent progress. This enables key persons to successfully monitor the development of each child and ensure any gaps in children's learning are quickly identified and addressed.

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provision

Children's needs are outstandingly well met through highly effective partnerships with outside agencies and successful strategies that ensure parents are included at all levels. The nursery shares information in various ways including, daily discussions, posting information on notice boards and termly newsletters. This ensures that parents are overall, very well informed about all aspects of the provision. However, there is room to improve communication with new parents by asking what their preferred method of communication is so they access the wealth of information on offer to them from the outset. Transitions into the nursery, and for the eventual move to school, are planned well to support children's emotional well-being. For example, children enjoy a number of settling-in visits to the nursery. Teachers from the local school visit the nursery to meet with children and share information about children's progress. Parents speak very

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provision

positively about the nursery and comment, 'The staff are lovely and the nursery is welcoming', 'The resources are great and they have lots of room for outdoor play', and ' They help me out as much as they can, they are fantastic'.

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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 EY258082 Local authority Barnsley Inspection number 860468

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 70 Number of children on roll 118 Name of provider St. Martins Day Nursery Partnership Date of previous inspection 12/03/2009 Telephone number 01226 244 322

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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