Rocking Horse Nursery

Rocking Horse Nursery RLC NHS Trust, Alder Hey Hospital, Eaton Road, West Derby, LIVERPOOL, Merseyside, L12 2AP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/09/2014 12/12/2011

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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

 Teaching is good. The staff have a secure understanding of how to effectively promote children's learning. Consequently, children are making good progress in their learning and development.  Staff have good knowledge of safeguarding policy and practice. As a result, children are well protected and safeguarded in the nursery.  The key-person system is well established and successful at engaging parents in their children's learning. As a result, parents complement what children are learning at the nursery. This ensures children continue to make very good progress.  The manager and staff show a strong commitment to the nursery provision and plans for continuous improvement are well targeted through setting ambitious targets and action plans.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some aspects of partnership working are not fully robust as staff have yet to build effective communication links with all the different settings that children attend.  Resources, such as real and everyday items in the role-play area, are not used to fully promote children's rich imaginary and pretend play.

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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 all playrooms and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the day.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager in the toddler room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation, checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the provider's improvement plans, and a range of other documentation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Rocking Horse Nursery was registered in 1994 and is on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in purpose-built premises in the grounds of Alder Hey Hospital in West Derby, Liverpool. The nursery is managed by the Royal Liverpool Children's National Health Trust. It serves parents who work for the Trust. The nursery operates from four base rooms and there are three separate areas available for outdoor play. It opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 6.45am to 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 74 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery employs 25 members of staff; all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above, including the manager who holds a qualification at level 6. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs

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Information about the setting

and/or disabilities. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year- old children.

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

 strengthen the relationship with other settings children attend so that there is a more effective method for sharing knowledge and understanding about children's learning and development

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

 extend further children's opportunities to engage in role play, for example, by providing them with more exciting and stimulating resources in the home corner area.

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who attend

Children are well supported in their learning and development because staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff take into account what children already know and can do from their initial observations and discussions with parents when children first start to attend. They make good use of this information to plan starting points for each child's next stage in learning. As a result, children make good progress towards the early learning goals. By following children's interests, staff plan for future learning opportunities in either adult-led opportunities or through enhancement of the environment. For instance, children get excited as they watch the new hospital being developed on the building site outside. Staff nurture this interest by introducing construction blocks to further support the children's interest and encourage them to design their own building. Staff supporting babies and very young children make very

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who attend

good use of everyday objects, such as wooden spoons and metal objects. They place them on the floor in baskets where children pick them up with both hands and enjoy banging them together. Staff carry out regular observations and assessments of children's learning across the seven areas. Children's individual development is tracked to ensure staff can identify any gaps in children's learning and subsequently plan next steps in their learning. Children's learning journal records are regularly shared with parents who are actively encouraged to contribute information and make comments about their children's learning and development. Parents are well informed as staff provide them with verbal feedback at the end of each session. Staff have effectively implemented the progress check for children between the ages of two and three and share this information with parents. Consequently, parents feel involved in their children's learning and development

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who attend

The quality of teaching is consistently good as the knowledgeable and experienced staff have a secure understanding of how to promote children's learning and development through the prime and specific areas of learning. Children's language and communication skills are promoted well, including with those children who have English as an additional language. Staff carefully listen to children and get involved in their conversations. They introduce them to new words, which extends and builds their vocabulary. They allow children time to think and respond to questions, which motivates children's critical thinking skills. This demonstrates that children are well supported in their language development and are gaining good skills to help with their readiness for school and prepare them for the next stage in their learning. Staff support the communication and language skills of very young children and babies equally well. They sing as they sit alongside them on the

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who attend

floor, encouraging them to join in using early sounds and babbling. This gives children the confidence to use sounds independently and they demonstrate this when they walk around the room quietly singing to themselves. All children have free access to the outside areas where they have the opportunity to take part in more physical activity. For example, toddlers develop their building and balancing skills by climbing on tyres and building an obstacle course with a range of cushions and soft blocks. This encourages children to become confident and independent learners. Children learn about the natural world as they plant flowers and herbs and learn how to water them to grow effectively. This helps them to learn about growth and change and how to care for things in the environment.

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who attend

The emphasis on the promotion of personal, social and emotional development as a basis for learning, prepares children well for the next stage in their learning, such as moving rooms or when they start school. Children who speak English as an additional language and those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. The staff work very closely with their parents and with any other agencies who are involved to discuss how their needs can be met most effectively. Displays are colourful and have images of children and languages from around the world, promoting inclusion and the diversity of society. Staff encourage children to engage in number work and simple mathematics. Children are provided with the opportunity to explore the properties of construction resources, building towers as they start to understand about size, space and measure. They learn about successful ways to stack objects and soon begin to

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who attend

recognise that a larger tower is not secure. Staff encourage them to count as they make their towers higher, teaching children about number, order and value. This means that children are increasingly able to use their mathematical knowledge to independently count. Children enjoy a wide range of experiences, such as role play and den making that encourage their imaginations and creativity. However, the role-play area in the pre-school room does not always have real life items or resources that help enhance children's creativity. For example, during the inspection there were few pots and pans, utensils and grocery items in the role-play area; things that children might find in their kitchens at home. As a result, opportunities to extend children's imagination are not fully explored. Children sit happily with staff and listen to stories during group time, which supports their developing interest of books and their early reading skills. Children enjoy creating their

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who attend

own patterns with the brushes and chalks, promoting early writing skills in all areas of the nursery.

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

The nursery environment is friendly and welcoming, which results in children feeling happy, settled and contented. The effective key-person system in place enables the children to form secure attachments and develop positive relationships with each other and staff. This promotes their all-round development and emotional well-being. Staff are sensitive and responsive to the individual care needs of the children. For example, they offer cuddles and comfort when children are feeling tired or upset. Parents spoken to at the time of the inspection describe the staff as 'kind' and 'helpful' and comment that their children always have fun during their time at the nursery. Children are well supported for moves between the nursery rooms and for their next stage in their learning at school, which ensures they are emotionally prepared for change and feel self-assured. The manager invites teachers to visit the nursery in order to support children in readiness for

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

their move. The nursery prepares a summative report of children's achievements before they start school, which has been well received by schools and parents.

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

Staff are deployed effectively in order to supervise the children and ensure their safety. Staff know how to deal with safeguarding issues, and develop children's awareness of safety and how to stay safe. For example, children are encouraged to wear sun cream and play in shaded areas in hot weather. All children benefit from continual access to the secure outdoor spaces. This provides a wide range of opportunities to explore and investigate the world around them. Children experience challenge in the shared garden, where they can climb and run freely. Children are encouraged to complete self-care tasks for themselves and develop their independence appropriately. Staff encourage children to follow appropriate hygiene routines in order to minimise the risk of infection. For example, children wash their hands before eating food and after using the bathroom. Nappies are changed in a manner, which ensures that children have privacy and all nappy changes are

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

recorded. Children's health is supported effectively as they benefit from a healthy and nutritious diet.

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

Staff's calm and polite manner sets a good example to children. Children behave well and are beginning to display polite, courteous behaviour. This is because staff set, explain and maintain clear reasonable boundaries so that children can feel safe and secure in their play and other activities. For example, staff are vigilant and quickly intervene when children begin to rock on their chairs or wave cutlery about. Children, especially babies enjoy sitting on the knee and receive a cuddle from their key person and demonstrate friendly behaviour towards each other. The nursery is set up to enable the children to explore and investigate their surroundings. Low-level units and labelled resources enable children to select toys, promoting their independence and decision-making skills from an early age. Staff put a lot of effort into the presentation of the learning environment throughout all the rooms in the nursery. As a result, children play in interesting, attractive

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provision

The nursery is led and managed well, and high priority is given to safeguarding children. Staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, with the manager following effective procedures for appointing and vetting new staff. All required policies and procedures are in place to assist in the smooth running of the nursery. Staff have a very clear understanding about how to protect children should they have a concern. They complete safeguarding training and are well informed about child protection procedures and who to contact should they have a concern. All staff also update their training to meet children's needs, such as completing first-aid training. Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment and staff carry out daily visual checks, enabling them to minimise potential risks to children. Any incidents concerning children's well-being are successfully reviewed, which helps staff to continually improve the environment for

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provision

children. Furthermore, the staff to child ratios are well maintained ensuring that staff are effectively deployed to supervise the children each day.

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provision

The quality of the teaching and learning and the progress of individual children are monitored successfully. This is achieved through regular reviews of children's developmental records, including the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. Planning and assessment are suitably monitored with sufficient depth and breadth, which enables staff to target individual children who require extra support and to seek appropriate intervention. An effective system for performance management is consistently applied, which leads to a successful and well-established programme of professional development. As a result, staff are well qualified and the quality of the learning environment and planned activities are well matched to children's individual needs and interests. Staff are fully involved in evaluating the quality of the provision and the impact on children's learning and well-being. Staff share an ambition to help

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provision

continuously improve outcomes for children. There is an effective system of identifying areas for development within all playrooms and outdoor areas that all staff participate in. Focused improvement plans and evaluation methods are used well to bring about improvements within the nursery. The management team and staff identify priorities for improvement and sets action plans to ensure they are addressed, including the recommendations set at the last inspection.

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provision

Partnerships with children's parents are enhanced by their inclusion in children's learning, the termly newsletter and meetings to discuss children's progress. Parents' views are sought through daily discussion and an open door policy. Parents are supportive of the nursery and comment that they feel very welcome. It is apparent from the comments made that parents are extremely pleased with the care their children receive. They speak very highly of the staff and say that they recommend the nursery to their friends. Wider partnerships with appropriate professionals and with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage are generally effective in order to meet the needs of the range of children who attend. Some children attend other settings. However, this work has not been fully extended to include all the settings who are involved with the children. As a result, there is more to do to strengthen communication links with some partners.

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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 EY274569 Local authority Liverpool Inspection number 860879

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 74 Name of provider NHS Trust Alder Hey Hospital Date of previous inspection 12/12/2011 Telephone number 0151 252 5324

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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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