The Oxford Nursery Eynsham

The Oxford Nursery Eynsham 49 Witney Road, Eynsham, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX29 4PL

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/10/2014 09/04/2014

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 4 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

p.1

This provision requires improvement

 Staff are enthusiastic and help children to develop a positive approach to learning.  Staff use ongoing discussions to help engage children, which promotes communication and language skills well overall.  Positive relationships develop with children and their families because staff are kind and caring.  The management team has made some improvements to practice since the last inspection and has plans to continue enhancing outcomes for children.

p.1

It is not yet good because

 Staff caring for younger children sometimes do not organise routines effectively to fully meet children's individual needs.  The staff team has developed observation and assessment processes but is not currently making the best use of these to carefully plan consistently good quality activities.  The learning environment in the room for older children provides adequate resources but lacks interest to really challenge children and encourage them to explore.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities with indoors and in the garden.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector completed joint observations with the manager, looking at activities with older children.  The inspector held a meeting with the management team.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector talked to parents and took account of their views through the nursery's parent surveys.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff, the nursery's self-evaluation form and children's development records.

p.2

Information about the setting

The Oxford Day Nursery, Eynsham registered in 2001. It is one of five nurseries run by Acacia Care and Education Ltd. The nursery is located in the village of Eynsham in Oxfordshire. It operates from several rooms over two floors in a converted house with an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The nursery is open on weekdays from 7.30am until 6pm all year round. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are 25 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The nursery cares for children learning English as an additional language. It receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four. The nursery employs six staff, five of whom hold relevant qualifications at level 3. The manager holds a level 6 qualification.

p.3

must:

 improve routines for younger children, with particular reference to making sure they have enough time to play outdoors and can comfortably settle to sleep

p.3

must:

 make better use of observations of children's progress and identified next steps in learning to carefully plan good quality activities using effective teaching methods

p.3

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

 enhance the learning environment in the base room for older children by making better use of the resources to interest and challenge children.

p.3

who attend

Staff have an enthusiastic, kind and friendly approach. They make children feel welcome and help them to develop positive attitudes to learning. Staff do not shy away from messy activities or inclement weather and so children enjoy tactile, outdoor experiences, such as exploring the mud kitchen in the garden. Staff use ongoing discussions to engage children in their play. They lead lively singing sessions, read stories, ask questions and make suggestions. This helps to promote children's communication and language skills well overall. Since the last inspection, staff have developed their understanding of observing and assessing children's progress and a new system is now in place. This is supporting staff to monitor children's individual levels of ability and plan for their next steps in learning. However, staff are not currently making the most of this information. Planned activities lack clarity and the quality of teaching is variable. As a

p.3

who attend

result, children sometimes lose interest, do not always listen carefully and do not benefit fully from learning opportunities.

p.4

who attend

Younger children enjoy exploring a suitable range of interesting resources, easily accessible at their level. Older children play with resources on offer in their room, such as fire engines and trucks, with some support from staff. Children in both age groups access activity rooms on the first floor that provide additional resources, particularly for physical and creative play. However, the learning environment in the base room for older children is not presented carefully enough to really capture children's interest and challenge their thinking.

p.4

who attend

Since the last inspection, staff have improved support for children learning English as an additional language. Improved communication skills within the staff team, and more carefully focused assessment procedures, mean that this group of children is making better progress. The use of keywords in home languages as part of children's play, such as counting, helps children learning English as an additional language feel valued.

p.4

who attend

Staff develop positive partnerships with parents. They provide feedback about children's progress through daily discussions and parent evenings. They inform parents about activities children have been enjoying and encourage parents to share their observations of children's progress at home. Parents comment that their children are happy and enjoy attending the nursery.

p.4

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

The enthusiastic and positive approach of the staff team helps to develop effective relationships with children and their families. The key person system works well enough so that staff are familiar with children's individual routines and preferences. Most children settle well and show that they feel comfortable and secure in the nursery. However, routines in the room for younger children do not always work effectively to meet children's individual needs. For example, during a period of outdoor play, staff forgot to take account of snack time and so outdoor play was cut short. In addition, while staff were supporting some children with bottles of milk before their sleep time, lively pop music was playing. This was not helpful in creating a restful atmosphere. Nevertheless, staff help children to make suitable progress in their personal, social and emotional skills. They promote positive behaviour, helping children to respect each other and to develop skills

p.4

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

Children learn about healthy eating as staff talk to them about the food they eat, such as fruit at snack time. They learn about hygiene routines, such as washing hands, as staff encourage them to join in with washing related songs. Children engage in physical play outdoors on a daily basis, in the garden and the adjacent public playground. Since the last inspection, staff have improved learning opportunities in the garden and continue to work on this area to further enhance outcomes for children. Children develop some understanding about safety, such as discussions about fire safety and reminders not to jump on the stairs.

p.4

provision

The management team demonstrates a suitable understanding overall of its responsibility to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Since the last inspection improvements have been made to the process for obtaining background checks for all staff, thereby improving safety for children. Induction procedures support new staff to become familiar with their roles and responsibilities. Routine discussions about safeguarding procedures in staff meetings and supervision meetings help staff to stay up-to-date with appropriate practice. The premises is safe and secure.

p.5

provision

The management team is aware, overall, of strengths and areas for further development. It has made some improvements to practice since the last inspection and subsequent monitoring visit. Staff have had a meeting with a forest school leader, to explore how to improve outdoor play opportunities. The management team has provided training to support staff awareness of observation and assessment procedures. Future plans include developing resources and ongoing staff training. The nursery gathers the views of parents to inform self-evaluation processes, such as the use of parent surveys. Staff respond well to ideas from parents, such as providing a menu board. Parent surveys show that, overall, parents are happy with the service they receive. Staff take account of the views of children through ongoing discussions and reflect their ideas, such as providing the mud kitchen in the garden.

p.5

provision

The management team monitors children's overall progress to identify any gaps in learning. Colour-coded tracking documents show if children are falling behind and therefore where they need further support. Managers offer support to key persons so that they can help their key children to make further progress. Monthly audits and nursery planning systems help staff to provide activities covering all areas of learning. However, monitoring in relation to children's engagement, and staff development and training is not fully successful. As a result, there is inconsistency in the quality of teaching, and educational programmes do not always capture children's interest.

p.5

provision

The nursery maintains positive partnerships with other settings that children attend. Staff provide communication books for the use of all adults working with children. Staff appropriately support children who are moving up to school. They read stories about school and talking to children about their school visits.

p.5

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

p.5

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

p.6

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.

p.6

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.

p.7

Setting details

Unique reference number 403347 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 973458 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Acacia Care and Education Ltd Date of previous inspection 09/04/2014 Telephone number 01865 884468

p.7

Setting details

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.

p.7

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

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,

p.8

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’.

p.9

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9