Ash House Day Nursery

Ash House Nursery 29 Withens Lane, WALLASEY, Merseyside, CH44 1BB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/10/2014 11/01/2010

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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

 Staff have a very good understanding of how children learn and develop and skilfully plan exciting activities to motive them. Consequently, all children are developing the skills and dispositions they require to prepare them for their next steps in learning.  Parents and children feel confident and happy at the setting due to their excellent relationships with the long-standing staff team. As a result, children's emotional well- being is effectively fostered.  Staff are knowledgeable about the signs and symptoms of abuse, and are confident to follow the robust policies and procedures with regard to this. This means that they are able to protect children from harm.  The provider is passionate and committed to developing the nursery and driving improvement. Staff are supported by targeted and astute training plans to enhance their practice. As a result, children's well-being and development is effectively fostered.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always make the most of spontaneous opportunities to challenge children's ideas, so their critical thinking skills are not always promoted as well as other developing skills are.  Staff do not always use meal times as an opportunity to socialise with young children. Consequently, opportunities to enhance toddlers' social skills are sometimes missed.

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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 met with the leadership team, reviewed their self-evaluation and a sample of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents and children spoken to during the inspection, and written testimonials from parents and other professionals.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all areas of the nursery and conducted a joint observation with the provider.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed evidence of staff suitability to work with children and samples of their qualifications including paediatric first aid.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed evidence of observations, planning, assessment and tracking and spoke with staff at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the special educational needs coordinator and the early years professional.

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Information about the setting

Ash House Nursery opened in 1989 and operates from a converted building in the Wallasey area of Wirral. The nursery is based on two floor levels and children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. It is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 104 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery provides support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They provide funded education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. In addition to the provider, who holds a relevant degree qualification, and housekeeping staff, there are 23 members of staff who work directly with the children. Of these, 11 staff are qualified to level 3, five staff hold level 2 qualifications, four staff hold relevant degree qualifications and one is currently

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Information about the setting

undertaking an apprenticeship. The nursery also employs an early years professional. The nursery has support from the local authority.

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

 extend pre-school children's critical thinking skills further when spontaneous opportunities are presented, by consistently using good quality questioning

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

 enhance the social aspect of meal times for toddlers, for example, by having staff sit and interact with them throughout.

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who attend

Staff have a very good understanding of how children learn and develop and as a result, the quality of teaching is good. Children are motivated and stimulated as staff know them well and understand how to plan activities to extend their learning. They are provided with a broad curriculum which includes outings, Spanish lessons, dance classes and heuristic play. For example, babies learn about the properties of different everyday objects and textures as they move their whole bodies to explore edible paint or cooked spaghetti. Toddlers delight in going on nature walks to local woods and exploring natural items. Pre- school children role play in dens, learn how to speak Spanish and draw and print their own pictures from a computer. Children clearly enjoy hearing staff tell a popular rhyming story in animated voices and using props. Staff value children's contributions, as they shout out rhyming words and respond to questions. However, staff do not always make the most of

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who attend

spontaneous opportunities to challenge older children's thinking and ideas. As a result, opportunities are occasionally missed to extend pre-school children's critical thinking skills even further. Staff have good knowledge of how to provide children with a realistic level of challenge. They reshape activities by providing extra resources to extend children's curiosity and exploration. For example, babies and young toddlers explore what they can do with resources that are open-ended during heuristic play. Staff skilfully role model placing a wooden ball into a tube, which inspires children to experiment further and try out their own ideas. As a result, children are keen and active learners and enjoy trying new things and exploring independently. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are progressing very well in their learning.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate high expectations of all children. They complete regular, accurate observations and detailed assessments of children's progress to effectively track their journey towards the early years outcomes. Parents are asked to provide purposeful information about their children's likes, dislikes and what they know and can do before they start at the setting. Staff use this information to plan activities and accurately assess children's starting points. Parents receive updates on their children's progress regularly. They meet with staff to discuss learning and what children's next steps are to promote a consistent approach in supporting children's development. Staff have arrangements in place to complete the progress check for children aged between two and three years, when appropriate. As a result of the high quality of teaching throughout the nursery, children are being well supported in developing the attitudes and dispositions that prepare

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who attend

them for their next steps in learning or a move to school.

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who attend

Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities exceptionally well. They proactively liaise with other professionals to ensure a consistent approach is taken to help children make the best possible progress. Children accessing two-, three- and four- year-old funding are also extremely well supported. Staff have a strong focus on developing children's communication and language and do this in a variety of ways. They have adapted the learning environment as a result of attending Every Child a Talker training, to encourage all children's communication skills. Staff place a strong emphasis on children's formation and pronunciation of words and teach them about this in simple ways. For example, toddlers learn to pronounce a 'th' sound as staff teach them they should put their tongue in front of their teeth to do so. Parents are encouraged to provide photographs from home, which staff display for babies to develop their communication, or

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who attend

display them on the computer in pre-school so children can share news with their peers. The provider has renovated areas of the nursery over the past year, which has reduced noise and reverberation. This enhances children's ability to develop their listening skills. Some staff are also trained in British Sign Language and use simple signs to further enhance children's ability to communicate. They also have good links with their local Sure Start centre to provide support for children if there are speech and language concerns. This helps staff in securing appropriate interventions and in sharing strategies for parents to effectively promote children's speech and language skills at home. As a result, children's communication and language development throughout the nursery is strong.

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

Staff support children's emotional well-being very well. Children feel happy and confident as they enter the warm and welcoming nursery environment, eager to begin a busy day of learning. They are effectively supported by the key-person system, which is very well embedded. Parents provide information about their children's preferences and care routines as they enter the setting, which enables the key person to get to know children quickly. Staff are good role models for children, teaching them about kind behaviour and developing their turn-taking skills. They positively reinforce good behaviour, and remind children of why some behaviours are not acceptable. As a result, children behave well and play nicely alongside each other. The learning environment is well organised and imaginatively resourced. This supports children's growing independence, engages their interest and increases opportunities for them to move freely and follow their own

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

interests. Children's communication and language skills are especially well supported by the layout of each room.

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

Children benefit from the routines of the day. Even young babies begin to understand when their lunch will arrive, and toddlers know that when they are supported to put on an all-weather suit, because it is time to play outdoors. Lunchtimes are social occasions for babies who sit together around a low-level table and are well supported by staff to start feeding themselves. This enhances their independence. Children in the toddler room also enjoy feeding themselves their freshly-cooked, nutritious meals. However, staff do not always sit down with toddlers at meal times, which means that their meals are less of a social occasion. As a result, opportunities to enhance their social development are missed. All meals are cooked on site, made with fresh ingredients from a local green grocer and butcher. The nursery has recently achieved a health promotion award and reviews its menus regularly to ensure that children are receiving balanced and nutritious meals that

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

meet their individual dietary requirements. Hygiene practices are well embedded. For example, pre-school children clean their hands before and after meals and staff reinforce the importance of this after toileting and messy activities. This means children develop a good understanding of how to keep themselves healthy. Children enjoy regular outings, outdoor play and also dance classes run by an external provider. Staff enhance their understanding of healthy lifestyles by reminding them to have a drink of water after exercising and make this available to them throughout the day. Children develop a good sense of how to keep themselves safe because staff act as good role models and give clear explanations. For example, they discuss with children why it is not a good idea to stand on a chair or to play with the door.

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

Children are very well prepared for transitions within the setting or a move to school. Staff implement a buddy system for children who are moving into a new room to ensure that they have a companion who is familiar to them. Staff also share information about children between each room and with other professionals where relevant. As a result, staff are well informed about how to take a consistent approach to children's care and education. Children moving into school are equally well supported. Staff take them on visits to their new school to familiarise them with their new environment. Children are further supported as staff take photographs of their teacher, classroom and other key areas to support children's emotional readiness to move on to school.

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provision

The provider fully understands her responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She is well supported by the early years practitioner in overseeing the provision. They monitor the educational programmes to ensure all children attending are making good progress. Where children's progress is less than expected, interventions are secured quickly. This means that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are being effectively monitored and supported. Equally, the provider has a very good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. She has implemented robust policies and procedures, which help staff to keep children safe. Children are protected as comprehensive recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to help check that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff have very good knowledge of the signs and

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provision

symptoms of abuse, and the action to take should they have concerns about a child. Children's health and well-being is well supported. Staff maintain records of the administration of medication and of accidents or existing injuries. They also complete comprehensive risk assessments of the nursery and for outings to ensure that hazards are identified and risks are minimised. Staff update risk assessments to ensure these continue to effectively minimise any risks. This helps to further promote children's health and safety.

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provision

Staff build strong partnerships with parents and other agencies. The provider's ethos is to make the nursery a home away from home. Parents certainly agree with this as they refer the staff team as an extension of their own family, and the nursery as 'faultless'. Parents delight in the very good progress their children have made, especially with their speech and language. Staff begin to build relationships with parents as their children settle in and these are extremely effective in supporting children as they move through the nursery. Parents have regular opportunities to meet with their child's key person and to discuss their progress and agree on their next steps in learning. Children are supported to make the best possible progress as strategies are shared to create a consistent and effective approach. Similarly, staff understand the importance of working in partnership with other agencies where relevant and intervene swiftly when concerns are raised. They are very

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provision

proactive in seeking additional support for both children and parents, to ensure that children are able to progress and thrive to the best of their ability.

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provision

The provider has an excellent understanding of the importance of self-evaluation. The provider has a high level of awareness of the strengths of the nursery and of areas for improvement. Children are already benefitting from recent renovations to parts of the nursery building, which are tailored specifically to create more space for toddlers and also to support children's listening and attention skills. Since their last inspection, the provider and leadership team have continued to reflect on their practice and have successfully addressed all previous recommendations. The provider is keen to continue to critically evaluate practice and is passionate about driving improvement for the nursery and wider community. She has implemented a targeted programme for professional development to enhance the already good quality of teaching. The long-standing staff team are well supported by the leadership team. They have regular supervision meetings to discuss their

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provision

own development as well as that of their key children, and raise any concerns or areas on which they would like to improve. Due to the provider's strong commitment to developing the nursery and enhancing staff's existing skills, children are very well supported in their well-being and development. The provider demonstrates a strong capacity to sustain improvement.

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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 306341 Local authority Wirral Inspection number 867659

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 104 Name of provider Ash House Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 11/01/2010 Telephone number 0151 639 0202

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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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