Little Orchard Day Nursery

Little Orchard Day Nursery 3 Gravel Hill, KINGTON, Herefordshire, HR5 3BS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/10/2014 14/04/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children's learning and development are effectively supported by the very high quality teaching used by the whole staff team.  Warm, nurturing relationships give children the confidence to investigate and explore their environments and become active learners.  Partnerships with parents are actively promoted, enabling parents to feel confident with the care their children are receiving, and to be well informed about their progress.  The manager and management team monitor the nursery effectively, through careful evaluations and ensuring the continuing professional development of staff.  Children's safety is very well supported through well-implemented policies and procedures and a wide range of daily and ongoing checks.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children do not always have opportunities to extend their knowledge of the wider world through activities and experiences that support them to learn about other cultures and faiths.  There is room to improve the organisation of the policy and procedure documents, to ensure staff can easily refer to the most recent version of each policy to support their practice.

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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 carried out observations of activities in all areas of the nursery and the garden.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and spoke to members of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning records, planning documentation and a selection of the nursery policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of recruitment, suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and from their written feedback on children's records.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Little Orchard Day Nursery was registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a large Victorian detached house in the market town of Kington, North Herefordshire and is privately owned and managed. The nursery serves the local and wider area and is accessible to all children. Children are cared for in five base rooms on the ground and first floor and children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including two with Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 36 children attending, who are in the early years age group. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and

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Information about the setting

four-year-old children. It supports a number of 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 opportunities to extend children's knowledge of the wider world through activities and experiences that support them to learn about different cultures and faiths

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

 strengthen the organisation of the policy and procedure documents, to ensure staff are able to easily refer to the most recent version of each policy.

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who attend

The staff's secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and child development effectively supports them to ensure children progress well in all areas of learning. The management team's effective monitoring and well used modelling of good practice supports all staff to develop high quality teaching methods. Managers have developed the use of effective systems for recording observations and assessments and ensure that key persons are confident in using these. As a result, children's learning records provide a clear and focused picture of each child. The information gathered through the records is used to provide effective planning for children's individual next steps in learning. The content of the children's records makes them highly accessible for parents to ensure they can follow their child's progress at each stage. The nursery has effective systems for completing the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years,

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who attend

which is shared with parents. Staff provide a comfortable environment where children of all ages have activities and experiences that are carefully planned to support their development. The well-planned and careful support of children throughout the nursery ensures that they have both the skills and confidence they need to be ready for school or their next stage of learning.

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who attend

Staff plan and provide a wide range of activities designed to ensure that all areas of learning are supported. Children are encouraged to explore the enabling environments that effectively support and extend their learning. Staff support babies and toddlers to explore and investigate through play in their own safe and secure areas, both inside and in the garden. For example, the children play with the sand in the garden; they scoop and dig, investigating the resources. The staff support the children, talking to them about the sand and providing a running commentary of children's play to extend their language and communication skills. The children are clearly delighted as they explore and discover, and the staff support them with lots of praise to build their confidence. Children's learning is extended in the playroom as they take part in a circle activity. The children engage enthusiastically as they are encouraged to find their name cards and sing a hello song to

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who attend

everyone. The pre-school children have access to a wide range of good quality resources. Staff's interaction with the children is very successful in supporting and extending their learning. Staff use an exceptionally wide range of language with the children to extend their communication skills. They ask the children open questions that encourage them to plan their play and to think about how they can challenge themselves. For example, children are making stew at the sand play and the staff ask them how they are making the stew. The children use a wide range of language to describe the different ingredients. To extend the play, staff ask the children to think about how they will cook the stew. To support the children to develop mathematical skills they are encouraged to count and to think about the different sizes and shapes of the construction pieces. Children's literacy skills are extended as they enjoy reading a story and rhyme book with staff, singing

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who attend

rhymes and telling the story together. Children are encouraged to identify their own names. For example, children freely access their own water bottles and staff encourage them to identify their names on the label with their photographs. Children's early writing skills are encouraged as they are supported to write their names on their work. All efforts and achievements are supported by lots of praise from staff and children are clearly delighted with their achievements. However, children do not always have opportunities to extend their knowledge of the wider world and to learn about other cultures and faiths.

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who attend

In all areas of the nursery, children play and learn in an environment that encourages them to become active learners and to develop very good attitudes to learning. The nursery staff have clear procedures to support children with English as an additional language. They work with parents to build an understanding of any key words and phrases to help them support the children. Preparations for the next stage in children's learning are well supported. At each stage, children are provided with a settling-in process as they move up through the nursery. The children's learning records are successfully shared by key persons and the nursery has good links with local schools to support children who are moving on.

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

Children thrive in this warm and welcoming environment where their personal, social and emotional development is very positively nurtured. From the earliest age children become active and independent learners and clearly feel secure and settled in the nursery. Staff build a clear picture of each child, through the detailed information gathered from parents and the ongoing key-person observations and assessments. Good systems are in place for supporting positive behaviour management. Staff are consistent and give children lots of praise and encouragement. Children's high levels of independence ensure they are developing good skills for self-control. Children build excellent and trusting relationships with the staff, who are dedicated to ensuring that they gain the skills and confidence they need to be emotionally prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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

Staff understand the importance of good hygiene practices and ensure children are made aware of these. Babies and toddlers receive very good care from staff, who follow their individual routines. From an early age, staff encourage the children in the nursery to make healthy choices; this includes hand washing before all meals and after toileting. Staff provide a healthy balanced diet and children are offered a wide range of snacks to ensure individual dietary needs are met. Staff support children to make mealtimes and snacks a sociable and enjoyable time. For example, babies and toddlers sit together for snack, they are encouraged to eat at their own pace and only eat what they want.

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

Children learn about managing their own safety as staff remind them to use tools and equipment with care. Children learn about the importance of being healthy and physical play is actively encouraged in the garden area. The staff team's positive attitude ensures children become independent and able to manage their own personal needs. For example, when toddlers go out to the garden they are encouraged to change into their outdoor shoes by themselves.

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provision

The management and staff team demonstrate a secure understanding of their responsibility in safeguarding children. The deputy manager is the designated safeguarding officer and has completed comprehensive training. Managers ensure that all staff have ongoing safeguarding training and understand how to implement the effective range of policies and procedures. As a result, the staff team successfully promote the well- being and protection of all children. Staff carry out thorough risk assessments, including a range of daily checks, annual checks and checks for all outings. Robust recruitment procedures, and the effective supervision of staff, ensure that they are and remain suitable to work with children. The wide range of policies and procedures provide staff and parents with good information about nursery. However, the organisation of the policy documents does not always ensure that the most recent version is available. As a result,

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provision

the correct procedure for supporting children and families is not always clear to staff. The nursery team have worked hard to ensure they have met the recommendations set at the last inspection. The nursery manager and management team provide strong leadership to this close-knit and well-motivated staff team. A clear lead is shown in driving improvement, promoting an effective team approach with all staff. The evaluation of the nursery includes the views of all staff, parents and children. A detailed self-evaluation document has been completed which accurately identifies the strengths of the nursery and any areas for improvement. This ensures improvements made effectively meet the learning and development needs of all children who attend. Staff are well qualified with a wide range of experience. The management team ensure staff are able to continue their professional development through attending regular training and sharing skills and knowledge.

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provision

The staff team build very successful partnerships with parents and with professionals from other agencies. Staff's ongoing communication with parents keeps them fully informed and included in nursery life. Staff use a wide range of procedures to keep parents informed of children's learning and development. For example, staff have daily conversations with parents and plan regular meetings where parents can to discuss their children's progress. Parents are encouraged to play an active role in their children's learning and development. For example, parents are encouraged to provide observations and comments about children's interests and learning at home. Parents make very positive comments about both the care and education their children receive.

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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 EY382247 Local authority Herefordshire Inspection number 858736

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 36 Name of provider Deborah Louise Hulin Date of previous inspection 14/04/2009 Telephone number 01544 231051

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

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

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