Playhouse Nursery

Playhouse Nursery 24 Abbey Road, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 3HD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 31/10/2014 01/08/2011

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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

 Children's learning and development is very effectively supported and extended by the staff team's high quality teaching.  Children benefit from sensitive and nurturing relationships that support them to build confidence and self-esteem.  Partnerships with parents are successfully supported through the good ongoing exchange of information.  The management and staff teams work closely together to monitor all aspects of the nursery effectively, ensuring they continue to strive for ongoing improvement in all areas.  Children's safety is very well supported through a wide range of daily and ongoing checks. Children are securely safeguarded through effectively implemented policies and procedures.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is room to strengthen the staff team's already good practice, for example, through the use of peer observations to share best 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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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out observations of activities in all nursery rooms and in the garden.  The inspector held a meeting with the managers 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 nursery policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents, spoken to at the time of inspection.  The inspector carried out a joint observation of practice with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Playhouse Nursery has been operating since 1986 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in a converted house in Malvern in Worcestershire, and is privately owned and managed. The nursery serves the local and wider area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three ground floor rooms and three lower ground floor rooms. There are two enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 15 members of childcare staff. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including two with Early Years Professional status, and three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round, from 7.45am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 70 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 children with special

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

 strengthen the staff team's already good practice, for example, through the use of peer observations to share best practice and consider how this can be enhanced to help children excel in all areas of learning.

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who attend

The staff team show a clear, in-depth knowledge of how children learn and develop and of each child's individual learning styles. As a result, staff plan well and support all children to make good progress from their individual starting points. The secure monitoring system, and ongoing supervision, effectively supports staff to develop and maintain high quality teaching methods. Staff are confident in the use of observation and assessment. This ensures that key persons provide a clear and focused picture of each child's development. Children benefit from a wide range of activities and experiences that are carefully planned to extend their development in all areas of learning. Parents are actively encouraged to share what they know about their child's development. Children are well prepared and supported to gain the skills for the next stage in their learning. At each stage, children are provided with a settling-in process as they move up through the nursery. The children's

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who attend

learning records are successfully shared with parents and the nursery has good links with local schools, to support children who are moving on.

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who attend

Children's learning and development is supported by well-planned environments. Staff encourage babies and toddlers to explore and investigate through play in their own secure indoor and outdoor areas. For example, babies and toddlers delight in a music session, as they enthusiastically join in songs with actions. The children clearly know the songs well and can copy the pattern of the actions with skill. To extend the children's learning, staff provide instruments and props that allow children to join in making the music. The children delight in this music session and staff carefully support children of different ages to fully engage in the activity. Pre-school children's learning is well supported across all areas and children benefit from long periods of free-play time. As a result, children explore and discover pretend spiders and bugs, hidden in the discovery tray, and use their imagination to invent a role-play game. To extend children's communication skills the staff

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who attend

read with them, encouraging the children to join in with telling the story. At the circle activity children are supported to learn about listening and waiting for their turn. For example, children take turns to show items they have brought from home. Staff sensitively remind children to listen when each person is speaking. Children have ongoing access to a wide range of art and craft resources, allowing them to be freely creative. Children are sensitively supported to follow their own interests. For example, in the garden, children have a hidden pathway with a play house, which encourages them to create a complex role-play game, where the children play different characters. At all activities, staff make good use of planned and naturally occurring situations to extend and develop children's learning through their well-timed interactions.

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who attend

Children's learning records are comprehensive and clearly show how children make good progress in all areas of learning. The observations and assessments of learning are precise and focused. A good mixture of tracking and spontaneous observations are used to gather a valuable range of information. During all activities, all children are supported by lots of praise from staff and they are clearly delighted with their achievements.

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

Children's personal, social and emotional development is carefully promoted. Children are warmly greeted as they arrive and clearly feel well settled and at home in the nursery. Staff gather information from parents when children start at the nursery. As a result, they develop a clear picture of each child's starting points, which enables staff to plan well for their ongoing learning. Staff work with parents to ensure that the care of each baby and toddler successfully follows their individual routines. For example, the youngest children are able to settle in their own time and staff take time to give cuddles and close attention if children are unsettled or anxious. Children benefit from strong attachments with staff, which supports them to be confident to explore and investigate their environments. Positive behaviour for all children is carefully promoted through the use of good, consistent strategies. Staff praise children when they organise sharing and turn taking for

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

themselves and encourage them to be polite when speaking to each other. As a result, children are calm and confident and begin to develop good skills for self-control.

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

Staff carefully support children to learn about good hygiene practices from an early age. Children develop good personal independence, as staff encourage them to put on their own coats and shoes. The nursery employs a cook to ensure that children are provided with healthy, well-balanced and freshly prepared meals and snacks. Children develop secure and trusting relationships with the staff, which means their time at the nursery is a positive and nurturing experience. As a result, children develop high levels of confidence and self-esteem, supporting them to be emotionally ready for school or the next stage in their learning.

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

Children learn about the importance of being healthy, and physical play is actively encouraged in the garden. Children are engaged in a wide range of activities. They ride bikes with skill, build with large construction toys and play in the sand. Children learn how to manage their own safety, as staff remind them to be careful of each other when riding their bikes and about taking care when using tools. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are sensitively supported and staff work closely with all other agencies, to ensure children's ongoing and changing needs are consistently well met.

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provision

The management team have a comprehensive understanding of their responsibility to safeguard children. All staff are provided with ongoing safeguarding training, supporting them in keeping children secure and protected. The management team works closely with the staff to support them in implementing the nursery's policies and procedures. The manager is the designated safeguarding person and she has a secure knowledge of the recording and reporting procedures for child protection. Staff carefully supervise and observe children, and good ratios are maintained at all times, ensuring children's safety. The management team ensures that all welfare requirements are met. Visitors to the nursery are met at the main entrance by senior staff and are asked to provide identification and complete the visitor's record. Recruitment and selection procedures are rigorous and appropriate checks are completed on all staff, to ensure they are suitable to

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provision

work with the children. The nursery team have worked well to ensure they have met the recommendations set at the last inspection.

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provision

The nursery management team provide strong leadership to this highly committed and well-motivated staff team. The manager makes effective use of a range of supervision to carefully monitor the staff team's performance. As a result, staff have a developed a culture of good practice. The management team ensure that both staff and parents views are continually taken into account, through regular opportunities for feedback. This supports them to ensure improvement plans are focused on providing the best outcomes for the children. The staff team is well qualified and are supported to continue their professional development. However, there is scope to extend the methods used to cascade the very best practice to other staff, for example, through the use of peer observations.

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provision

Staff develop very good partnerships with parents and other professionals. Arrangements are in place to share information with parents about their children's development and the planning for next steps in their learning. Key persons complete a progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, which are effectively shared with parents. Parents make very positive comments about both the care and education their children receive.

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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 205295 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 865324

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 70 Name of provider Larraine Walker Date of previous inspection 01/08/2011 Telephone number 01684 563379

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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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