Blue Grass Purple Cow Nursery

Blue Grass Purple Cow Nursery The Old Church, Buxton Old Road, HIGHER DISLEY, Cheshire, SK12 2BU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/11/2014 22/05/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are safe in this nursery. There are effective systems in place to keep the building secure at all times. Registers of attendance are completed accurately and are monitored by managers.  Teaching is good and so children make good progress. All children have a manageable number of next steps for their learning. These are effectively communicated across the nursery team and to parents.  Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents are encouraged and supported to continue their children's learning at home. They feel well informed about their children's progress and achievement.  Leadership is good. There are well-documented plans for continuous improvement that effectively involve all staff. The programme for training and professional development ensures that practitioners continually enhance their skills and knowledge.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 On occasions, the organisation of activities in the pre-school room, means that children have fewer opportunities to play and explore freely for extended periods, within the rich learning environment.

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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 had a tour of the premises.  The inspector observed activities in the playrooms and outside areas.  The inspector met with the manager.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documents including those used for assessment, planning and observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and the qualifications of all practitioners working with children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and in documents that included completed questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

Blue Grass Purple Cow Nursery registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register in 2005 and is managed by a limited company. It operates in a converted church hall in Higher Disley, Cheshire. The nursery serves the immediate locality and the surrounding areas. The nursery opens five days a week from 7.45am until 6pm, all year round, except for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children are cared for across three rooms and have access to two enclosed outdoor play areas. There are currently 89 children on roll who are in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. There are currently 17 staff working directly with

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Information about the setting

children, 12 of whom have an appropriate early years qualification. Three of the staff have appropriate qualifications at level 6 and of these; one has Early Years Professional status. The nursery receives support from the local authority. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association.

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

 provide even more opportunities for children in the pre-school room to have uninterrupted time to play and explore.

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who attend

Teaching is good and so children make good progress in their learning and development. Practitioners demonstrate that they understand how young children learn. For example, in the toddler room, a practitioner pretends to be a patient visiting the doctor. The children play the role of the doctor and so they learn to be caring. During the role play, children take the patient's temperature with a thermometer and listen to her heartbeat with a stethoscope. As a result, children learn about their bodies, technology and new and interesting words as they play. The planned programmes of activities provide interest and challenge across the seven areas of learning. Activities are often exciting so children enjoy their learning. For example, practitioners and children watch and wonder together as the water they pour around the bonfire disappears. The play and learning environment throughout the nursery is stimulating. However, on occasion, the organisation of so many

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who attend

varied activities in the pre-school room means that children's participation in self-chosen activities is sometimes interrupted. Consequently, they have fewer opportunities to play, explore and deepen their learning. Systems for assessing children's achievement are consistent and effective. As a result, every child has a manageable number of next steps for their learning. For example, in the baby room, practitioners plan tummy time, which is linked to written observations that indicate that children are ready to crawl. All current next steps for children are known to the practitioner teams working in each room. This ensures that all opportunities to extend children's learning can be supported. For example, in the pre-school room, practitioners know that some children are working on improving their listening and attention skills. As a result, when they are with these children, practitioners encourage and specifically praise

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who attend

good listening. An initial assessment is completed soon after children start at the nursery. This supports subsequent tracking of their progress and so any concerns about children's learning and development are identified and addressed quickly.

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who attend

Parents are encouraged to continue their children's learning at home. They contribute to initial and ongoing assessments of their children's development. Regular meetings with parents are planned, so that children's progress can be discussed. Information is exchanged daily, so that significant events at home and nursery can become topics of conversation with children. This ensures that children's communication and language skills are continually fostered through relevant everyday interactions at home and at nursery. Practitioners demonstrate that they understand how to support children who are learning to speak English as an additional language. Children are acquiring the key skills that they will need when they move to school. For example, they become confident writers. This is because activities from the earliest years develop children's hand strength and precision when using one-handed tools. Older children also learn about writing for a purpose. For

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who attend

example, children sign, using their own marks, to confirm that they have eaten snack.

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

There is an effective key-person system in place and relationships are good. As a result, children arrive happy and settle quickly into their play alongside their friends and the familiar adults. Good partnerships with parents foster children's self-esteem and emotional well-being. For example, on the toddler room bookshelf every child has a book of photographs from home with their name and their picture on the front. There is a well- embedded approach to promoting children's positive behaviour. The purple code promotes kind hands, listening ears, kind words and walking feet. These rules are taught and promoted effectively throughout the nursery. They are displayed visually and children are praised and rewarded for following the code. For example, children are allowed to take home Archie the dog as a reward for being kind. Interactions between the children are calm, polite and friendly. This is because practitioners are good role models and children

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

The food and drink provided is of a high standard and so children learn to make healthy choices. For example, when they make popcorn on bonfire night they learn that popcorn is healthier without salt and sugar. Children learn to keep themselves safe. For example, when the pre-school children build the fire with logs and sticks, they carry one or two at a time and know that they should not run with them. They soak the ground around the bonfire with water and learn that this will help to stop the fire from spreading out and burning them. Children become independent in their self-care because their individual needs are met and partnerships with parents are effective. They learn about washing their hands before they eat and know that this stops germs getting onto their food. Children learn about cleaning their teeth and know that this stops their teeth going brown. Children play outside everyday and there is space to run and climb. Children therefore have

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

opportunities to be physically challenged in their play.

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

Resources are well maintained and plentiful. For example, in the baby room, planning ensures that children's learning is stimulated by a rotation of resources alongside familiar and favourite toys. In the toddler room, the resources support a range of activities that continuously stimulate and sustain children's interest. Children are emotionally prepared to start school. For example, in the summer term the pre-school dressing-up clothes include school uniforms. In addition, pre-school children practise carrying a tray as part of the lunchtime routine. This is because parents commented that their children find this difficult when they start school.

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provision

Since the last inspection by Ofsted, where the nursery received a number of actions to improve and one subsequent monitoring visit, the nursery has taken prompt and effective action to ensure children's safety. Practitioners are effectively deployed to meet the ratio requirements and there are contingency plans in place for occasions when practitioners are unexpectedly absent from work. The attendance register is accurate and this ensures that, if the building is evacuated for any reason, the children present can be quickly accounted for. Risk assessments for access to the building have been reviewed. As a result, the door nearest to the public footpath is now secure, while still allowing access from the building into the play area. A training programme has been established that has recently included a local authority safeguarding briefing for the nursery team. The impact of this is that all practitioners show good awareness of the signs and symptoms of abuse.

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provision

They know what they must do if they are concerned about the welfare of any child in their care. Recruitment of practitioners is safe. All new employees undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service check. An induction process is in place, so that practitioners understand their roles and follow nursery procedures to the standard required. Risk assessments are robust and are effectively communicated. For example, the bonfire risk assessment is included in permission slips signed by parents.

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provision

Actions taken to address weaknesses identified within the educational programmes have been effective. The quality of teaching is monitored through regular observation of individual practitioners. As a result, teaching is consistently good. Arrangements for staff supervision and an annual appraisal identify further training needs. The impact on practice of training attended is evaluated. For example, information from a training course motivated the team to develop a print-rich environment throughout the nursery. The planned training programme will continue to focus on the quality of teaching so that it continuously improves even further. Children's progress is monitored thoroughly by managers. They track and moderate the assessment of individual children. They collate tracking information and share the information with room teams. Consequently, the planned activities provide challenge and interest for each child and each group of children.

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provision

Managers and practitioners demonstrate an unmistakeable drive to improve the nursery. There are well-documented improvement plans linked to consultation with practitioners, parents and children. The team is motivated and determined to succeed.

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provision

The nursery team works in close partnership with schools, so that children move smoothly from nursery to school. Managers have welcomed and benefitted from training and support from the local authority following the last inspection by Ofsted. The special educational needs coordinator works in partnership with other professionals to ensure that children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. Partnerships with parents are strong. The nursery team strives to support parents in as many ways as possible. For example, parents attended a workshop called, 'Are you ready for me now I'm two?' and would like further similar events to be offered.

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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 EY314653 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 982795

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 45 Number of children on roll 89 Name of provider Blue Grass Purple Cow Ltd Date of previous inspection 22/05/2014 Telephone number 01663 764 400 or 07990 590 480

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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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