Holwell Nursery School

Holwell Nursery School & Holwell Holiday Club Holwell Primary School, Crouch Lane, Holwell, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 5LP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/11/2014 02/12/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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 plan a good range of activities which challenge and excite the children and support them to make good progress.  The manager provides strong leadership to a committed team of staff. They implement plans for improvement, which are well targeted to further raise the quality of the provision and outcomes for children.  Staff build warm and trusting relationships with the children, which supports them to feel safe and secure.  Strong partnerships with parents, effectively contribute to the meeting of children's needs successfully.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children have fewer opportunities to use their imaginations through role play and dressing up.  Staff do not reinforce the routines of the day with visual clues to fully support all children's understanding.

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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 observed activities in the playrooms and the quality of interaction between the children and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including children's records, planning and records of staff suitability.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and caregivers spoken to on the day of the inspection and of the provider's self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Holwell Nursery School and Holwell Holiday Club registered in 1993 and is run by a committee. The nursery operates from the old village school building situated in the village of Holwell, Sherborne, in Dorset. Children have use of two playrooms, a sleep room and toilet facilities within the main building. There is a portacabin in the grounds for toddlers. There is an area for outdoor play. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 54 children on roll in the early years age range. Older children aged up to 12 years may attend the holiday club. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. It is open each weekday from 8am to 5.30pm for 50 weeks of the year, closing for two weeks at Christmas. The holiday club operates each weekday from 8am to 5.30pm during the school holidays. There are nine

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Information about the setting

staff who work with the children, including the manager. The manager is qualified to level 5, seven members of staff are qualified to level 3 and one member of staff is working towards a qualification at level 3.

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

 provide more opportunities for children to dress up and role play, especially in the pre-school room.

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

 strengthen all children's understanding of routines further through visual reminders and signs.

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who attend

The newly appointed manager and the staff team have a good knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They plan a range of challenging activities that support children's learning and development effectively, using information gathered from parents and their own assessments. As a result, children actively engage in activities and make good progress in all areas of learning. During the inspection, children learnt about positional language. They listened well and moved their small plastic teddy under, behind and on top of a cup, as they followed instructions. Staff introduced words such as balance as the children positioned their teddy on the handle of their cup. Children were very proud of their achievement, saying 'it is very tricky' as they concentrated really well to successfully balance their teddy. Children learn about size through making comparisons of familiar

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who attend

objects. Staff skilfully extend children's learning through using words, such as gigantic and very big. This extends children's vocabulary and enhances their learning as they begin to use new words in their play. Children played with the finger puppets, exploring different emotions as they talked with a member of staff about the different expressions on the puppets faces. This supports children's personal, social and emotional development in making relationships and helps them to become more aware of their own feelings.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good and as a result, children acquire the skills they need to move onto the next stage of their development. For example, staff offered babies a variety of opportunities to promote their sensory development. They played in the soil, picked it up in their hands and moved it through their fingers. After lunch in the toddler room, children chose a book to share with a member of staff. Staff promoted children's language development well during this activity by modelling and repeating words regularly. For example, when a child said 'doggy' as she looked at the pictures in the book, a member of staff replied 'yes that's right, there is a dog'. Staff use the 'Every child a talker' programme to assess and monitor children's language. This has had a positive impact on helping staff to identify those children who require additional support. Staff use the program effectively to plan children's next steps. As a result, children's communication

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who attend

and language skills are developing well. Children enthusiastically participated in singing the new songs they are learning for Christmas and followed the actions well. Staff monitor the educational programmes well and provide experiences which support learning in all areas. However, there are fewer opportunities in the pre-school room for children to dress up and role play. Consequently, staff do not always extend children's imaginative and creative play fully.

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who attend

Babies enjoy a spacious, warm and welcoming room that they can move around and explore in safety. They explored and investigated objects by pressing buttons, shaking rattles and placing them inside boxes. Babies and younger children have lots of warm interaction and eye contact with staff. Staff respond with smiles to their babbling and early attempts to form words. This encourages children to communicate and helps them to settle, feel safe and secure.

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

Children are happy and secure at the nursery because they build strong relationships with their key person and other members of staff. This effectively supports their physical and emotional well-being. The learning environment is well organised. There is a good range of toys and resources, which support children's learning in all areas. Staff use wall displays well to celebrate children's achievements and provide parents with information about aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage, such as the characteristics of effective learning. Staff display photographs of the children engaged in activities with their friends. These encourage the children to initiate conversations and discussion and provide them with a sense of belonging. Staff support children exceptionally well as they progress to the next room in the nursery. The new key person knows each child's transitional starting points, which helps children to settle quickly in to their new environment. This successfully

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

supports children emotionally in readiness for the next stage in their learning. Children behave well and show that they understand expectations, boundaries and daily routines. Although there is a written timetable on display, staff do not extend opportunities to support some children's understanding further. For example, by using visual clues and reminders so they know what will happen next. Staff give the children lots of praise for their good behaviour. They encourage them with saying phrases such as 'good listening', and act as good role models. As a result, children take turns and share well. For example when one child asks for the water, another child says 'I will pass it to her' then passes her the jug of water. Children skilfully use tongs to serve themselves pieces of fruit, as they pass the serving dish around the table.

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

Children have regular opportunities to develop their physical skills and benefit from fresh air and exercise. They use the outdoor equipment to dig and explore. They take part in active play sessions inside, as they move around in time to the music. This effectively supports children's physical development and boosts their confidence and self-esteem. Staff teach the children about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. They follow thorough hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before meals and after messy play, with few reminders. Staff supervise children well at all times as they play in a safe and secure environment. Children learn how to keep themselves safe, through discussion and routinely practising the fire drill.

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provision

The manager and staff team have a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. There are thorough risk assessments in place and staff carry out daily safety checks to ensure the environment is safe and ready for the children's arrival. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of child protection issues. There is a safeguarding procedure in place, including clear reporting procedures to follow if there is a concern about a child. There are robust systems for the recruitment, induction and supervision to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. The majority of staff are paediatric first-aid trained and there are effective systems in place for recording accidents and the administration of medicines.

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provision

The dedicated staff team have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. The manager has a good overview of the educational programmes and effectively monitors the staffs' observations, assessments and planning systems. This means that staff track children's progress successfully to aid planning and to close any identified gaps in their learning. There are good systems in place to monitor the professional development of staff. The staff team share good practice in staff meetings and are proactive in accessing relevant training to improve outcomes for children. The manager and staff team regularly reflect on their practice and use self-evaluation to drive improvement effectively. The nursery has made substantial progress since the last inspection. Staff plan activities which target individual children's next steps. They support and challenge children as they play and explore. There are detailed action plans to

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provision

implement ongoing improvements, such as redesigning the outdoor space to further enhance children's learning. This demonstrates a good capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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provision

There are positive partnerships with parents. Parents receive a wealth of information, including details about the activities that children have enjoyed and their children's next steps in learning. Parents comment that they are extremely happy with the provision. They say that their children are very happy to attend and are making good progress. The nursery has effective systems in place to share information with other early years settings which children also attend. They develop professional relationships with outside professionals, such as health visitors, to support children's needs. This helps to promote consistency in meeting children's care and learning needs.

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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 139383 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 962710 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 54 Name of provider Holwell Nursery School Committee Date of previous inspection 02/12/2013 Telephone number 01963 23368

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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.

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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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