Reepham Nursery School

Reepham Nursery School Stimpsons Piece, Station Road, NORWICH, NR10 4LL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/11/2014 18/07/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Children feel safe and secure as they have warm and trusting relationships with staff, who have an adequate understanding of how to promote children's health and safety.  Children are generally polite and well-mannered as staff are consistent in their approach to managing children's behaviour.  Staff develop suitable relationships with parents, sharing information about their child's ongoing learning and development.

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It is not yet good because

 The key-person system is not fully effective because children's needs are not consistently met when their key person is unavailable to work with them.  Planning systems are not yet fully developed to take account of children's individual needs. As a result, children are not consistently engaged or challenged to make good progress.  Monitoring is not fully effective to ensure that assessment consistently identifies children's next steps in their learning.  The provider has not ensured that Ofsted is notified of changes to the management committee.

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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 looked at the premises and observed children and staff indoors and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a selection of documentation covering children's learning, children's records, and policies and risk assessments. In addition, the inspector looked at staff qualifications and checked evidence of the suitability of all adults working in the setting.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the provider and the manager and spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the day.  The inspector observed practice and interaction between staff and children.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Reepham Nursery School opened in 1974. It operates from the pavilion situated on the playing field in the rural town of Reepham. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children who attend are from the local town and the immediate vicinity. They use a large hall and have access to a secure outdoor area for play activities. The nursery is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, between the hours of 9.30am and 3.30pm, and 9.30am till 12.30pm on a Friday, term-time only. There are currently 30 children on roll. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. The nursery is managed by a voluntary committee who employ a team of five staff to work with the children. The manager holds Qualified Teacher Status, the deputy manager holds a level 4 childcare qualification, and all other

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Information about the setting

members of staff hold appropriate childcare qualifications at level 2. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 ensure that the key-person system is improved to consistently meet the needs of individual children at all times

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must:

 ensure that the planning system is improved to take account of individual children's next steps in learning

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

 improve the monitoring of children's assessment, so that it more consistently identifies children's next steps in their learning

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who attend

Children appear settled and content at the setting, displaying confidence in taking part in activities and accessing resources independently. Staff have a suitable understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage, and are beginning to undertake some observation and assessment. They understand how to promote learning and can identify their key children's interests and next steps. However, they do not use this information effectively to plan activities to enhance children's individual learning. This means opportunities are missed and children do not always receive appropriate support to promote their learning and development, in order for them to make good progress in readiness for school.

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who attend

Staff provide an environment that enables children to initiate their own play, as well as taking part in activities initiated by adults. Consequently, children are gaining independence and are beginning to direct their own play. Children are generally engaged in activities and there are some opportunities for children to investigate and explore. For example, children have access to different malleable resources, such as dough and dried rice and beans. As a result, staff provide opportunities for children to investigate different textures, make marks and further develop hand-to-eye coordination skills. Children are developing early mathematical and literacy skills. Staff occasionally use mathematical language during children's play, encouraging children to count and recognise numbers and colours. For example, children are supported to recognise, name and match numbers and colours. Children enjoy listening to stories, looking at books, turning pages and lifting

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who attend

flaps. Furthermore, they happily participate in singing activities and some are confident communicators. They join in with songs which use numbers and counting. Children listen, follow simple instructions and help with routines, such as helping to tidy toys away, learning how to keep the environment safe. This helps to prepare them for routines and expectations when they move to school. Children are creative and staff provide opportunities to paint and make musical instruments.

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who attend

Parents are welcomed into the setting and are encouraged to share information about their child. This helps the staff get to know how to meet children's individual needs and be aware of their starting points on entry. Staff share information about children's care and learning with parents on a daily basis by way of discussion. They encourage parents to provide information regarding their children on entry, and staff use this information about children's individual interests to help settle them in to the setting. Staff complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years and share these with parents. As a result, any gaps in learning and development are identified and, subsequently, appropriate support is put in place to ensure children make ongoing progress. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language, appropriately.

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

The setting has developed a key-person system, which supports children to develop positive relationships. All children are allocated a key person prior to them starting at the setting. However, there are no systems in place to meet children's individual needs when the key person is not available. Consequently, some children are not consistently engaged or challenged, and are not always emotionally supported in making good progress in their learning and development, in readiness for their move to school. Children share warm and affectionate interactions with staff and seek them out for reassurance when needed. Children play happily, interact willingly with adults and behave well. Staff support children to manage their behaviour with gentle prompts and reminders, as necessary. A set of rules is displayed in the meeting area and these are reinforced when required. Staff are positive and offer lots of praise to develop children's self-esteem, and this helps them to

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

feel good about what they do and promotes their well-being. Children are beginning to learn about how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Staff encourage and support them to wash their hands before meal times and after toileting. As a result, children are learning good personal hygiene practices. Staff provide children with a healthy snack, such as fresh banana, apple, satsuma and toast, to eat and water or milk to drink. Mealtimes are a social occasion, where the children all sit down together and enjoy talking to one another about the activities that they have undertaken. The children are learning to be independent, for example, they are supported to serve themselves and pour their own drinks. Staff talk to the children about the selection of foods, helping them to develop an understanding of why it is important to have a healthy diet.

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

Children are able to move freely between indoors and outdoors, to a well-equipped outdoor area. This ensures all children have daily opportunities to be outside, supporting a healthy lifestyle and promoting their good health. Children engage in daily outdoor play opportunities, where they learn about nature by planting, growing and observing changes that take place in the seasons. For example, children grow strawberries and cabbages and enjoy watering and taking care of them. This develops children's understanding of where food comes from and supports children's developing physical skills.

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provision

At the inspection, it was found that the provider had not notified Ofsted of the change in the committee members within the prescribed time period. This is a breach of the legal requirements for both the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, and affects the efficiency of leadership and management. Management implements most of the safeguarding and welfare requirements appropriately. Staff have knowledge and understanding of child protection. They all access safeguarding training and can confidently identify behaviours that may cause concern, and know how to report these concerns. There are clear policies and procedures in place for identifying children at risk and liaising with the appropriate agencies. There are thorough risk assessments, policies and procedures in place, which are reviewed regularly. Consequently, the staff team are knowledgeable about how to protect children to keep them safe from harm.

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provision

The manager has a sound understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and provides good role modelling to the staff. She has identified the need to monitor children's development files to ensure staff meet the children's needs and identify any gaps in their learning. However, this has not yet been put in place. Regular team meetings support all staff to be aware of children's development and supports appropriate outcomes. The manager has identified strengths of the setting and areas for improvement. She has clear action plans but, as she is still relatively new to the role of manager, she has not yet had the time to put these in place and make the improvements she has identified. Staff have accessed training to improve their support for children's speech and language and are beginning to use this to support children with their communication and language development.

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provision

There are effective partnership with parents. Staff provide parents with regular feedback on their children's daily routines and development. Partnerships with external agencies are in place, which supports effective interventions for children. Effective contact with the local primary school contributes to children's well-being and ensures their transition is smooth.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 inform Ofsted of the name, date of birth, address and telephone number of any member of the committee no later than 14 days after the change occurs (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)

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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 404977 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 819282

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 30 Name of provider Reepham Nursery School Committee Date of previous inspection 18/07/2011 Telephone number 07775564274

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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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