Highdale Day Nursery

Highdale Day Nursery School Lane, Highdale Avenue, Clevedon, North Somerset, BS21 7LT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/12/2014 27/05/2009

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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

 Staff support children's emotional well-being well as they build positive relationships with them. Children are clear on expectations as there are consistent routines and explanations from staff throughout the day.  Children are happy and settled in the well-organised and abundantly resourced learning environment. In particular, there is a strong focus on encouraging children's exploration of open-ended resources and their role play.  Staff model language well and effectively question children to support their communication skills.  The owners and staff monitor the provision effectively to drive continuous improvement.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 On occasion, staff do not demonstrate skills and techniques to support children's creative development. For example, how to cut materials to decorate a Christmas trees independently.  Staff do not fully encourage parents to contribute to children's learning so that they can use information about learning at home more consistently to mould future planning.

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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 observed children playing inside and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff interactions with children as they played and in their care practices.  The inspector completed two joint observations with the owners.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children, parents, staff and owners at convenient times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation including children's learning diaries, written feedback from parents, self-evaluation and policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Highdale Day Nursery registered in 2005. It operates from two large playrooms in purpose-built premises situated near to the centre of Clevedon, North Somerset. There is an enclosed garden and play area for outside play. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am until 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. It currently has 49 children aged from two to the end of the early years age range on roll. The nursery is in receipt of funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The joint owners, who have an early years qualification at level 5 and level 3, employ seven staff; all of whom, except two, have early years qualifications at level 3 or above. In addition, the owners employ a cook.

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

 demonstrate skills and techniques to help children explore imaginatively in their creative activities

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

 encourage parents to be more consistently involved in sharing information about children's learning at home.

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who attend

Overall, the quality of teaching is good and sometimes outstanding, so that children make good progress in their learning and development. Staff build on the information parents provide as children start at the setting. They use parents' knowledge of their children's development well alongside their detailed observations to plan and influence future learning. However, staff do not consistently seek contributions from parents about children's learning at home to influence future planning. Staff provide a balance of activities across the educational programme. They use their observations of children's engagement and interests effectively to identify their next steps in learning. Staff routinely complete a summary of children's progress each term and the required progress check for two-year-old children. Consequently, staff consistently monitor children's progress and make appropriate referrals for additional support, such as speech and language therapy.

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who attend

On occasion during the inspection, staff had a different approach regarding how to support children's learning. Initially staff helped children decorate pre-cut Christmas trees and cut tissue paper for them to use. Staff provided a clear commentary to children's actions and praised their attempts, such as 'I like what you are doing' adding specific vocabulary to extend children's learning. Staff asked questions about children's own experiences of decorating a tree at home so that they could make connections to extend their ideas. However, staff did not demonstrate techniques and skills to help children develop imaginatively and creatively, such as how to use scissors independently to cut their own shapes. Later, staff engaged children exceptionally well talking through the process with children and demonstrated how to use the scissors to cut the tissue paper, providing additional support when required. There was a consistent narrative so that

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who attend

children matched words to their movements and repeated them to build on their communication skills effectively.

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who attend

Staff provide a good range of resources to nurture children's imagination. This was particularly evident with the nativity scene, which had soft, knitted figures, that children were keen to handle. Children were excellent at developing storylines and giving each figure a specific role and character, which demonstrated good communication skills. For example, as the mother put the children to bed she stated 'I'll get you milk; hot chocolate milk'. Children imitated how to make the hot chocolate milk making the sounds as the steamer frothed the milk. Children explained that the mother was facing the window because she was watching television while the children slept. Very good use is made of open-ended resources to support children's creativity. For example, children carefully carried the building blocks and chairs to the outside area. They worked collaboratively to build structures, such as Father Christmas' sleigh. The positive interactions and

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who attend

questioning from staff supported children to extend their ideas. Staff are enthusiastic and as a result, children develop a positive attitude to learning.

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who attend

Staff question children's critical thinking well. They provide good opportunities for children to explore and investigate. For example, staff followed children's current interest in a film and provided ice cubes with appropriate toy wild animals. Children were encouraged to test their ideas, such as putting the ice in their hands to 'crash it'. Staff questioned children well and they described it was 'cold'. Children persevered to try to break the ice choosing a range of tools to bang it with, such as brushes. Children stated, 'if I push it around it might break. No. I'll try using an animal'. Staff demonstrated and reminded children about safety. Children were very pleased with their achievements stating 'It works. I smashed one'. Throughout this investigation staff provided clear commentary to children's actions and encouraged their ideas.

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who attend

Good use is made of group times to support children's learning. For example, older children clapped out the rhythm of a familiar song as staff followed 'letters and sounds' principles to help children's early phonetic knowledge. Children listened well and followed instructions to wake 'Rosie' up. Staff used props well to focus children's attention and to help them concentrate and learn turn taking skills. Younger children became absorbed in a 'what's in the box?' game. Staff clapped out the rhythm of the song for children to join in when they felt confident. Children listened intently and participated in familiar phrases and repetitive actions. Staff extended this activity well providing children with different instruments to explore. Children listened intently to instruction following staff's demonstrations of playing the instruments slowly or quickly. Staff consistently praised children's achievements providing a clear explanation of what they have done well.

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

Staff provide a warm welcome to parents and children as they enter the setting. Children enter happily. They are quick to find interesting activities to play with as staff take time to organise the environment with exciting opportunities that support their current interests. Toys and resources are easily accessible in clearly labelled baskets to help children make decisions about their play. Children form strong attachments to staff and are confident to ask for help, which supports their emotional well-being effectively. For example, when playing outside children explored and developed their ideas confidently. Children asked staff to turn the tap on so that they could collect water to transport to the trailer. They then used brushes to make marks on the chalkboard and fences. This provided good opportunities for children to explore early writing skills independently.

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

Children understand the routines well, which helps them gain confidence and understand expectations. For example, when children arrive they find their name card and hang their possessions on clearly labelled pegs. Children's behaviour is good. Staff use consistent strategies to manage any undesirable behaviour helping children to resolve conflicts independently and reminding them of safe practices. This supports children well to gain the skills required for their next steps in learning and eventual move to school.

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

Children learn good hygiene practices, which are consistent throughout the nursery. For example, staff reminded children to put hands in front of their mouths when they cough 'to stop germs dancing out'. Children understand the importance of washing their hands before they eat. They enjoy healthy and nutritious snacks and meals that meet their special dietary requirements. Staff encourage children's independence skills well as they help themselves, with tongs, making healthy choices from banana, blueberry, apple, strawberry and pear at snack time.

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provision

The owners and staff have a good understanding of how to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff complete regular risk assessments of the provision to maintain children's well-being. They provide a safe and secure environment and monitor access to the provision well. There are robust recruitment arrangements to enable suitable staff to work with the children. Good induction procedures mean that staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities and this means consistent practice is maintained. All staff attend regular safeguarding training. They have good knowledge of their responsibility to report any concerns they have about a child to appropriate agencies promptly.

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provision

There is good partnership working with parents, which supports continuity in children's care, learning and development. Staff provide parents with key information about the setting, such as policies and procedures, which underpin the daily running of the nursery. Staff regularly discuss children's progress and provide parents with ideas for learning at home, such as how to encourage early writing skills and the recipe for making play dough. However, staff do not always obtain information about children's achievements at home to influence their future planning. Parents describe the nursery as having a 'friendly atmosphere' where there is 'fantastic staff interaction'.

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provision

The owners of the nursery are good role models and support their staff well. There are regular supervisions, appraisals and, more recently, observations of practice to explore how children learn and to develop effective teaching practices. Staff regularly attend training to build on their knowledge and support individual children. The owners and staff have a positive attitude to self-evaluation in order to drive continuous improvement. Through careful monitoring of planning and assessment arrangements, and evaluation of activities, staff have identified key areas for improvement. This helps them minimise the gaps in children's learning effectively. Staff are currently developing the use of open- ended resources further and have more recently developed mathematics throughout the nursery. This has improved how to plan more cohesively for children's engagement. Therefore, children make good progress in their learning from their starting points when

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provision

they first attend. Staff have made good progress since the last inspection, such as encouraging children to serve themselves at snack time and using a plate for their chosen fruits. They ensure that they keep observations of children's engagement in activities up- to-date and use these effectively to identify children's next steps in learning.

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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 EY313458 Local authority North Somerset Inspection number 834383 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 49 Name of provider Highdale Day Nursery Partnership Date of previous inspection 27/05/2009 Telephone number 01275 872345

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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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