School Lane Nursery

School Lane Nursery Badsey First School, School Lane, Badsey, EVESHAM, Worcestershire, WR11 7ES

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/12/2014 07/07/2014

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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

 The quality of teaching is good. Children's individual learning is effectively supported by staff, who observe and assess children's capabilities and plan effectively for their future learning. As a result, children make good progress.  Caring staff get to know the children and families well. This helps children form secure emotional attachments and promotes their well-being effectively.  Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how to effectively safeguard children. Consequently, children are kept safe and feel secure in their environment.  The management team are passionate and committed to continuous improvement. They are determined to make the necessary changes to move the nursery towards excellence.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always ask for a wide enough range of information about children's existing skills and knowledge from parents on entry, to help them to sharply focus initial assessments and to plan precisely for children's immediate learning needs.  Staff do not consistently exchange information with other settings about children's development or interests, so that their learning is complemented and supported in all settings.  Staff's skills in asking open-ended questions are variable. This means that children are not consistently encouraged to build on their rapidly developing critical thinking skills.

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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 toured the premises and observed activities indoors and outside.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the manager and spoke to the staff and the children.  The inspector looked at administering medication documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's observation and assessment records and the planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability, including references and qualifications of the staff and the provider's evidence of self-evaluation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

School Lane Nursery was registered in 2011 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is located in a building in the grounds of Badsey First School near Evesham, Worcestershire. It serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area for outdoor play. The nursery employs eight members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications to level 3. The nursery is open each weekday during school term times and sessions are from 9am until 3.10pm. There are currently 55 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 establish firmer starting points for children's learning, by seeking precise, detailed information about their prior learning and development from parents, when they first begin to attend

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

 extend the sharing of information with other providers when children attend more than one setting, so that children's learning is complemented and supported in all settings

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

 enhance the already good use of open-ended questions, so that children are able to consider their responses and further develop and consolidate their knowledge and understanding.

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who attend

Teaching is good and children are progressing well in this warm and welcoming nursery. This is because staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop. They provide a wide range of stimulating activities that they enjoy. There is a good balance of child-initiated and adult-directed play. Children independently access the resources on offer and staff provide activities, which have focussed learning intentions. For example, during small group activities, children practise writing their name and using scissors to make Christmas decorations and cards. Consequently, children benefit from experiences that are led by knowledgeable adults as well as learning from their own play. When children first come to the nursery, staff gather some valuable information from parents about their child's interests and care needs. However, staff do not ask for a wide enough range of information about children's existing skills and

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who attend

knowledge, to help them to sharply focus initial assessments and to plan precisely for their immediate learning needs. Staff regularly observe where children are at in their learning and assess these observations, in order to identify next steps to help them to move forward. These identified next steps inform the planning of future activities, which help to ensure they are meaningful to children and reflect their stage of development. Staff discuss children's progress, activities and achievements with their parents on a daily basis. They listen to parents tell them about what their child has been doing at home. Parents are encouraged to continue their child's learning at home and ideas are displayed in reception as well as in regular newsletters. For example, staff suggests looking for various colours and shapes while away from nursery. All of this has a positive impact on children's learning and as a result, they make good progress in their learning and development and

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who attend

are being well prepared for school. The children's learning records are easily accessible to parents, so they can review and add to them. Parents also receive written progress reports, to which they are invited to contribute. As a result, parents are kept well informed of their child's learning and are able to continue their learning at home. Staff have a good understanding of their responsibility to carry out progress checks for children aged between two and three years. This means that young children's assessments are monitored effectively, so that early intervention can be sought if necessary.

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who attend

Children are happy and enjoy the time they spend in the nursery, quickly becoming involved in the activities available to them. They learn to share and take turns as they play with the cars and garage. Children express their creativity as they use a selection of paints and show high levels of concentration as they carefully add stickers to their work. They are beginning to learn about numbers, shapes and size as they play with a selection of games, which enable them to make patterns, match and order. In addition, they fill and empty different sized containers with sand and make mud pies in the mud kitchen. Children enjoy making marks using small blackboards and chalks, as well as sitting quietly at the literacy table where they practise writing their name. They are beginning to learn to recognise their names as they use name cards to self-register. Staff help children to learn about letters and their associated sounds during small group activities and model how

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who attend

letters are formed when they make marks. Children's language skills are developing because they chat away to both staff and their peers throughout the day. For example, they talk about visiting Father Christmas and the presents they will receive. However, some staff are less confident in their questioning techniques. They ask too many questions where children can only answer, 'yes' or 'no'. This means that at times, children do not always have opportunities to learn through thinking and finding things out for themselves. Nevertheless, these interactions support children's self confidence and self-esteem skills, which are needed in readiness for school. Children's early literacy skills are promoted well because they sit quietly reading to themselves and listen attentively to stories being read by members of staff. Children enjoy singing loudly as they practise songs for the nativity play and during circle time, they enthusiastically join in with action songs.

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who attend

All children are welcomed and valued. Children with special education needs and/or disabilities are fully included. Staff recognise children's individual learning needs and support them to join in activities at their own pace. Children enjoy spending lots of time outdoors in the fresh air. This is because the nursery has an interesting outdoor play area with a good range of equipment for children to use. They use a range of ride-on toys, carefully manoeuvring around. Children enjoy sensory experiences, including digging in the mud and splashing in water. They learn to take risks and keep safe by balancing and climbing on the climbing apparatus. Staff support them by being close and offering assistance if required. Children are beginning to develop a good understanding of the world, different people and communities. They learn about nature, wildlife and how things grow. They enjoy planting vegetables, which they water and watch grow. In addition, they

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who attend

celebrate festivals and have topics about the world. Staff effectively use information and communication technology to assist children's learning with appropriate computer programmes, such as those that increase their number skills.

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

Children are happy and content in the nursery. Staff are caring and kind and deliver good levels of care. They get to know the children and families well and as a result, children form strong attachments with staff and their emotional well-being is well promoted. Having an effective key-person system means that key staff liaise closely with parents, sharing information on a daily basis. Parents are invited into the nursery to settle their child each day and to have a chat with their key person before they leave. The nursery manages the settling-in procedure well. Parents and children attend an open day where they meet with staff and explore the environment. Children then attend a taster session, which enables them to become more familiar with their surroundings and staff. As a result, children soon relax, enjoy trying new experiences and investigate their play. Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning because staff give careful

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

consideration to preparing them for school. This is because the nursery has good partnerships with the adjoining school and nursery children are encouraged to participate in school life and activities. For example, they are invited to school assemblies and fetes. In addition, during the summer term, children are invited to attend taster sessions in the reception class, so that they become familiar with the environment and routines, such as having lunch in the school hall. Consequently, the move between nursery and school is a positive experience for the children.

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

The nursery is warm, welcoming and well organised. Toys and resources are generally of a good quality, age-appropriate and stored at child height, which means that they are easily accessible to children. Therefore, they are able to make free choices about their play. The entrance hall contains information and displays for parents, which helps all children and their families to have a sense of belonging. Children are developing the necessary skills for future life and make good progress in the prime areas of learning. They form friendships with their peers and staff provide experiences that require cooperation and communication. For example, children are given a countdown to tidy up time and fully understand this routine. They enthusiastically and diligently put away the toys in the correct boxes before lunch. Children's behaviour is good, they are considerate and learn to share resources during play. This is because staff are positive role models

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

and give clear guidance as to what is acceptable behaviour. Children are reminded to say 'please' and 'thank you' and to be kind to one another.

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

Children learn self-care skills as they are encouraged to be independent and to complete tasks for themselves. The nursery encourages healthy eating and advises parents to send in healthy alternatives in their children's lunch box. Staff sit with the children and model good manners and healthy eating. Children are encouraged to eat their savouries before having a desert. They learn about the importance of exercise because there is a strong focus on play and learning in the outdoor environment. The nursery has access to its own interesting and well-resourced outdoor learning area and they visit the Forest School site on a weekly basis. Here, the children can experience things on a different scale than indoors, as well as experiencing first-hand the weather, the seasons and the natural environment. Meaningful explanations help raise children's awareness of how they can keep themselves safe. For example, staff explain the dangers to children when they use

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provision

The management team have established effective systems to ensure both the safeguarding and welfare and the learning and development requirements are well known and effectively met. They regularly review and update their knowledge by attending cluster meetings with professionals and seeking support from the local authority adviser. The improvements made since the last inspection have been prompt and effective. Written parental permission is sought before medication is given. Designated persons are in place to administer medicine and all documents are signed by the person giving the medicine and witnessed by another. Parents receive a copy of this document and the nursery keeps a copy in the child's personal folder. Recruitment procedures have been reviewed and are now robust with safer recruitment principles being implemented. All staff are checked thoroughly before being employed and well organised induction procedures are in place to

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provision

assist staff. Children are safeguarded well. This is because the management and staff have a good understanding of child protection and the procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child in their care or what to do if an allegation is made about a member of staff. Staff are fully aware of the importance of raising any concerns about other staff's practice and have good opportunities to do so. All staff have current first-aid certificates and therefore, have the knowledge and skills to act appropriately should children have an accident or become ill. All records required for the efficient management of the nursery are in place. Staff receive regular supervisions as well as formal appraisals. They are encouraged to continue with their professional development and the manager is keen to assist them.

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provision

The management of the nursery is highly effective. The team are passionate, highly motivated and committed to continuous development. They are determined to make the necessary changes to achieve excellence. The qualifications of staff and their secure understanding of how children learn is a key factor in the good quality of teaching. Play is planned around the children's interests and staff provide challenging next steps for each child. As a result, children make good progress in their learning. The manager understands the need to monitor the educational programme along with the quality of teaching. She does this effectively because she works alongside her team on a daily basis, with all staff members contributing to the planning. Therefore, she has first-hand knowledge of what the staff and children do, seeking intervention for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities quickly. Consequently, the teaching is good and the

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provision

children's learning is strong. Clear action plans are set, which show a true reflection of this nursery and the impact it has on the children's progress. As a result, a strong capacity for improvement is shown and they continue to move forwards on their journey towards excellence.

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provision

Partnerships with other professionals are effective and staff work closely with them, in order to help children, who need additional support. Parental partnerships are strong. Key persons spend time with parents at the beginning and end of the sessions, discussing their child's needs and achievements. This two-way flow of communication ensures that parents are kept well informed about their child's daily needs and activities. The nursery understands the need to share information, such as planning and learning records with other providers when children attend more than one setting. However, the sharing of such information is not consistent for every child and consequently, a highly consistent and complementary approach to the children's learning and development is not fully obtained. Parents comments during the inspection, show they are very happy with the care and education offered to their children. They positively comment about the friendly and

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provision

approachable team. Overall, children are happy, settled and enjoy the time, which they spend at the nursery.

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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 EY426139 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 983247

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 55 Name of provider Lucy Jane Clarke Date of previous inspection 07/07/2014 Telephone number 01386 830325

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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