St Mary's Day Nursery

St Mary's Day Nursery Towcester Road, NORTHAMPTON, Northamptonshire, NN4 8EZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/12/2014 24/12/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The quality of the staff's teaching is based on their extremely good knowledge of how young children learn and develop. This supports children to make excellent progress given their starting points and capabilities.  Children settle very quickly and flourish at the nursery. They receive warm, nurturing care and are treated with the utmost respect and as individuals. This supports the children's emotional well-being extremely well.  The arrangements for safeguarding are given exceptionally high priority. Staff demonstrate very robust knowledge and are very vigilant about the children's well- being and safety at all times.  The management and staff team are totally dedicated to providing high quality care and education for all children who attend.  Parental involvement in the children's learning is highly valued and impressively promoted through regular review meetings to discuss all aspects of the children's

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This provision is outstanding

learning, development and care.  Partnerships with schools, outside agencies and professionals are well embedded and highly effective. As a result, children immediately receive the support they need to enable them to make progress.

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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 conducted a tour of the premises and outdoor areas during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the two nursery rooms, the main hall and the covered outdoor area.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and nursery clerk.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the staff working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

St Mary's Day Nursery was established in 1981 and is registered on the Early Years Register. It is managed by a voluntary management committee and is a registered charity. It operates from rooms within St. Mary's Church buildings in Abbey Road, Far Cotton, which is an area close to Northampton town centre. The nursery is accessible to all children and there are enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff. Nine members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above, including one member of staff with Early Years Professional status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round from 8am until 5.45pm, except for bank holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 64 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-,

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Information about the setting

three- and four-year-old children. It is able to support children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 extend the already very good outdoor learning environment, for example, by expanding the growing area and creating a covered area for the children to enjoy stories and to play in the shade.

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who attend

Children thrive, have lots of fun and are motivated learners. They delight in exploring the challenging experiences and activities on offer and become engrossed in their play. For example, older children become totally absorbed during craft activities, painting pictures with growing precision while demonstrating a good use of language to describe their creations. In addition, younger children enthusiastically sprinkle colourful glitter onto the glue, smiling and demonstrating that they are extremely proud of their achievements. Children achieve exceptionally well given their starting points and capabilities. This is because the manager and her team fully understand how to effectively implement the learning and development requirements. During the early weeks of attendance, astute observations are carried out and discussed with parents. This provides a strong foundation for future learning and enables the staff to plan individualised programmes for each

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who attend

unique child. In addition, staff complete ongoing purposeful observations of the children's interests and achievements as they play. This enables staff to accurately identify any gaps in the children's learning and to plan further challenging and innovative experiences based on their new interests and next steps. This is especially, apparent in relation to children with identified special educational needs and/or disabilities and children for whom English is an additional language. For example, pictorial images representing key words are displayed around the nursery rooms to aid communication between the children and the staff. Additionally, specialist equipment has been installed to support children with specific needs.

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who attend

Staff working with the younger children place particular emphasis on children's development in the prime areas of learning. They totally understand that young children explore their environment through relating and communicating with others and engaging physically in their experiences. For example, staff provide an extensive range of media and materials for the children to explore and discover. As a result, children delight in banging the metal and wooden objects together to hear the different sounds and smile as they observe themselves in the shiny mirrors. Additionally, staff provide excellent experiences, which strengthen small muscles in preparation for early mark making. For example, children delight in prodding and poking the dough and learn to carefully hold the glue stick and chunky paintbrushes during craft activities. Children actively seek out their friends to share experiences. They listen and follow instructions very well. For example, older

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who attend

children intently listen to stories and participate in small group activities together, such as shape identification games. Older children confidently recognise shapes, such as an octagon and semi-circle. All children display high levels of self-assurance as they practise the nativity play. Older children confidently recall and recite their lines in front of the staff and their friends. The development of the children's language is given extremely high priority across the nursery. Staff actively encourage young children to make sounds and repeat simple words during the context of their play. For example, children exploring the animals in the shredded paper are encouraged to carefully pronounce, for example, the animal names, such as giraffe. Older children hold lively conversations, with the staff and each other. This is because the staff expertly talk and engage in play with the children. They skilfully guide them by asking thought provoking questions to extend their thinking,

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who attend

language skills and to explore imaginatively. Additionally, staff fully understand when to step back to allow children to experiment and discover for themselves. For example, staff allow children to become lost in their imaginary world as they play in the igloo. They excitedly pull their friends on the sledge and thoroughly enjoy dressing up as a snowman.

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who attend

Parents are truly valued as active contributors to their child's learning and development. There is excellent two-way flow of information. For example, as the children progress through the nursery parents remain very well informed about their child's ongoing achievements and development. This is because parents are invited to regular drop in sessions and parental consultation evenings. Additionally, staff make very good use of the progress check completed for children between the age of two and three years, so that they are fully aware of their progress at this stage. This is shared with the parents and agreed next steps are planned. Parents share observations from home on the achievements board, which are then used to reshape and further enhance learning opportunities. They also contribute interesting facts and artefacts to discuss, thereby supporting the children's greater understanding of different cultures and traditions. In

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who attend

addition, staff encourage parents to borrow library books to read to their children and children have opportunities to take home travelling Ted to share in their outings and adventures with their families. Parents are encouraged to take photographs, record captions and then bring them back to the nursery for their child to share with the other children and the staff. These special moments are beautifully displayed in the entrance area.

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

Management and staff have established a highly effective key-person system. They secure comprehensive information from parents at the start of the placement and actively encourage settling-in visits, so that children are familiar with the nursery before they are left without their parents. In addition, parents are encouraged to complete a family observation to share with the staff. This provides in depth information about the children's stage of development, background and religious beliefs, including special cultural celebrations. As a result, children settle very quickly and flourish in the friendly and relaxed nursery environment. In addition, children receive stability in their care arrangements because each child has a back up key person who acts in place of their designated key person if they are not there. All children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging. They receive warm, nurturing care and are treated with the utmost respect and

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

as individuals. This supports the children's emotional well-being extremely well. For example, children naturally snuggle into the staff as they read to them and children are cuddled if they are distressed. Older children are fully prepared and expertly supported by the staff to make further transitions within the nursery and to Reception class at school. For example, staff talk very positively to the children about making new friends and their new environment. Additionally, care routines actively encourage children's independence. For example, older children develop competence and life skills as they prepare for meal times, independently washing their hands and helping to lay the table. Local school teachers are invited to come and meet children in the nursery and staff complete and share transition documents with them. One early years leader at a local school commented on the very detailed information, stating that it was extremely useful and had

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

helped to make the children's first few weeks in Reception as comfortable and as easy a transition as possible.

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

Children's safety and well-being is central to everything the staff do. A significant number of staff hold paediatric first-aid certificates and thorough and accurate records are maintained of any accidents or any medicines administered to children. In addition, children and staff with more severe medical conditions have detailed care plans in place. This successfully supports others to understand their needs and ensures the correct action is swiftly taken to maintain their ongoing well-being should the need arise. Staff work hard to develop children's awareness of safety and how to stay safe. For example, children known that it is acceptable to share their worries and anxieties with the staff. In addition, children receive talks from visitors about the dangers of fireworks and stories are used to reinforce the role of people who help us, such as the police. Staff are deployed extremely well and work very hard to provide a highly stimulating environment that promotes

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

children's learning and offers challenge. Bright, colourful wall displays, including evidence of the children's work and photographs of children participating in the wide range of activities further enhance the vibrant environment. Resources are plentiful and are organised purposely to ensure that they have maximum potential to support the children's learning and development. For example, accessible, labelled resource boxes and designated areas, such as the book corner and information and communication technology area enables children to effectively make their own choices and decisions about what they would like to play with. In addition, the large outdoor garden provides children with wonderful opportunities to learn outdoors. Children plant flowers, participate in very imaginative role-play activities and collect the fallen apples before proceeding to make apple crumble for their tea. However, management and the staff have the potential to

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

extend the range of activities offered in the outdoor area to enhance children's understanding of growth and change, and their enjoyment of books.

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

Children thoroughly enjoy playing outside in the fresh air and physical exercise is an integral part of their daily activities, both inside and outside. For example, children enthusiastically manoeuvre the wheeled toys and vigorously use their feet to pedal on the exercise bike. Management and staff maintain excellent hygiene practices. The premises are very clean; all children use paper towels to dry their hands and staff remind children to put their hand over their mouth when they cough. This effectively reduces the risk of cross infection. Vigorous procedures ensure the staff are very clear about children's special dietary requirements, preferences and allergies. This ensures their needs are fully met and respected at all times. Children are provided with a very good range of healthy and balanced meals and snacks. For example, children thoroughly enjoy freshly prepared pasta bolognaise with grated cheese and cheese cake for their lunch. Additionally, children gain

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

valuable social and interpersonal skills through the conservations they enjoy as they eat and learn good manners, such as saying please and thank you. Staff proactivity implement and calmly reinforce simple rules and boundaries to the children. For example, staff successfully use group games to encourage the children to take their turn and listen to the opinions of others. Furthermore, staff talk to the children about the importance of using kind hands and kind voices. As a result, children's behaviour is consistently very good. In addition, children receive lots of positive praise for their efforts and achievements, which successfully boosts their confidence and self-esteem. The nursery has been awarded the Food Standards Agency five star rating. This means that the nursery was found to have very good hygiene standards.

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provision

Management and staff ensure safeguarding is awarded the highest priority. They clearly understand the procedures for managing any safeguarding concerns that may arise. The manager has completed designated persons training and all members of staff are completely conversant to the possible signs of abuse and neglect. Additionally, safeguarding is a standing item on the team meeting agenda and the comprehensive supporting policies and procedures are clear and on display. Recruitment procedures are very robust, which ensures only those suited to working at the nursery are selected. For example, all adults, including committee members are checked to determine their suitability, through Disclosure and Barring Service checks. New members of staff follow in depth induction procedures, which ensures they are very familiar with all health and safety policies and procedures. All members of staff are required to say that they have read and

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provision

understood all policies at the end of their induction. Their practice and knowledge is consistently monitored by the manager. Students are subject to the same induction and are mentored by senior members of staff. Staff remain very vigilant at all times and complete comprehensive risk assessments and daily checks to ensure potential hazards are minimised. Security of the building is excellent and CCTV cameras are effectively used to monitor the perimeter of the building. Staff regularly practise evacuation procedures and implement secure procedures that require all visitors to show their identification and to sign the visitor's book. Additionally, the toys and equipment are constantly assessed for their safety and cleanliness.

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provision

Management and staff demonstrate enthusiasm for their work and have an excellent understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There is an extremely strong team ethos and management and all members of staff constantly use self-reflection to drive future improvements. This actively involves taking account of the views of parents and children. Furthermore, management completes internal quality audits, the Ofsted self-evaluation form and support from the local authority advisers is welcomed. As a result, management plans to implement secure procedures to enable parents to access their child's records on their own electronic equipment. The action raised at the last inspection was immediately rectified. Management now ensures that all adults linked to the registration undergo the necessary suitability checks. Additionally, exemplary monitoring of the educational programmes ensures the staff are delivering a

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provision

board range of experiences according to the children's individual needs, and that any gaps in the educational programmes are swiftly identified. For example, the manager's analysis of the cohort tracking documents revealed that boys were not progressing as quickly as the girls in their creative development. As a result, staff immediately providing a wider range of creative outdoor experiences to captivate boys creatively and enthusiasm. Management and the staff are qualified for their roles and demonstration very effective skills in teaching. This ensures all children make very good progress in relation to their starting points. The manager closely monitors staff performance through her daily observations of their practice and completes ongoing appraisal. Staff express that that they feel extremely well supported and valued.

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provision

Partnerships with schools, outside agencies and other professionals are well embedded and highly effective. As a result, children immediately receive the support they need to enable them thrive and make progress. Additionally, excellent partnerships with parents ensures that the children's care is consistent and their development is very well promoted. Parents receive a detailed prospectus and a copy of the nurseries policies and procedures. This successfully supports parent's to understand the ethos and standards set by the nursery. Additionally, parents are provided with a wealth of information, which is attractively displayed in the entrance area. For example, parents can access the detailed operational plan and key person and planning information is displayed. Furthermore, informative leaflets are provided about supporting children's ongoing health and well- being and the dangers of the internet. Parents are can talk to their child's key person daily

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provision

and are regularly invited to stay and play sessions. They actively support sponsored events and attend occasions, such as the Easter bonnet parade and Christmas fair. Parents express their utmost praise of the nursery, commenting on how much they appreciate the consistency and friendliness of the staff and how 'wonderful' the nursery is.

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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 220164 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 962618

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 38 Number of children on roll 64 Name of provider St Mary's Day Nursery Committee Date of previous inspection 24/12/2013 Telephone number 01604 767923

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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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