Stanmore Park Nursery School

Stanmore Park Nursery School Stanmore Park Community Centre, Elliot Road, Stanmore, Middlesex, HA7 3SW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/12/2014 07/05/2009

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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

 A well-established key person system helps children to form secure attachments and promotes their well-being successfully.  Staff effectively observe, assess and plan for children's individual needs and next stage of development. In particular, this ensures children are exceptionally well prepared for school.  The staff establish good relationships with parents, keeping them well informed about their child's progress and welcoming their comments and suggestions.  The nursery is well led and managed. Expectations are high and there is a strong commitment to developing a high quality provision for the benefit of the children attending.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although staff have a good awareness of the importance of talking with children, they do not consistently support and extend children's vocabularies and listening skills by using open-ended questioning, particularly during focussed activities.

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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 inspectors spent the majority of inspection time observing the children in the nursery as they played.  The inspectors sampled children's information and development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors held discussions with the manager and chairperson, including discussions on safeguarding practices.  The inspectors held discussions with some parents regarding the nursery.  The lead inspector and manager completed a joint observation of staff practice.

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Information about the setting

Stanmore Park Nursery School registered in 2000. The nursery is registered as a charity and is run by a parent committee. It is self-funded and patronized by the Ministry of Defence. The group operates from a community centre in Stanmore in the London Borough of Harrow. Children have access to three rooms, a large hall and an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The setting is open from 9.30am to 12.30pm, with an optional lunch club until 1.30pm, Monday to Friday, term time only. There are currently 28 children on roll in the early year age range. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. The nursery employs a total of seven permanent staff and also has two supply staff. All of the permanent staff and one of the supply staff hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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

 develop children's emerging vocabularies and listening skills through asking more open-ended questions and providing more encouragement for children to think of ideas and ways to solve problems.

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who attend

The staff team has a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are secure in their knowledge of how to promote the learning and development of young children. Staff ensure there is a broad range of interesting activities set out each day and resources are easily accessible to children in safe low-level storage units. In addition, children can choose toys from the storage cupboard under supervision. Therefore, children gain skills in independence as they readily help themselves to what they would like to play with. Children arrive and, after saying goodbye to their parent or carer, explore the environment and settle down with their choice of play, showing that they feel secure. Children enjoy exploring the wide range of toys provided and become engrossed in their play.

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who attend

Children particularly enjoy role play and spend long periods of time in the home corner areas acting out roles together. They enjoy pretending to be at the hairdressers and invite the staff to come to their shop to have a haircut. This supports their understanding of different roles in the community together with using their fine manipulative skills as they hold the equipment in their hands. Children make good use of the writing area and spend extended time using a variety of writing materials as they practice forming letters. These activities demonstrate children are developing their literacy skills well, as well as their hand muscles, in readiness for writing.

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who attend

Overall, children are supported in their development of language and communication skills because staff constantly talk to the children as they play and encourage their vocabulary. However, there is less emphasis, particularly during focussed activities, on questioning children to make them think about processes and explain about what is happening. Staff obtain key words or phrases from parents for children who are learning to speak English as an additional language, in order to develop their communication skills. In addition a number of staff speak additional languages and so can communicate and provide reassurance to the children.

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who attend

Staff are confident in completing children's individual learning journals. These records contain a wealth of information, including children's starting points, tracking documents and many observations, to support future plans for each child. A system is in place for assessing the progress of two-year-olds in the three prime areas of learning, and is shared with parents. Much consideration is given to preparing children for the move to school and this is a particularly strong feature of the nursery. Children in the pre-school room are given many opportunities to develop their self-help skills, such as taking part in weekly gym sessions where they have to get changed into their PE kits. In addition, they also take home a reading book each week to share with their parents. These experiences help this age group to adjust to their future school routines.

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

The key person system is embedded well into the staff practice and results in good relationships being established with parents from very early on. The staff also take part in home visits prior to children starting, which offers extra support to deepen these partnerships. This involves gathering information from parents before their children start at the nursery, enabling staff to understand their children's individual needs and routines and to meet them from the outset. Children receive lots of reassurance as they separate from their main carers and settle in well. This helps them to feel confident and secure.

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

Staff foster children's personal, social and emotional development well, enabling children to develop good friendships and play well together. Staff effectively manage children's behaviour; they use positive strategies to deal with any minor issues. Staff offer children lots of praise and encouragement, which helps to develop their self-confidence and self- esteem. Staff talk calmly and encourage children to sort out disagreements through dialogue, supporting them to find a solution in how to negotiate the rules of their imaginative games.

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

Children's specific health, dietary needs and allergies are recorded and known by staff. Children learn about healthy lifestyles and follow good hygiene practices when washing and drying their hands before snack or after toileting. Children's independence and self- help skills are developing well. Children can choose when they would like to have a snack, select from a choice of fruit and can pour their own drinks. Staff are vigilant and supervise the children very well. Gentle reminders from staff help children to understand about keeping themselves safe as they play and use a variety of equipment. In addition, staff involve children in checking the environment conducting mini risk assessments with their help. This raises their awareness of safety. The nursery is clean and comfortable and has ample space for children to move around in safely to fully explore the resources. The nursery makes effective use of the outside areas, having an

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

enclosed grassed area during the summer months. Alternatively, the staff use an enclosed area of the car park during the winter months. This is thoroughly risk assessed with the gates locked to ensure children's upmost safety at all times and enables children to get fresh air and run around to release their energy.

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provision

The manager and staff team fully understand the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff know and understand their responsibilities for safeguarding and understand the procedures of reporting any concerns. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to check the suitability of all adults employed by the setting. There has been a recent change of some members of the committee and suitability checks are currently being conducted. The manager is aware of notifying Ofsted of anything significant, such as the change of the chairperson. The manager carries out comprehensive risk assessments of the premises, which are regularly monitored and updated as required. All of the permanent staff have a paediatric first-aid qualification which means that they are able to respond to children's needs in the event of any accident or injury occurring.

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provision

The manager is committed to continually monitoring the nursery and how staff are working. Most of the staff have worked at the nursery for some time and support each other very well. The manager recognises and values the importance of self-evaluation and reflecting on practice. Staff are supported well by effective systems for supervision to identify their training needs. In addition, staff regularly meet and their input is welcomed and valued to support continuous improvement. Any significant events that have occurred are included on the staff meeting agenda and this enables the team to review and discuss their practices to help them safeguard and support children.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good. The setting places value on ensuring that parents develop a sense of belonging to the setting, to contribute to the well-being of their children. Parents are provided with good information to ensure they are well informed about how the provision operates and about their child's progress, their achievements and daily experiences. Parents are welcomed into the nursery when they drop off their child in the morning and when they collect them at lunch time. In addition, the parent's notice board contains a wealth of information to keep parents informed about the Early Years Foundation Stage. Comments from parents indicate they are very happy with the service provided and are appreciative of the flexibility that the nursery offers. The nursery forms good relationships with local schools and other professionals. This supports children's continuity of care and future moves to school effectively.

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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 EY310978 Local authority Harrow Inspection number 1000264 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 28 Name of provider Stanmore Park Nursery School Committee Date of previous inspection 07/05/2009 Telephone number 0208 954 8512

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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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