Pumpkin Patch Fleet

Pumpkin Patch 129 Albert Street, Fleet, Hampshire, GU51 3RP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/12/2014 31/03/2009

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early years provision

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

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This provision is outstanding

 Children make excellent progress in their learning and development due to the high standards set by the leadership team, and the commitment of their caring staff.  Careful monitoring and review of children's progress ensures that staff and parents quickly identify and manage any gaps, delays, and particular strengths in children's development.  Staff provide creative and inspiring play areas, and use these to nurture all children towards their next steps in learning.  Staff show great respect to children of all ages and are diligent in attending to their needs quickly and efficiently. Children make good relationships with each other and are confident to enjoy and investigate their surroundings.  Staff work well with parents to provide continuity of care and learning between the nursery and children's homes.

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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 observed a wide range of activities across all areas of the nursery and talked with staff and children about what they were doing.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed documents and procedures relating to safeguarding, staffing, supervision, risk assessment, equal opportunities and health and safety, and checked a selection of other policies.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of children's records, the nursery's systems for planning, evaluation and exchanging information with parents and external professionals.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and reviewed written communication from parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the leadership team and conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Pumpkin Patch Day Nursery registered in 2001. It is one of three privately owned nurseries and operates from a detached house close to the town centre of Fleet, in Hampshire. The ground floor facilities include a suite of three rooms designed for the babies, the kitchen dining room, office, and bathroom facilities. First floor facilities include three large rooms and bathroom facilities designed for the toddler and pre-school age groups. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The nursery is registered under the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 44 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The nursery is open each week day from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. Children attend all day or for various sessions. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who are learning English as an

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Information about the setting

additional language. It is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four. Including the director and the cook, there are ten members of staff who work at the nursery. The director is a qualified teacher and holds Early Years Professional Status. The manager is qualified at level 4 and is a Leading Foundation Stage Practitioner for the county. One of the deputy managers holds an honours degree in Early Years Practice. With the exception of the newest member of staff, and the cook, all staff hold relevant qualifications at level 3 or above.

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

 consider different ways of enhancing the otherwise excellent outdoor play areas to further extend the imaginative play of older children on dark winter evenings.

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who attend

Children make excellent progress in their learning and development due to the high standards set by the leadership team, and the commitment of their caring staff. Highly qualified and experienced staff regularly search out examples of best practice so they are constantly evaluating and improving their services for children and their families. This results in a nursery where play areas and learning activities are rich in quality and where staff have clear aims for children's learning. Staff plan and deliver diverse and interesting activities, which cover all areas of learning and development and meet children's individual needs. They know their children well, work closely with parents, and create daily opportunities for children to practise new skills and try new challenges. For example, when babies were fascinated by splashing in puddles, staff offered them warm bubbly water, paintbrushes and later, slotted spoons. Babies thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with the

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who attend

impact of their actions. Their handling and control of the tools increased as they swept, scooped, and sieved the water. Staff prepare the environment well for children, and prepare them well for their different learning environments. This means children enjoy discovering and investigating outdoors, even in the rain and the winter sunshine.

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who attend

Staff record children's progress across all areas and aspects of their learning and development. They routinely review children's progress towards the early learning goals. They also review the impact of their own teaching on helping children to become active and effective learners. Staff share termly updates with parents and regularly exchange information with them at the end of each day. This ensures that everyone caring for each child can celebrate their achievements and think through how to support their next steps in learning. Careful monitoring and review of children's progress also ensures that staff and parents quickly identify and manage any gaps or delays in children's development. All staff keep clear records showing the rate of children's progress, and design activities and experiences to help children close any gaps in their learning. For example, staff know all the new words used by children learning English as an additional language, and how they

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who attend

combine them in phrases. Staff model these phrases in different contexts and extend children's understanding of new words and concepts. This clear focus on helping children close gaps in their learning, puts children in a much better position when they move on to school. It also means that adults seek specialist help promptly, so that everyone knows how to help children make the best possible progress. Similarly, staff know children's strengths, and provide opportunities for them to develop their talents further. For example, most children enjoy making and modelling with play dough, but some really excel in creating tiny sculptures that tell a story. Staff are quick to praise and develop every child's achievements and to record them in photographs to share with their parents.

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who attend

Parents spoke very highly of the way staff work with them and their children. One parent was very clear about the level of support staff had provided in a time of need saying, 'They are my family'. Staff work flexible to meet the individual and changing needs of busy family and working lives. They work well with childminders and provide daily written updates on children's care and activities during the day to inform all parents. Parents expressed their gratitude, as these helped them to manage behaviour consistently across home and the nursery. They also helped them to extend children's enthusiasm for new projects at home. Staff share the theory behind their practice with parents in a way that makes sense in everyday family life. Parents therefore understand the terms teachers use when they talk about children's learning. More significantly, they know how well their children are progressing across all areas of learning and development. They also know

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who attend

how to help their children be ready for their next challenges and changes as they prepare for their moves to school. Early years teachers at the nursery work effectively with all the primary schools in the area. This helps them to support both the children and their parents move on to the next stage in their learning.

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

Throughout the inspection, staff were highly effective in helping children feel emotionally secure and confident to enjoy and explore their surroundings. Staff show great respect to children of all ages and are diligent in attending to their needs quickly and efficiently. Staff display an excellent understanding of how to care for children's individual needs. They base this on the wealth of information they exchange with parents before children join the nursery. Staff and parents continue to update each other on a daily basis through comments as they leave and collect their children. A shared daily diary means staff know about children's early starts and missed breakfasts, and parents know what their child ate and did during their day. These quick notes enable everyone to work flexibly and provide continuity of care as children and family circumstances change. Children develop strong attachments to their key person and to the other staff who share their care. New babies

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

settle in quickly, and older children returning after a long break act as though they have never left the nursery. This is due to the warmth and easy professionalism of staff who care passionately about children's welfare and happiness.

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

Children's safety and welfare is central to everything staff do. The manager and room leaders review risk assessments for every room on a monthly basis. Copies of these assessments, and daily checklists, remain in every room. This ensures that staff know their contents, and attend to all the daily practices that keep the environment and activities safe for children. Staff also teach the children how to manage everyday risks and keep themselves safe. For example, toddlers soon learn that they can manage the steep staircase when they follow the nursery rules. They learn to wait patiently, as one by one they walk down the stairs, with a member of staff in reach on the middle stair. All staff consistently model the behaviour they desire and children rise to meet those expectations. Children learn very quickly that a little self-control results in everyone getting to their next adventure safely and together.

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

Staff teach children how to enjoy a healthy lifestyle by offering a wide range of well- presented, nutritious food at meal times. Children learn why they benefit from drinking plenty of water and learn to wash germs from their hands at key times during the day. The staff have worked hard to turn the outdoor play area into a series of exciting and highly varied areas. Children develop further control of their movements and strengthen physical skills as they scoot, pedal, and 'drive' around their make-believe garage forecourt. Their imaginations fly as they choose from a range of tabards when acting out emergency services or tending their garden. Ever mindful of safety, staff add warnings and small road signs to the construction area. They extend children's thinking as they plan to mend rakes and make soup in their mud kitchen. Staff are always near at hand and in earshot of children's play so they know when to leave them to it, and when to add in a new idea.

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

Children thrive in this nurturing and creative nursery.

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

Staff help to provide such imaginative and inspiring experiences that children play happily in the fresh air for long periods during the day. The older children were so absorbed in their games that they did not notice the dark winter evening approach. As the moon lit up a small growing area, it took on a new dimension. Although staff continued to foster the children's enthusiasm for playing in the evening light, they were less accustomed at building on their imaginative play in the dark. For example, the shadows cast by different plants created a world better suited to dinosaurs than frogs, but children could not find a dinosaur to put there. Staff diligently risk assess every area of the garden to ensure it is a safe place for children to play in all conditions. They soon identify when grazes and scrapes occur in the same place as they regularly review the accident and incident records. Managers are quick to investigate concerns thoroughly and improve the nursery

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

accordingly. This helps to ensure staff continue to meet high standards in all aspects of their care for children.

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

Skilled staff place a strong emphasis on developing children's personal, social, and emotional skills through daily routines, team-building activities, and stories with a key message. As children explore the different emotions of a family conquering a young rabbit's fear of ice-skating, they begin to identify with, and label different feelings. Staff manage children's enthusiasm extremely well as children are keen to express their own opinions. They moderate children's behaviour so they learn to take turns, listen to each other, and not lose touch with the story line. Children learn to work together as a team, respecting differences in each other's views, and predicting outcomes. These are helpful skills for children to learn before they move on to larger classes at school. Staff make a considerable and positive contribution to children's well-being, and prepare them for their next challenges at school.

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provision

The nursery staff implement written policies and procedures to safeguard children. Senior staff attend regular training in child protection and changes to working practices with other children's services. Senior staff also provide support, advice, and guidance to staff on an ongoing basis and for any specific concerns they have about children's welfare. The director and manager review and amend all the policies and procedures designed to ensure children's continued safety and welfare as part of their annual appraisal. The manager prepares questionnaires to test how well staff can detect and respond appropriately to signs of possible abuse or neglect. She follows this through with training to strengthen any weaknesses in their understanding. Staff follow all mandatory documentation and procedures to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. These measures help to ensure children are safe and well

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provision

The director and her manager follow clear policies and procedures when recruiting, vetting and training new staff. Comprehensive systems for mentoring, supervising, coaching, and appraising staff also help to ensure everyone remains suitable for their roles and responsibilities. Staff say the director and manager are inspirational because they invest so much energy in nurturing their team to higher levels of performance. The manager is particularly skilled at researching new ideas for higher levels of practice and 'drip feeding' these into every day nursery life. For example, a list of refreshing ideas for playing in the rain is pinned to the outdoor shed. A note in the staff's monthly newsletter reminds them of clever ways to balance the excitement of Christmas with a positive listening environment. These thoughtful touches reflect her meticulous approach to the management of the nursery and underpin the director's aspirations towards achieving the

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provision

The director and manager ensure staff complete routine training in safeguarding, aspects of health and safety, and paediatric first aid. Staff also attend a variety of training to meet the needs of specific children or groups of children. For example, one of the deputy managers is an Early Language Lead Practitioner. Her additional training in listening, communication, language, and speaking has led to a review and evaluation of teaching across these areas. This has raised the quality of learning and development experiences for children. The benefit of this programme for individual children is also evident. Staff have experience of working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and are currently updating their knowledge in this area to meet recent changes in legislation. Senior staff monitor all aspects of their educational programmes and effectively meet the learning and development all the requirements of the Early Years Foundation

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provision

Parents contribute to evaluations of nursery practice and help identify challenging targets for improvement. They, along with local colleagues, recognise that the nursery team are forward thinking and constantly striving to raise standards for children. Leadership are highly effective in meeting children's individual needs through effective partnerships with parents and external agencies.

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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 EY236710 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 832878 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 29 Number of children on roll 60 Name of provider Gillian Church Date of previous inspection 31/03/2009 Telephone number 01252678623

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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

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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