Hill West Nursery

Hill West Nursery School Clarence Road, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B74 4LD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 February 2015 19 March 2009

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is good

 Staff have a good understanding of children's interests, ways of learning and stages of development. From their interactions with children and regular observations, they accurately assess how well children are progressing. Staff effectively follow up children's next steps for learning in their planning and teaching.  Partnerships with parent are good. Staff use effective strategies to actively involve parents in children's learning and development from the start, and continuously value their input. Consequently, children receive support that mirrors that which they receive at home, providing security and stability for them.  Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures. They are clear about how to respond if they have any concerns about the welfare of a child. As a result, children are safeguarded from harm.  Children's behaviour is good. Staff use effective strategies to help children to recognise

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This provision is good

achievements in their learning and develop respect for others. Consequently, they are engaged and motivated in their play and learning.  The manager is supported well by a committed staff team. They share a clear vision and determination to give each child the best possible start in life.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Managers have not considered a range of strategies to evaluate and build further on the good teaching practice. For example, staff do not have opportunities to observe each other's practice to enhance performance across the nursery.  Occasionally, staff miss opportunities to sustain conversations so that children's vocabulary is increased and their thinking skills are suitably enhanced.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 raise the quality of teaching and enhance reflective practice even further by providing increased opportunities for staff members to observe each other's practice and engage in discussions aimed at promoting reflection and continual improvement  challenge children to develop their communication and critical thinking skills even further by ensuring all staff make effective use of questions that encourage children to think and engage them in sustained conversations.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the two playrooms and in the outdoor play area.  The inspector spoke to members of staff and children during the inspection and had meetings with the provider and the manager.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the deputy managers in each room.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection. She discussed the provider's plans for improvement.  The inspector looked at children's records, planning documentation, evidence of the suitability of staff working in the setting. She also looked at a range of other documentation, including policies and procedures, which safeguard children's welfare.

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who attend. This is good

The quality of teaching is good. Staff ensure that children are confident, articulate, creative and well prepared for school and their future learning. They plan and organise rewarding, often challenging activities, which promote children's good progress. For instance, younger children develop their mark-making skills as they enjoy painting with different media, such as large marbles. They demonstrate fascination as they discover the effects of rolling marbles covered in paint in a paint tray. Older children enjoy learning new languages, such as Spanish. They engage with enthusiasm and competently follow instructions, which helps to develop their confidence. Children enjoy listening to stories and they regularly engage with adults and their peers. These interactions effectively supports their speaking and understanding skills. Most staff effectively model language, introducing children to a wide range of vocabulary. However, in the toddler room some

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who attend. This is good

staff miss opportunities to ask questions that sustain conversations. This means that staff do not always provide the guidance children need to increase their vocabulary and to develop critical thinking skills. Staff work in close partnerships with parents. This ensures parents are kept well informed about their children's care, along with having opportunities to continue their children's learning at home.

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good

Children are welcomed in a warm and inviting nursery. Staff and parents effectively work together to settle new children who form close attachments with the kind, attentive staff. They consistently promote children's confidence and social skills so that children are emotionally well prepared for moving within the nursery and to school. Children are very familiar with the well-established routines and this contributes to their good behaviour and strong sense of belonging. Children readily make choices from a range of resources. This stimulates their ideas and independent play. Children enjoy healthy snacks and playing outdoors. They confidently climb, balance and move around while using different play equipment. Staff sensitively help children to independently manage their self-care.

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provision is good

Managers have a good understanding of the legal requirements. Policies and procedures are successfully implemented. The manager reviews the overall quality of the nursery and children's progress, and targets for improvement are routinely set and monitored. For instance, the current focus for the nursery is to provide activities that develop mathematics for the older children. Regular meetings successfully ensure that staff are kept updated on knowledge and best practice. The manager regularly observes staff's practice and provides feedback to improve performance. However, regular opportunities for staff to observe and feedback to their colleagues are not provided. As a result, opportunities to raise the quality of teaching even higher and enhance reflective practice even further. Good relationships with other providers ensure consistent approaches to identifying and meeting children's needs.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 228951 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 854732

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 46 Number of children on roll 66 Name of provider Gill Jones Date of previous inspection 19 March 2009 Telephone number 0121 308 8656

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Type of provision

Hill West Nursery School opened in 1999. It operates Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 6pm during term time. A summer play scheme is also run for two weeks in the summer holiday. The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff. All of whom hold relevant qualifications to at least level 3. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery has links with the host school and the Four Oaks Children's Centre.

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Type of provision

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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Type of provision

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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, safeguarding and child protection.

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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