Noah's Ark Nursery School

Noah`s Ark Nursery School Downlands Road, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 5EF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 March 2015 15 June 2011

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3

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Requires improvement The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Good 2

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3

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Requires improvement The setting does not meet legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 Methods for monitoring of children's progress are not yet consistent across the nursery, which mean some children do not progress as well as they could.  Staff do not note children's starting points in relation to learning areas. This slows the implementation of early strategies to help children catch up in their learning.  Methods for checking that the quality of educational provision is consistent across the nursery are not in place. Some of the adult-directed tasks for the younger children are not suited to supporting their progress and the older children sit for too long at group times.  Arrangements for performance management and supervision are not securely and regularly in place.  Systems for engaging and involving all families and for promoting learning at home do not yet support the good progress of all children.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff provide a safe, stimulating environment and relationships are strong between staff and children. As a result, children are happy, independent and confident learners.  Children in the pre-school room are well prepared to start school.  Staff skilfully develop children's mathematical skills and knowledge.  Staff are clear about how to manage safeguarding and child protection issues. Staff teach children effective health and safety practices.  Children enjoy healthy snacks and meals, which promote their good health and personal independence.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 strengthen the overall monitoring of all children's progress in the setting by ensuring children's starting points are noted on entry and that observations of children are used well to asses children's progress and plan for individual children's learning  improve the monitoring of staff practice and the standard of teaching across the setting through room observations, sampling records and regular supervision to check that teaching is of a consistently good standard  check that activities consistently provide challenging learning and stimulating experiences across the nursery.

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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

 further develop the engagement and involvement of all parents in their children's learning  review timings to ensure that children are not sitting for too long at group times  access staff training on teaching letter sounds to ensure a consistent approach.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had a tour of the premises and looked at spaces and resources used by children.  The inspector spoke to staff, parents, the manager and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector observed children playing and staff interactions with them.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector sampled relevant documentation and discussed the suitability of staff, qualifications of staff and the self-evaluation process.

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who attend. This requires improvement

Staff provide a range of interesting activities to promote children's learning and development both indoors and outside. However, the adult-directed activities seen were less interesting for the younger children and the creative work displayed did not reflect their individuality. Children use a wide range of resources and staff encourage them with additional ideas to extend their learning. Children's social skills, communication and language are promoted well. Staff are skilled at weaving mathematical ideas through the day and children talk confidently about numbers, positional language and size. Staff routinely assess children's learning but these assessments are not always focused enough on some individual children to ensure that their next steps in learning are supported. Staff do not make assessments on entry to nursery soon enough to identify children who may need support to catch up. Parents are welcomed into the nursery but the systems need

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who attend. This requires improvement

reviewing to engage all parents and support learning at home.

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good

The environment is safe and welcoming. The interesting range of resources is clearly labelled and accessible, helping children to be independent. After a healthy snack time the older children work together well to wash and dry their plates and cups. Warm relationships are evident at all levels. Staff support children's emotional development well through the key-person system. The children are well behaved and understand rules that keep them safe and well. For example, they know not to cross the boundary line on the ride-on toys outside. Children know when to wash their hands. Children choose when to play outside and mix with all children in the nursery; this supports children's independence well.

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provision requires improvement

The manager has a reasonable understanding of her responsibilities. However, the overview of teaching, children's progress and assessment practice across the nursery is not securely in place. As a result, some groups of children who may be underachieving are not identified early enough and assessment systems are not consistent across the nursery. Individual child observations lack detail for the younger children and are overly focused on group activities. Staff supervision and training does not focus on improving in the quality of teaching. There are procedures to assess the suitability of staff to work with children but Ofsted has not been notified of a change in the committee as required. Training to enhance safeguarding and welfare practice is strong. Managers are firmly committed to improvement and routinely evaluate the provision using a recognised quality assurance system.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 145998 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 825884 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 66 Name of provider Noah`s Ark Nursery School Committee Date of previous inspection 15 June 2011 Telephone number 01380 727203

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Setting details

Noah's Ark Nursery School opened in 1998 and registered with Ofsted in 2001. It is located in the grounds of Wansdyke Primary School, Devizes. The nursery is open each weekday from 8.55am until 3pm. Sessions are from 8.55am until 12 noon, and from 12 noon until 3pm. There are 10 staff, including an apprentice and all hold appropriate early years qualifications, bar the apprentice, which include Qualified Teacher Status and Early Years Professional Status. The nursery provides some free early education to children aged three and four years.

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Setting details

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

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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Setting details

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Setting details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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