Brambles Childcare Centre

Brambles Childcare Centre Ltd Coquet Enterprise Park, Amble, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE65 0PE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 1 April 2015 24 February 2011

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 secure knowledge of how children learn and provide a rich, varied and imaginative programme of activities and play opportunities. Precise observation, assessment and planning for individual children ensures that they continue to progress well in their learning and development.  Children move on into school with confidence. This is because staff liaise well with the local schools and take effective steps to ensure children are well prepared for these changes.  Staff provide an effective settling-in process, which helps children to settle quickly in their new environment and when they change rooms. This successfully supports children's emotional well-being.  The positive strategies used by staff promote children's good behaviour, confidence and self-esteem. Staff help children to share, take turns and develop positive attitudes to others. This prepares them well for their future education.

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This provision is good

 Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding issues and are confident about how to manage any child protection concerns they may encounter.  The good leadership and management team, together with a dedicated and well- qualified staff team, show a strong commitment to improving outcomes for all children.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not maximise children's learning opportunities by organising the nursery to enable children to independently choose to access the outdoor area.

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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

 provide even greater opportunities for children to make independent choices about whether they want to play indoors or outdoors, to fully maximise the valuable learning opportunities available.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the provider, deputy manager, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector observed children of all ages engage in learning activities indoors and outside.  The inspector looked at documentation including children's records, learning and development information, staff records and a selection of policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection and recorded on questionnaires sent out by the nursery.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the deputy manager.

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who attend. This is good

Children make good progress because all staff know them really well and the teaching and learning within the nursery are consistently good. Staff frequently observe children and effective systems are used to assess children's progress and plan for the next steps in their learning. Children's language and communication skills are effectively promoted by staff who use open-ended questions, asking children about the choices and decisions they make. As a result, children are confident communicators who are motivated to learn. Staff plan exciting activities that engage and stimulate children's enthusiasm for learning. For example, a group of older children learn first hand how to light a camp fire. Staff explain the risks of fire, engage children in discussion, prompting them to think carefully about what they are learning and further stimulating their natural curiosity. Children display good progress in developing early reading skills. They show a keen interest in stories. They

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who attend. This is good

choose books independently to look at and enthusiastically engage in story time, joining in repeated phrases and discussing what might happen next in the story.

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good

Children learn about healthy foods as they grow fruit and vegetables in the polytunnel and then eat them at mealtimes. They practise good hygiene procedures. Children manage their own self-help skills competently according to their age. Staff ensure children are well nourished and help them to make healthy choices about what they eat. Children have an exciting and stimulating outdoor area to practise their physical skills and develop an understanding of the world. However, outdoor play is at set times and this limits the choices and opportunities children have to freely access the outdoors. Therefore, learning opportunities for those children who learn best through activity or movement are not fully maximised. When children do use the outdoor area they have good opportunities for taking calculated risks; for example, they climb trees under the close supervision of staff. This ensures that children develop a keen understanding of potential dangers and of their

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provision is good

Effective recruitment and vetting procedures ensure all staff are suitable to work with young children. The management team carries out regular supervisions to ensure staff are well supported and training needs are identified. Staff training and development are considered important and ensures the quality of teaching remains high and continually improves. Parents play an active role in the life of the nursery and partnerships are strong. Valuable contributions to children's learning journals are very much appreciated by staff and used to good effect in recognising children's personal interests. Systems to evaluate what is working well and what needs to improve are effective and take into account the views of staff, parents and children.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY283199 Local authority Northumberland Inspection number 861134 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 65 Number of children on roll 67 Name of provider Brambles Childcare Centre Ltd Date of previous inspection 24 February 2011 Telephone number 01665 710453

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Setting details

Brambles Childcare Centre Ltd was registered in 2004. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above, including one with Early Years Professional status. The nursery opens Monday to Thursday from 8am to 6pm and Friday 7.30am to 4pm all year round, closing for one week over the Christmas period. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children.

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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

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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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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