Apple Tree Day Nursery

Appletree Day Nursery 44 College Hill Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA3 7HE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21 April 2015 12 May 2011

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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 Requires improvement 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:

 Staff deployment is not effective in responding to the movement of children as they choose to play indoors or in the garden. This impacts on the support children receive in their learning.  The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Staff working with the toddlers make choices for the children, rather than giving them the opportunity to decide for themselves.  The very young children are not offered an interesting range of activities in the garden, which means they do not have good opportunities to learn while outdoors.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff working with pre-school children show good-quality teaching practices. These are particularly effective for those children who have English as an additional language. As a result, pre-school children make good progress given their starting points.  Children's learning is closely and accurately monitored by the key person, parents and the manager. This ensures that children's learning is understood by all and helps to identify their next steps in learning.  Children build strong bonds with their key person over time. These are established through a delicate approach to the settling-in process and a caring and sensitive attitude, especially to the very young.  The manager is beginning to undertake some useful self-evaluation and shows a clear vision of how she wants the nursery to progress to provide good or better outcomes for children.  The manager has a suitable staff monitoring system. Staff are encouraged to reflect on

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It has the following strengths

their own practice in order to progress and improve children's education.

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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

 ensure staff deployment meets the needs of the children consistently throughout the day by making good use of available staff.

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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

 enhance the provision of child-led activities, with particular thought to how toddlers make their own decisions and are allowed choices in play  review how staff plan purposeful play when using the garden, to create challenging and enjoyable experiences outdoors for the youngest children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector made observations of all three rooms and the outdoor area.  The inspector spoke with staff and the manager at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector reviewed documentation about children's development, planning and a range of other documentation, including policies and procedures.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took into account the view of the parents, written and verbal.

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who attend. This requires improvement

Educational programmes cover the all areas of learning. The quality of teaching is variable. Staff working with the pre-school children help them to make good progress. However, toddlers are not given enough time or choice to select, and persist with, activities. Therefore, the staff working with this age group cannot ensure good progress for all children. All children enjoy regular outdoor play. However, the resources set out for the youngest children do not engage their interest or extend their play well. Parents receive lots of information about their children's progress. Parents view and wishes are recorded from the outset, and are involved in creating a baseline assessment when children first join the setting. This continues through regular termly parent appointments where the key person works with the parent to plan next steps for learning.

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requires improvement

Children's individual care is effectively coordinated by their key person. Many of the children have English as an additional language, and overall, staff support them well. Children who are just beginning at the nursery are nurtured by caring and supportive staff. The setting is safe and welcoming to visitors, parents and children. Staffing ratios are adequate, however, staff do not deploy themselves appropriately in response to the needs of the children. Staff do not recognise when they should request additional support from a colleague. For example, to ensure good supervision of pre-school children when they are playing inside and outside simultaneously. Staff have knowledge of safeguarding practice and are able to demonstrate what action to take should they have any concerns about a child's well-being.

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provision requires improvement

The management team have clear intentions to improve. The team use a self-evaluation document, which details realistic aspirations and includes the views of staff, children and parents. Views are gained through questionnaires and verbal feedback. For example, when focusing on the outdoor environment, the children's requests form the ongoing development plan. However, the manager has not taken prompt enough action to address the weakness in staff deployment and the inconsistencies in teaching. There are systems to monitor the practice of staff and promote their professional development. This process is ongoing, with newly recruited staff being of particular focus through thorough induction. Recruitment practices are robust to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY290042 Local authority Harrow Inspection number 826933 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 40 Name of provider Apple Tree Day Nursery (UK) Limited Date of previous inspection 12 May 2011 Telephone number 02084160478 Mob 07940784970

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Setting details

Apple Tree Day Nursery registered in 2004. It is located in the London Borough of Harrow. It is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 49 weeks of the year. The setting employs 10 members of staff and of these, one holds Qualified Teacher Status and six hold relevant qualifications from level 2 to level 6. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education to children aged two, three and four.

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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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