Hopscotch Nursery

Hopscotch Nursery The Old School, Church Street, SEAFORD, East Sussex, BN25 1HH

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13 May 2015 18 December 2014

p.1

3

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 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

p.1

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

p.1

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

 Planning and assessment are not sufficiently robust to ensure activities always provide appropriate challenge for all children, especially those in the pre-school.  Children's learning is not always maximised during group time activities in the pre- school room. This is because there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. As a result, some children are not consistently challenged and do not have opportunities to think and build on their knowledge. Therefore, sometimes, they lose interest and become bored.  Leaders do not always ensure that planning and assessment are sufficiently precise so that children's progress can be closely monitored. For example, in the baby room, staff do not always establish babies’ physical skills when they first start at nursery.  Systems to monitor how well children learn do not sufficiently focus on the quality of teaching.

p.1

It has the following strengths

 There is a stimulating, well-resourced and welcoming indoor and outdoor environment, which supports children’s all round development and emotional well-being. Consequently, children behave well and enjoy a range of experiences that develop their independence and cooperation.  Parents are very complimentary about the nursery and the care provided for their children. They are given good quality information and form strong partnerships with staff.  Staff provide good support for children with additional needs and work effectively in partnerships with other agencies.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 make sure that staff always record children’s learning and development needs accurately and establish what children can and cannot do when they first start at the nursery, particularly recording babies’ skills in physical development  improve the quality of teaching in the pre-school room by ensuring staff provide consistently challenging activities and ask questions which encourage children to think and develop their knowledge

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 increase opportunities for children to develop their independence and language and communication skills during mealtimes

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the impact on children's learning, both inside and outside.  The inspector spoke to a selection of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.  The inspector held meetings with the senior leaders.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including records of children's learning, safeguarding policies and logs, confirmation of staff checks and staff development files.  The inspector spoke with staff and children at suitable times throughout the inspection.

p.2

who attend. This requires improvement

Staff plan a varied range of activities to promote children' learning and development across the seven areas of learning. However, the quality of teaching is too variable. Staff in the pre-school room do not always make the most of opportunities for learning to question and challenge children's thinking. For example, during a rhyming activity, children are not sufficiently challenged so they lose interest and become bored. During outside play staff fail to get involved in children’s play or help them to build on their ideas. Consequently, children's language is not extended. During mealtimes, staff do not take advantage of opportunities to develop children's independence and language skills. Although children gain the basic skills they need for school, the variability in teaching means not all children make consistently good progress in their learning. Staff carry out routine assessments and observe children. They gather information from parents to

p.3

who attend. This requires improvement

establish children's learning needs. However, these checks are not always accurately recorded. For example, in the baby room, starting points for some children are not recorded in their physical development. Consequently, staff do not always know if all children make progress.

p.3

good

The nursery is well equipped for children to exercise, explore and actively learn in all areas of their development. Outside, children take safe risks when using climbing frames, slides, bikes, tunnels. Inside, children move freely and develop their independence as they choose where they play. There are rooms dedicated for soft play, imaginative play and a sensory room for all children to explore and develop their senses and stimulate their vision, hearing, smell and touch. Children with additional needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language, are supported to settle into the routines through picture cards and visual displays. Staff in the baby room are sensitive and calm and children form secure relationships. Staff help children to be emotionally ready for the move between group rooms. There are plans to help children get ready to start school through visits from teachers and by staff sharing relevant information about

p.3

provision requires improvement

Senior staff aspire to improve and have developed practice in many areas by effectively working on actions raised at their last inspection. Staff’s increased understanding of how to keep children safe and improved hygiene procedures ensure children support children’s care and welfare. Leaders check to make sure that the needs of groups of children, such as boys who need help in their communication and language and literacy development are sufficiently planned for; however, these checks are not sufficiently embedded to ensure that all children make progress in all areas of learning. There are systems in place to regularly review and manage staff performance and staff have access to regular training. This helps to enhance practice, although it is not sufficiently focused on improving the quality of teaching throughout the nursery. Consequently, there is inconsistency amongst staff and not all children make sufficient progress in all areas of development.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY455749 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 1009103 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 92 Number of children on roll 114 Name of provider ACPH Limited Date of previous inspection 18 December 2014 Telephone number 01323 492 123

p.5

Setting details

Hopscotch Nursery registered with Ofsted in 2012. It is one of five nurseries run by ACPH Ltd. The nursery operates from a converted building in the centre of Seaford in East Sussex. The nursery has eight rooms and an enclosed outdoor play area. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. There are 114 children attending in the early years age group and the nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery provides part-time and full-time care and offers a 'Kids' Club' for children up to the age of eight years. This includes a breakfast club and a holiday scheme during all school holidays. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 5.30pm for 51 weeks of the year. Children can attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who are learning to speak English as an additional

p.5

Setting details

language. A team of 15 staff work at the setting, 12 of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

p.5

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.

p.5

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.

p.5

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’.

p.6

Setting details

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

p.6