Southdown Nursery

Southdown Nursery Gervays Hall, Jarvis Lane, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3GL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18 May 2015 1 March 2010

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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

 The manager and staff have a good understanding of how to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Staff are all checked as to their suitability and know what action to take should they have any concerns about the welfare of a child.  Staff have a good understanding of how to meet the learning and development requirements. They plan a wide range of interesting and challenging activities. Children benefit from a good balance of child-led and adult-planned activities.  Children benefit from good care practices which promote their well-being. Staff are very considerate in helping children to settle and build strong relationships. This promotes their emotional development.  Staff have built strong partnerships with other professionals to share strategies in support of children with additional needs. This enables staff to give consistent care and children make good progress as a result.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff often act as good role models for thinking, showing children how to think through a problem. Sometimes, however, they give children answers before encouraging them to find a solution for themselves. This does not fully support children's ability to think for themselves.

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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 children's ability to think for themselves by involving them in problem-solving and finding solutions.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children at play indoors and outside.  The inspector met with the manager and senior staff to discuss planning and examine a range of documentation.  The inspector and manager carried out a joint observation.  The inspector spoke to parents to gather their views.

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who attend. This is good

Staff meet with parents before children start at nursery to gain a good understanding of their children's current achievements and interests. This helps staff to plan engaging activities designed to encourage children's learning and development when they arrive. Parents meet regularly with the key person to discuss children's progress, which builds a strong and effective partnership. Staff have good teaching skills. They know of each child's next steps in learning and observe children's play, skilfully judging when to intervene. They adapt their conversation to build the vocabulary and communication skills of young children, and expand the vocabulary of pre-school aged children. As a result, children are confident talkers and can express themselves well. Staff are skilled at encouraging children to design their own challenges and describe what they want to achieve. For example, children explained the story they had made up using the doll's house and

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good

Staff have created a very strong learning environment indoors and out. Children help to make some of the resources, such as salt-dough fruit for the farm shop role play area. Staff promote children's independence really well and children are well-motivated and eager learners as a result. Children enjoy opportunities to design their vegetable patch and grow and cook their harvest. They eat healthy snacks and learn about healthy eating, exercise and good hygiene. This demonstrates that staff promote children's physical care and development very well. Staff are thoughtful and thorough in teaching children the skills to manage their own behaviour. Children learn to identify and share their feelings, take turns and take responsibility for different tasks around the nursery. This means they gain very good skills to help them in their future learning.

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provision is good

The manager works closely with the trustees, staff and parents to achieve their shared aims and values. The manager carries out appraisals with staff to promote their ongoing professional development, and staff share new ideas from training. For example, they are building a mud kitchen in the garden to enhance children's outdoor play. The manager works alongside staff in the nursery and so has a good understanding of their strengths. The manager and teacher work with staff to enhance their teaching skills, such as a recent initiative on positive behaviour management. As a result, staff are continually refining their teaching skills for the benefit of children. The manager consults with parents and gathers the views of children, checking their progress to identify any gaps and address the needs of different groups. For example, she identifies the action needed to support boys' learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 113701 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 839894 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 48 Name of provider The Southdown School Trust Date of previous inspection 1 March 2010 Telephone number 01903 814581

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Setting details

Southdown Nursery opened in 1999. It is run by a charitable trust in Steyning, West Sussex. The nursery is open Monday to Thursday from 9.15am to 3.15pm, and Friday from 9.15am to 12.15pm, term time only. The nursery receives funding for free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery employs seven members of staff, six of whom hold early years qualifications. One of these is a qualified teacher.

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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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