Windmill Hill City Farm

Windmill Hill City Farm Children and Family Services Philip Street, Bedminster, Bristol, Avon, BS3 4EA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 4 June 2015 20 June 2012

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Previous inspection: Good 2 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:

 Management and staff do not complete risk assessments well enough for the use of all outdoor areas to ensure children's safety. This is also a breach of the Childcare Register requirements.  Management and staff do not always ensure that they promptly inform parents of any accidents or injuries their children sustain while at the nursery.  Staff do not provide children with clear messages about expectations and behaviour to keep themselves and others safe in the outdoor communal play and farm areas.  Staff engage some parents in their children's learning and development, however, this is not consistent with all parents.  Resources to promote children's number recognition and early reading and writing skills are not readily available for those who learn better outdoors.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff make good use of training related to the children aged under three to enhance their positive attitudes and dispositions to learning.  Staff have a clear understanding of child protection procedures to protect children.  Staff use effective teaching techniques that improve children's language and communication skills. Therefore, children make good progress in this area of development.  Staff provide children with good opportunities to learn about the natural world and explore a wide range of natural materials, especially in woodland areas outside and on the farm when interacting with animals.

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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 that risk assessment and daily safety checks are thorough in identifying and minimising hazards to children's safety with specific reference to outside  improve procedures to inform parents and/or carers of any accidents or injuries sustained by their child on the same day, or as soon as reasonably practical  teach children about safe practices when playing outdoors so they are aware of how to keep themselves and others safe

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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

 extend the partnership working with parents to engage them all more effectively in working with staff to promote children's learning and development  provide more opportunities to challenge all children's number development and pre- reading and writing skills, with particular regard to those children who learn better outdoors.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 take all necessary measures to minimise any risks to the health and safety of the children in their care (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  take all necessary measures to minimise any risks to the health and safety of the children in their care (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with managers at appropriate times during the inspection and in a meeting. The inspector reviewed the progress made in regards to previous recommendations.  The inspector observed children's activities and staff teaching, inside and outside.  The inspector looked at documentation including a sample of children's records, planning and assessment records, and checked the suitability of staff to work with children.  The inspector took account of the views of children, staff and parents spoken to on the day of the inspection, and of the provider's self-evaluation.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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who attend. This requires improvement

Staff use some good methods of teaching to support children's learning and development. For example, babies access resources in boxes labelled with photographs. This means they can follow their own interests and make their own independent choices. Children are keen to write their names. They use pens and pencils and staff teach them physical skills successfully so they know how to grip them to enable them to write most successfully. Staff model letter sounds to children and this develops their early literacy skills. However, teaching is less effective when using the outdoor communal areas. Staff do not securely teach children how to stay safe, resulting in children finding broken glass. In addition, staff do not extend children's learning as well in some areas of learning outdoors. Therefore, children who prefer to play outside have fewer opportunities to make good progress in these areas of learning.

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requires improvement

The process that staff and management follow for sharing accidents with parents is not effective. They do not make all parents aware of any accidents their children have at the nursery. Individual staff take responsibility for the learning of groups of children and they get to know parents well. However, they miss opportunities to engage parents in children's learning. They do not consistently gather information from all parents about children to inform the assessments of their progress. Staff teach children good hygiene skills and they provide nutritious meals that children serve themselves at lunchtime. This helps children build an understanding of being healthy and doing things for themselves. Staff prepare children emotionally for the move on to school. They talk to children about school and invite their teachers to visit them at nursery.

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provision requires improvement

The leaders do not have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements, which results in some breaches. They do not ensure that staff inform parents promptly of all accidents or monitor risk assessments well enough to reduce children's exposure to risks on outings. Staff supervisions enable them to develop their skills and knowledge to promote children's learning and development. Self-evaluation ensures there is a broad educational programme that monitors children's progress to address any gaps. For example, the nursery has reviewed the way they plan activities for children under three so it meets their individual needs well. Good recruitment and vetting procedures ensure staff are suitable for their roles.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 107112 Local authority Bristol City Inspection number 845917 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 94 Number of children on roll 192 Name of provider Windmill Hill City Farm Limited Date of previous inspection 20 June 2012 Telephone number 0117 9633299

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Setting details

Windmill Hill City Farm Children and Family Services registered in 2004. It operates from a purpose-built nursery and a play centre on a community farm in central Bristol. The nursery opens five days a week for 50 weeks of the year from 8am to 6pm. The nursery provides free early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. A service manager with an Early Years Foundation Degree oversees the operation of the nursery supported by a deputy who has Early Years Professional Status. In addition, the nursery employs 38 other staff to work directly with the children, most of whom have early years qualifications at level 2 and above. One member of staff has achieved Early Years Professional Status and two staff hold Qualified Teacher Status.

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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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