Playhouse Nursery

Playhouse Nursery United Reform Church, Station Road, Radlett, Hertfordshire, WD7 8JX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29 June 2015 1 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

 The manager and her staff work together as a committed team. Their teaching is good and they are attentive to children's needs. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development.  Staff are good role models and play alongside children. They intervene when necessary to help them to understand how to treat each other with respect. This helps children to make friends and to quickly understand what behaviour is acceptable.  Staff work closely with outside agencies and parents to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They attend relevant training and seek guidance, so that additional support is provided when necessary.  Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of their responsibility to safeguard children. They are aware of the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about the welfare of a child in their care.  The manager has developed strong links with schools where children attend. She has

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This provision is good

initiated various interesting activities to support children's move on to school.  The manager is very knowledgeable. There is a continuous drive for improvement and targets are well known. This, alongside a programme of professional development, means that staff are constantly improving their skills and practice.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Opportunities to build on children's independence about where they prefer to play and learn are not always maximised.  On occasions, group activities are too big to allow all individuals to actively take part. Consequently, some children can lose interest and sometimes become distracted.

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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

 review the organisation of group times, so that all children can actively take part in activities and are fully engaged, for example, by providing even more opportunities for children to learn in smaller groups  develop children's independent choices about where they prefer to play and learn all year round, whether that be the indoor or outdoor environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the impact it has on children's learning, indoors and outdoors.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager. She also looked at documentation including a sample of children's records.  The inspector spoke to the manager, members of staff, parents and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with the children and the provider's procedures for self-evaluation.

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who attend. This is good

Staff provide a good range of activities to promote children's learning and development. They work hard to set up a welcoming and stimulating environment. As a result, children quickly settle to play and explore the resources set out for them. This contributes to promoting children's confidence and means that they are learning to be inquisitive learners. However, children's whose preferred learning style is outdoors are not fully considered when planning the routine of the day. This reduces opportunities to extend teaching and for children to fully develop independence in their own learning. Staff constantly engage with children's play to develop their learning. For example, they love taking an active part in a popular story. This supports children's language and listening skills. Staff use related props during children's play. This contributes to helping younger children and those who speak English as an additional language, to make connections in

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who attend. This is good

their learning. However, on occasions, group activities, do not always capture the interest of all children due to the large size of the groups involved.

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good

Staff form strong, supportive bonds with children and families. This is because they work closely with parents to find out about children's individual needs. The settling-in process is flexible to allow for children to build confidence, so that they are happy to explore at their own pace. Consequently, children settle quickly and parents feel fully included in their child's care and learning. In addition, many parents share their skills and assist with activities, such as walks to the allotment and library. Staff use these opportunities to reinforce safety messages to children, such as safely using roads. Staff promote children's understanding of healthy eating, for example, by preparing fruit smoothies for their friends, and by growing vegetables and herbs. Staff use successful strategies to support children's move to school. For example, they have, canteen and physical education days to promote children's independence.

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provision is good

The manager and her staff have a good understanding of their responsibility to meet and implement the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They attend purposeful training and relevant conferences. This has a positive impact on children's learning and new ideas are successfully implemented. Two members of staff, including the manager are very well qualified. This has a positive impact on children's learning and ideas to continually improve the quality of teaching. Parents are very happy with the nursery and comment on the positive impact it has made to their children, such as improved social skills. The manager has effective arrangements for recruiting new staff. All staff have regular supervisions, and observations of their teaching. This leads to opinions being shared to consistently improve practice. There are systems in place to check children's progress. These are currently being reviewed to ensure that the progression of different

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY103294 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 869622 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Jessica Bunny Breakwell Date of previous inspection 1 February 2011 Telephone number 01923 635594

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Setting details

Playhouse Nursery registered in 2002. The nursery employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, two staff including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 6. Two further staff members hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, during term time only. Sessions are Monday to Wednesday from 9.15am to 2.30pm, Thursdays from 9.15am to 11.45pm, and Fridays from 9.15am to 12.45pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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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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