Ashcroft Nursery

Ashcroft House Day Nursery Ashcroft Day Nursery, Rear of 214, Whitegate Drive, BLACKPOOL, FY3 9JL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19 August 2015 16 November 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 quality of teaching across the nursery is good. Staff provide children with activities that offer interest and challenge, both inside and outdoors. This means that all children are motivated, eager to explore and develop a thirst for learning.  Staff use detailed assessment documents to accurately identify any gaps in children's learning and ensure that any need for early support is provided. This contributes towards all children making good progress in their learning.  Children's communication and language development is supported well by staff. They use effective methods to engage children in purposeful conversations.  The key-person system effectively supports children's physical and emotional well- being.  Children are kept safe from harm because staff understand how to identify possible safeguarding concerns and protect children's health and safety.  The management team use a range of strategies to seek the views of all staff, parents

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This provision is good

and children to inform development plans and drive improvement.  Staff develop strong links with other professionals to provide children with consistency in their care and learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Occasionally, staff do not consider how some activities they plan for will fully engage the mixed groups of children.  The management team have not developed highly effective methods for regular coaching and support for staff, and to provide opportunities for them to learn from each other to raise the quality of teaching.

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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 activities so that all children are fully engaged through consistently high levels of support and interaction, in order to make the best possible progress in their learning  build on the strategies used to provide ongoing coaching and support to staff and provide regular opportunities for them to learn from each other, so that the quality of teaching is continuously driven to an even higher standard.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities and the quality of teaching in the indoor and outdoor areas and the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including children's records, assessment documents and the nursery's policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection and as recorded in the nursery's own questionnaire documents.  The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during the day and held meetings with the manager and area manager.

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who attend. This is good

Staff know children well and have a clear understanding of the different ways that they learn. All children thoroughly enjoy engaging in a range of interesting activities throughout the day. Staff offer activities to improve children's fine motor skills so that they develop early writing skills, which helps them to prepare for school. Staff use a range of strategies to encourage children to think, explore and solve problems. Consequently, children show interest and curiosity in how things work and develop confidence in their critical-thinking skills. However, on occasion staff do not organise adult-led activities so that the different age ranges of children are provided with the same high levels of support and interaction. Therefore, some younger children are not as fully engaged in their learning as others. Staff establish close and respectful relationships with parents. They have introduced a range of strategies to effectively share information and provide ideas to support children's

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good

Staff follow effective care practices to meet children's individual needs and foster close and respectful relationships with children. This helps children to settle easily and develop a sense of belonging. Staff plan the environment to enable children to freely access resources of their choice. They are given plenty of time to carry out their play and show they clearly understand ground rules and expectations of behaviour. Children have friendly and caring relationships with each other and play cooperatively. Staff welcome children's ideas and opinions, which contributes towards their confidence and self-esteem. They promote children's physical development by providing plenty of opportunities to play with energy and vigour, such as outside in the fresh air. Children learn good hygiene practices through daily routines and enjoy healthy and nutritious food.

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provision is good

Thorough self-evaluation is used to inform improvement plans. Tracking documents have highlighted a gap in the mathematical progress of some children. This prompted the management team to target educational programmes to focus more precisely on teaching and learning in this area. As a result, gaps are closing and all children are making good progress from their starting points. Overall, teaching is good because all staff hold, or are working towards, a relevant childcare qualification. This, together with regular supervision meetings and an ongoing targeted programme of professional development, have a positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning. For example, following a range of training events, staff use a range of methods to promote children's communication and language skills. However, the methods to improve the quality of teaching throughout the nursery are not highly focused and targeted. For example, the management team do not

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provision is good

use ongoing, highly effective strategies for coaching and supporting staff in practice. They do not provide regular opportunities for staff to learn from each other to improve the quality of teaching and learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY420173 Local authority Blackpool Inspection number 852068 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 34 Number of children on roll 28 Name of provider Quality Childcare Limited Date of previous inspection 16 November 2011 Telephone number 01253 695658

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Setting details

Ashcroft House Day Nursery was registered in 1976. The setting employs six members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The setting opens all year round from Monday to Friday. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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