Play Alma Mater

Play Alma Mater 123 Long Lane, Oldham, Lancashire, OL9 8AY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21 August 2015 3 April 2012

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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

 Staff provide a good range of stimulating activities and experiences across the seven areas of learning. They are well qualified and have a good knowledge of requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  When children are ready to move on, staff effectively support them to understand what will happen next and build good partnerships with the new setting. Therefore, children are emotionally well prepared for their next stage in learning.  Staff place a high priority on children's independence and create lots of opportunities for them to undertake tasks for themselves. This effectively builds children's confidence in their own abilities and results in them being self-motivated.  The manager is committed to continuous improvement and seeks ways in which to enhance the experiences for children. She effectively uses information from staff, parents and children to drive improvements forward. Therefore, the nursery meets the

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This provision is good

needs of the children and families who attend.  Staff know children well and have good relationships with children and their parents. As a result, children demonstrate secure attachments to the staff and are confident in their environment.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 There are short periods of time before lunch when staff in the baby room are sometimes distracted with preparing beds and setting the area up for lunch. Therefore, during these times children are not fully stimulated.  The supervision procedures do not always focus precisely on how staff can fully develop and maximise their teaching skills.

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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 the lunchtime routine in the baby room, in order to fully stimulate children at all times  strengthen the supervision processes to develop and enhance staff's teaching skills to the very highest levels.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all rooms within the nursery and outdoors. She completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager.  The inspector had a tour of the nursery.  The inspector sampled documentation, including children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of staff suitability and qualifications, and children's learning journals.  The inspector discussed the provider's self-evaluation and improvement plan.

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who attend. This is good

Children are motivated in their play because staff successfully provide activities based on children's interests. Staff effectively support children's communication and language skills. Therefore, younger children are self-assured in experimenting with the sounds they can make and older children talk confidently to each other. Staff consistently observe children and plan challenging activities to support all children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. Children have a good range of opportunities to explore and investigate using their senses, which enhances their understanding of the world around them. Staff successfully support children's early writing skills. As a result, older children confidently give meanings to the marks they make, and younger children enjoy exploring the different patterns they can create. Staff effectively use a range of methods to ensure parents are fully involved in children's learning and development, which creates a fully

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who attend. This is good

consistent approach to meeting children's learning needs.

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good

Staff work closely with parents when children first start to attend and gather lots of information about children and their families. They use this information effectively to support children to settle easily into the setting, which means they are confident and secure in the care of the staff. Staff continue the good communication with parents to ensure children's care needs are consistently met. All children play outdoors every day, which supports their physical well-being and means they have good opportunities to access fresh air. Staff do not always fully stimulate children in the baby room while they prepare for lunch and do not always use this time to best effect. As a result, during these times some young children are not engaged and become restless. Children are offered well-balanced, nutritious meals, which contributes towards a healthy lifestyle.

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provision is good

The manager has implemented a suitable system for monitoring staff performance, which includes peer observations, internal training and supervision meetings. However, the procedures established for professional development and supervision are not yet used to best effect in helping staff to develop their teaching skills to the highest levels. Staff monitor individual children's progress in their learning and development effectively and the manager monitors the progress of learning for groups of children. The information gathered from this is then used to target areas where children require most support. This ensures all children are acquiring the key skills required for their next stage in learning. All staff and managers have undertaken safeguarding training, which means they have a good understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and the procedure to follow should a concern arise about a child. Therefore, the risks to children are minimised.

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provision is good

Several staff have undertaken paediatric first-aid training, which means they have a good knowledge of how to respond to accidents and injuries should the need arise. This contributes towards keeping children safe.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY417433 Local authority Oldham Inspection number 851833 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 60 Name of provider Pamela Jean Gordon Date of previous inspection 3 April 2012 Telephone number 0161 683 4899

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Setting details

Play Alma Mater was registered in 2011. The nursery employs 16 members of childcare staff. Of these, 15 hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 2, 3, 4 and 5. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am 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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