Harper's Nursery School Ltd

Harper's Nursery School Ltd Station Road, Blunham, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 3NX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 September 2015 12 April 2011

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Managers are visionary and passionate about their practice, driving and motivating staff towards excellence. Staff support management's vision and work to ensure that ongoing quality improvements are identified and effectively addressed. Consequently, outcomes for children are continuously improved.  The outdoor environment is superb. The Forest School is used exceptionally well. Children demonstrate high levels of confidence as they take challenging risks. They are fully aware of, and respect, the boundaries in place. Children are developing an excellent understanding of how to explore the world and keep themselves safe.  Staff use circle time discussions to help children understand about the differences in the families and experiences of their peers. Children regularly bring in pictures and notes from parents about what they have been doing at home. These lead to high- quality discussions about people and places. Children celebrate and empathise with

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This provision is outstanding

their friends as they share their experiences together.  Parents are extremely happy with the service provided, particularly the strong, emotional attachments their children develop with their key person. They are exceptionally well informed of their children's progress and feel positively included in their learning.  The nursery team demonstrates an outstanding commitment to developing partnerships with other settings and schools. They share their excellent practice, especially based on the Forest School, with other teams. The feedback they receive, shows the impact that their knowledge and experience has on the outcomes for children at other settings.

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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

 make the sensory area more accessible to all children to help to develop their curiosity even further.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities both indoors and in the outside play areas and talked to the staff and children at appropriate times.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager and lead professional and held a meeting with the manager.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documents and a range of other documents, including the safeguarding procedure.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and of the nursery's self-evaluation form.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Arrangements for safeguarding children are effective. The dedicated manager and motivated staff have an excellent knowledge of their responsibilities to meet all statutory requirements. All staff have an excellent understanding of how to safeguard children. This includes helping children learn how to use the internet safely. The robust recruitment procedures ensure that the best possible staff are employed. Staff are supported by an effective programme of training and mentoring. The regular observations of staff's teaching, supervisions and appraisals lead to a high level of consistent practice. Staff are confident in their abilities and talk about how they use their qualifications and experience to mentor the apprentice staff. The staff demonstrate a determined drive to continuously develop their practice. They reflect on the views of children, parents and visitors and implement highly effective changes to help children have the best start in their education.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Children in all rooms are eager to investigate and enjoy the many high-quality experiences on offer both inside and outdoors. The enthusiastic staff ensure the activities on offer to them help to promote their all-round development. Staff help babies to make choices as they encourage them to choose an object associated with a song. All babies' choices are respected and they clap and move their bodies as they sing together. Toddlers enjoy listening and joining in with stories. Staff plan these times very well and use props to help children engage and begin to understand the sequence of stories. Pre-school staff base their activities on children's previous learning. For example, after finding worms and a grass snake in the Forest School area, they invite a visitor to bring in a larger snake. The children enjoy stroking it and talk about the patterns on its scaly skin. This is followed up by children discussing length and measuring different items in the environment.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

The highly skilled staff help all children to feel emotionally secure in the nursery. Children with disabilities and those with special educational needs are supported extremely well. Staff meet with parents and take advice from other professionals to ensure that all children's individual needs are met. Staff in the baby room have made highly effective changes to the environment to give babies more sensory experiences. They have measured the impact of this on children's development and have plans to make the sensory area more accessible to all children to help to develop their curiosity even further. The superb outside areas are used to enhance the children's enjoyment of the outdoors. Children are encouraged to take controlled risks. Staff talk about the importance of increasing children's adrenaline in safe activities and how this benefits them in later life.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Teaching in this outstanding nursery is excellent in all age groups. All children in relation to their starting points are making extremely good progress. Many children, in all age groups, are exceeding developmental expectations. Consequently, children are exceptionally well prepared for their future learning at school and beyond.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY349379 Local authority Central Bedfordshire Inspection number 849467 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 98 Number of children on roll 83 Name of provider Harper's Nursery School Ltd Date of previous inspection 12 April 2011 Telephone number 01767 641499

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Setting details

Harper's Nursery School Ltd was registered in 1999. The nursery employs 16 members of staff, one holds Early Years Professional status and 11 hold other appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery is open from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, for 50 weeks per year. The nursery provides funded education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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

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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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