Millfield Nursery School

Millfield Nursery School Millfield House, Tithby Road, Cropwell Butler, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG12 3AJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16 September 2015 31 August 2011

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 The dedicated manager has high expectations for the quality of care, learning and development offered to children. She reviews and updates procedures and documentation to ensure that the setting meets all of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Children behave well. Staff offer praise for specific acts of kindness. Children show respect towards adults and each other and they use good manners spontaneously.  Parents speak very highly of the nursery. They comment that staff know their children very well and that their children are making good progress. Staff have one-to-one meetings with parents to discuss children's progress and next steps for learning. This ensures there is a continuity of learning between home and the nursery.  The nursery is set in a rural location and staff make good use of this so children benefit from plenty of fresh air and exercise. Children experience nature and regularly enjoy

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This provision is good

walks in the extensive grounds and meeting the neighbouring alpacas and chickens.  Staff give high priority to keeping children safe from harm. All staff are aware of the child protection procedures. They know what to look out for and the procedure to follow if they have any concerns about a child in their care.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always extend child-led play to challenge the most-able children to their full potential.  Methods to review staff performance are not used to their full advantage, in order to help staff build on and strengthen their already good teaching practice.

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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

 increase the level of challenge for more-able children to further their thinking and learning so that they make even better progress in their development  develop the methods of monitoring staff performance and focus sharply on the strengths and weaknesses of staff teaching practices, in order to further raise the already good standard of teaching.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the provider.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery manager. She looked at relevant documentation, such as the nursery's self-evaluation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to a small selection of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Recruitment and induction processes are clear and vetting procedures for staff are thorough. The manager is committed to supporting training. This means staff gain knowledge and ideas they can use to ensure children make good progress. The manager conducts regular team meetings and holds discussions with staff. However, supervision sessions are not used to full effect. The manager does not regularly observe practice, or set specific targets for staff's professional development. The manager uses continuous evaluation to identify areas for improvement to benefit children, taking into account the views of staff, children and parents.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Qualified staff have a good understanding of each child's interests and next steps in development. They have effective assessment and monitoring procedures in place to ensure children are achieving, and sometimes exceeding, their expected levels of development. Children demonstrate excellent hand-to-eye coordination. They pour water from one bottle to another. Staff adapt activities to meet needs of individual children. For example, during an activity creating autumn leaves, older children practise their cutting skills, while younger children enjoy the creative experience of printing with vegetables. Staff introduce interesting resources to support child-led play. However, during this time, staff do not always use opportunities to provide additional challenge for the most-able children.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children develop strong bonds with the staff in the nursery. The small staff team know all the children well. As a result, children demonstrate self-confidence and their emotional well-being is supported. Children enjoy doing small tasks, such as being the milk monitor. This helps children to develop an understanding of responsibility and boosts their self- esteem. Great thought has gone into the selection and presentation of toys and games in the environment, both indoors and outside. The children are keen learners and show curiosity in discovering new experiences. Staff display children's work attractively on the walls. This gives children a sense of pride in their creations. Staff support children to develop good independence skills. They offer minimal help as children prepare to go outdoors. As a result, all children manage to put on their coats.

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Outcomes for children are good

The manager has systems in place to check that staff's assessments of children's achievements are accurate and that any gaps in children's learning are identified. In addition, the manager is developing a method to assess different groups of children, in order to detect gaps or differences in learning. Children develop excellent communication skills. Staff engage them in meaningful conversations about what they are doing. In addition, children engage in small-group activities that promote their listening and attention. Consequently, they are acquiring key skills for future learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 253400 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 866730 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 41 Name of provider Dinah Elizabeth Miller & Andrew John Miller Partnership Date of previous inspection 31 August 2011 Telephone number 0115 9334085

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Setting details

Millfield Nursery School was registered in 1989. The nursery employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 4 and five staff hold level 3 qualifications. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. 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

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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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