Culham Science Centre Nursery and Preschool

Culham Science Centre Nursery and Preschool Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 3GY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 9 November 2015 28 May 2012

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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

 The quality of teaching is outstanding. Staff have an excellent understanding of how young children learn. They provide an exceptional range of highly stimulating and challenging activities. Children are keen to learn and make rapid progress.  The manager's comprehensive self-evaluation demonstrates the continuous drive for excellence. All stakeholders are involved in the continual development of this outstanding provision.  Staff are exemplary role models. They are kind, gentle and calm. They sensitively help children to share and take turns and to use good manners. Children learn how to behave extremely well.  Partnerships with parents are exceptional. The staff and parents alike value these positive relationships. Staff keep parents very well informed about their children's progress and actively encourage parents to support their children's learning at home.  Children with a range of abilities, including disabled children and those who have

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This provision is outstanding

special educational needs, receive superb support. All children make excellent progress and enjoy their play.  The manager and staff track children's progress to identify and address any gaps in their learning. They develop highly effective strategies to support children that require additional support. They work closely with parents to help children catch up quickly.

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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

 extend the already excellent learning opportunities for the younger children who learn best outside to explore and challenge themselves more in their learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children playing indoors and outdoors.  The inspector held discussions with the manager, provider, children and staff at appropriate times.  The inspector viewed a range of paperwork, including records on children and staff, policies, procedures, accident records and action plans.  The inspector carried out a joint inspection with the manager.  The inspector discussed the nursery's self-evaluation form and discussed with the leadership and management team their plans for improvement.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have an excellent understanding of child protection. They take their responsibilities very seriously to promote children's safety and welfare. The manager accurately reflects on the quality of the setting. She has identified that opportunities for younger children outdoors are slightly less inspiring than indoors. The manager is an excellent role model to staff and helps them to provide an impressive range of learning opportunities for children. She identifies staff training needs through a highly effective system of observation, supervision and appraisal. Staff training has a very positive impact on outcomes for children and the progress they make. For example, staff have recently implemented an effective audit to make improvements to the environment, which has had an extremely positive benefit for children's outcomes.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff are highly skilled. They work closely as a team, responding sensitively to children's needs. Staff provide consistent guidance, helping children to immerse in their learning fully. Children learning English as an additional language achieve extremely well. Staff work proficiently with other professionals to help close any gaps in children's learning. Children are very creative. Young children hold a paintbrush with exceptional control, brushing the paint strokes along the paper. Older children combine and manipulate materials creatively to create different effects. Staff expertly promote children's communication skills. They adeptly help children search for the answers to their questions, for example, by posing another question to extend their thinking. Staff skilfully develop children's mathematical skills. Older children competently recognise numerals and solve simple calculations. Staff in the pre-school room are highly skilful at promoting children's

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

early reading and writing. Children write their names and captions for their drawings.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children are extremely happy and contented. The key-person role works exceptionally well. Staff are very skilled in helping their key children develop strong bonds with them. Children feel secure and confident. Staff implement a range of excellent policies and safe working practices that strongly foster children's health, safety and physical well-being. Staff enthusiastically develop children's understanding about living a healthy lifestyle. Children eat hearty home-cooked food, cooked on the premises. Older children are very independent as they carefully scoop peaches from the larger bowl into their own bowls. Staff use their exceptional knowledge of children's dietary needs to keep them safe.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children thrive in an environment where they make outstanding progress from their starting points. They learn excellent skills that prepare them extremely well for school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY439308 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 822882 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 1 - 4 Total number of places 105 Number of children on roll 113 Name of provider Nigel Berridge Date of previous inspection 28 May 2012 Telephone number 01865408128

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Setting details

Culham Science Centre Nursery and Preschool re-registered in 2011. It is situated next door to the Culham Science Centre, near Abingdon, in Oxfordshire. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am until 6pm all year round. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 26 members of staff; of these, 10 hold a recognised qualification at level 3; one has Qualified Teacher Status and one holds Early Years Professional Status.

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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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