The Ark Nursery

The Ark Nursery Bolney Village Chapel, Top Street, Bolney, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 5PP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11 March 2016 7 October 2010

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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 manager and staff regularly evaluate and reflect on the provision and the activities they provide. They include the views of the parents and children to identify areas to develop further. This helps to maintain continuous improvement.  Children make good progress. Staff observe the children's play and complete regular assessments to identify children's stage of development. This information helps to develop planning that staff tailor to children's interests and their next steps in learning.  Partnerships with parents and other settings that children attend are good. Staff share information frequently to promote a consistent approach to supporting children's learning and development.  Staff support children's emotional well-being effectively. Children have good relationships with staff and their key person. Children arrive happy and are eager to find their friends.  Staff have good partnerships with other professionals, such as speech and language

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This provision is good

therapists, to support children who need extra help to catch up.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Sometimes, staff do not allow children to follow their own thoughts, ideas and solve problems for themselves.  Staff do not always build on opportunities to further extend children's imaginative play.

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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

 strengthen opportunities for children to try to complete more tasks by themselves, to further encourage them to solve problems  build further on spontaneous opportunities to extend children's imaginative play.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this had on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the nursery manager.  The inspector sampled children's assessment records, planning documentation and a range of other policies and procedures.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff and their self-evaluation and improvement plans.  The inspector talked to available parents and read parents' questionnaires to seek their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The manager monitors children's progress effectively. This helps to identity any children who need extra help to catch up. Staff have regular opportunities to meet with the manager for support and coaching to help develop their skills and practice. They attend relevant training courses, for example, to support children's communication and language skills further. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have a thorough knowledge of child protection and the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child's welfare. Parents welcome ideas for activities that they can do to support their children's learning at home. They are overwhelmingly positive about the care and learning provided for their children. Staff have links with the local schools to help children move smoothly into the next stage of their learning. Key persons meet with teachers to discuss individual children's progress.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff plan a range of interesting activities, resources and experiences for children, based upon their interests and next stage in learning. Staff support children's literacy skills extremely well. For example, children use a wide range of materials to create characters and props from their favourite stories. Staff involve children in displaying and labelling their creative work to create story boards and discuss with them the sequence of events in the story to reinforce learning. Staff accurately assess children's progress and have a good knowledge of each child's stage of development and individual learning priorities.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

The environment is stimulating and appealing to children. They have many opportunities to learn about the world around them. For example, staff hide plastic bugs in different materials, such as jelly or ice. They provide a range of resources, such as pine cones, conkers and pebbles, for children to use in their play. Children learn to behave well and consider each other's feelings. For example, children apologise when they accidently bump into each other. Children gain a good understanding of their local community. For example, they visit a local motorbike garage, the library, and talk about the houses they recognise in the village.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children make good progress in their development, given their starting points in learning. They are confident, independent and eager to learn. Children investigate the world around them, for example, they learn to float small boats in puddles outdoors. Children have a good understanding of how technology can be used, for instance, they write labels using the computer and manoeuvre remote control vehicles with great skill. Children develop the skills they need to be ready for the next stage in their learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY299125 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 847390 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 29 Name of provider Jennifer Margaret Payne Date of previous inspection 7 October 2010 Telephone number 07787224790

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Setting details

The Ark Nursery registered in 1999 and is privately owned. It operates from the Village Chapel in Bolney, West Sussex. The nursery is open Monday to Thursday from 9am to 3pm and from 9am to 1.15pm on Friday, term time only. The provider receives funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are six staff; of these, two hold 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

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