Benington Nursery

Benington Nursery Benington Primary School, Walkern Road, Benington, STEVENAGE, Hertfordshire, SG2 7LP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16 May 2016 28 September 2009

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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

 Leadership is exceptionally strong. The manager and her staff are committed to continuous improvement. The team critically evaluates their own practice using observations of each other to help them achieve and maintain excellence. Staff use a wealth of highly effective strategies to obtain the views of parents and children, which makes a significant contribution to ongoing improvement.  The exceptionally competent, highly qualified staff have an astute understanding of how children learn and accurately assess their development. They provide a highly stimulating environment which delights children. Extremely focused planning, based on frequent summaries of children's development, helps to ensure that every child makes excellent progress.  Children have excellent opportunities to express their opinions and guide their own learning. For example, staff help children to make photograph storybooks of events and

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This provision is outstanding

use them to gauge what has interested them. Children also take photographs of areas they enjoy in the nursery, to help staff evaluate successful activities and resources.  Staff work in a commendable manner with other professionals and medical services. Their meticulous attention to working in partnership with many support agencies and parents ensures that all children are superbly supported in their all-round development and overall well-being.  Staff work extremely closely with teachers in schools to ensure that transitions are smooth. Regular meetings are held to continue to review the success of the activities that prepare children for school. Where children have higher abilities, the manager and school teachers work together to ensure that children are challenged and stimulated.

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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

 build further on the excellent opportunities provided for children to explore mathematics and find out how things work, challenging children's progress even more.

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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 manager and discussed their findings.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager. She looked at relevant documentation, such as the setting's self-evaluation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the provision.  The inspector viewed written feedback provided by some parents and took account of their views.  The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff give child protection significant priority in all areas of practice and have a robust and in-depth knowledge of how to report concerns about children's welfare. The manager and staff team continuously review their policies and systems to incorporate new legislation and guidance. They provide invaluable support and work extremely closely with multiagency groups, in order to help keep children safe. The manager implements an insightful programme of performance management, which contributes significantly to the exceptionally strong quality of practice. Staff are deeply committed to their own professional development and attend a vast range of training courses. Recruitment and induction of staff is very robust.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Teaching is inspirational. Staff provide an environment and activities which significantly enhance children's eagerness to learn. For example, staff develop action songs and rhymes, incorporating Samuel bear and 'feely bags' to ignite children's interest in letters and sounds. Children confidently make their own books to record and illustrate the life cycle of a caterpillar to butterfly. These activities make a meaningful contribution towards children's literacy development. Children benefit from specially designed programmes and individual activities with trained staff specialists. This helps to enhance their communication and language development significantly. There are stimulating ways for children to explore mathematics throughout the setting. The manager has identified further ways to continue challenging children. This includes exciting activities to enable them to carry on using mathematics and finding out about how things work.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

The manager and staff provide extensive support to parents and children as they enter the nursery, which includes home visits and individual settling-in plans. Children quickly form trusting relationships. The exceptionally stimulating garden and covered outdoor classroom give children abundant opportunities for active play. Children freely explore a wealth of natural materials. For example, they spontaneously develop a river and island in the sand when they add water. Staff skilfully ask probing questions to help children consider where the water has gone, as it soaks away. Children behave exceptionally well, creating a vibrant and happy atmosphere for all. They proudly display gold leaves on the tree they have made on the wall to indicate exceptional behaviour or achievements.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children are truly involved in their own learning and play a key role in the nursery. They make decisions collaboratively, such as choosing resources to purchase or foods to cook, as gifts, on Mother's Day. Children develop graphs to show each child's view when making a giant tractor together. They display and document the process they follow to develop the tractor, writing captions and taking photographs of the finished result. The manager completes astute reviews of children's progress in order to highlight and address any weaker areas in their learning. All children, including those who have special educational needs or disability, make rapid progress in their learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY391313 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 849844 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 10 Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 36 Name of registered person Cheryl Gail Latham

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 28 September 2009 Telephone number 01438 869158

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reference number

Benington Nursery was registered in 2009. The setting employs four members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including one who holds early years teacher status. The setting opens each Monday to Friday in term time only. Sessions are from 7.45am to 5pm. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It also provides care for children who have special educational needs or disability.

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reference number

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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reference number

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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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