Englefield Nursery School

Englefield Nursery School The Old Firestation, The Street, Englefield, Reading, RG7 5ES

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24 May 2016 23 January 2013

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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 her staff implement a thorough range of carefully prepared policies and procedures to keep children safe at the nursery and on outings.  Staff use every available opportunity to enhance children's language, social and physical skills through play-based activities. Children make good levels of progress in all areas of their learning and are well prepared for school.  Staff skilfully create opportunities for every child to feel confident in themselves.  Children behave extremely well for their ages. They are highly cooperative because the staff provide highly engaging and exciting activities and consistently encourage respectful attitudes.  Children enjoy plenty of fresh air and physical exercise. For example, they explore their local countryside, investigate the market garden and dig their own planting areas.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Strategies to encourage parents to contribute to their children's ongoing learning and development are not yet fully effective.  Staff supervision, appraisals and opportunities for further professional development are not always focused on inspiring staff to help children reach their highest levels of learning.

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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

 continue to develop ways to build on children's achievements at home to strengthen partnerships with parents and continuity in children's care and learning  strengthen the already good teaching by extending the programme of supervision and professional development further to achieve outstanding outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed a wide range of activities and care routines across the indoor and outdoor play areas. She talked with staff and children about what they were doing.  The inspector reviewed documents relating to safeguarding, staff recruitment and self- evaluation, and checked a selection of other policies.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including children's records and progress checks. She reviewed how the nursery's planning linked with children's next steps in learning and outcomes.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and letters from parents. She reviewed how information is shared with parents and sampled responses in parent questionnaires.  The inspector observed various group activities and undertook a joint observation with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager implements guidance on safe recruitment and attracts some experienced and well-qualified staff. She ensures they know what to look out for, and who to contact, should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. Continuous self-evaluation and hard work underpin the success of this relatively new nursery and, overall, help staff prioritise further improvements. For example, the manager and her staff use accurate assessments to plan interesting learning opportunities for all children. They monitor the rate of their individual progress effectively and continue to evaluate and improve the impact of different teaching initiatives.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff provide children with a superb range of resources to discover and investigate indoors and outside. They quickly capture children's curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and develop their thinking through creative play. Following a trip to a farm, for instance, children aged two years hunt for eggs and join in with familiar rhymes in farmyard stories. Older children are fascinated by experiments to test out the strength of eggshells when the eggs are complete in egg boxes or broken for cooking. Staff work very effectively with local schools; for example, children and staff meet together for weekly woodland explorations, annual sports days and village events.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are happy, fully engaged in their play and secure in the company of adults. Parents consistently commented on how quickly their children settle, gain confidence and make progress in their learning. They commend the staff for their high levels of care and teaching. Staff give children plenty of time to play, explore, create and be imaginative. For example, they prepare interesting dishes in the 'mud kitchen' or negotiate how to take an animal's temperature at the 'vets'. Children learn to work as a team; for instance, they follow each other through the willow tunnel and build large constructions together.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children make good progress in their learning and are very well prepared for school. They joyfully sing through the sounds of letters in the alphabet as they clear away for snack time each day. Older children show a superb understanding of two-dimensional and three- dimensional shapes, such as when staff use a patterned carpet and some additional props to end a small group activity. Children count forwards and backwards as they sing rhymes. They follow instructions about positions as they tap out rhythms on percussion instruments. Children learn to control pencils and clip boards, such as when they go on bug hunts, and write notes as they pretend to be doctors, shoppers and builders. They are enthusiastic and active learners.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY446039 Local authority West Berkshire (Newbury) Inspection number 1028144 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 22 Name of registered person Emma Louise Morris

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 23 January 2013 Telephone number 07554090647

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reference number

Englefield Nursery School registered in 2012. It operates from the old fire station building in Englefield, near Reading. It is open Mondays to Thursdays from 9am to 3pm, and 9am to midday on Fridays, during term time only. The setting receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery employs four staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications from level 3 to level 6. One part-time member of staff is a qualified teacher and another holds a degree in childcare.

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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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