Arkley's Little Acorns Nursery School

Arkley's Little Acorns Nursery School Arkley Village Hall, Brickfield Lane, Barnet, Hertfordshire, EN5 3LD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 7 June 2016 Not applicable

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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 track children's progress regularly. They plan interesting activities that help children to make good progress in their learning and development.  Staff are highly committed to keeping children safe and are very vigilant. They are confident of the steps to follow to support children's welfare should they have any concerns.  Staff engage parents effectively in their children's learning, working well together to ensure continuity, to help children achieve.  Children display good behaviour and social skills. They enjoy participating in a range of activities in a safe and welcoming environment. Children are eager to learn. They develop a range of important skills that help to prepare them for school.  Children are well cared for by staff who are highly committed to supporting each child's well-being.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Children who prefer to learn outdoors do not benefit from a wide range of highly stimulating media and materials to support their sensory exploration.  Some staff miss opportunities to support children to think for themselves and to express their views and ideas.

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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

 give children more time to respond to questions and to share their own ideas during their play  improve the organisation of resources and activities to enable children to investigate a wide range of media and materials, to satisfy their curious and exploratory nature, particularly for those children who learn best outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with staff, parents and the children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector observed staff interactions with children during a range of activities, indoors and outdoors.  The inspector looked at a sample of documents and policies, including records of staff suitability checks, site safety and child protection.  The inspector looked at children's records and the arrangements for observation, assessment and planning for children.  The inspector completed a joint observation of a staff member with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The management team has high expectations of staff and follows rigorous procedures to ensure their suitability to work with children. Staff know the procedures to follow to keep children safe from harm. The manager provides staff with support to improve the quality of their practice, such as through mentoring and training. The manager and staff evaluate the quality of the provision to make improvements that benefit children and their families. For example, recent changes include daily updates on children's achievements for parents to take home and read.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff gather information from parents before children start, to help children settle in and to inform planning from the outset. Staff communicate closely with parents to keep them informed, working in partnership well to help children to learn and develop. Staff recognise quickly when a child is not achieving well and provide them with additional support, including obtaining support from other professionals when needed, to help them catch up. Staff plan and provide a good range of activities and experiences based on children's interests, to engage and motivate them. Older children enjoyed exploring play dough, developing the small muscles in their fingers as they manipulated it into shapes and models. Staff extended children's learning by introducing more resources, such as plastic body parts. Staff supported children's language skills, for instance, providing the correct word for 'flippers' to extend their vocabulary.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are happy and comfortable. They build strong attachments with staff and their friends. Children enjoy coming to the nursery and staff help them to settle quickly as they arrive. For example, they provide younger children with an allocated chair and support them to take off their shoes, select their own slippers and put them on. Staff are good role models for children. Children are well behaved, polite and friendly. They explore the activities freely, making choices in their play. They show independence, for example, choosing healthy snacks and washing their own hands. Children enjoy plenty of opportunities to get fresh air and exercise in the garden area. Parents speak highly of the staff and about their children's experiences at the nursery.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children make good progress. Children learn to be independent, for example, by pouring their own drinks at the snack tables and by changing their own shoes. Older children are well prepared for school. They develop good literacy skills, such as recognising the sounds that letters make and being able to write their name.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY480947 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 993829 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 42 Name of registered person Arkley's Little Acorns Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 0208 4499298

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reference number

Arkley's Little Acorns Nursery School registered in 2014. It operates from a village hall in Arkley, in the London Borough of Barnet. The setting operates each weekday during school term times, from 9am to 3pm. The setting employs seven staff, including the manager. Six staff hold relevant qualifications at level 3. The setting receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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

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