Sowerby Nursery School

Sowerby Nursery School The Portacabin, Sowerby County Primary School, Topcliffe Road, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 1RX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14 June 2016 2 July 2015

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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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

 Assessment information is used effectively to inform planning for individual children. As a result, all children, including those for whom English is an additional language, are challenged appropriately and so make good progress in their learning.  Supervision is focused on improving the quality of teaching. This ensures that staff receive the individualised support and training they need to reflect on and improve their practice. As a result, the quality of teaching across the setting is consistently good.  A significant strength of the nursery is how well leaders and staff work with parents, schools and other professionals. This ensures that if any children have additional needs, these are swiftly identified and addressed, helping them catch up quickly.  Children are happy, settled and making friends. They are learning about acceptable behaviours such as sharing, taking turns, listening to, and valuing, others. They are

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Occasionally, staff do not make the most of available information about children’s next steps when planning for small group activities, particularly for the most able children.  Existing systems for self-evaluation and action planning do not support leaders and staff to fully understand how to achieve the outstanding standards they are working towards.

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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

 ensure staff consistently use the information contained within children's individual learning journals when planning small group activities so that all children, but particularly the most able, make more rapid progress  ensure identified areas for development are always robustly planned for, and improvements stringently monitored, to support leaders and staff to achieve their goal of becoming an outstanding setting.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main playroom as well as the outside play area.  The inspector spoke to members of staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection and held a meeting with the manager.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspector looked at children's records, planning documentation, evidence of the suitability of staff working in the provision and a range of other documentation, including policies and procedures.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are well trained in recognising signs of abuse and understand how to report concerns. Priorities identified in the nursery's improvement plan are accurate and take into account the views of staff and parents. However, the use of available data as part of the self-evaluation process requires some further refinement in order to improve practice at a faster rate. In particular, information about the progress of target groups across different areas of the curriculum is not used to inform on-going planning and to monitor impact. Regular supervision meetings support all staff to understand their roles and responsibilities and ensure any underperformance is swiftly tackled. Partnerships with external agencies are particularly strong, enabling staff to provide effective tailored support for children. Parents speak extremely highly of the provision, particularly the sensitive, timely support received from staff.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff skilfully promote children's individual learning, encouraging them to access a wide range of play experiences. They know all of the children well, but are particularly aware of the learning needs of their key children. As a result, children continue to make good progress. However, when planning for group activities, assessment information is not always used as well as it could be. This occasionally slows the pace of progress for some older, more able children as teaching is not sufficiently focused on their needs. Children have opportunities to investigate a wide range of materials. Older children use pots, pans, leaves and mud to create a pretend feast in the outdoor mud kitchen, whilst younger children make a prehistoric swamp with dinosaurs and crocodiles. Children are actively learning how to solve problems. They investigate what happens when they pour water into pipes and tubes, altering the angles to make the water flow faster and slower.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are supported well to develop increasing independence in self-care skills, such as managing their own personal hygiene routines and putting on their own coats. Children are very well behaved. They listen carefully and understand that certain rules are in place for their safety. Physical activities and exercise are well promoted throughout the day. Children eagerly use the climbing apparatus and jump off, leaping further as their confidence grows. Effective partnerships with local schools ensure children are well supported ahead of their move on from nursery. For example, children return enthusiastically from their visit to the reception class. They talk excitedly about their move up to big school.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children, including funded children and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress from their starting points. Children are learning to make friends and to be respectful of each other. Well thought out provision is ensuring that children's early writing skills are developing well. Boys in particular thoroughly enjoy lying on the floor using large sheets of paper to write out messages and to create crocodile infested rivers.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 400369 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 1031718 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 55 Name of registered person Sowerby Nursery School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 2 July 2015 Telephone number 01845 527321

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reference number

Sowerby Nursery School was registered in 1992 and operates from a portacabin in the grounds of Sowerby Community Primary school, near Thirsk. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 8.45am to 11.45 m and from 12.45pm to 3.45pm, during term time only. The nursery employs six members of childcare staff, five of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above.

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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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