Chiltern Nursery School

Chiltern Nursery School All Saints Church Hall, Oval Way, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 8PZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11 July 2016 24 February 2016

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 New systems for monitoring staff practice have recently been implemented. However, they are not yet fully effective in identifying staff training needs.  It is too soon to see the impact of the new systems introduced to improve children's learning and progress. Some planned activities do not provide sufficient challenge or support the next steps in children's learning.  The progress check carried out on children aged between two and three years does not contain sufficient detail. Parents are not involved in the process. The lack of recorded information means any delays in children’s learning are not recognised.  Staff do not gather relevant information from parents about what children know and can do when they join the nursery.

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It has the following strengths

 Children have a good understanding of safety. They have regular discussions and safety issues and practise emergency procedures.  Children have good opportunities to develop their imagination and creativity. They confidently construct castles from recycled materials and represent their own ideas using paint, giving them a sense of achievement.  The nursery team continues to work in partnership with the local authority to make ongoing improvements.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 make better use of observations to ensure all activities challenge children, take account of their interests and abilities and enable them to make good or better progress in their learning 14/10/2016

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Due Date

 ensure the check carried out on children aged between two and three years monitors their development closely to identify any early signs of delay and provides parents with a written summary of their progress 14/10/2016

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Due Date

 improve the procedures for monitoring staff practice to identify any weaknesses in teaching and training needs. 14/10/2016

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Due Date

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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Due Date

 gain more information from parents when children start at the nursery to help staff understand what children already know and can do.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation, such as records of children's learning and progress, safeguarding policies, and staff suitability checks.  The inspector spoke to parents, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the day.  The inspector observed the quality of teaching, both indoors and outdoors, to assess the impact on children's learning.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the nursery manager at snack time to assess how well leaders monitor staff practice.  The inspector spoke to the local authority improvement officer who has been supporting the staff team in making improvements to the nursery school.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Some improvements have been made to support children's learning since the last inspection. However, most of these are still in the early stages of development. All staff have completed training which has helped to improve their skills and knowledge in relation to how children learn. These changes have led to improvements in the way in the nursery is organised. Children now have access to a greater number of resources to support their learning. The manager has recently started to monitor staff practice through observation and supervision meetings, although this is not yet fully established. Safeguarding is effective. Recruitment procedures have been improved to ensure that anyone working with children is suitable to do so. All staff have completed training on safeguarding. This has given them a better understanding of how to keep children safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The systems in place to monitor and assess children’s progress are not developed sufficiently well. This includes the progress check completed between the ages of two and three years. The lack of detail prevents staff from identifying where there are gaps in children's learning or if they require further support. The weaknesses in the planning systems mean that teaching is not precise enough to help children make good progress. Staff and parents exchange information about the children on a daily basis. However further work is required on gathering information when children start, to find out what they already know and can do.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Children are beginning to develop the skills they need to learn. However, occasionally they lack motivation when the planned activities do not provide sufficient challenge. Children generally behave well and they are learning to share and take turns. They are developing positive relationships with the staff that care for them, which makes them feel secure. Children have regular opportunities to play outdoors. They eat healthy snacks and wash their hands before they eat. This supports their health and well-being. Staff support children to understand the daily routine using action songs. For example, they sing and march like soldiers when it is time for some of the children to get ready to go home.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children come to nursery happy and ready to learn. However, their progress is hindered because the activities provided do not sometimes match their interests and abilities. This means that some children are not learning to focus their attention and concentrate well in readiness for school. Children are encouraged to develop their independence skills. For example, they hang up their coat on arrival, pour their drinks at snack time and make decisions about where they want to play. Children’s literacy skills are generally well supported by staff throughout the daily routine. For example, during self-registration, children are learning to recognise their name and sound out the letters. They enjoy listening to books read by the staff, and exploring them independently.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 107981 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 1054092 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 36 Number of children on roll 28 Name of registered person Frances Cameron-Wilson

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 24 February 2016 Telephone number 07774047323

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reference number

Chiltern Nursery School first opened in 1966. It operates from a church hall in Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire. The nursery school is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9am until 3pm, on Thursdays from 9am until 1pm, and on Fridays from 9am until 12 noon, during school term times only. Funding is accepted for the provision of free early years education for children aged three and four years. A team of five staff work with the children, two of whom hold relevant childcare qualifications at level 3. The owner is also the manager. She holds a Montessori level 4 teaching qualification.

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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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