Denefield Nursery

Denefield Nursery Denefield School, Long Lane, Tilehurst, Reading, RG31 6XY

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22 August 2016 24 October 2012

p.1

3

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

p.1

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

 The provider has not notified Ofsted of the change of person responsible for the nursery, as required.  The manager's new monitoring systems indicate that not all two-year-old children make good enough progress in all areas of their learning. Staff do not have a clear plan to help children catch up and develop good levels of confidence and communication skills. Children do not all make good progress.  The provider does not evaluate the provision effectively to identify breaches in requirements and improve the quality of teaching for two-year-old children.

p.1

It has the following strengths

 The partnership between the nursery and the host school provides benefits for the children. For example, teachers help staff extend children's experiences of what it is like to attend school with sports days and charity events.  Staff create exciting learning environments. For instance, children explore, investigate and exercise in the garden, local woods and the outdoor undercover classroom.  Older children develop positive attitudes towards others and to their learning. Staff ensure children acquire many skills to prepare them for a smooth move to school.  Partnerships with parents support continuity in children's learning. Parents commend staff for the quality of the information they share and for their sensitive guidance, which helps them to build on their child's learning at home.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

p.2

Due Date

 plan challenging and enjoyable experiences for children aged two years to help them make good progress in all areas of their learning. 20/12/2016

p.2

Due Date

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

p.2

Due Date

 develop ways to help children moving in to the pre-school room to gain the confidence to express their feelings and ideas with the adults and older children  use self-evaluation effectively to identify breaches in requirements and to make improvements to practice and children's outcomes.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed care routines and teaching in all areas of the nursery, and the impact of these on children's safety, welfare and learning. She undertook a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector reviewed a sample of records and procedures relating to safeguarding, risk assessment, health and safety, and discussed these with the manager.  The inspector looked at children's records, the manager's planning and evaluation of activities, and how information is shared with parents.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and reviewed written communication from parents.  The inspector spoke with the provider and the manager about the impact of staff training, experience and practice on children's well-being, learning and development.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The manager has made some improvements to the nursery. For example, she has introduced ways to monitor children's progress to identify their next steps in learning. However, she does not evaluate effectively to identify some weaknesses in teaching for two-year-olds or breaches in requirements, such as notifying Ofsted of a change in leadership. However, the person now responsible for the nursery has completed suitable checks, which helps to ensure children's safety. Safeguarding is effective. The manager uses robust recruitment procedures to check the suitability of staff. She provides staff with a suitable induction, regular support and training. The manager ensures staff are vigilant and know how to report any concerns to protect children's welfare.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Recent improvements in how staff monitor children's progress indicate that babies and older children benefit from good-quality teaching and achieve well. However, this is not the same for all two-year-old children. Staff have identified that there are gaps in children's learning but do not have clear plans to ensure these children catch up and make good progress. Generally, staff are enthusiastic, attentive and create a wide range of interesting learning opportunities for children. For example, babies learn to hold, move and create pictures with frozen paint lollies. Staff further children's physical skills imaginatively. For example, they organise well-designed garden areas and help children to master tools, such as spoons, spades, scissors and pincers.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff manage most changes in children's lives effectively. For instance, attentive staff soon settle babies into the nursery. Parents commend the staff for their guidance and expertise as they provide continuity in care with potty training and other life events. Experienced staff also prepare children well emotionally and socially for their moves to school. However, not all two-year-olds flourish; some are not making typical levels of progress as they adjust to the pre-school room. Staff observe that children of this group often show more confidence when they are out of the classroom. For example, when they visit farms during lambing and go on adventures to the woodlands.

p.3

Outcomes for children require improvement

Although more focus is required to achieve good outcomes for all two-year-olds, children learn a range of skills that prepare them well for school. Children experience the diversity of the natural world, their local community and the school site. They talk with enthusiasm from their first-hand knowledge in, for example, lifecycles, construction works and caring for other people. Children learn to independently hang up their clothes, successfully navigate around the learning environments and respect other children's views and ideas.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY446177 Local authority West Berkshire (Newbury) Inspection number 1059330 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 21 Number of children on roll 22 Name of registered person Denfield Nursery

p.4

reference number

Date of previous inspection 24 October 2012 Telephone number 01189 728 970

p.4

reference number

Denefield Nursery is a registered charity and a subsidiary of Denefield School, which is an Academy Trust. It registered in 2012. It operates from a unit on the site of Denefield School in Tilehurst, Reading. The nursery is open from 7.45am to 6pm on Monday to Friday, all year round except the week between Christmas and the New Year. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery employs 13 staff. Of these, nine hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 2 or above. The manager holds early years professional status.

p.4

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.

p.4

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.

p.4

reference number

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

reference number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

p.5

reference number

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

p.5