NOA's Ark Nursery

NOA's Ark Nursery North Oxfordshire Academy, Drayton Road, Banbury, OX16 0UD

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 9 December 2016 8 January 2016

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

p.1

This provision is good

 The manager is well qualified and experienced. She is tenacious in pursuit of improvement and has implemented many positive changes since the last inspection.  The nursery staff work well in conjunction with other early years professionals and specialists. This helps to enhance the quality of provision and ensures staff can meet the needs of individual children who need extra help.  The quality of teaching has improved and is now consistently good. There is a strong focus on children's developing communication skills. Support for children that are learning English as an additional language is effective.  Parents are very positive about the nursery. They appreciate the approachable and kind staff. Parents report that the staff treat each child as an individual and value their differences.  Children's emotional needs are met well. They seek reassurance from the nursery staff, who listen to them and help them to feel secure at nursery.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because:

 The systems in place to monitor the quality of teaching require strengthening in order to ensure that teaching becomes outstanding.  There is more to do to ensure that the nursery claims early years pupil premium for all those that are eligible. At present children are not able to benefit from the additional funding available to support their learning and development.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 strengthen systems to monitor the quality of teaching to ensure that it is consistently of very high quality  ensure that all children eligible for the early years pupil premium are identified and that additional funding is claimed, and used effectively, to further support outcomes for disadvantaged children.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents and took their views into account.  The inspector spoke to children and staff at suitable times throughout the day.  The inspector observed the quality of teaching and children's learning both inside and outdoors.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the nursery manager.  The inspector sampled the nursery's documentation including records of children's learning, suitability checks on staff and the nursery's self-evaluation.  The inspector spoke to senior representatives from The United Learning Trust and North Oxfordshire Academy about the leadership and management of the nursery.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The well-organised manager has high expectations of her staff and ensures that they all reflect on their practice. This is building a culture of continuous development within the nursery. For example, staff attend training to address any gaps in their knowledge, such as in the teaching of mathematical development. They use their learning to benefit the nursery as a whole. Ambitious and focused development plans are in place to improve the nursery further. Reviews of these plans are ongoing to ensure targets are being met. Safeguarding is effective. Staff are clear of their roles and responsibilities. The manager has been proactive in ensuring families that need support receive it early enough, for example, by organising 'team around the family' meetings.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Children have the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities that cover all areas of learning. Staff interact well with children. For example, staff ensure that they repeat key words when talking so that children begin to understand their meaning. Older children feel confident to ask the staff questions such as 'where does water come from?’ Staff use such opportunities well to extend children's learning and introduce new words. Children are shown how to look things up to support their learning. For example, on the day of the inspection children were learning about their bodies. The staff helped them to find diagrams of the body’s organs, such as the lungs. Children watched with interest as their chests moved when they inhaled and exhaled. New systems to ensure that children's progress is frequently observed and assessed are now being embedded. Staff are able to talk confidently about the next steps they have identified for individual children's learning.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Good efforts have been made to increase levels of parental engagement. For example a good range of resources, such as number bags and books are available for families to borrow. This encourages parents to become involved in their children's learning and development at home. Information is shared by parents to help children settle-in. Detailed notes regarding babies' care routines are shared on a daily basis. The nursery rooms are welcoming, clean and well organised. Staff provide clear boundaries. This helps the children to understand what is expected of them and to learn right from wrong. Children behave well. Children's good attendance at nursery is well promoted. The staff follow up any unexplained absences to ensure children are safe and well.

p.3

Outcomes for children are good

Children make good progress. They are learning to manage their own needs in readiness for school. For example, older children practise zipping their coats and carrying their plates full of food at lunch times. Their personal, social and emotional development is good. Children are treated with respect and are learning to be kind to each other. They are given a voice within nursery, which helps them to learn that they are valued. For example, the children chose the name of the nursery's Christmas elf. Children are able to make choices in their play and express their individual creativity, for example, they use a wide range of materials when making models of snowmen.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY481578 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 1036773 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 53 Number of children on roll 37 Name of provider United Learning Trust Date of previous inspection 8 January 2016 Telephone number 01295 254477

p.5

Setting details

NOA's Ark Nursery registered in 2014. It is located on the site of the North Oxfordshire Academy in Banbury, Oxfordshire. It is open on weekdays for 51 weeks of the year from 8am until 6pm. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery employs nine members of staff to care for children. The nursery manager and the teaching and learning manager hold Early Years Teacher Status and, of the remaining staff, five have relevant child care qualifications.

p.5

Setting details

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.5

Setting details

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.5

Setting details

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.6

Setting details

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

p.6

Setting details

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

p.6