Children's Cottage Day Nursery

Children's Cottage Day Nursery Clavering Primary School, Stortford Road, Clavering, SAFFRON WALDEN, Essex, CB11 4PE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 6 February 2017 5 June 2013

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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

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

 Staff do not use their assessments of children's progress to accurately identify or plan for children's next steps in learning.  Staff do not share information with parents on children's progress. Additionally, they do not gather detailed information from parents about what children learn and can do at home when they start attending.  The manager and staff do not evaluate or reflect upon overall practice well enough in order to support continual improvement. Furthermore, the manager does not effectively support staff to develop their practice.  At times, staff working with younger children overly assist with some of their care routines.

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It has the following strengths

 The well-qualified staff offer children a good variety of interesting activities, taking into account children's interests. Younger children enjoy singing their favourite rhymes. This helps to support their communication skills.  The manager has competed training on developing and using the outdoor space. The nursery garden has been crafted into an inviting environment for children to explore and develop their physical skills. Children positively benefit from regular fresh air. They use equipment to develop their climbing skills and enjoy digging in the mud.

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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

 use information from assessments of children's progress to accurately pinpoint and plan for the next steps in their learning 06/03/2017

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Due Date

 share information with parents on children's assessments and progress 06/03/2017

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Due Date

 support staff to undertake appropriate training and professional development opportunities to ensure they offer quality learning and development experiences for children that continually improve. 06/03/2017

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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

 gather more detailed information from parents about what children know and can do at home when they start attending, to accurately plan for their learning from the outset  build upon the evaluation of practice to support continuous improvement  support staff to consistently promote younger children's independence during personal care routines.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector observed a planned activity and evaluated this with the manager.  The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection and looked at a range of documents.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and discussed the nursery's self- evaluation process. She also looked at relevant records, including evidence of the suitability of the staff working at the nursery.  The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Partnerships with parents have not been fully developed. Although staff share some information with parents about children's care, they do not regularly share more detailed information on children's progress. In addition, some parents comment that they would like to receive more information about children's learning. Staff do not gather enough details from parents when children start attending to establish an accurate understanding of their abilities and stages in learning. This means that initially staff are unable to plan effectively to support children's next steps in learning. Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes within the provision that have impacted on the quality of provision. The manager has begun to identify some of the weaknesses and has started to take steps to address them through staff supervision meetings. Occasionally, the manager seeks the views of parents and children to help her evaluate practice. As a result, menus

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

have been reviewed to fully support children with specific dietary requirements, allowing them to eat the same meals as their friends. Staff ensure potential risks are minimised and carefully supervise the children, especially during physical and outdoor play. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff understand the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child's welfare or safety.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff do not always use assessment information effectively to provide learning experiences to help children achieve their next steps in learning. That said, the well-qualified staff do understand how to help children to learn through play. Children enjoy forming three- dimensional shapes with magnetic building blocks. Staff give them the time to experiment and build different shapes. This helps children to develop their thinking skills. Staff follow the children's interests and help them to find toy astronauts as they pretend the blocks are rocket ships. Children positively respond to staff's use of questioning. This extends children's imagination as they talk about how they are going to the moon and pretend that they need fuel to get there.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff do not consistently promote children's independence. For example, children do not always have access to appropriate cups and staff step in too quickly to help younger children with self-care skills, such as handwashing and dressing. Children enjoy nutritious meals and are taught how to keep themselves safe. For example, staff teach younger children to understand why it is not suitable to drink the water in the water tray. Staff are supporting children to respond to boundaries, such as sitting down at the table to eat. Children are learning to share and play alongside each other.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

The weaknesses identified in the assessment process and the minimal information obtained from parents, means that children do not make good enough progress. That said, children are developing some of the skills they will need for their future learning. They are confident and sociable. Children are prepared emotionally for the move to school as staff take them to visit the local school and teachers come to visit the nursery.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY389261 Local authority Essex Inspection number 1065337 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 1 - 4 Total number of places 16 Number of children on roll 22 Name of registered person Children's Cottage Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 5 June 2013 Telephone number 07779250414

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reference number

Children's Cottage Day Nursery was registered in 2009. The nursery employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 2 or above. This includes the manager who holds early years professional status. The nursery opens from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round except for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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

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