Apple Tree Day Care Nursery

Apple Tree Day Care Nursery The Cider House, Wild Country Lane, Long Ashton, Bristol, Avon, BS41 9AG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28 February 2017 5 December 2013

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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:

 Staff do not use the information gained through observing children well enough to identify what each child needs to learn next. This limits their ability to support children in making the best progress they can.  Planned activities provide a range of learning experiences, but staff are not always clear about what they intend children to learn. Consequently, some activities do not hold children’s interest because they are not sufficiently challenging to interest the children and support their learning.  Staff sometimes fail to prepare and organise daily routines and activities successfully. This means that children do not get the most out of the learning experiences available to them.  Staff do not make the best use of the outdoor environment. Therefore children have limited opportunities to extend their learning when playing outdoors.

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It has the following strengths

 Children and staff develop close relationships with one another. This helps children to feel safe, happy and welcome in the nursery.  Staff effectively teach children to develop good communication and language skills, which provides a firm foundation for their future learning.  The management team have a good commitment to improvement. They have begun to identify weaknesses in their provision and implement appropriate action.

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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

 ensure the information gained through observation and assessment is used to accurately identify children’s next steps in learning 31/03/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that planned learning experiences take account of children's individual needs, interests and next steps to ensure they are challenging and enjoyable. 31/03/2017

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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

 improve the organisation of daily routines and activities so that children have good quality learning experiences  provide opportunities for children to access a wide range of learning experiences outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 This inspection was conducted by two inspectors.  The inspectors spent time observing children at play in all areas of the nursery, including the outdoor area.  One of the inspectors carried out a joint observation with the nursery manager.  The inspectors spoke with children, parents, carers and staff.  The inspectors looked at a range of documentation including children’s learning diaries, policies and procedures, information about the educational programmes and staff records.  The inspectors met with leaders and discussed how the nursery is managed.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Leaders have changed procedures for keeping children safe and these are working well. Staff have a good understanding of what to do if they are concerned about children in their care. Some staff have recently attended training and as a result, have improved the way they teach children to keep themselves safe. Safeguarding is effective. The management team have recently implemented a range of procedures to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery. However, these are in early stages and actions to drive improvement are not yet fully effective. Consequently, there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and children are not achieving their full potential. Parents feel well informed about their child's day at nursery which ensures continuity of care between home and the nursery.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Children engage in a range of activities that help them make steady progress in their learning. However, some staff are less skilled than others in identifying what children need to learn next. Staff do not pay enough attention to preparing activities or organising daily routines, to maximise opportunities for children to learn from these experiences. For example, staff have identified that children should be more independent at mealtimes. However, they do not ensure that appropriate resources are readily available to enable this to happen. Children struggle to pour drinks from large, heavy jugs and serve their food using long-handled, large serving spoons. Staff do not offer enough outside learning opportunities so those who prefer to explore and investigate outdoors do not learn as much as they could. The nursery has established links with local schools so that they can help children make a smooth transition when the time comes for them to move on.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Children's behaviour is generally good. Staff use a range of techniques to help children begin to negotiate and manage conflict for themselves. For example, children use a sand timer to help them agree how to take turns when they want to use the same piece of equipment. However, because some activities lack challenge and daily routines are not well organised, children sometimes become boisterous. This results in minor squabbles or noise levels rising, which affects the learning of others and those trying to sleep. Staff working with babies are particularly sensitive to their needs and help them settle by following their familiar home routines.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Most children are working at typical levels of achievement for their age. Some are well- motivated, able to initiate meaningful play and cooperate well with others. However, they do not make the best progress they can as the activities on offer do not sufficiently engage and challenge them. During periods of free choice, several of the older children do not settle to an activity or concentrate and persevere with tasks. Children are proud of their achievements. They enjoy sharing with parents their art work, mark making and interest in bones following a visit to the museum.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY240994 Local authority North Somerset Inspection number 1084529 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 55 Name of registered person Apple Tree Day Care Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 5 December 2013 Telephone number 01275 395295

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reference number

Apple Tree Day Care Nursery opened in 1997 and is privately owned. The nursery is located in the village of Long Ashton, on the outskirts of Bristol. It is open each weekday from 8 am to 6 pm. The nursery provides free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 14 members of staff, 13 of whom hold an early years qualification. The owner has early years professional status.

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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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