Southdown Nursery

Southdown Nursery Gervays Hall, Jarvis Lane, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3GL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 9 May 2017 18 May 2015

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children arrive extremely happy and eager to share information and special items with staff, such as hats, clothes, plants and a feather. They quickly lead their parents to show them where they want to play and what they intend to do.  There have been enormous improvements under the new manager and committee combination. Together they provide extremely strong and inspirational leadership for the dedicated and experienced staff team.  Staff are, without exception, consistently skilled at encouraging children to think, problem solve and achieve their goal. For example, they help children decide what crockery they needed to eat their snack.  The exceedingly rich outdoor learning environment greatly extends the range of skills children acquire and enhances how they learn. They learn how to move freely and be safe, how to grow food and flowers and how to give insects somewhere to live.  The manager has established excellent partnerships and multi-agency working that

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This provision is outstanding

truly supports all children's care and learning needs. Her open door policy means other parents and professionals know they are welcome and they regularly come into the nursery to work with staff, children and parents. All children make exceptional progress from their individual starting points.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 consider even more ways to build on children's already good understanding of healthy eating.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the impact teaching practice has on children's learning.  The inspector sampled children's development information and records.  The inspector read some setting documentation, including safeguarding policies and procedures.  The inspector had discussions with children, staff, parents and the manager.  The inspector completed and evaluated a joint observation of a group activity with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The staff team has excellent teaching skills. The nursery is highly organised so that children have continuous support and guidance. One member of staff is assigned to monitor the way children move around the nursery and re-deploy staff to ensure they are available to challenge and support children. The manager leads by role modelling an exceptional understanding of inspiring children. During supervision sessions, she helps staff identify training to develop their individual skills and expertise in order to further improve teaching. For example, one member of staff has learned how to write and implement effective play plans to help individual children close gaps in their learning. Safeguarding is effective. Staff use their excellent relationships with other agencies to protect and monitor children's welfare. The leadership team and staff review every aspect of the provision in their remarkable drive to provide first-rate care and learning

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff, without exception, consistently inspire children to be independent. For example, with dressing, choosing resources and completing tasks. They have many innovative ideas to support children's learning in all areas. For example, they fix paper underneath a table for boys to crawl into the den-like space in order to encourage them to draw and write more. Staff track children's progress extremely closely. They plan specific learning intentions across all areas which are linked to children's interests. They make excellent use of funding to enrich children's experiences even further. For instance, they invite local organisations to deliver music and movement sessions that children relish.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff are exemplary role models and teach children how to value and respect others. Children are strongly self-aware and confident as staff give precise praise and encouragement. They have an extensive range of enticing resources both inside and outside. Although staff teach children how to make healthy food choices at snack time, there are fewer opportunities for them to build on this good practice during lunchtimes.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children's progress is at least typical, and in some cases strong from the start, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who receive additional funding. Children develop a wide range of skills that prepares them extremely well for the move to school. They are socially mature and show persistence and great motivation. For example, children spend some time pouring water down channels, assessing how to position the parts to maintain the flow. Others concentrate hard on pushing plastic straws into holes in cardboard tubes. Wall displays proudly show off children's exceptional creativity.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 113701 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 1089122 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 34 Name of registered person The Southdown School Trust

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 18 May 2015 Telephone number 01903 814581

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reference number

Southdown Nursery registered in 1999. It operates from the Gervays Hall in Steyning, West Sussex. The nursery is open during term time Monday to Thursday from 9.15am to 3.15pm, and on Friday from 9.15am to 12.15pm, with an optional lunch club until 1.15pm. There are seven members of staff, six of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or 3. One member of staff has qualified teacher status. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

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

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