Growing Places @ Mill Hill

Growing Places @ Mill Hill Mill Road, Waterlooville, Hampshire, PO7 7DB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 August 2017 22 April 2014

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3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Good 2

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

 At times, managers do not deploy staff effectively enough to ensure they supervise children well, to maintain their safety and meet their needs. This is also a breach in the requirements of the Childcare Register.  There are occasions when staff do not inform parents as soon as possible of accidents or injuries that children sustain, to keep them fully informed about their child's welfare.  Not all parents are aware of their child's key person, to enable better opportunities for information sharing.  Outdoor learning opportunities for the very youngest children are not as exciting and stimulating as they are for the older children, limiting learning opportunities for the young children who learn better when they play outdoors.  Managers focus closely on improving the quality of teaching and learning, but are not as vigilant at monitoring procedures to support children's safety and welfare.

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It has the following strengths

 The quality of teaching and learning throughout the nursery is good. Staff understand children's interests and individual learning needs well, and provide a wide range of challenging activities that helps children make good progress.  Children behave well. Staff provide consistent boundaries and expectations, and offer children lots of praise to help them learn to share, take turns and respect each other.  Staff are very caring in their interactions with children, helping them to settle well. Staff manage lunchtimes particularly well to provide children with opportunities to gain independence, develop social skills and build strong relationships.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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Due Date

 ensure staff are deployed effectively to maintain appropriate levels of supervision at all times, particularly when children are using outdoor spaces 01/09/2017

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Due Date

 make sure parents are informed of any accident or injury their child sustains and any first-aid treatment given, as soon as is reasonably practicable to do so. 01/09/2017

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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

 make parents more aware of their child's key person, and their role and responsibility, particularly in the out-of-school facility  improve the quality of the outdoor provision for the very youngest children, to further support their learning and development needs  improve arrangements for self-evaluation to help ensure that weaknesses to children's safety and well-being are promptly identified and addressed.

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Inspection activities

 This inspection took place following Ofsted's risk assessment process.  The inspectors completed a joint observation, and held meetings at an appropriate time with the manager and registered person.  The inspectors looked at children's assessment records and sampled documents relating to children's welfare. The inspectors checked evidence of staff suitability and qualifications, and reviewed the provider's self-evaluation document.  The inspectors observed activities in the playrooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspectors took account of the views of parents spoken to during the inspection and engaged in discussions with staff and children at appropriate times.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Safeguarding is effective. Managers and staff have a clear understanding of child protection procedures to help keep children safe. Although there are sufficient numbers of staff working with the children, the deployment of staff is not always effective. For example, when children are taken on short trips outside the nursery grounds, only one member of staff accompanies them. They have no way of making contact with other staff in the event of an emergency, to ensure children are safe at all times. There has been an emphasis on improving the quality of teaching and learning. All staff receive training to ensure they support children's learning consistently well. However, procedures for reflection and evaluation do not ensure that arrangements to support children's ongoing welfare are as effective as possible. Parents receive regular information about children's development and staff make links with other professionals to ensure they share

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

information. Parents are aware that children go on outings with staff and give written consent for these in the initial contract they sign.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Children are motivated to learn. Staff set up play areas well to enable children to make choices. For example, children explore the texture, smell and shape of real flowers before making their own representation using the paints. Staff skilfully extend children's learning. They pose challenging questions and involve children in thoughtful discussions. For example, as children use the dough, they discuss the shapes they make and recall other times they see these shapes, such as when they make a pizza. Staff monitor and track children's progress well. They understand and provide good support for children's next steps in learning. They focus on aspects of development where children may need extra support, for example, using 'The Physical Project'. This helps to narrow gaps and improve outcomes for all children.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Outdoor play areas that older children use are exciting and physically challenging, for example, there are low trees to climb, and slopes and steps to tackle. However, supervision in this area is not sufficient to ensure that staff are always close by to provide support or observe and respond promptly to an accident, should it occur. In addition, sometimes staff fail to provide parents with information about accidents that occur, to ensure that they are able to take any further action if necessary. Children attending the out-of-school facility help to prepare the meals and younger children have a good selection of nutritious and tasty options to eat, increasing their awareness of how to keep healthy.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children gain the skills they need to prepare them well for the next stage in their learning. They are keen to explore and confident to try things out. Children demonstrate confident communication and language skills from an early age. For example, older children use their imaginations as they describe how the apple pips look like giants' teeth.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 160819 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 1111161 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 108 Number of children on roll 138 Name of registered person Community Childcare Centres

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 22 April 2014 Telephone number 023 92258557

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Growing Places @ Mill Hill registered in 2011. It is a charity run setting, overseen by a board of trustees. It operates from premises on the site of Mill Hill Primary School in Waterlooville, Hampshire. It provides nursery, pre-school and out-of-school care for children aged from three months to 11 years. It operates from 7.30am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. The provision receives funding to provide free early education to children aged two, three and four years. The setting welcomes children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are 28 members of staff employed. The manager has a foundation degree in early years and all staff hold or are working towards appropriate childcare or playwork qualifications from level 2 to early years professional status.

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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. 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

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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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