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 6 September 2017 28 February 2017

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Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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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:

 The monitoring of staff practice has identified some weakness in the quality of teaching. However, action taken has not been successful in raising the standard. The quality of teaching is not yet good.  The assessment and planning procedure is not yet fully embedded enough to raise the quality of the experiences and activities that are planned for children. Plans are not precisely targeted using the children’s capabilities, to help them to make the progress of which they are capable.

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It has the following strengths

 Children behave well, they take turns, listen and follow instructions well. For example, they tidy up the toys and line up nicely to go into the garden.  Children learn about what it is to be healthy and the importance of physical exercise. They take part in weekly exercise sessions during which they learn about their bodies and the effects that exercise has on them. Children use this knowledge well as they refer to the muscles that they are using as they play alongside their friends.  Staff build close relationships with the children and their families. Parents say that they are happy with the care that their children receive and feel well informed about their children’s learning.

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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

 target the support and guidance for staff more precisely to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently good level. 11/09/2017

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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

 improve staff use of the newly introduced assessment and planning systems to ensure that activities planned build effectively on what each child knows and can do, to achieve better outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of the parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the interactions between the staff and children.  The inspector looked at written documents, including staff files, policies, procedures and risk assessments.  The inspector held a leadership and management meeting with the leader and manager, and spoke to the staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the leader.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff have a good understanding of the local procedures that they should follow if they have concerns about a child's welfare. The secure procedure for the recruitment of staff means that the staff are aware of their responsibilities and are safe and suitable to provide care for children. The leader and manager have developed links with other local professionals and with their support have made improvements to the service that is being provided. The leader and manager have worked well to implement new methods to assess children's progress. However, these systems are not fully imbedded in practice and the quality of teaching is still variable. While outcomes for children are improving, not all children are making good progress.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Weekly planning of activities is targeted to the children's individual next steps in learning. However, the plans are not always well thought out and activities lack challenge. Some staff understand how children learn and follow their interests well. For example, through skilful staff encouragement, children enjoy retelling their favourite story as they act it out imaginatively in the garden. Other staff do not fully understand how to support children with their learning. For example, some staff tend to take the lead too often and do not give children the opportunity to carry out simple tasks independently. Children have a wide range of resources and equipment to choose from and show confidence in making their own choices about with what they would like to play. Staff support children's language and communication skills well. For example, they share stories with children and talk to them about their games as they play.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Children are happy and secure in the setting. They develop close friendships with their peers and seek them out to join in play and to share experiences. For example, they involve each other in role play and discuss their dressing-up clothes as they change their outfits. Staff carry out regular checks to ensure that children are safe, they talk to the children about risks in the environment to help them to learn to keep themselves safe. For example, children know not to run on the ramp to the garden in case they go too fast and hurt themselves. Weaknesses in the overall quality of teaching and planning mean that children are not always challenged and motivated to learn and this affects their all-round development.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children are confident and sociable. Younger children enjoy exploring different textures and materials through sensory play and older children are starting to develop their literacy skills. For example, children practise their early writing skills as they make patterns and marks in flour and draw details on their artwork. Children gain the basic skills to support them in the next stage of their learning, but not all children achieve well.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY240994 Local authority North Somerset Inspection number 1086669 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 - 4 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 34 Name of registered person Apple Tree Day Care Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 28 February 2017 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 8am to 6pm. The nursery provides free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 11 members of staff, nine 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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