Acorn Under Fives

Acorn Under Fives C/O Oaklands Infant School, Butler Road, Crowthorne, Berkshire, RG45 6QZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12 September 2017 28 April 2014

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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

 The manager prioritises close partnership working and highly effective communications between parents, staff and the committee. Parents wholeheartedly support the nursery staff. They say their children thoroughly enjoy attending the nursery and describe the exceptional levels of progress their children are making in their learning.  The manager has developed extremely constructive arrangements for sharing information and working in partnership with other early years professionals to precisely identify all children's needs and help them to flourish and achieve.  Highly effective monitoring of children's progress enables the manager to check that every child is achieving their full potential. Where this is in doubt, the staff are extremely successful in delivering early interventions tailored specifically to children's needs and personalities.  Staff inspire confidence in children and prompt them to accurately assess and manage

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This provision is outstanding

potential risks under their supervision. For example, older children learn how to rearrange climbing apparatus safely. They offer sensible guidance to younger children on how to carry out manoeuvres safely and check that equipment is at a lower level.  Children are extremely well prepared for starting school. Staff make sure that children and their parents know what to expect and that new staff know precisely how to continue to meet children's individual needs.

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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

 build on the already high-quality practice and extend staff knowledge in developing literacy skills even further to enable the oldest children to continue to achieve their highest levels of progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed, listened to and talked with children as they played indoors and during outdoor play.  The inspector talked with parents and listened to their views about the nursery and their children's progress.  The inspector looked at children's records, discussed staff's planning and evaluation of activities, and how they exchange information with parents.  The inspector observed care routines and completed a joint observation with the chairperson of the committee. Together they discussed how staff training had contributed to children's learning and development.  The inspector reviewed records and procedures relating to safeguarding and risk assessment, and discussed a range of other procedures relating to children's welfare with the manager and the chairperson.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Excellent leadership and management underpin extremely high-quality practice and precisely targeted continued improvement at this dynamic nursery. For example, the manager has clearly documented and evaluated the success of recent training to help change planning, raise the quality of teaching and improve outcomes for children. Staff continue to fine-tune improvements. Safeguarding is effective. The manager rigorously checks that staff understand how to recognise and respond appropriately to any concerns they may have about children's safety and protection. She has thoroughly risk assessed the new and refurbished premises to minimises hazards and create rich, safe learning environments for children to investigate. The manager ensures staff diligently apply policies and procedures to help keep children safe and secure on site and in the local community.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff are highly enthusiastic and effective in their teaching. They quickly reflect on children's individual and diverse interests and show them how to question, plan, develop and review their ideas. For instance, children examine, compare and research differences in car engines, mini-beasts and the taste of different shaped pasta. Children learn to use different tools confidently to draw, scribe, tally and represent their findings. Staff are extremely successful in nurturing children's desire to see their ideas in print and form letter shapes. However, some staff are less confident that they know how to continue to develop and challenge the high achieving and older children's literacy skills, particularly in preparation for their move on to school.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff continually show that they value the views of parents and children. They thoughtfully discuss and agree how to provide continuity of care and nurture children's next steps in development. Staff constantly celebrate children's interests and make them feel extremely proud of their achievements. For example, they use photographs and technology extremely effectively to settle young children into the nursery and keep parents exceptionally well informed. Staff expertly promote children's understanding of how to manage their enthusiasm, feelings and behaviour. Children behave extremely well and swiftly rise to staff's high expectations.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

All children make outstanding levels of progress in relation to the detailed baseline assessments completed by their parents and staff. For example, children with delayed starts in speech, language and social interaction rapidly catch up with other children their age. Children learning more than one language, and those receiving additional funding, are ready to embrace the next stage in their learning in preparation for school. Older children listen intently. They enjoy listening to stories independently, follow complex instructions and respond kindly and appropriately when other children ask for their help.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 148637 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 1068545 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 27 Number of children on roll 48 Name of registered person Acorn Under Fives Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 28 April 2014 Telephone number 01344 752 752

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reference number

Acorn Under Fives registered in 1986. It is managed by a committee of trustees. The pre- school operates from the same site as Oaklands Infant School in Crowthorne, Berkshire. It is open each weekday, during term time, from 9am to 3.30pm. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. There are 11 staff working with the children, eight of whom hold appropriate qualifications from level 3 to level 6. Two members of staff hold qualified teacher 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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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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