The Little Gryphons Nursery School

The Little Gryphons Nursery School The Gryphon School, Bristol Road, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 4EQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30 January 2018 13 January 2014

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 All children make good progress from their starting points. The strong partnerships with parents and outside agencies have a significant impact on children's learning at the nursery and at home. Children who have special educational needs have effective support to help them develop, particularly in their language and communication skills.  Staff plan challenging activities and outings that motivate children to learn. For example, older children visited a local bookshop. On their return to nursery, they explored and recalled their experiences in their role play, making effective links and extending their ideas and creativity.  The management team provides regular support, training and clear targets for staff to continually develop their knowledge and practice. The team has high expectations of their staff. They recognise and use staff's particular skills to mentor others, so children have good learning experiences.

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This provision is good

 Staff provide good support to help all children understand their feelings and develop positive relationships. They involve the children in setting rules. Young children learn to take turns and be kind, and older children use words and effective methods to manage conflict independently. For instance, children used a sand timer to agree how to share.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not consistently hold young children's attention or help them to engage fully during whole-group activities.  Although staff gain good information from parents on children's starting points, they do not use this highly effectively to plan to help children's progress as soon as they start.

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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

 help young children to concentrate and engage fully during whole-group activities  use the good information gained from parents on children's starting points, to plan more effectively to help them progress as soon as they start.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities and the quality of teaching in all areas, including outdoors.  The inspector spoke with parents, children and staff, and took account of the provider's self-evaluation.  The inspector checked safeguarding information and the safety of the premises.  The inspector held a meeting with the senior management team and carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector sampled documentation, including policies and procedures, children's development records, and planning.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have a strong knowledge of how to protect children's welfare and know what to do if a child is at risk of harm. Staff use rigorous security procedures to keep children safe. If accidents occur, the management team reviews the risk assessments and takes immediate effective action to help prevent further incidents. The manager deploys staff well to support children's development and their well-being. For instance, room leaders do not have key children so that they can oversee the running of their room and support staff and children well. They help the manager monitor children's overall progress to ensure children receive any additional support they need to catch up quickly. The management team fosters a good culture of reflection and self-evaluation, including successful ways of listening to parents. As a result, they have put on training for parents. They are about to involve parents and staff in

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

trialling a new assessment system, to have an even more acute understanding of the progress of different groups of children.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff use their regular, accurate observations well to plan for each child's individual next stages of development. They know the children well and use their interests to motivate their learning. For example, older toddlers join in with staff counting backwards from five in anticipation of their rocket blasting off. Staff use puppets, music and stories to encourage babies' language skills and build on what they know. Staff provide good support to help extend older children's understanding of the world. For instance, as children played with a pretend artic landscape, staff discussed with them how only part of an iceberg is above the water and much more of it is below.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff support children's independence successfully throughout the nursery. For example, babies find their shoes, toddlers help prepare activities, and older children fill jugs with water and pour their own drinks. Through joint training, staff work well with parents to support children in potty training and developing good self-care skills. The good organisation of resources and the environment enable children to decide where they want to learn and select what they need to complete a task. Staff support children well in gaining a positive awareness of their similarities and differences. Children develop a good understanding of keeping themselves safe. For example, older children helped staff to risk assess the garden before they went to play outdoors.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop a positive attitude to learning and gain good skills that prepare them well for their next stage of learning and school. Older children have an impressive vocabulary. For example, children explained how they had made a volcano and pointed out how hot steam comes out the top. Babies follow instructions and toddlers repeat new words. Children count totals of a group when they add or take some away, as well as recognising shapes and sizes. They develop good early writing skills. With good support, children make predications, test their ideas and find solutions to problems.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY454680 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 1069183 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 80 Number of children on roll 80 Name of registered person SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 13 January 2014 Telephone number 01935810112

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reference number

The Little Gryphons Nursery School opened in 2005 and re-registered in 2012. The nursery operates from a purpose-built unit in the grounds of The Gryphon School, in Sherborne, Dorset. It is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm, for 50 weeks of the year. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 17 members of staff employed to work directly with the children. Of these, one holds qualified teacher status and one holds a qualification at degree level. Eight staff hold an early years qualification at level 3 and two hold a qualification at level 2. Four members of staff are working towards a qualification at level 3 and one is working towards a foundation degree.

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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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