The Sandcastle Nursery

The Sandcastle Nursery The Sandcastle Nursery, Lane End Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP12 4JF

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 9 July 2018 11 August 2015

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 Managers are inspirational and show an exceptional commitment to achieving the highest possible standards. They develop highly effective improvement plans that consistently enhance outcomes for children. For example, the recent development of the outdoor area provides children with even more inspirational play opportunities.  Partnerships with parents, other settings that children attend and local schools are outstanding. Parents know precisely what their children are learning. They comment staff constantly share detailed information and suggest targeted activities to support children's learning at home.  Children's behaviour is excellent. Older children learn to manage their own disputes, listen to their friends and work as team. Younger children show amazing manners for their age and are keen to paint pictures for visitors.  Children develop an extremely strong sense of belonging and secure emotional

p.1

This provision is outstanding

attachments with staff. Parents comment that staff show an outstanding commitment in getting to know their children and treat each child with high levels of respect.  Staff use assessments of children's progress highly effectively to plan challenging and inspirational activities that meet the individual learning needs of each child. All children, including those with English as an additional language make excellent progress right from the start.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 continue to monitor staff practice to maintain and strengthen the excellent teaching.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the impact on children's learning.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held discussions with the provider, managers, children and staff at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector looked at various documents, including policies and procedures, risk assessments, staff training records, records for children and evidence of the suitability of staff.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Safeguarding is effective. Staff supervise children vigilantly across the various play areas within the nursery. They demonstrate an expert understanding of their role in keeping children safe and secure. Recruitment and vetting are extremely robust and high levels of safeguarding training ensure staffs' knowledge of child protection is comprehensive. The inspiring leadership team have established exemplary ways of monitoring children's progress. They use this information to focus staff training precisely. For example, they have developed and run a mathematical programme across the nursery to enhance staffs' knowledge even further. This ensures staff are in the best position to close swiftly any emerging gaps in learning. The manager recognises the need to continually monitor teaching to maintain the excellent practice.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staffs' commitment to meeting the specific needs of each child produces exceptional outcomes. Staff are extremely flexible and consistently adapt activities to follow children's spontaneous ideas. For example, pre-school children demonstrate incredible problem- solving skills. They work as a team to build a water construction, discovering how to connect various pipes and u-bends to ensure water flows. Toddlers focus intently transporting bark into weighing buckets. They use complex language such as 'more than' and 'less than,' and experiment with weight and measure. Babies show high levels of curiosity, such as hunting for treasure. They show an excellent understanding of volume for their young age, for example, they transport balls into buckets and know when these are full or half full.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff promote children's health and well-being superbly. For example, children of all ages have a wonderful time planting and harvesting their fruit and vegetables in the nursery allotment. Children have an exceptional range of opportunities to learn about themselves and others. They visit the local retirement home and spend quality time engaging in activities with the elderly. Staff embrace the different backgrounds of families, for example, children inform visitors that they thoroughly enjoyed recent Bollywood dancing at the nursery.

p.3

Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children develop incredible independence in their self-care and make choices about their play. They are highly motivated and confidently perform their show in front of visitors. Older children record ingredients for their mud pies and know how to write letters of their name. Younger children develop extremely good social skills. Children leave for school with a remarkable range of skills that help to support their future learning.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY427490 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 1131314 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 1 - 4 Total number of places 80 Number of children on roll 145 Name of registered person Sandcastle Nursery Ltd

p.4

reference number

Date of previous inspection 11 August 2015 Telephone number 01494 474848

p.4

reference number

The Sandcastle Nursery registered in 2011. It is located in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The nursery operates from Monday to Friday throughout the year, with the exception of 1 week at Christmas and bank holidays. It is open from 7.30am to 6pm. The nursery is in receipt of funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 32 members of staff, who work directly with the children. Of these, 30 hold relevant childcare qualifications between level 2 and level 6, including two members of staff who hold Early Years Professional Status.

p.4

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.

p.4

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.

p.4

reference number

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

reference number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

p.5

reference number

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

p.5