The Oak Tree Nursery & Pre-School Ltd

The Oak Tree Nursery & Pre-School Ltd Bere Hill, WHITCHURCH, Hampshire RG28 7EB

p.1

Inspection date 19 June 2019 Previous inspection date 20 October 2014

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 Effectiveness of leadership and management Good 2 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2 Outcomes for children Good 2

p.1

This provision is good

n The provider has a secure understanding of her role and responsibility. Staff use her robust risk assessments, policies and procedures to effectively support children's health, safety and well-being. n Systems for recruitment, induction and training of staff help to ensure staff are suitable for their roles. Dedicated staff show commitment and a willingness to continually improve. The manager offers effective supervision and coaching to support staff. This practice helps staff to build on their skills. They are encouraged to plan ahead for their future professional development, including further professional qualifications. n Staff know the children well. They have a very good knowledge of children's starting points, gained through discussions with parents, home visits and their initial observations. Staff plan effectively for children's individual needs and are confident in planning for their next steps. Children make good progress.

p.1

This provision is good

n Overall, the quality of teaching in the older age group base rooms is of a high quality. However, some staff working with the younger children are not always as confident in their abilities to extend learning opportunities as consistently. For example, they miss ways to enhance how children enjoy using musical instruments during singing activities. Sometimes, staff do not extend their skills to more purposefully support babies' emerging language. Nevertheless, staff have high expectations for children. n The manager is highly reflective of nursery practice and leads her staff team well. Her regular audits help to evaluate the quality of the provision and enhance staff skills. However, noise levels in some of the younger age group rooms can at times impact on children's learning and the ways they engage in some of their activities. This is particularly apparent around group activities. n Children behave extremely well at all times. They understand the routines of the day

p.1

This provision is good

and show respect to each other and the staff who care for them. Children use polite language and show excellent manners.

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

n strengthen the quality of staff teaching in the younger age group rooms, to make the most of opportunities to extend children's learning further n review the noise levels in the learning environment further, for children in younger age group rooms, to better support the needs of individual children, in particular around group time activities.

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

n The inspector observed staff interactions with children in all five rooms and during outdoor learning experiences. n The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager. They discussed how staff plan for children's learning and how they are supported in their roles. n The inspector spoke with children, parents and staff. She read written feedback from parents and took this into account. n The inspector sampled the provider's documentation and children's records. n The inspector met with the provider and manager. They discussed how staff update their skills and knowledge and how they evaluate the quality of provision.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

The provider is encouraging of staff training. Staff speak passionately, for example about training to promote how they build key relationships with children and parents. Safeguarding is effective. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of how to protect children in their care. They show an effective understanding of all aspects of safeguarding matters. Staff are confident to make intervention if children show gaps in their learning, to ensure all children reach their potential. Partnerships with other professionals working with children attending are well established. Partnerships with parents are effective. Staff regularly share children's progress and offer parents a range of ways to continue learning at home. This is achieved, for instance, through electronic applications that help parents learn about the curriculum. Parents are positive about the care their children receive. They state that their children 'absolutely love attending'.

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Parents add that their children have really gained confidence in social situations since starting at the nursery.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff interact warmly with the children. For example, they use various means to help older children learn about life cycles. This includes books, props, sensory play, painting and discussions. Staff help older children to develop physical skills and dexterity, for instance for using scissors. They promote children's understanding of mathematics during craft activities. This is demonstrated as staff cut shapes out of moulding dough and help children to understand how many sides a triangle and a square have. Staff make regular, focused observations of children's achievements. The manager and her deputy monitor children's progress effectively.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff offer an interesting environment for children to learn. Children enjoy regular experiences outdoors. They show fascination about the natural world, demonstrated, for instance, as young children find a worm and are inquisitive to find out more about the creature's habitats. Staff help children to be respectful to each other and learn about differences. For example, staff and children make regular visits to a local residential home. Older children show independence in their self-care skills and, overall, many serve themselves independently during mealtimes. Children enjoy nutritious and healthy meals and snacks. Babies receive cuddles and sensitive interaction. They show emotional security and safety as they play with staff and sing together.

p.3

Outcomes for children are good

Children develop many skills to support the next stages of their learning. For example, older children show understanding as they learn about the life cycle of a frog. They use terms, such as frogspawn and tadpole, and confidently recognise the different stages. Older children show a good interest in literacy. They listen attentively to stories, anticipate endings, are aware of rhyming words and show curiosity about the context of the story. Toddlers are creative as they paint their interpretation of a ladybird, adding spots and counting these. Babies enjoy exploring with treasure baskets, but most of all are excited to play outdoors and develop their physical abilities.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY264320 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10108552 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.4

Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 85 Number of children on roll 147 Name of registered person The Oak Tree Nursery & Pre-School Limited

p.4

reference number

Date of previous inspection 20 October 2014 Telephone number 01256 895577

p.4

reference number

The Oak Tree Nursery & Pre-School Ltd registered in 2003. The nursery is located in Whitchurch, Hampshire and is open 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday throughout the year, except for bank holidays and Christmas. There are currently 29 staff employed, 26 of whom work directly with children. Of these, 17 staff hold appropriate early years qualifications between level 2 and level 6. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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.ofsted.gov.uk . 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.5

reference number

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 monthly newsletter for more information and updates: www.ofsted.gov.uk/user .

p.5

reference number

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

p.5