Highfield House Nursery

Highfield House Nursery 100 Galley Lane, Milton Keynes MK17 9AA

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Inspection date 31 July 2019 Previous inspection date 25 April 2019

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 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

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This provision is good

n The management team has a positive approach to continuous improvement and involves all staff in the creation and ongoing review of its nursery development plan. Staff have worked hard to address the issues raised at the previous inspection and proudly display their identity lanyards that now contain a summary of safeguarding procedures on the back. This has had a positive impact on the outcomes for children. n Staff know when to stand back and observe while children attempt to resolve their own conflicts through newly acquired negotiation skills. For example, three children manage to work out how they can all play with a particular dinosaur. Behaviour is good. n Parents state that outdoor learning is a real strength of the nursery. Children happily play in the extensive garden areas. They develop their physical skills as they ride on toys and dig in the sand. Children learn to sow seeds, care for the growing vegetables,

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This provision is good

harvest them and present them to the nursery cook to be used in the kitchen. Children care for the giant rabbits, following the menu of suitable rabbit foods. n Children make good progress in their learning. Staff promote children's learning through play effectively. Children become independent and motivated learners. The good levels of individual attention from staff help to develop children's personal, social, communication and language skills very well. n Regular and effective monitoring of teaching practice is not embedded to raise further the expectations of staff and achieve the highest possible quality of teaching. n Staff talk about some exciting activities, and photographs show, for example, a dinosaur land created with soil and natural objects. However, some staff do not present activities in an inviting way to enthuse, engage and inspire children to learn. n Staff do not consistently present a highly attractive learning environment. For instance,

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This provision is good

resources are left all over the courtyard floor and, occasionally, children cannot easily access books.

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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

n implement effective procedures for the regular monitoring of staff practice to raise further the expectations of staff and achieve the highest possible quality of teaching n provide an increasingly rich and varied range of interesting and demanding experiences that enthuse, engage and inspire children to learn n present a consistently exciting and stimulating environment for children across all rooms in the nursery.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

n The inspector had a tour of the setting. n The inspector carried out observations of planned activities and evaluated these with the manager. n The inspector met with the provider. The inspector met with managers, including the operations manager. She discussed recent improvements, self-evaluation and plans for further improvement. She looked at relevant documentation, including policies, procedures and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. n The inspector spoke to the staff, parents and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Owing to the resilience of management and staff, and their determination to succeed, safeguarding is now a real strength of this nursery. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have a secure knowledge of how to keep children safe. They know how to respond to concerns about children's welfare and they are aware of different types of abuse and their signs and symptoms. They have a good understanding of how to recognise and protect children who are at risk from extreme views and behaviour. The provider actively works in partnership with outside organisations to improve safeguarding knowledge among agency staff. The relatively new staff team has bonded well. Staff work together in a supportive team. They take ownership of their successes and their occasional mistakes.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

The positive impact of recent training to improve the delivery of mathematics is now evident in the way staff intuitively include subject language, counting and calculation in the daily activities for children. Staff know what they want to teach children and they provide meaningful experiences for them so that children make good progress in their learning. For example, staff give children a large lump of play dough and ask the younger ones to describe how it feels. It is purposefully 'sticky' and some children suggest that extra flour would solve the issue. The staff member asks the children to divide the lump into five equal balls and count. She initiates a popular game of 'Smash one, how many left?' and asks increasingly challenging questions of the older and most- able children, such as 'If I smash two more, how many will I have? Can you divide your lump into eight balls and count back from eight?' Children exhibit the characteristics of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

effective learning as they focus and concentrate on the task, competing with their friends to see how many more balls they can make.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Babies and young children form close attachments to staff and welcome visitors with curiosity and interest. Staff build supportive partnerships with parents and work closely with them during children's settling-in visits, helping to promote positive emotional relationships from the outset. Parents speak highly of the nursery and express trust in the staff. Staff provide suggestions for parents to help them to support their children's learning at home, and home-learning ideas are available in the hallway. The nursery chef provides popular recipes from the daily menu, such as cornflake and coconut cookies, which parents can enjoy making with their child at home. Children have plenty of opportunities to exercise and play outdoors in the fresh air. This helps to promote children's good health.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children are confident learners. Pre-school children know that 'Wednesday' begins with a 'W' and proudly write the initial letter of their name. Young children feed themselves and pour their own drinks. Older children help themselves to lunch and learn how to fasten complicated clips on their outdoor dungarees. Children make good progress from their starting points and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY545595 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 10106798 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 46 Number of children on roll 73 Name of registered person Aktiva Nurseries Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 25 April 2019 Telephone number 020 3198 6114

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reference number

Highfield House Nursery re-registered in 2017 under a new company name. It is run by Aktiva Nurseries Ltd. It is located in Great Brickhill, near Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire. The nursery is open on weekdays from 7.30am until 6pm, throughout the year. It receives funding for the provision of free early education for children age two, three and four years. The nursery employs 19 members of staff who work with children and 16 of these hold appropriate early years qualifications between level 2 and level 7. In addition, the nursery employs a cook and two lunchtime assistants.

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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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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.

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