Wooden House Nursery School

Inspection of Wooden House Nursery School The Cider Barn, Chettiscombe, Tiverton, Devon EX16 7PT

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision requires improvement

Overall, children enjoy their time at the nursery. They build warm relationships with their friends and with staff members. Children feel safe as staff are close by and ensure they are supervised well at all times. However, staff do not always have a detailed understanding of all children's individual health needs to ensure these can be met consistently. Although some staff engage well with children, and some activities interest children, this is not consistent. At times, activities are overly adult-directed and do not provide enough opportunities for children to try things out for themselves or to develop their own ideas. As a result, expectations are not always appropriate for children's age and stage of development. This means that children are not always engaged as well as possible to help ensure they make good progress.

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The provision requires improvement

Children benefit from access to suitable play environments indoors, and they also have some opportunities to play in outdoor areas. For example, children climb, jump and crawl as they use the equipment in the outdoor playroom, benefitting from the physical exercise in the fresh air. Some children also take part in forest school sessions, when they spend time in the woodland areas nearby to learn in a more natural environment.

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need to do better?

n The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Leaders and managers are not always aware of weaknesses in teaching. As a result, they do not provide staff with sufficient guidance and coaching to ensure that all children receive good-quality learning opportunities. Staff do not consistently consider the learning needs of each child when planning and providing activities. As a result, children are not always challenged and supported as much as possible to make the progress they are capable of. n Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about nature through their regular visits to the farm and walks in the countryside. Children learn about life cycles and about how things grow. For example, they talk about the seeds they have planted and suggest the names of the trees they may grow into one day. n Children enjoy playing together with their friends. For example, they work together to build a high tower using the building blocks, and then enjoy

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need to do better?

knocking it down ready to rebuild again. However, although staff are often close by as children play, they do not always talk to children to extend their learning further. n At times, activities fail to offer opportunities for children to investigate and explore. For example, staff do not allow children to experiment for themselves after they have shown them how colours of paint are changed when they are mixed together. As a result, some children lose interest and become bored.

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need to do better?

22 January 2020 n Staff provide some opportunities for children to acquire language and literacy skills. Children enjoy stories and have access to a suitable range of age- appropriate books both indoors and outdoors. They generally listen well as a member of staff reads a familiar story to a large group, and they join in with familiar phrases. Children enthusiastically take part in singing songs and rhymes as staff play a guitar to accompany them. n Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. They link closely with parents and take advice from other professionals to support children's development. n Parents provide information about children's individual needs to help ensure staff understand these. However, managers do not always ensure that this information is gathered prior to children starting at the nursery. This means that they have not always been able to discuss children's specific needs with parents,

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need to do better?

to ensure that they have plans in place to meet these needs consistently. n Children generally behave well. They respond appropriately to the consistent boundaries and expectations as staff use effective systems to help children. For example, children learn to prepare for a change in routine as staff use 'buttons' to help children know that their time at that activity is coming to an end.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and staff have a suitable understanding of child protection issues. They know the correct procedures to follow if they have concerns regarding a child's welfare. The manager follows effective recruitment processes to ensure staff are suitable to care for children. She also updates these checks regularly to ensure their continued suitability for their roles. Staff are vigilant about safety and ensure that the environments children play in are safe and secure.

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Due date

ensure staff are fully aware of the individual needs of each child, including any specific medical needs 07/02/2020

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Due date

improve the quality of teaching to ensure all children participate in a wide range of activities that interest them and support their individual learning needs. 28/02/2020

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should:

n provide more opportunities for children to explore and experiment to increase their confidence to try things out for themselves.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY479322 Local authority Devon Inspection number 10126038 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 2 to 4 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 60 Name of registered person Palmer, Linda

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reference number

Telephone number 01884 252161 Date of previous inspection 24 February 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Wooden House Nursery School is privately owned. It is located in Chettiscombe, near Tiverton, Devon. It registered at this site in 2014. The setting opens Monday to Friday from 8am until 6pm, all year round. The setting provides funded early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 11 members of staff who work directly with the children. The owner and manager have early years professional status. Of the remaining staff, eight hold early years qualifications at level 3. There is also an apprentice who is working towards early years qualifications, and an administrator.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector completed a tour of the building with the manager and spoke to her about how she plans the curriculum. n The inspector observed activities indoors and outdoors, and spoke to children and staff. n The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager, and held meetings with the manager to discuss leadership and management. n The inspector spoke with parents and a member of the parents' committee to gain their views. n The inspector sampled relevant documentation, including evidence of the suitability of staff working at the nursery.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

22 January 2020 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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