The Old Station Nursery, Heyford Park

Inspection of The Old Station Nursery, Heyford Park Old Station Nursery, Camp Road, Upper Heyford, Bicester OX25 5BS

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision is good

Children thrive in this welcoming nursery. They are happy and feel safe. Staff show a good understanding of how babies and children learn. They provide experiences that support children's interests and cover all areas of learning. Babies show fascination and delight as they transport water using scoops and jugs, and explore the feeling through their fingers and hands. Older and most-able children are proud of their achievements. For instance, some children confidently make marks in paint and competently write the first initial in their name. Children are learning to recognise letters and make marks in readiness for school.

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The provision is good

Children have regular physical play opportunities to promote their physical well- being. For example, babies enjoy 'tummy time,' new walkers are supported to cruise around low-level furniture and pre-school children enjoy taking part in the 'Daily Mile'.

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The provision is good

Children's communication and language skills are supported well. Staff in the baby room provide a constant narrative as they chat to the babies in their care. Toddlers develop their emerging language skills through their role play. For example, one child describes how he needs to 'peel' his pretend onion and 'crack' his pretend egg. Older and most-able children display their good knowledge of animals and dinosaurs. For example, a child tells the inspector how the pond snake 'slithered,' through the water and an 'omeisaurus' is a dinosaur with a very long neck.

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need to do better?

n The manager knows her staff well. She efficiently evaluates the quality of staff practice and the impact on children's achievements. The manager is ambitious and uses self-evaluation successfully to identify the strengths and areas of development. n Children learn to be independent from an early age. Staff support babies to feed themselves and encourage older children to manage their own self-care needs. Staff are good role models. Children behave well, are polite and use good manners. n Parents' views of the nursery are highly complimentary. They say staff share regular information with them about their children's well-being and learning. Parents praise the hard work of the manager and her staff. They comment how staff supported them extremely well through the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, providing activities and ideas to support children's learning at home. n Staff's interaction with children is positive, overall. However, during some

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need to do better?

activities, staff move away from children to complete routine tasks, such as preparing the sleep area. This results in children losing interest in the activity and learning is interrupted.

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need to do better?

19 July 2021 n Key persons help children to feel secure and this supports them to settle swiftly at the nursery. Staff support children's emotional development and give comfort to them. For example, staff use family books with pictures of the children's families to help them to continue to feel connected to their family. n Children are motivated to explore and investigate and, overall, show good levels of curiosity and concentration. However, sometimes, during longer and larger group activities, such as singing time, some children find it difficult to maintain their interest. The organisation of these activities does not consistently support the different ages and needs of children at these times. n Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively and work well with a wide range of other professionals. They implement effective support plans to help children catch up in their learning and

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need to do better?

make progress. Staff also work very closely with teachers to help support a smooth move on to school for children. n Good arrangements are in place to support children who are learning English as an additional language. Staff find out about children's home language vocabulary and use visual picture prompts to support young children's language development. n Professional development is strong. Staff receive good encouragement to further their own qualifications and careers. They speak very highly of the support that they receive from managers. The manager implements systems to ensure that staff's workload is managed effectively and their well-being is consistently supported. This means that staff feel valued and enjoy their roles. n Staff know the children well. They use their knowledge of children's development progress to plan a curriculum that follows children's interests and extends their development towards all areas of learning.

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need to do better?

n Staff use additional funding well to address gaps in children's learning. For example, by providing one-to-one support for children, tailoring staff training and purchasing further resources.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a good knowledge of a wide range of safeguarding issues and how to keep children safe. They know the signs and symptoms of potential abuse and have a secure understanding of the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child's welfare. The manager works closely with partner agencies to support children's welfare effectively. She regularly updates staff's training to support their safeguarding knowledge, which includes training around wider safeguarding concerns. Staff discuss safeguarding routinely, such as in team meetings and regular quizzes. This helps to promote children's safety and well- being.

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should:

n review the organisation and timings of large group activities to ensure all children are consistently well supported n enhance opportunities for children to maintain their concentration and exploration during the times when staff leave activities to carry out routine tasks.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY557985 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 10175037 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 105 Name of registered person The Old Station Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01869 233 268 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

The Old Station Nursery, Heyford Park registered in 2018. It is located in Heyford Park, Upper Heyford, in Oxfordshire. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery employs 18 members of staff. Of these, 13 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above, including one with qualified teacher status. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years, and of the early years pupil premium.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the setting and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n The inspector conducted had a learning walk through all areas of the setting, with the manager and the room leaders, to explain the nursery curriculum. n Parents shared their views through written feedback. The inspector took these views into account. n The inspector observed the quality of interactions during activities and assessed the impact on these. n The inspector looked at a sample of the documentation. This included evidence about suitability and training records.

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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

19 July 2021 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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