Ollie Owl Day Nursery

Inspection of Ollie Owl Day Nursery 92 Broad Street, Chesham, Bucksinghamshire HP5 3ED

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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 Good

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The provision is good

Children thrive in this nurturing and welcoming setting. They have warm and caring attachments with staff and demonstrate they feel emotionally secure. Staff know children well and provide a stimulating learning environment for children of all ages. They identify children's individual next steps in learning and provide activities that promote these effectively. Staff follow proactive systems to prepare children for when they move on to other settings, such as school.

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The provision is good

Staff encourage children from a young age to develop a real interest in books. Toddlers select board books independently, turn the pages and point at the pictures. Staff make books available for children to take home and enjoy with their family, cultivating children's early love of reading.

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The provision is good

Children behave well. Staff encourage children to share and take turns. This helps children to develop good personal and social skills. Children learn to manage their own safety, for example, when they take supervised risks climbing on equipment outside. They enthusiastically dig for treasure and excitedly display what they have found. Children learn to be independent from an early age. Staff support babies to feed themselves and encourage older children to manage their self-care needs. Children grow in independence and take good levels of responsibility for managing aspects of their own play and learning.

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need to do better?

n The leadership team and staff provide a curriculum that follows children's interests and focuses on the development of the skills they will need for future learning. Staff assess children's abilities and use the information to provide activities and opportunities to enhance children's learning. They find out what children already know and can do and plan a varied curriculum. n Parents are very positive about the nursery. They describe it as a 'wonderful, supportive environment'. Parents feel that they have been very well supported during the COVID-19 pandemic. They know what their children are learning and understand what they can do at home to support them. Staff communicate with parents in a variety of ways. For example, they hold parents' meetings, provide daily discussions and use an online app to share information, including photos of children, with the parents. n Leaders and staff prioritise developing children's communication and language

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need to do better?

skills. Staff talk constantly to children and listen carefully to what children have to say. They carefully match the language they use and the questions they ask to the needs of each child. The benefits of staff training are already evident. For example, children's communication and language have improved as a result of the 'helicopter stories' initiative.

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need to do better?

17 March 2022 n Children develop their physical skills through a range of stimulating experiences. For example, they spend lots of time in the outdoor area where they can run around, ride tricycles and learn ball skills from the visiting instructor. Staff talk about exercise and why the food at lunchtime is so good for the children. This helps children to understand the importance of having a nutritious diet. Staff plan activities for children to learn the importance of brushing their teeth. This contributes to children's good health and physical development. n A range of stimulating activities help children to develop their early writing skills, strengthening the small muscles in their hands. For example, toddlers become increasingly confident and deeply engaged as they make marks on chalk boards. Older children make potions using pipettes to fill bottles, and pre-school children learn to write their names. However, staff do not make the most of opportunities

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need to do better?

to further extend children's learning in mathematics, For example, as children were playing with water, staff did not explore with children how many containers it takes to fill a bottle. n The leadership team encourages staff to become specialists in certain areas. For example, a member of staff is the science champion. They are responsible for introducing activities linked to science, technology, engineering and maths to broaden the curriculum even further. The leadership team demonstrates an ongoing commitment to improvement, helping to keep their practice fresh and innovative.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a clear understanding of child protection issues. The culture of caring for every child is apparent. All staff listen to what children have to say and what they do. Staff take action if they are concerned about a child. All staff receive regular training in safeguarding, including the 'Prevent' duty. The leadership team ensures staff's safeguarding knowledge is kept up to date, for example through discussions during team meetings. Staff maintain a suitably safe environment for children. They complete appropriate safety checks to minimise potential hazards. The leadership team follows robust vetting and recruitment procedures to check that all staff are suitable to work with children.

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should:

n extend children's good mathematical skills, supporting staff to recognise and build on the opportunities that occur in children's everyday play and activity.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY472241 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 10228863 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

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inspection

Total number of places 74 Number of children on roll 95 Name of registered person Ollie Owl Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01494 778767 Date of previous inspection 3 January 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Ollie Owl Day Nursery registered in 2014. The nursery is located in the town of Chesham, in Buckinghamshire. It is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm, for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The provider employs 25 members of staff, 16 of whom hold relevant childcare qualifications at level 2 or above.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The inspector and the manager completed a learning walk throughout the nursery. They discussed how the early years provision is organised and how the curriculum offered supports children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of practice with the manager. n The inspector spoke to parents and carers during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector held discussions with staff at appropriate times during the inspection and talked to children during activities. n The inspector had meetings with the leadership team and the proprietor. She looked at a sample of policies and procedures, staff qualifications and evidence of the suitability of staff.

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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

17 March 2022 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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