Growing Places @ Oakmeadow

Inspection of Growing Places @ Oakmeadow Tewkesbury Avenue, Fareham, Hampshire PO15 6LL

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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 are happy, engaged and settled. They have strong attachments to staff, which helps them to feel safe and secure. Children love to role play and use a range of props to support their play. For example, they enjoy being 'hairdressers'. They pretend to wash and cut each other's hair before completing the new look with a range of hair clips. Children understand and respond well to staff's high expectations of their behaviour. They are curious and keen to learn. Children love looking at books and have clear favourites. For example, children 'read' the 'The Gruffalo' to each other as they demonstrate how well they know the story. Children happily listen to each other and take turns retelling stories.

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The provision is good

Children are encouraged to follow their interests in a range of ways. For example, children notice that when they touch the condensation on the windows, it makes a mark. Staff encourage children to explore this further. Children delight in drawing pictures on the window. They learn new vocabulary, such as 'condensation'. Children then discuss why their pictures 'disappear' with staff. This helps develop their knowledge of the world around them.

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need to do better?

n The curriculum is planned using staff's extensive knowledge of the children. They tailor their curriculum to focus on the skills the children need. For example, following the COVID-19 pandemic, the curriculum currently focuses on developing children's social, language and self-care skills. n Skilled staff assess, plan and reflect regularly to ensure that overall they are meeting each individual child's needs. As a result, children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress in their learning and development. n Children benefit from specific nurture projects. For instance, children take part in the 'Physical Project'. This is designed to support children's listening and attention skills by getting them active outside. Staff then introduce a more- focused activity for a set period of time. This becomes longer as children's attention skills develop. For example, children play games, such as 'traffic lights',

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need to do better?

outside. They then go inside to concentrate on building things with small building bricks. Children excitedly take part in this project. They clearly demonstrate the extensive progress they have made with their listening and attention skills in a short period of time. n The manager is enthusiastic and passionate about early years. She has started to make positive changes within the nursery, such as focusing on the support for staff. For example, she now holds regular staff well-being meetings. This provides her with the opportunity to support staff as required. n Children are highly engaged in the different activities provided. For example,

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need to do better?

21 November 2022 they build different creations out of bricks and use tweezers to move buttons around on pictures of 'Pudsey'. However, on occasion, staff deployment is not fully effective to meet the needs of all children. There are times when staff do not consider where they would best be placed to support all children's learning and development. For example, they become too focused on one activity. n Staff use activities to develop children's understanding of being healthy. For example, children prepare fruit for their snack and talk about the reasons fruit is good for you. However, on occasion, staff do not help children learn how to manage their personal hygiene, such as when they cough and sneeze. This means that children are not consistently supported as they learn about keeping themselves healthy. n Parents speak highly of the nursery. They comment on how friendly the staff are. Parents explain that staff have a 'genuine interest in the children's lives and

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need to do better?

well-being'. This leads to initiatives, such as the community pantry that has been set up by staff. This supports families, as required, by providing food received from local supermarkets. n The nominated individual has notified Ofsted of changes to directors and has completed criminal record checks for new directors. However, not all the necessary checks required by Ofsted have been completed. This has minimal impact on children, as directors do not have any unsupervised contact. In addition, the nominated individual has already changed the process they follow to ensure this does not happen in future.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff show a secure understanding of the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is a risk of harm. They know how to report concerns within the setting but also to local safeguarding partners. Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of whistle-blowing and how to report allegations if required. The management team has a robust recruitment process in place to ensure the suitability of staff. There is then a secure process to ensure their ongoing suitability. For example, staff regularly complete a suitability declaration form. Staff show a secure knowledge of identifying risks in the environment and how to mitigate against these as needed.

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Due date

21 November 2022 provide Ofsted with the necessary information about new directors to enable suitability checks to be completed. 05/12/2022

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should:

n review staff deployment to ensure all children are fully supported by staff, to extend their good learning experiences further n develop staff practice further to support children in managing their own personal hygiene.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY258696 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10259732 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

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inspection

Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 81 Name of registered person Community Childcare Centres

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reference number

Telephone number 01329 849 349 Date of previous inspection 8 November 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Growing Places @ Oakmeadow registered in 2003 in Fareham, Hampshire. It is open each weekday, from 8am to 6pm, for 51 weeks a year. The nursery provides a breakfast and after-school club and a holiday playscheme that operate from the site. The nursery receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 14 members of staff, 10 of whom hold relevant early years 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 manager explained the curriculum intentions to the inspector during a learning walk. n The inspector took part in discussions with the manager, nominated individual and staff during the inspection. n The manager and the inspector observed and evaluated an activity together. n The inspector observed staff and children throughout the day. n Parents shared their views with the inspector through discussions. n The inspector sampled relevant documents.

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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

21 November 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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