First Friends @ Wootey

First Friends @ Wootey

Unique reference number (URN): 2617108 Address: Wootey Infant School, Wooteys Way, Alton, GU34 2JA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 24/11/2020 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: First Friends Limited

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children, including those with special educational needs/or disabilities or who face other barriers to their learning achieve consistently well. They are very well prepared for the next stage of learning and starting school, with many older children already making secure progress towards the early learning goals at the end of the foundation stage.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children have every opportunity during daily routines to become independent learners. They are becoming confident communicators and express their needs and ideas well. For example, they join the children's committee, where they can express what they would like to see and do at nursery. Leaders and staff take children's feedback seriously. For example, when children wanted to go to the skate park, they brought in their bikes and scooters and staff took them to the local park. When they wanted a tractor to visit, staff arranged this. Astute children recognise there is not enough dough rollers for the number of children at the table. They raise this with staff and this was addressed. This helps children to feel valued and have a voice.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders work effectively with families to ensure that they understand the importance of regular attendance. They support families very well to ensure that children get the most from their time at the nursery.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders and staff consistently model high expectations of behaviour. They have created a positive and happy environment and teach children how to manage their own feelings. For example, some toddlers are learning to navigate some big emotions, but staff show them how to take a deep breath and calm down. The same toddlers are also extremely kind and caring towards their peers. For instance, they recognise when children with special educational needs/or disabilities are not as physically able and like to help them without being asked. They are willing to share when a friend shows interest in a flower they have found, which results in a group of children going on a hunt for more flowers. Children thrive on the encouragement and frequent praise they receive from staff and this also significantly contributes to their confidence and self-esteem.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff fully understand and swiftly identify the unique needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are nurturing, respectful, and show genuine care towards the children. Staff follow babies' individual routines, such as for sleeping and feeding, to nurture their development and wellbeing. They support babies to develop strong attachments with key staff so that they feel secure and safe and this is effectively replicated across all rooms in the nursery.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff encourage children to be independent and to manage their self-care from a young age. For instance, children are encouraged to blow their own nose and they brush their teeth every day. This also promotes children's good health. Staff encourage children to understand why it is beneficial to be active and eat healthy foods. Children have easy access to outdoors and during 'Movement and Mindfulness' sessions, staff teach children about the importance of warming up and winding down. They encourage children to drink after being physically active and feel their heartbeat, which helps them learn how their bodies work.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Teaching is embedded well to support children to understand healthy habits and the natural world around them. Children have regular forest school sessions and delight in learning more about the minibeasts they find. They join in with gardening and looking after the vegetable plants they are growing, such as potatoes and tomatoes.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

All children have an equal entitlement to the First Friends enhanced curriculum which has been given careful thought by leaders. Staff are confident to deliver this through high-quality teaching. Activities are thoughtfully prepared and beautifully set out, this encourages children to be inquisitive and join in. Babies delight in the sensory experience of the mud kitchen with a bee theme. They explore and mix different materials such as soil, oats, flowers and coloured water in squeezy bottles, as staff encourage them to make 'nectar soup' and 'honeycomb porridge'. Staff narrate the children's play and introduce words such as 'squeeze', putting vocal emphasis on the word, which helps children to understand the action. Children spend a considerable amount of time engrossed in their play.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Toddlers enjoy a 'Movement and Mindfulness' session. They learn to change into their PE tops, which already helps them to become prepared for what might take place at school. Staff challenge the children to throw balls into buckets, which develops their hand-eye coordination. Children think about how to react differently to different-sized balls. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are also challenged to aim and throw and receive lots of praise for their achievements.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Pre-school children are extremely independent. They thrive in the outdoor space, running, digging, jumping and using stilts with skill, closely supported by the skilled staff who are constantly thinking of ways to enhance and extend children's learning. Staff ensure mathematical learning is woven through all activities. They are highly successful at providing children with a rich set of experiences that help them learn about people, families and communities beyond their own. For example, they take children to the local care home to take part in activities such as painting, planting and picnics.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff are committed to the provision of inclusive practice. They make the most of settling-in sessions, before children even start, to identify any possible barriers to children's learning and/or wellbeing. Staff work closely with experienced in-house special educational needs coordinators to put rapid support in place. They work successfully with outside agencies and use the information and advice they are given to help close any gaps in children's learning. Bank staff who do not work as often at the nursery are very well informed about the needs of the children and are just as adept at supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, children make very good progress, including those who have only attended the nursery for a short period of time.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff are adept at prioritising children's needs as well as treating them all equally. For example, staff are not unnecessarily cautious when caring for children with specific medical needs; staff confidently allow children to challenge themselves and learn to take age- appropriate risks, but supervise closely to keep them safe. A lot of thought goes in to children's play to make it inclusive for all. For instance, non-walkers are given all-in-one outfits so they can crawl outside and join in the fun without getting wet.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders are passionate about their provision. They ensure children are at the heart of all decisions made that will have a positive impact on their outcomes. Self-reflection is highly important and leaders do very well in identifying areas of strength and areas to develop further. They are constantly seeking to develop the curriculum to make it even more inspiring for the children attending.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff wellbeing is also a priority for the leadership team. They value their staff team and place a consistent emphasis on staff development. Staff comment that they feel well supported and have regular access to training, which supports the continuous development of the provision and the quality of practice at the nursery.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have established positive relationships with the on-site school, which has enabled staff to make use of some of their facilities, such as the library and school grounds. This in turn supports children's confidence to transition to school as they have already experienced a school environment. Staff establish strong partnerships with parents. They actively encourage parents to be involved and learn more about what their children are doing at nursery. For example, they put on Saturday 'Movement and Mindfulness' sessions to teach parents yoga and organise stay-and-play 'Earth Explorers' sessions where parents can experience foraging, sticking, planting, and painting in the woods using natural resources. Parents value the relationships they have with the staff and comment very positively on the care their children receive.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children thrive at this nursery which is run by dedicated staff who are passionate about their roles, and overseen by leaders who have a clear vision for high-quality education and care, with clear objectives and goals. The unique curriculum that has been designed benefits children greatly. For example, 'Earth Explorers' enables children to experience their local community and learn how to look after the planet. 'Movement and Mindfulness' encourages children to be active, become aware of their bodies and learn how to regulate their emotions. 'Thoughtful Food' promotes learning about nutrition in fun ways, from enabling children to grow their own vegetables, preparing and baking their own food and also helping to tidy and wash up after themselves. This helps them to develop fundamental life skills.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Before children even start at the nursery, staff use settling-in sessions to understand children's unique needs, their interests and identify any barriers to their learning. This enables immediate support to be put in place, gives children an excellent start and helps them to achieve and be well prepared for their next stage in learning. Leaders and staff consciously work hard to develop close relationships with parents and carers. They share important information, such as the significance of regular attendance and work together to improve children's outcomes.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children form positive, caring relationships with their key person and demonstrate they feel safe and secure. Babies look to their key person for comfort and reassurance, which is provided lovingly and constantly. They already show positive attitudes to learning, concentrating for extended periods of time during the fun and exciting activities that are provided for them. Toddlers develop positive social skills with consistent support from staff

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Address:

Wootey Infant School Wooteys Way Alton GU34 2JA

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: First Friends Limited

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 and build firm friendships. Pre-school children are confident, independent and ready for their transition to school. They work well together, often with minimal help from staff.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure continued improvement in the setting's successful work in partnership with parents, to help realise a transformational impact on all children's achievement and wellbeing.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, parents and children during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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. Local authority: Hampshire

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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