King's House Nursery - Ofsted · King's House Nursery King's House Preparatory School & Nursery, High Street, LUTON, ... For example, children talk about the kites that they made

King's House Nursery King's House Preparatory School & Nursery, High Street, LUTON, LU4 9JY

Inspection date Previous inspection date

29/04/2013 Not Applicable

The quality and standards of the early years provision

This inspection: 2

Previous inspection: Not Applicable

How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend

2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

The quality and standards of the early years provision

This provision is good

Children develop good literacy, communication skills, and confidence with mathematics,

because the setting provides opportunities and activities that promote this development.

The setting uses successful strategies to engage all parents and extend children's learning at home. As a result, children's learning is well supported.

Children's learning and development is closely monitored through precise assessment. Consequently, the planning is focused and leads to good development for children taking into account their starting points.

Partnerships with other agencies help to support every child to learn and develop. Children are well prepared for any move onto a new setting and as a result they thrive.

It is not yet outstanding because

Children are on occasion not provided with sufficient time to solve problems and be

independent because staff are sometimes over eager to support them as they play.

There is scope to extend the existing range of natural resources and access to living things to provide children with more opportunities to observe and explore nature.

Children's understanding of safety is not fully promoted to the optimum as part of their daily play, discussions and routines.

Inspection report: King's House Nursery, 29/04/2013 2 of 11

Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:

scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July 2016

scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate

brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection

prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe

scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Inspection activities

The inspector observed activities in all three playrooms and the outside area.

The inspector looked at a selection of policies, procedures and information provided by the provision.

The inspector spoke with the managers, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

The inspector reviewed a selection of children's observation and assessment development files.

The inspector carried out a joint observation with the vice-principal and senior nursery teacher.

Inspector

Lynne Talbot


Full Report

Information about the setting

Kings House School Nursery was registered in 2012 and is registered on the Early Years Register. It operates from a single storey building established for the provision and is part of Kings House School in Leagrave, Luton. The provision is owned and managed by the Filmer Trust. The provision serves the local and wider community. The provision is accessible to all children and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The provision employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level three and above. The provision opens each Monday to Friday during school term times for 41 weeks per year. Sessions are from 8am until 12.25pm, and from 1.30pm to 5pm. Children have an option of lunchtime cover; they attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 40 children attending who are in the early years age group. The provision provides funded early education for three-year-old children. It supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. What the setting needs to do to improve further To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should: consolidate children's problem-solving skills and independence by allowing them

more time and spontaneous opportunities to organise themselves and to think through solutions

increase the existing range of resources for exploratory play to provide children with

more natural materials and living things to observe and explore

enhance children's awareness of personal safety by involving them further in

everyday routines to judge and identify risks for themselves.

Inspection judgements

How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend

Children are happy, secure and motivated in the setting and, consequently, make good progress in their learning and development given their starting points. Staff plan experiences that motivate children to learn and ensure that they are well prepared for


their move on to school, or to their next placement. For example, staff introduce letters and sounds in all areas of play, and extend this to individual focused sessions where children explore these at a rate appropriate to their individual development. Some children confidently write their names, make lists in the role play areas and read simple books. All children enjoy story sessions where they join in with simple rhymes, predict possible endings to the stories, and make links between what they are seeing and have seen previously. Staff skilfully extend activities to incorporate the children's current interests. For instance, the children's enjoyment of a popular story book results in the staff organising many further activities to incorporate the characters from the story and planning a walk through the grassland to 'discover' the creatures from the story. Children enjoy outdoor play where they experiment with role play, and make use of a large range of play equipment. Children make discoveries as they, for instance, use balls with the guttering attached to the fence. They place a ball into the top gutter and rush to place their hands at the very bottom of the guttering to catch the ball. They show that they are finding out what they can do in an active manner. However, slightly less emphasis is placed on children exploring objects, materials and living things to find out more about them during spontaneous play. Observation and assessment is focused and builds from an initial assessment that parents also contribute to. Ongoing assessment makes full use of the Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance. Each child has a written summary, completed at the end of each term, which shows their progress in the prime and specific areas of learning. Parents are fully involved in their children's learning and review the summary. They then meet with the key person to decide on the next steps for children in the setting and steps that can be taken to assist that learning in the home. Daily verbal exchange is a key part of the sharing process and enhances the close monitoring of children's care, learning and development at home and in the setting. Key persons complete detailed planning to show how each child will be supported to achieve their identified next steps. Close monitoring of all children's progress towards the early learning goals takes place. Children with specific identified needs, including those where there is no external agency involvement, receive well-planned support to make sure that they make good progress. The management team work alongside the staff and monitor the planning meetings that take place each month. Where there are specific identified needs, the planning is adapted for the children as frequently as is required. Hence children make good progress given their starting points and individual needs. Children show good language development and are able to describe what they are seeing, and what they imagine may happen, because staff give them time to think and ask questions. For example, children talk about the kites that they made previously and tell staff they need to use them in the windy weather to make them 'blow'. Children use numbers and complete simple calculations. For instance, they discuss the wall display that has monkeys and a crocodile, and tell the staff member that there are six monkeys but if the crocodile eats them there will be none left. They use the terms 'more' and 'less' accurately, during building activities or when sharing snacks together. Children become confident in the use of everyday technology because they have regular access to different types of equipment. For example, each room has a computer and interactive white board, accessible to children, and other items, such as machines that record voices and compact disc players for music. Children make some independent choices. For instance, a planned


music session is designated as 'children's choice' and children choose to have active songs. They tell the staff member that they, 'can do the music', which they do, showing that they are increasingly confident with modern technology. On occasion staff's eagerness to support children in their play means that they do not always have the chance to do things for themselves, such as finding their own paper for paintings, setting their paintings on the rack to dry, or trying to write their own names. An example of this is when the sand tray becomes too crowded, staff's intervention means children do not have the opportunity to think of a solution themselves. At other times children do have the opportunity to practise their problem-solving skills, such as when they mix colours together to make new ones.

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The small group numbers, the allocation of a key person and secondary key person working with children each day, ensures that all children form very secure emotional attachments. Settling-in procedures are thorough and consist of several visits to the setting to allow children to become familiar with the surroundings. Staff model good social behaviour for children and offer frequent praise throughout the session. Children's achievements are recognised in several ways, for example praise is given when children try and persevere at tasks and stickers are rewarded. A certificate, awarded to the 'star of the week', promotes children's self-esteem. Children learn to manage their own feelings, and respect those of others, by taking part in discussions at circle times. The staff ask parents to complete slips for children entitled, 'please ask me about', to share events or news from home. These are displayed on the 'Wow' board and staff share the news with the group and build on the information within activities. This helps children to understand that they are respected as individuals. Parents are also highly involved with sharing their own culture, and many come into the setting to create displays during special festivals. Languages, food, and clothing are all shared and special events are discussed. In this way the staff ensure that children learn about and respect each other's culture, and they ensure that the involvement of parents assists children's sense of security in the setting. Children show that they are developing good self-care skills and an understanding of healthy eating. They are very well-nourished; meals are provided by the main school kitchen. Each child has a health care plan completed by parents, and their specific dietary needs are monitored closely by key persons. Children help to pour their drinks at snack time and help themselves to water throughout sessions when they are thirsty. In this way they become aware of their own needs regarding the intake of fluids for good health. Children know that they clean their teeth after lunch to maintain good oral health; they tell staff, 'I need to wash my face and clean my teeth'. They demonstrate a developing awareness of personal health and hygiene. Children learn to take risks within a safe environment when they use the large physical equipment outdoors. Road safety is discussed and practised when moving between the setting and the church hall where they take part in gym sessions. Children run, jump and dance when participating in music and movement sessions. Afterwards they consider how they feel and decide that they need to drink because they are hot and thirsty. Children enjoy outdoor play all year round because of the soft play surface; this means that children can benefit from fresh air and large physical play safely. Children begin to develop awareness of their own safety through


regular discussions and some project work, but have fewer practical activities that support them to make independent judgements with regard to personal risk or risks in the setting itself. Consequently, children do not fully explore practical methods that help them to understand risk and are dependent on the staff to minimise risks for them. Hence their own understanding of safety is not yet explored to the maximum. Transitions are managed extremely well and, as a result, children's progression to the main school and other settings is smooth, for example during their final term they carry out several visits, accompanied by their parents, to the next classroom. Subsequently, the new teacher visits the settings classrooms to tell stories or engage in songs with the children, to help children to get to know them. A detailed summary report is sent to the new setting together with the ongoing development file. The children have opportunities to take part in special events with the whole school and this helps them to make relationships with others within a wider environment. Where children move to other new settings those staff are asked to visit and, again, children go to visit those settings to aid the settling-in process. The final term is used to discuss the move with the children and help them to become increasingly independent. As a result, the transition process is positive and children thrive.

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision

The management team has high expectations for the quality of care that is offered to children and families. Regular and robust reviews of all paperwork and procedures take place to ensure that all requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage are met. Arrangements to safeguard children are particularly robust. All staff have completed safeguarding training and this is reviewed at staff meetings and at additional in-house training days. The additional training days include scenario quizzes to test staff knowledge. These are also used for the induction of new staff to ensure that children are fully protected through staff's good understanding of safeguarding. Designated persons repeat their training every two years in order to remain fully up-to-date with procedures. As part of the safeguarding procedures, there are thorough recruitment and suitability checks which result in a detailed induction and probationary period for new staff. As a result, the setting ensures that children are protected. Staff create an environment where children engage in a broad range of activities within small groups. The environment is very safe; external doors and gates are locked during opening times. All visitors review, and sign to agree with safeguarding procedures, and are identified by wearing a visitors badge. These measures demonstrate the regard that the setting has for the safety of children. The setting carry out comprehensive risk assessments which cover all areas of the premise and any excursions off-site so, consequently, children are safe. High quality professional supervision is provided, with focused evaluations of the impact of staffs' practice. Each staff member meets with a manager every term, in addition to the annual appraisal, to identify areas of strength and targets to meet. This feeds into a programme for professional development and training programmes. This process is supported by the peer observations which take place by the management team. Staff in


each room complete reflective observations on each other and the children, this helps to support the reflective practice that is in place and, ultimately, the learning and development. Parents become involved in the practice of the setting. For instance, daily diaries, home observations and termly meetings involve parents in the learning and development of their children. Stay and play evenings, and a newsletter each month, help to provide information to parents on how children learn, and offer ideas for learning in the home. Parents provide their views to the setting through questionnaires and, from these, the setting builds an action plan to address any areas of suggested development. The setting implements reflective practice which includes the review of all areas of practice, employs external audits, and involves all staff members. This means that they have an accurate view of the settings strengths and continually strive for improvement. Children are very secure, enjoy their learning and play, and are self-confident in the care of the staff. Consequently children embark on their learning career ready to seek out new experiences and learn.


What inspection judgements mean

Registered early years provision

Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning.

Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good.

Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration.

Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.


Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted 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.

Setting details

Unique reference number EY456026

Local authority Luton

Inspection number 890137

Type of provision Sessional provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic

Age range of children 0 - 5

Total number of places 24

Number of children on roll 40

Name of provider The Filmer Trust

Date of previous inspection not applicable

Telephone number 01582491430

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email [email protected].

Type of provision For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply: Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration. Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools


and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration. Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school.


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Documents

King's House Nursery - Ofsted · King's House Nursery King's House Preparatory School & Nursery, High Street, LUTON, ... For example, children talk about the kites that they made