Oxford Brookes University Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The manager and staff create an extremely calm, welcoming and nurturing environment. They work very closely with parents to meet children's emotional and care needs.

Children show high levels of well-being. They are confident, happy and relaxed at nursery. The warm attachments between children and staff are evident throughout the nursery and especially strong between the staff and the youngest children.

Staff closely follow sleep and care routines from home and ensure children receive the smiles, cuddles and encouragement they need to feel settled and secure.Children benefit from a broad and interesting curriculum. Ove...r time, staff build successfully on children's existing skills.

By the time children leave nursery to start school they are well prepared for the move and have developed a positive disposition towards learning. Staff recognise how important good communication skills are to children's future learning. Staff carefully develop these skills in children from an early age.

For example, they introduce younger children to different sounds and words and engage older children in lots of conversations.Children behave very well. They listen carefully and cooperate cheerfully with the routines of nursery life.

For example, older children help gather together cutlery and crockery for mealtimes. They respond promptly to instructions and requests. Children happily play and learn together.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff are very successful at ensuring that children feel very safe and valued. Key-person arrangements are a real strength. Staff are deployed to ensure that, whenever possible, children are greeted each morning by the same staff.

Parents report that staff genuinely care about the children and know them extremely well. When it is time for children to move rooms within the nursery, staff plan an extensive transition programme so that children feel confident about the move. All of this strong and effective practice has a very positive impact on children's emotional health.

Staff monitor children's progress closely and plan extensively for children's individual needs. Overall, staff clearly identify what each child needs to learn next and plan effectively for these next steps in learning. In addition, staff ensure that each day children can take part in a wide range of stimulating experiences that help them make progress across all areas of learning.

Children approach their learning with increasing confidence. Staff focus well on encouraging children to become resilient and independent learners. Children are given plenty of support and time to solve problems and work things out.

Staff make good choices about when to offer help and when to let children learn through trial and error. For example, younger children concentrate hard as they work out how to balance blocks on top of each other. Older children work together to move water between containers, working out which utensils are best suited for the job.

They show good levels of perseverance and a determination to complete the task.There are many opportunities for children to be physically active. All children, including babies and younger children, confidently move between the indoor and outdoor environments.

There is plenty of space for children to move and play energetically. Staff are good role models. They show that they enjoy being outside in the fresh air, and they sit with children at mealtimes and eat and enjoy the same nutritious food.

Children are shown that a healthy lifestyle is enjoyable.Staff enjoy working at the nursery. The manager creates a supportive and happy work environment.

There are many opportunities for staff to attend training and extend their understanding of child development and teaching strategies. The manager involves staff well in reviewing and improving the nursery environment. Staff take great pride in carrying out their individual responsibilities, such as in organising the 'international evening' for children and parents or creating 'story sacks' to share with children.

Overall, the manager monitors the provision closely. However, her monitoring of teaching does not precisely identify where staff could build further on their existing strong teaching skills. For example, she has not identified how staff could improve the organisation of some group times to help children to focus and join in more effectively .

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a strong understanding of their responsibility to safeguard children. All staff attend regular training, and senior staff ensure that safeguarding and child protection are discussed regularly.

Staff have a clear understanding of how to recognise the signs that a child may be at risk of harm. They have a good understanding of wider safeguarding matters, such as the 'Prevent' duty guidance. Staff know how to share such concerns to keep children safe.

This includes an understanding of how to escalate any concerns to outside agencies. The provider and manager follow robust and effective recruitment procedures to ensure the suitability of those employed to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop the monitoring of staff practice more precisely to support staff to improve their strong teaching skills further still.