OFSTED OUTSTANDING - tell me your experiences/ideas

[crispface]

I have jsut taken a job in a large nursery which could do with some improving.

I am really positive about this project, but need some big ideas.

in particular, what facilities does your nursery ofer for each age group?

what do the baby rooms look like, what is the decor etc like? Our baby rooms are quite sparce so need some inspiration!

any ideas big or small would be gratefully appreciated!

thanks

Dcs went to an ofsted outstanding nursery,more by luck than design
as it was at top of street

The main focus was because the manager was amazing and had a real drive to be the best.

It all fed down from there.

I think it all came to motivating the staff.

I was especially pleased by the care they offered dc2,who had special needs,bent over backwards to encompass other agencies,who came in and did 1-1 with her,nursery very supportive.

Staff were all motivated,down to kitchen staff (offering healthy meals etc)

Baby rooms:The nursery nurse tended to be older,have had own children and very experienced.Staff turnover was very low.Lots of stuff to appeal to babies,age appropriate toys,twinkly lights,time taken to encourage littlies to have naps.

NO tv at any point in nursery.Nice garden/play area,getting children involved with growing/planting,lots of sensory stuff

Trips out,many.Took children for walk/pushchair in local area,daily

No tv or anything.

Doing lots of crafty arty stuff,stripping kids down to nappies and letting them play in pasta/jelly/sand/water/painty stuff.

Good communication between carers/parents.

will try to think of more and post

For the older ones well ds,(dd was always in age appropriate area but always encouraged...has mental age of 2) good preparation for school with phonics and stuff,but not overkill.Lots of positive input.I felt the nursery nurses always cared,and were positive about their job.I still see them often.I always felt that both dcs were cared about and that the nn truly "knew" them if that makes sense.Lots of info in home/school books.

Like Mavis dd goes to an outstanding ofsted nursery as it is just up the road!
Staff turnover is very, very low and the nurses all spend a lot of time hugging the little ones - lots of lots of affection and warmth is very evident throughout the whole place.
In terms of the rooms- everything is clean, neat and tidy but by no means amazing. They have lots of 'doing' toys - blocks and cups, musical toys in abundance and lots of touchy type stuff in the baby room. in the toddler room they have lots of bricks, joiny up trains, plastic animal sets etc.
Good outside area with playground with that bouncy stuff on and a focus on growing veg/fruit/plants in the lawn/bed area as well.
Painting done regularly including the baby room (make xmas crads and mother's day cards for parents using hand and footprints which is really lovely).
Food healthy but good attitude to 'treats' with party teas done occasionally (xmas and comic relief theme day for eg). Nothing odd (ryvita for snacks at one nursery I visited - put me right off - I want balance). Cupcakes on birthdays.
TV used for older children for half an hour after lunch and sometimes in the evening for any children left still at 5.45.
Haven't got to any education bits as dd just 12 months but so far very happy (she is safe, happy and recieves affection).
NOT about amazing toys/decor etc.

In babyrooms homely type furniture, not rows and rows of highchairs, we have low chairs around large table for those sitting. Makes it less institutionalised. Motivated staff who truly know the children, effective keyperson system.

DD (15mo) goes to a good nursery and I know it's not oustanding by ofsted standards but I knew as soon as I went there, it would be fab.

As mavis said it's down to the staff - the nursery has a really dedicated, approachable, motivational manager and friendly, caring staff - it came accross as soon as I met them. There's lots of hugs for children and 1:1 time and the staff seem to really know the kids in their room and what they like to do and there's good communication between us and our keyworker so I know they are really caring for and looking after DD properly iyswim.

There's trips outside in the pram sometimes up the road or even just having a picnic in the garden, so I know DD is gettng out for some fresh air.

The rooms are bright, lively and colourful with art and photo displays everywhere, which are changed regularly and it's nice to see what DD has been up to. They seem to do lots of crafts and painting, which surprised me as even the babies get involved and I've seen lots of pics of DD in her nappy having a fine old time rolling about in foam/jelly/custard/sand/water/paint etc.

The rooms are clean and organised into zones - quiet corner with bean bags for relaxing or story time, book corner and different toy corners.

When we arrive each morning the rooms are always organised and set up for the day - the breakfast table is set and there is always a selection of toys out ready. It sounds lame but when I see that I know that the day is planned and it's reassuring - one day last week they had a tent up ready for playing hide and seek!

I have 3 children, 1&2 went to an outstanding nursery, then we moved, and Number 3 is now at a (different) outstanding nursery (in fact it was voted the best individual nursery in the country).

The 2 nurseries were completely different - one was quite scruffy, the other is state of the art, but the atmosphere / basic principles were very similar. For both, there was / is a manager who was passionate about being the best / on site / extremely driven to provide the best care. In both, there was a mixture of young nursery nurses but also some ages 30 or 40+ who were mums and had been there for a long time - very low staff turnover. Each also had a keyworker system so we had one nursery nurse who paid special attention to what our children / child had been doing during the day and reported back to us. The first nursery in particular I really felt like they loved my children - their keyworker couldn't stop crying on the day that we left. Lots of hugs and snuggles, really affectionate. Only Number 3 has gone to nursery as a baby - that nursery has a separate entrance for the baby unit and it is like someone's home (on a much bigger scale). One part of the room has large saofas, rugs etc - the other part is covered in squidgy mats - there are mirrors, a ball pit, tunnels, books, stacking toys, musical instruments etc. They also have a separate sleeping room where each baby has their own dedicated cot (with their own bedding etc) which means each child's routine can be accommodated.

Both nurseries also had an open door policy - obviously with the appropriate security so that we went into the rooms where the children were on drop off / collection so we could see what they'd been doing / who they were playing with. Meant fab communication between nursery and parents.

A range of age appropriate activities that follow the appropriate guidelines - both nurseries had people coming in to do movement / music / dance / football coaching. Confidence in the staff to plan activities round the children - if its nice weather - being able to go on a nature trail / local ice cream farm. 1st nursery was in the middle of nowhere with lots of fields / nature around - think they spent at least 50% of their time outdoors (suited my children down to the ground). They had waterproof suits for when the weather wasn't good. Variety in activities so they are changed on a daily basis, a philosophy of good manners, social interaction, a hands on approach from the staff. Well documented records for the child (which can be accessed at any time), details of the menu displayed, daily activities displayed, lots of bright, stimulating art work on the walls etc. The rooms / activities are set up when the children are outside playing - highly organised. Also in my view its important to have a teacher / Someone with a teaching qualification in the pre school year - both nurseries had this.

Both nurseries have also arranged events for parents / the family. Open evenings but also family barbecues / drinks / safety talk etc so you can socialise with other parents / staff without children sometimes so you get wider exposure to the other parents / staff.

Will see if I can think of anything else!

baby rooms need to have a lot of heuristic play,water play, messy play, lots of low storage, age appropriate toys, displays that show what you are doing with no pre cut shapes, lots of photos, armchair/sofa so you can be encouraging breast feeding and showing you have a homely atmosphere ect

you need to have planning that covers every area of the eyfs and you need to show this and display it in a spot that can be seen by parents,staff,ofsted ect and all staff need to know what they are doing with it this is what ofsted will look for before they observe the room as it goes on the nursery sef.
you also need to be planning for the outside exactly the same as the inside so if you have sand inside you have sand outside ect and

you need to have a clear keyworker list which needs to be displayed and parents should be aware of who their keyworker is because ofsted could randomly ask parents if they know and if they dont it will show lack of parents as partners (eyfs standard) you should also send home "what does my child like to do at home this term" kind of form to show you carry on the interests at home and these should be added to learning journeys which should be sent home often!! as well as a communication form/book so you can prove that you send home information as required by law but also let parents write in about the child if they are in a rush so you can communicate with working parents ect a

if possable you should have a "day in the life of a average nursery child" as a display to show your routine and also add to that you follow each childs individual routine

open door policy is a given noone should have a closed door policy it looks like you have something to hide and lots of trips with a close ratio system and using parents to help out on the trip

sorry to have rambled hope this helps :) feel free to ask if you have any more questions i have been a manager of a outstanding rated nursery for a couple of years now :)