Ofsted & EYFS

We have a robust set of policies and procedures
that all staff understand and implement on a daily basis.

These ensure that your child is receiving the best care possible. The policies are accessible by parents at any time in electronic and hard copy formats. We have been registered by Ofsted our governing body ensuring that we are meeting all of the statutory requirements in the care and development of children aged from birth up to twelve years of age. We were inspected in September 2014 and September 2017, March 2018 for Cramlington – and we were very pleased with the outcome. See our fantastic Ofsted reports by visiting www.ofsted.gov.uk.

Learning through play

Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research has shown to be the means by which young children learn to think. Our setting uses the practice guidance Early Years Foundation Stage to plan and provide a range of play activities, helping children make progress in each of the areas of learning and development. In some of these activities, children decide how they will use the activity and in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity. In all activities, information from the practice guidance to the Early Years Foundation Stage has been used to decide what equipment to provide and how to provide it. We use lots of different approaches to our curriculum but always see the child as an individual and provide the best possible support throughout their time in nursery.

Assessment and Achievements

We use Tapestry,an online journal which allows the staff to observe the children on a daily basis using photographs, videos and written comments. Parents are asked to sign a simple consent form,after that, they are given their own personal pass code which enables secure access to their child’s profile. Parents can then look at photographs, videos and observations, and make comments on their child’s activities and so on. This is a great way for parents to be involved in their child’s learning and development – and is easily and securely accessible through mobile phones, tablets or computers. Every term you will be invited into nursery to speak to your child’s key worker. This is an opportunity to look at your child’s progress review and discuss any relevant issues with a member of staff. We try to keep these meetings as flexible as possible to fit around work and other family commitments – we’ll always try to accommodate parents as much as possible. We do offer an open door policy where you are free to speak to a member of staff at any time regarding any issues or concerns you may have.

We believe in early intervention and the importance of a child’s early years for developing and learning. We take great pride in helping children achieve to their full potential what ever stage of development they are at. We put targets and strategies in place for children who need additional support and work very closely with outside agencies including speech and language therapists, support workers and Physiotherapists. Wherever possible we endeavour to include all children regardless of their disability, putting steps in place to support the child and assessing how young children are learning and developing by observing them frequently. We use information that we gain from observations – as well as from photographs or videos of the children – to document their progress and plan for their next steps in learning. As well as planning around topics and themes, we also plan for the individual child where their interests, needs and abilities are taken into consideration.

We believe that parents know their children best. We ask them to contribute to assessment by sharing information about what their children like to do at home – and how they as parents are supporting their child’s development. This is supported by the parents giving us valuable information relating to likes, dislikes etc. in the children’s learning journeys.

Working Together For Your Children

We maintain the ratio of adults to children in the setting that is set through the Welfare Requirements.
We may also have volunteers, students or parent helpers where possible in an effort to complement these ratios. This helps us to:

  • give time and attention to each child;
  • talk with the children about their interests and activities;
  • help children to experience and benefit from the activities we provide;
  • and allow the children to explore and be adventurous in safety.