What does Ofsted say about us?
All nurseries in the England are regulated by Ofsted and most will receive a visit from an inspector every 4 years. The inspector will spend a day within a setting reviewing the procedures and watching the staff as they care for the children.
Nurseries are very special places for the children who attend, and it must be very hard for inspectors to fully do justice to any setting. We have always been delighted with the wonderful thing our inspectors have chosen to say about our nurseries.
Below you will find the summary sections of our latest reports and links to the full documents.
Farmoor (between Cumnor and Farmoor)
– Ofsted rating (2013) – Outstanding
– Ofsted rating (2019) – Good
Eynsham (between Eynsham and Church Hanborough)
– Ofsted rating (2013) – Outstanding
– Ofsted rating (2022) – Good
Bletchingdon (between Kidlington and Bicester)
– Most recent Ofsted rating (2018) – Good
Farmoor Setting Summary
Children show consistently good levels of well-being. They show that they thoroughly
enjoy their time at nursery. They approach their play and learning confidently and
happily.
There are warm attachments between children and the staff who look after them. This
is especially evident with babies and very young children. For example, babies who
have recently started nursery respond very well to the cuddles and smiles offered by
kind and reassuring staff. This good practice helps children feel safe and secure.
Partnerships with parents are strong. For example, staff provide parents with lots of
suggestions about how they can help children prepare for the move to school. Staff
and parents work well together to make sure that children have the independence skills
they will need in this new environment.
The manager and staff continue to review the provision in order to make ongoing
improvements. For example, they have improved the learning environment for older
children so that it is even more inviting. Staff use resources to good effect, indoors and
outdoors, to inspire children to play purposefully and to take part in a wide range of
learning experiences.
Children make good progress and the overall quality of teaching is good. Staff are
especially effective at supporting children’s social, communication and creative
development. Children show especially strong skills in these areas. On occasions, staff
miss opportunities to build further on children’s existing mathematical knowledge.
The newly appointed manager is developing further systems for monitoring the quality
of teaching and providing staff with feedback on their performance. However, these
systems are not yet fully effective in supporting staff to raise the quality of their
teaching to the highest level.
Eynsham Setting Summary
Staff consistently include parents in the assessment process to ensure a full picture of children’s achievements and areas to develop further is recorded.
Parents contribute to individual play plans that feature children’s achievements at home to promote a fully cohesive approach to learning.
Staff provide children with excellent outdoor learning opportunities that fully support all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Staff implement exceptional responsive planning that incorporates children’s own interests.
The nursery team excellently promotes children’s awareness of healthy diets.
The systems for self-evaluation are robust and give each member of staff a voice to ensure strengths and areas to improve are identified.
Bletchingdon Setting Summary
The manager is ambitious and has high expectations for the nursery. She values the opinions of staff, parents and children and actively seeks their views when evaluating the provision. She successfully incorporates their comments and suggestions into her plans for future development, to help make continual improvements that enhance outcomes for children.
Children are confident, with good self-esteem. The very effective key-person system and settling-in procedures support children well. They quickly develop good relationships with staff and make friends with other children, showing they feel emotionally secure.
There is a strong partnership with parents, enabling the effective sharing of detailed information. This helps staff to know each child’s home care routine and also supports children’s learning at home. Parents feel valued and speak highly of staff.
Children are enthusiastic learners who are keen to explore and investigate. The stimulating and welcoming environment supports children’s independence and learning.
