Day nursery open all year
270 Lee Street, Oldham, OL8 1BG

Contact phone

0161 526 5645
Ofsted URN: 2768661

Ofsted rating

Good

Age

From 3 months to 11 years

Vacancies

10

Opening times

Monday - Friday 7.30am - 6pm, Morning session: 7.30am - 1pm, Afternoon session: 1pm - 6pm

Cost details

Per day: £41.50, Per week: £195

Free childcare possible for 2 year olds

Yes

Free childcare possible for 3/4 year olds

Yes

Takes childcare vouchers?

Yes

Drops-off/picks-up from

Holy Rosary RC Primary School, Canon Burrows CofE Primary School

Description

Registered for 30 hours free childcare

10% discount for siblings and emergency services

Special diets offered

On discussion with Parents

Provides for different cultural needs

Yes

How do you identify special educational needs and disabilities?

All children are observed and monitored on a daily basis. Focused observations and ‘snapshots’ of children's activities and achievements are gathered using our online learning journals to track where a child's development stands against the Early Years Foundation Stage. Each half term (every six weeks) a child’s key person will track all areas of a child's development and assess where they sit and if this is in line with their chronological age. If it shows to be more/less than 2 months difference the child's key person will liaise with the settings SENCO and formulate an individual plan for the child to close any gaps. Should there be no improvement over the next tracking period the SENCO will assess the need for further/additional intervention from outside agencies. At all times parents will be involved in this process, and will be directed, with our support, to external agencies that can provide additional support if needed.

How do you support a child’s learning and development?

Before a child starts with us, we gather information from their parents/cares regarding their general routines and their likes/dislikes through our All About Me proformas. We also ask about key development milestones and if they have reached them yet. After a child has been with us for 3-4 weeks we will carry out a ‘baseline track’ to gauge roughly where they sit against the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. Information gathered from parents will also be used for this. From this we create ‘next steps’ for each child. These are used to plan activities for specific areas of development that need progressing. Activities and snapshots of events are recorded using our online learning journal, which then contribute to the next tracking cycle where we can assess progression.

How do you meet a child’s educational needs?

Children learn best when they are active and engaged in activities that interest them. For this reason, all activities planned for children are linked to their interests. This allows us to ensure that children are getting the most enjoyment out of the activity and that they fully cater to their development needs. Spontaneous planning is catered for and mostly happens if a child has experienced something new at home/within the nursery setting. Staff members will acknowledge this and extend their learning through unplanned activities, or ‘in the moment’ plans.

How do we know my child is achieving agreed outcomes?

All observations and tracking information is uploaded onto our online learning journals meaning parents and carers can easily access their child’s learning journal as they wish. Should there be any concerns over a child’s development their key person will be in regular communication with parents/carers to discuss their progress and plans to move their development forward. Parents can also request meetings with their child’s key worker or the nursery SENCO if they feel this would be more beneficial to them.

How do you adapt for a child with extra needs?

When a child with recognised additional needs starts with us we will gather as much information as we can from their parents and any other outside agencies working with the family to see what adaptations are required for the child to access the nursery. Plans will then be put in place for any additional equipment or resources that might be needed for their child. At all times we will assess how reasonable these additional requirements are to ensure that we can still accommodate all families using our setting.

How accessible is your service, outside and inside?

The ground floor of our setting is fully accessible with a ramp fitted to our main entrance. The outdoor areas are all on one level with a small step at the exit doors to access the gardens. We have a disabled toilet located on the ground floor of the setting and all doors are wheelchair accessible. Should a child need access to any of the rooms on our upper floors we would assess accessibility and plan for how children can still access the setting fairly.

How do you involve children in outings and trips?

Any trips or outings that are planned will have a strict risk assessment carried out prior to the children going. Parents/carers will be consulted and asked to give permission for their child to go. Plans will be made for staff:child ratios, necessary equipment and resources that need to be taken on the trip also.

How do you work with other organisations?

We work with outside agencies on a need basis. We regularly communicate with the local authority regarding funded places and we are also in contact with local health professionals who assess how healthy our setting is. We are also involved in a local health authority toothbrushing scheme. On occasion we may need to contact other agencies as the need arises in the setting. We have full access to all phone numbers and email addresses of such agencies and are contactable ourselves through phone and email.

How do you support children when they start and leave?

At Medlock Day Nursery we have thorough transition periods in place that will support both children and their families. As children begin we have set proformas in place, for each age group, that gather as much information as possible regarding a child’s routine at home so that we can carry this on in the setting. Our families are all invited to attend three separate settling in sessions, undertaken at different times of the day so that they can get used to the nursery environment and the staff. Parents are required to stay with their child initially but are then asked to gradually leave their child with the staff so that we can see how settled they are. We have facilities in the nursery for parents to stay on site should they wish to. We understand that this can be a very anxious time for parents so all settling in sessions are flexible and can be extended if a parent/carer feels they need it. As children progress through the nursery meetings take place between key persons to ensure all relevant information regarding a child is passed on effectively. Staff will spend with the child in their new and existing rooms to enable a smoother transition for the child. Should a child move on to a different setting, or onto school we have a set proforma that’s used to give the new setting as much information as possible about the child. Where possible we will arrange visits to the new setting, subject to agreement with parents and the new setting, and will create a picture book for the child showing them their new environment. Throughout this process we will ensure that we involve any outside agencies that may be working with the family.

How are you/staff trained in extra needs?

We have a designated SEND officer within the setting who has attended training with the local authority, ensuring they are able to fulfil this role effectively. We hold copies of guidance relating to working with children with additional needs and the SEND officer regularly updates the rest of the staff team on any changes to practice or elements of good practice they should be using. We regularly update training and will undertake courses when needed for any new families joining our setting.

What is your policy on compliments, complaints, concerns?

We welcome feedback from parents, both positive and constructive, to ensure that we continually offer the highest standards of childcare in our setting. Should a parent want to raise a concern we have a detailed procedure for this, visible and introduced to all parents when they start with us. We would always encourage parents to talk to a member of staff (whoever they feel most comfortable with) should they have any concerns/complaints. At all times a log will be made of these and recorded in the nursery office. The nursery manager is made aware of any such incidents and will ensure that any concerns/complaints made are followed up effectively and in line with our complaints procedure. We have several lines of communication for parents to contact us through and the nursery manager has an open-door policy for all parents/carers using the setting. We also make parents aware that it is their right to go straight to Ofsted with a concern/complaint, should they wish to, and we openly display this information in the nursery.
Updated: 20/02/2024