ofsted report Archives - Treetops Nursery, Willesden

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Babies, Child Development, Childcare, Children, Early Years Education, Education, Harlesden, Kensal Green, Nursery & Pre-School, NW10, Parenting, Willesden, Willesden Green

Should I Send My Child to Nursery?

Many new parents ask themselves whether they should send their baby, toddler or under-five child to nursery/pre-school. What exactly are the benefits to the child? Well, studies have shown that there are clear benefits for children if they attend a good nursery or pre-school in their early years. That good aspect is crucial, though, and as a good nursery ourselves (that’s official), we strongly agree. The benefits are obvious to us, but you don’t need to take our word for it. Today, we’ll look at the findings of independent research, including a recent study by the Department for Education (‘DfE’), demonstrating the clear benefits of sending children to a good nursery and/or pre-school during their early years.

What is a Good Nursery?

First, though, let’s clarify what makes a good nursery superior to a mediocre one. To give just a few examples, a good nursery will educate children under their care — they don’t simply babysit them because parents are at work. They’ll nurture children’s wellbeing, their learning and their development. They’ll create a learning and development programme that’s tailored to the strengths, weaknesses and interests of each individual child. A good nursery will set personal goals and continually assess the child’s progress, actually in partnership with parents. They’ll help every child to achieve personal bests in every area of a good Early Years curriculum. They’ll also do everything they can to help each child become school-ready by the time they leave, so they can move on seamlessly to Reception Year at primary school. Along the way, a good nursery, like Treetops, will help children in a huge number of ways, becoming more able, more self-confident, more independent, well-mannered, knowledgeable, aware of what’s right and wrong, able to socialise with others in an appropriate way — and so much more.

The Benefits of a Good Nursery or Pre-school

Now we’ve established what a good nursery/pre-school is, what did the 2020 DfE study say about sending under-fives to one? Well, they found that there are both short-term and long-term benefits to children if they attend a good nursery/pre-school during their early years.

Early childhood education benefits the educational, cognitive, behavioural and social outcomes of children in both the short and long term.
_{(Finding of the DfE study, February 2020).}

When a child gets a good educational grounding during their early years, their behaviour around others is also seen to improve, with better self-regulation, less problems with peers and fewer emotional issues. A 2002 study (Sammons et al.) found that the benefits could be seen from as young as two.

What’s more, a 2011 study from the OECD found that, by the time they reached the age of 15, children who had received a good early years education were outperforming other students by the equivalent of a year. That’s amazing when you think about it.

Looking further ahead, a 2018 study (Sim) found that a decent early years education, in good nurseries, pre-schools and childcare settings, boosted self-confidence and social skills in such a way as to provide “a better foundation for success at school, and subsequently in the workplace.”

“a better foundation for success at school, and subsequently in the workplace.”

Those are far-reaching outcomes! In effect, they’re saying that children’s lives will be positively impacted right into adulthood, simply because they attended a good early years education setting — just like that available at Treetops Nursery in Willesden.

Special Benefits for Disadvantaged Children

The most far-reaching benefits of a good early years education were found to be for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The 2020 impact study by the DfE found the following:

Children in this category benefit most if they attend a good early years education setting for at least 10 hours a week by the time they’re 2.
Similarly, 3 and 4-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds benefit most if they attend for at least 20 hours per week.
The results from this are improved verbal abilities and attaining goals expected of their age once they begin school in Reception year.
Indeed, those children from backgrounds with particularly poor home learning environments had a marked increase in verbal ability once they moved on to school.
So, a kind of levelling-up is provided by decent early years education.

It’s clear that the carefully structured curriculum and approach to learning and development at good early years settings really does help children to be better prepared and able for school at the age of five. This head-start, in turn, helps them to achieve more at school and later in the workplace, with better job prospects, all leading to better lifelong outcomes overall. There is even a link to reduced involvement in crime. These are incredibly important findings.

Benefits for Families & the Nation

As well as benefiting children, there are clear benefits to family households too, of course. Without getting too deeply into that in this particular article, obvious benefits include allowing parents/carers to get back to their careers after pausing for parental leave, allowing income levels to be healthier and upward mobility more likely. Overall, good childcare means less poverty and dependency on welfare too, along with lower crime levels.

A Good Nursery in Willesden, near Harlesden, Kensal Green & Willesden Green

If you’d like a really solid foundation for your child’s future, then consider childcare at a good nursery like Treetops Nursery in Willesden, London NW10. We offer the highest quality weekday childcare for babies and children aged up to five. Our Willesden nursery and pre-school is near Willesden Green, Harlesden, Kensal Green and those in the NW2 & NW6 postcodes. We also support Government-funded childcare for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds (where eligible).

To register your interest in a nursery place for your child, please get in touch. We’ll be happy to hear from you and can’t wait to show you around and to tell you more …

Call 020 8963 1259 Arrange a Visit Message/Email Us

19 January 2022/by Mark

Childcare, Children, Early Years Education, Nursery & Pre-School, NW10, Willesden

Top Marks for Treetops

Back in December, we published what turned out to be a very popular checklist for choosing a nursery. Our interactive file was a downloaded multiple times and continues to be shared amongst those looking for a good nursery for their children, right across the UK.

How Does Treetops Nursery Measure Up?

Here we’ll explore how Treetops Nursery measures up when using the Nursery Checklist. As you’ll see, Treetops performs extremely well. Take a look …

Convenient

The nursery would be extremely hard to beat if you’re looking for high quality childcare from a nursery or pre-school in the Willesden, Willesden Green, Harlesden or Kensal Green areas in north west London and the NW10 postal zone.

The setting is open 51 weeks of the year from Monday to Friday, only closing for a week over Christmas/New Year and during public or bank holidays. It’s open early from 8am right through to 6pm.

The nursery caters for babies from 6 months of age to children up to five years old, so is a perfect setting where children can prepare for the move to school at age five, while allowing parents and carers to continue with their careers in the interim.

Low Fees & Support for Government Funding Schemes

Fees at Treetops Nursery are extremely competitive, with half days costing no more than £40 per session and full days just £70. For those attending all week Monday to Friday, this is discounted to £300 for the week, or half day sessions all week would be £200 (prices correct at September 2021). Siblings receive a further 10% discount. All food, drinks and healthy snacks are included in the pricing.

Most childcare vouchers are accepted and the nursery supports 15 and 30 Government-funded hours for eligible children aged 2 to 4.

So, full marks for affordability!

Excellent Facilities & Equipment

Equipment and facilities at the nursery are excellent, both indoors and outside. An excellent overview of our outdoor spaces and play areas is available here and you can learn more about our excellent equipment and facilities, including for sensory play, here. As you’ll see via that link, there are also separate rooms and areas for each particular age group plus a sensory room and movement play room. Treetops Nursery is also lucky in having several natural outdoor spaces close by, so that children can enjoy the outdoors and learn from nature.

You Can Visit the Nursery

We welcome parents and carers who are considering Treetops Nursery for their child. Come and see the setting for yourself and bring your baby or child with you — you’ll soon see how easily they could fit in. Click the button below to arrange a visit:

Arrange a Visit

You’ll see that the nursery is warm and welcoming – a true home-from-home for your baby or child. Children and staff are happy at the setting and the little ones settle in very quickly when they first join. Staff will be happy to show you around, tell you everything about the nursery and to answer any questions that you might have. We’re here to help!

Don’t Take Our Word For It! Here’s What Others are Saying ….

Treetops Nursery scores 100% in independent online reviews, for example, scoring the full 5 Stars on Facebook’s reviews section. It doesn’t get any better than that! Just a few of the lovely comments people have written include:

“Really nice nursery with experienced staff and nurturing environment, great space too”

We’re extremely well thought-of as a nursery so, if you’re local to us, ask around and we’re convinced our previous parents will give glowing feedback about how well we looked after their little ones.

“My child has been with treetops since 9 months old and has worked her way up through all of their rooms … [she] is extremely happy at treetops, she has made lovely friends over her years. She is very fond of all of the staff … always enjoys her meals and tells me all about her activities at the end of the day. I would highly recommend treetops to any parent looking for a nursery place.”

A Good Ofsted Report

Our most recent Ofsted Report was also full of wonderful comments from the inspector who visited last time around. Take a look at our in-depth article showing all the positive feedback contained in our Ofsted report and you’ll soon see why we passed every benchmark with flying colours. We were officially rated as ‘a good nursery’ in every single category!

Excellent Safety & Security for Your Child

Treetops Nursery has excellent security protocols in place to protect children under its care. These include CCTV monitoring throughout the nursery, including indoors, in all the outdoor spaces and also in the reception/entrance area. Safety and security are primary concerns of all staff and stringent protocols are in place to ensure children are safe at all times, including at drop-off and pick-up times. These protocols ensure that only the right people have access to the children.

There are also robust health and safety protocols and measures in place to protect the children’s wellbeing. Staff are trained in First Aid, Safeguarding and Health & Safety as appropriate and the nursery also has suitable anti-COVID precautions in place to protect the wellbeing of staff, children and their parents or carers during the pandemic.

Excellent Additional Features

Children’s individual needs, including for those with special needs, are well catered-for at Treetops Nursery, Willesden. In fact, a learning and development programme is tailored to the needs, strengths, weaknesses and interests of each individual child. A ‘Key Person’ is also assigned to each child and this staff member continually monitors their progress, making changes to the tailored programme as appropriate as time goes by. Parents and carers are kept fully informed of children’s progress, including via a journal that is kept for each child. Parents are also free to add notes to the progress journal so a more complete picture is maintained for every child.

The nursery also has a very useful and informative phone app for parents and carers. It allows them to track their child’s learning and development, activities and more.

Within the fees, Treetops Nursery supplies healthy, balanced meals using fresh, high quality ingredients. Special diets are also catered for, including vegan, vegetarian, etc. We also have a 5 Star food hygiene rating – once again top marks!

The setting utilises the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework for all that it delivers. This high quality framework covers everything from the nursery curriculum to safeguarding, learning and development programmes, health & safety, suitability of staff and the ‘Key Person’ approach for each individual child. High staff-to-child ratios are all a part of this – and much more. It’s an excellent framework around which the entire nursery operates.

A Nursery Place for Your Baby or Child, in Willesden

If you like what you see in this round-up of what Treetops Nursery has to offer, perhaps consider Treetops as a nursery/pre-school for your baby, toddler or child. Our outstanding nursery is in Willesden, near Willesden Green, Harlesden and Kensal Green in London NW10. Do, please, get in touch while a few places are still available. We’ll be happy to tell you more, answer any questions and show you/your child around. Please choose an option:

020 8963 1259 Book a Visit Get in Touch

29 January 2021/by Mark

Childcare, Early Years Education, Nursery & Pre-School, NW10, Ofsted Inspection, Ofsted Report, Willesden

A Good Ofsted Report for Treetops Nursery

One of the first things people should look at before settling on a nursery for their children is the latest Ofsted Report for the setting. After all, it’s wise to check the professional and independent feedback that such reports contain. On this note, parents and carers considering Treetops Nursery for their baby or child will be pleased to know that we passed with flying colours in its most recent Ofsted Report. Although it’s been a while since that report, we thought we’d share the outcome so that parents can see for themselves just how good a nursery Treetops is. In fact, we were rated as a good nursery in every single category and we’ll cover that in more detail below.

Treetops Nursery passed with flying colours

First, though, we’ll explain a little about Ofsted and what they checked for during the most recent inspection.

Ofsted

Ofsted is the UK’s official “Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills”. As such, they inspect services providing education and skills and regulate services that care for children and young people. This includes childcare settings, nurseries and pre-schools throughout the UK. Ofsted inspections and the resulting reports are part of this governance.

What they checked

The Ofsted Inspector observed the quality of the teaching during various activities, both inside and outdoors. They then appraised the impact of this on the children’s learning.
During the inspection, the Inspector talked with both staff and children, at appropriate moments throughout her visit, to further her insight.
Joint observations were also undertaken by the Ofsted Inspector, in tandem with the nursery manager and room leaders.
Meetings were also held with the nursery manager and area manager.
Documentation was checked by the Inspector. This included ensuring that nursery staff were checked in terms of suitability, training and qualifications for the jobs they were undertaking. These checks would also, of course, ensure that all staff had been checked and deemed suitable for working with children.
The Inspector also spoke with parents during her visit as well as reading through written feedback supplied by them. All such comments and feedback were taken into consideration when putting together the final Ofsted Report.

The Ofsted Inspector’s Conclusion

In her final Ofsted Report, the Inspector said that Treetops delivered all of the following:

good standards and quality of early years provision;
good, effective leadership and management;
good quality of teaching, learning and assessment;
good personal development, behaviour and welfare;
good outcomes for children.

Glowing feedback indeed! The Ofsted Report goes on to look at each one in more detail and we take a look at the lovely feedback below:

“Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good”

As you can see by the Report’s findings, our new management at the time of the last Inspection had already had a good, positive impact on the nursery and the quality of the services delivered. Here’s what Ofsted reported:

“ Staff, parents and children’s voices form an integral part of the nursery’s improvement plans, which include the support from the local authority. Qualified staff show a good capacity to continuously improve the services for children. Parents and staff praise the positive impact on children, following the immediate changes made by the new management. All children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are safe and make rapid progress.”

It’s good to see Ofsted recognising the rapid progress made by children with special educational needs and/or disabilities at the setting.

On safety and safeguarding of children under our care, the report says:

“The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff take part in ongoing safeguarding training and confidently promote the child protection policy. They know the possible signs of abuse and the procedures to follow for the referrals of concerns.”

“Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good”

The high quality of staff, teaching activities (both indoors and outside), learning resources and the overall educational programme were all applauded in the Ofsted Report:

“Qualified staff confidently promote the areas of learning across the nursery and children access resources to start their own play. Children also enjoy a good balance of adult-led activities, which effectively promotes their learning needs and interests. Younger children love singing and confidently request their favourite songs, using simple language, props and the song cards created by staff. Staff plan well-targeted educational programmes for children with plenty of indoor and outdoor learning opportunities. Older children find natural resources in the ‘secret garden’. They are challenged by staff to describe and research the resources in books.”

Their final conclusion in this part of the report was that “Teaching is good and children progress well”, which is a great result.

“Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good”

The Ofsted Report also praised the nursery staff in regard to the way they handle children’s personal needs, also encouraging good manners and behaviours:

“Staff obtain detailed information from parents about children’s personal requirements and maintain close partnerships with them to promote their ongoing needs … They engage parents to support their emotional needs.” Also they said children themselves “are independent and learn to manage their [own] personal needs.”

The Inspector also recognised that children at the setting are accepting of others and well-behaved. The Ofsted Report states: “Staff are good role models and teach children to be polite and accepting of others” … also saying … “Children are praised and behave well … Children learn about each other and explore the varied cultures across their community.”

In regard to healthy eating and healthy lifestyles, the report said: “Staff effectively promote children’s health. Meals are nutritious and children enjoy plenty of outdoor play and exercise every day.” It’s great to see our work in this regard recognised officially.

“Outcomes for children are good”

A good outcome for every baby or child is, perhaps, the most important goal any nursery or childcare setting can achieve. So, it’s great to see that the good outcomes for children under our care have been officially recognised by Ofsted. The Report says:

“Children learn through play. They are enthusiastic and motivated to learn, fully enjoying the exciting activities available to them. For example, younger children enjoy playing with plastic balls. They learn to name colours, count and roll the balls to their peers while saying their names. Older children collect objects of different sizes from the garden and try to balance them on scales. They are confident communicators and use sophisticated mathematical language to describe what they are doing. They are effectively challenged to develop their skills across all areas of learning. Children make good progress, given their starting points, and gain the necessary skills to successfully start school.”

Gaining the necessary skills to successfully start school is also a key goal for any good nursery. It’s therefore great to see Ofsted recognising how well Treetops Nursery prepares children so they are ‘school-ready’ by the time they leave us.

The Next Ofsted Report

Generally speaking, Ofsted inspections and reports tend to happen every four years or so. This means that Treetops is due a new one in the near future, although it may be held up a little due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place at time of writing. Gov.uk’s Ofsted page reports that, for now, inspections will be carried out remotely until after the February half term although, of course, that could change. We’ll keep you posted with an update, though, the moment any new Ofsted Report becomes available. With the nursery’s goal of continual improvement, we are aiming to do even better next time. So, watch this space!

A Nursery Place for your Child in Willesden, NW10

If you are searching for high quality nurseries in Willesden or a good nursery near Willesden Green, Harlesden or Kensal Green, please do consider Treetops Nursery. As you can see from the most recent Ofsted Report, we offer very high quality childcare for babies and young children. If you’d like to explore the possibility of your baby or child attending Treetops Nursery, please get in touch via one of the following options. We’ll be happy to help further.