Teeny Tots Day NurseryOfsted inspection, 28 Jun 2006

Teeny Tots

Inspection report for early years provision

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Teeny Tots

Unique Reference Number EY309571 Inspection date 28 June 2006 Inspector Michelle Smith

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Teeny Tots

Setting Address 256 Moseley Road, Birmingham, West Midlands, B12 0BS

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E-mail

Registered person Bhat Singh Sabha ( Highgate) Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Teeny Tots opened in 2006. It operates from an enclosed first floor area within the Saffron Centre in Highgate, Birmingham. There are four main play rooms including a designated room for large physical play as the setting does not have an outdoor play area. A maximum of 54 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open all year round from 08:00 to 18:00 each week day with the exception of bank holidays.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 There are currently 18 nursery and 23 crèche children on roll aged from one to four years. Of these, seven children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide catchment area. Parents of crèche children attend education courses based at the Saffron Centre. The nursery currently supports children with learning difficulties and / or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employ 10 permanent staff plus agency staff who cover during busy periods. Of these, five permanent staff are qualified with the remaining five staff training towards early years qualifications. All agency staff have a level 3 qualification in early years. The nursery is working towards the National Day Nurseries Association quality

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children complete routine hygiene tasks with enthusiasm. They brush their teeth after lunch and wash their hands before and after eating food. Picture signs, clear direction from the staff and appropriately sized equipment all help to inspire them to follow the daily hygiene routines consistently. Staff are good at keeping the premises clean. They mop the floor after meal times and have set days for sterilising equipment and resources. This, together with clear sickness procedures, helps to prevent the spread of infection. Children's health is protected in medical situations. Staff have written consent to seek emergency advice for any child and there is always a minimum of one first aid trained staff member on the premises at any one time. Children's rest and sleep routines are respected as the staff mirror the child's home routine. Children benefit from a healthy and nutritional diet. Regular snacks, drinks and meal

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Helping children to be healthy

times ensure they have both food and drink in regular quantities. All of the food provided is vegetarian. Staff work in partnership with parents to identify and meet any specific dietary requirements children may have. Children eat well. They sit at the table with suitably sized cutlery and talk with their friends. This encourages a sociable meal time where they are developing a positive approach to food and healthy eating. Children of all ages enjoy physical exercise. They are developing sound climbing and balancing skills as they climb to the top of the slide. They learn the importance of keeping their bodies fit as they complete exercises to music. Children are beginning to develop greater coordination of their large motor skills. Younger children move bikes around using their feet to push themselves forward. Older children demonstrate clear progression as they pedal bikes competently steering around obstacles.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children in the baby room are encouraged to crawl, walk and explore their surrounding through push and pull toys, for example vehicles. As a result of the setting's motivated approach to physical play, children are gaining a very good understanding of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are well cared for in the welcoming environment provided. The premises are effectively designed with children moving freely and safely as they play. For example, children access physical play through a set soft play room as there is no outdoor space. The large majority of daily hazards are minimised. Staff display a wet floor sign when floors are slippery to reduce falls and hazardous substances are not within children's reach. The premises are secure. Staff monitor access to the group through close circuit televisions. Risk assessments are completed frequently and fire escape drills are practised often. This means children are able to concentrate on their play and extend their own ideas in mostly safe surroundings. Children use a very varied range of good quality resources. These are easily accessible with the vast majority of the toys being stored at the child's height.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are encouraged to care for their play room and toys. They help to tidy away when asked and push their chairs under when leaving the table. This encourages them to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe. Children are mostly protected from possible abuse or neglect. There is a named worker who takes responsibility for ensuring all staff are knowledgeable in the field of child protection. Staff are familiar with the signs of abuse and the content of the child protection policy. The policy is easy for staff, parents and volunteers to understand. However, it does not include procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff or volunteer. As a result, children's safety overall is compromised.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Most children enjoy their time at the setting. Activities for children aged up to three years are planned using the 'Birth to three matters' framework. This is a new system the setting is using for planning and assessing children's development. It is mostly successful. Babies enjoy playing with a wide range of resources that extend their sensory development. They touch and feel the toys as they play and respond with smiles as they discover how resources make sounds and move. Permanent staff members interact well with the babies. They use their voice and their body language to build strong relationships with them. The interaction between agency staff and children is variable, as is the response to the needs of crèche children. They do not talk to the children as much and have less knowledge of their individual circumstances and needs. As a result, crèche children do not always settle

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

confidently and their early communication skills are not always maximised. A relaxed environment is provided for children aged two to three years. Resources are very easily accessible. Children move their toys around to extend their play, for example they draw and play with dolls along side each other. Some staff sit with the children in the book corner and read with them on a one to one basis. They enjoy this focus time and concentrate well. Children play happily together. They talk to each

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 other as they play, such as when manipulate soap. They show much enjoyment as they experiment with textures. They laugh as they dip wands into a container and make bubbles. Children gain further control of their bodies as they learn how to control the strength and angle of their blow to produce bubbles. They talk about big and little as they blow which extends their understanding of simple mathematical terms. Children who do not wish to take part are offered alternatives, for example making puppets. They are offered a good choice of activities using a wide variety of resources. As a result, they are becoming independent motivated learners. Nursery education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff have a developing understanding of the foundation stage and how to implement it to best promote

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children's development. They are attending training to further enhance their knowledge. Written plans are reasonably detailed, but lack clear focus to specifically define what children are expected to learn and what stepping stone the activity is connected to. As a result some activities loose their focus area and do not achieve their learning intention, for example, children are shown symbols of religion but a lack of planning results in little visual stimuli or resources to make the activity meaningful. Not all areas of learning are covered within the written plans and assessments are not used actively to plan the next steps in their learning. As a result, children are making good progress in some areas, such as physical development and variable progress in others, such as creative development. Staff have good relationships with the funded children. They capture children's interest when reading familiar stories

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and talk enthusiastically about familiar experiences. This helps children to feel secure. Their behaviour is well managed. Children respond well to consistent boundaries and are developing a clear sense of right and wrong. Staff have a cheerful and friendly approach. They display children's art work and create a welcoming environment which boosts their self confidence. Children are keen and eager to take part in the initial launch of activities. They are motivated by the staff to join in with all activities, for example singing the register song. They show good concentration as they play with puppets and use books for pleasure. Throughout the day, children are confident speakers. They initiate and continue conversations around many subject areas with other children and staff. Children have good levels of confidence. They ask staff questions and follow up with more questioning to clarify answers given. They are quiet when they need to be,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

listening to staff and following directions well. Children are starting to recognise numerals and understand that print carries meaning. However, the environment does not promote this fully, for example, numerals are not used within free play and there is insufficient print in the role play area. They enjoy making marks in their own book, practising their emergent writing. Children handle books well. They show an active interest in familiar stories and can recount the story line confidently. Through the consistent use of daily routines, children are able to count up to ten and beyond. They use their fingers to begin to count the adults present and point to adults as they attempt to name one item for each object they count. However, more able children are not challenged to develop their problem solving and calculation skills. For example, finding out how many cups will be needed at snack time for the amount of children present. They are beginning

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 to show an understanding of space as they find a free area for dance and exercise. Children are developing a sense of time and place as they complete the daily register and talk about significant events. They talk about the days of the week and visit local attractions, such as the fire station. Planned trips help them to learn about their own culture and the beliefs of others, for example, going to the Sikh Temple. Children are developing a strong understanding of the use of information and communication technology through, for example lap tops. However, they are not provided with sufficient time and opportunities to learn about living and growing things, such as what food needs to grow. This restricts their skill to explore and investigate a full range of materials and objects. Children build and construct with a reasonable range

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

of resources, for example construction toys. Children move confidently and are developing good coordination skills. They run and jump well, stopping and starting with ease. Their fine hand movements are becoming more controlled through such activities as threading. Children have fun with messy play, such as sticking and sand play. They express their creative side with enjoyment through singing and music. However, the role play area is set up with little visual props and fails to consistently spark children's imagination. As a result, they are not always freely expressing their imaginative ideas and building on real or imagined experiences.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. The nursery children are forming sound relationships with each other and staff. They talk actively to each other about familiar experiences, for example playing football and know each others names. Crèche children attend the group on a more occasional basis and display a lower sense of belonging to the group. This has a direct impact on their learning and hinders the development they make whilst at the setting. All children's individual care needs are known and respected by the staff, for example allergies, religions and sleep routines. Children are beginning to learn about their own needs as they toilet and select activities independently. Through planned activities, they learn about the needs of others including festivals and religious symbols. This approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The setting work actively to recognise any additional needs children

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Helping children make a positive contribution

may have, for example English as an additional language and learning disabilities and / or difficulties. Children are observed in the group as an aid to track their overall development. Parents are informed verbally that these observations take place; however they are not always informed of written records that are maintained or the purpose of the observations. This means that staff are not always working as effectively as possible to best meet and understand children's needs. Children behave well and respond to boundaries set by the staff. They take turns and share, for example when playing with cars and blowing bubbles. Staff use routine activities well to promote consistency. They praise children often, for example when children offer answers and respond to the contents of story book or when babies explore toys. This helps to boost children's confidence and encourages them to feel

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 good about themselves. Children benefit from friendly relationships between staff and parents. Most systems enhance this relationship, for example all policies are displayed for them to read and newsletters inform them of up and coming events. The system for sharing information works well for most of the time. Parents of babies receive a daily written account of activities their child has done and feedback on care issues, such as toileting. The partnership with parents and carers of children who receive nursery education is satisfactory. A web site is active and informs parents of home school links and how to become actively involved in their child's learning. Parents have reasonable access to records on their child. They are informed verbally of how their child is progressing.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Appropriate adult to child ratios are maintained at all times. Staff spend the majority of their time working directly with the children. This means that most children receive a high level of individual attention and staff know most children well, particularly the nursery children. The space within the setting is used well. Most of the children show a strong sense of belonging to their room base, staff and children within it. The procedures for making sure staff are suitable to work with children are mostly effective. The management have a reasonable understanding of how important it is to protect children. However, they do not always see agency staff's original Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosure nor so they keep a consistent written record of staff CRB checks. This means children are not fully safeguarded from risk of harm. Procedures to ensure staff are medically fit to work with children and have a suitable

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Organisation

work history are effective. The large majority of required documents are in place. Staff work well to implement nearly all policies consistently. This provides children with almost consistent care. The leadership and management of the setting is satisfactory. Clear guidance is given by the management to ensure staff are sure of their roles. They value their professional development and encourage them to attend training. Monitoring of the education programme takes place, however it has not been rigorous enough to identify where improvements are needed. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they

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Complaints since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure the child protection policy clearly states procedures to be followed should an allegation be made against a member of staff or volunteer • make the procedures for ensuring all staff are suitably vetted in relation to Criminal Records Bureau checks more rigorous • ensure staff interaction is consistent and crèche children are consistently stimulated and their learning needs are recognised at all times • ensure parents are made aware of all records that are kept on their child

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • effectively monitor and evaluate the provision for nursery education to ensure all children are making progress in all areas of learning • ensure children are challenged in their problem solving and calculation skills, have sufficient and meaningful opportunities to use numerals and print within free play and explore living things through using their senses • provide greater depth to the planning ensuring activities match their learning intentions and evaluations and / or assessments are used effectively to help move children to the next stage in their learning • make better use of the role play area to inspire children's imagination and to provide greater opportunities for them to discover, explore and express their creativity

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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