Tiny Turners

Tiny Turners Inspection report for early years provision

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EY292328 Unique Reference Number 02 May 2007 Inspection date Ann Doubleday / Ann Coggin Inspector

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Willow Lodge, 63a Brinkburn Road, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 6DX

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E-mail

Tiny Turners Nurseries Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of 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

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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?

Tiny Turners Day Nursery was registered in September 2004. It is one of four nurseries run by Tiny Turner Nurseries and operates from a large converted Victorian house in the Cockerton area of Darlington. A maximum of 72 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.30 to 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure outdoor play area, part of which is for the exclusive use of the children under two years.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 90 children from six months to 10 years on roll. Of these 26 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local and surrounding areas. The children's hours of attendance vary according to the wishes of the parents. The nursery currently supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are 14 staff who work with the children, of the staff 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications. Two members of staff are working towards a qualification and four are working towards a further qualification. Staff receive support from an advisory teacher from the local authority.

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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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children have good opportunities to use their physical skills each day as they go out to play in the garden and use a wide selection of resources, such as cars, bikes, a slide and a climbing frame. Older children also take part in dance lessons each week. There is sufficient space to allow children to move around independently and safely. Children rest and sleep according to their individual needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are developing a positive approach to health and hygiene. All children wash their hands before eating and older children are beginning to understand why they need to do so. Appropriate nappy changing procedures are followed and clear sick children, medication and accident procedures are in place. Some staff have appropriate first aid certificates and consent has been gained from parents for seeking any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment. This ensures children's health needs are promoted.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children receive a varied range of meals and snacks which are freshly prepared on the premises and include fruit and vegetables each day. Children have their individual dietary needs met through staff working appropriately with parents and displaying lists in the kitchen and nursery rooms, thus ensuring children's good health. Staff promote good hygiene and set a good example as they wear protective gloves and aprons when serving food. Older children are beginning to understand the benefits of healthy eating as they know which foods are good for them. Children have good access to drinks, as water dispensers and cups are easily accessible to them, throughout the day. This ensures they do not remain thirsty.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. The premises are clean warm and comfortable. Space is used appropriately and children move around freely while easily accessing a range of developmentally appropriate furniture and equipment, although, there is no adult size furniture in the tweeny room in order to aid babies mobility and development. There is a good range of clean, well maintained resources which are suitably organised in child-height furniture to encourage independent access.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The security of the premises is good. There are clear lost and uncollected child policies in place and a visitor's book is used appropriately. Fire procedures are displayed and implemented well. Risk assessments are completed and some risks have been identified and minimised, however, not all electric sockets are protected, there are some training wires and a liquid air freshener is at a low level in the baby room and poses a hazard. Staff are not always sufficiently vigilant in order to keep children fully safe, for example, tweenies are not always strapped into the high chairs at meal times and toddlers swing on two legs of their chairs without being noticed by staff.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Clear child protection procedures are in place which include procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation against staff. Relevant training has been accessed by staff, they have a sound understanding about the procedures to be followed and a satisfactory understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse. This means children are sufficiently safeguarded.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

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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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Young children benefit from accessing a wide variety of activities and play opportunities to promote and develop their emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities. Staff use effective systems for the observation and assessment of development, enabling children to make good progress. Staff have a good understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework and planning and assessments are clearly linked to the framework. Children's care and learning needs are consistently met due to key workers taking responsibility for a group of children. All children, including babies, are supported in exploring their environment and have easy access to stimulating activities. Children play happily and are meaningfully engaged, for example, they enjoy experimenting with angel delight and with different textures, such as different cereals. Babies enjoy playing with water and bubbles.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have close and caring relationships with staff which helps promote children's confidence and build self-esteem. Children enjoy their time at the nursery, they arrive happy and settle well. Relationships between babies and their staff are particularly good and babies often receive individual attention. This develops the children's sense of self. Communication skills with children are well supported through appropriate adult to child interactions.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Older children that attend before and after the school day arrive happy and settle well. They are involved in deciding what activities they would like to take part in and talk positively about their time at the club. They particularly enjoy playing in the garden and playing games. Good relationships are evident between staff and children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory and children are making sound progress. Staff have a satisfactory understanding of the foundation stage curriculum and ways in which children learn. Activity planning covers all areas of learning so that children enjoy a good variety of activities and are eager to learn. Assessment records are completed regularly and children's progress linked to the stepping stones, however, this information is not used well in the planning for future activities and is not always completed when children begin their time in the pre-school room. This results in some missed learning opportunities for children. The evaluation of focused activities show differentiation for children's individual learning needs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are well behaved. They are beginning to learn to share and take turns. Children are confident in their interactions with staff and each other as they join in activities and have a positive approach towards new experiences. They are developing some understanding of other cultures and the world around them. For example, as they learn about Diwali and Chinese New Year. Children know and understand why they need to wash their hands, however, they do not have sufficient opportunities to develop their self-care skills, for example, collecting and putting on their own coats or serving their own meals. Children are developing an understanding of the environment, for example, as they enjoy digging in the garden and looking for bugs. They show some interest in plants and know that they need water and sun to grow. They have opportunities to use information technology as they have access to a computer.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing good communication skills, they communicate well with staff and each other, initiate conversations and listen to each other. They confidently join in with familiar nursery rhymes and are beginning to link sounds to letters, for example, as they know 'd' is for dad and for dog. Children participate well during story time and some children can predict what

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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 is going to happen next. Children have access to books and handle them well. Children hold pencils correctly and some form recognisable letters. Older children are able to write their own names in the mark making area, however, this is not extended well to other activity areas.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have opportunities to use information technology as they have access to a computer. They count reliably up to ten and most can recognise some numerals. For example, as they look on the bean bags for the correct numeral. However, they do not use counting or simple problem solving in everyday routines, for example, the number of children in a line or how many plates are needed at meal times. Children recognise and name some shapes and are beginning to use mathematical language appropriately. For example, as they know the bin wagon is going backwards.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children construct with a purpose in mind, for example, as they use blocks to build a tower. They are beginning to use their imagination in play and explore different types of media, using their senses. Children have good opportunities to extend their large physical skills, They demonstrate good control when using the slide, climbing up the steps and crawling through the tunnel. They climb up and down stairs well as they access the outdoor area. Children develop satisfactory levels of hand eye coordination as they use tools and materials for a purpose, such as pencils and glue spreaders. They negotiate space well as they move around indoors.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are welcomed into the setting and participate in all activities because staff are aware of and respect their individual needs. They access a varied range of activities which increase their awareness of diversity, however, resources that show positive images of other cultures are limited. Children learn about the local community as they take part in outings and receive visitors to the setting, for example, they visit the local park and Topsy Turvy and have taken part in sponsored events for children in need. The nursery has satisfactory procedures in place to support children who speak English as an additional language, however, staff have not yet learned key words in the children's first language. There are systems in place to support children with physical disabilities and learning difficulties and the names coordinator has completed relevant training.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are generally well behaved, they are supported well by staff and encouraged to use good manners. There is a clear behaviour management policy in place and staff use positive methods for managing children's behaviour. Children receive appropriate praise and encouragement and older children receive stickers for their achievements. This means children's spiritual moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good. Parents are happy with the setting and they receive good information about the Foundation Stage curriculum and the 'Birth to three matters' framework. They have access to the nursery's policies and procedures, and receive an information brochure when their child commences. Children benefit from the two way sharing of information. Staff actively seek information from parents about the child's individual needs and routines and verbal discussion takes place each day. Parents of younger children also receive a written diary about their child's day. Parents receive regular newsletters, a yearly written report about their child's progress and have an opportunity to formally meet with the child's key worker each year.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Staff plan an appropriate range of activities for the children and there is a daily routine in place. Space indoors and outdoors is used appropriately to cater for all the children's play needs. This means children are able to move around independently. There is a key worker system in place and adult-to-child ratios are correctly maintained. There are clear staff recruitment and induction procedures and all staff have been appropriately vetted.

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Organisation

There are detailed policies and procedures in place. They are shared with staff and available to parents. There are good systems for the sharing of information with parents about the service and their child's activities. However, the registration certificate is displayed in the office, this means that it is not easily seen by parents and they may not be aware of the conditions of registration. All required documents are available and they are stored confidentially, however, the record of staff attendance in each nursery room is not always kept up to date.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. Most of the staff have early years qualifications and some have up to date first aid certificates. However, some of the staff that have a supervisory role do not hold the correct level of qualification. The manager encourages staff to attend relevant training opportunities. The knowledge gained by staff is used to further support children's care and welfare. The manager and staff's experience and knowledge of the Foundation Stage is satisfactory. Staff work well as a team and staff meetings are held monthly. There is a staff appraisal system in place and the manager observes staff practice. Although the manager has begun to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery education, this has not been fully developed, leading to some missed learning opportunities for children.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the provider agreed to ensure children have access to fresh drinking water, ensure staff are deployed effectively and are vigilant about children's safety and to provide appropriate furnishings and resources for all areas of learning in particular outdoor play and Out of School facility. The provider also agreed to ensure registration arrangements show when staff and visitors are present, child protection policy includes procedures for allegations of abuse made against a member of staff and staff files contain clear records of qualifications and training.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There are now water dispensers in the nursery rooms. This means children can independently access drinking water and do not remain thirsty. Staff are deployed effectively so that adult to child ratios are maintained, however, they are not always vigilant about children's safety. There is a good range of resources in place to cover all areas of learning. The child protection procedures now include procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation against a member of staff and staff files contain records of their qualifications and training. This means children's welfare is safeguarded. There are procedures in place to show when staff and visitors are present, however, the record of staff attendance in each nursery room is not always kept up to date.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last education inspection the provider agreed to develop staffs understanding of the foundation stage and of the use of assessment as a tool in planning next steps for children's learning. She also agreed to develop teaching methods to ensure adult-led activities have a

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Improvements 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 clear focus and are understood by staff and children and develop staffs use of planning to ensure that all aspects of the curriculum are covered and clearly indicate learning outcomes for all children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

staff's knowledge of the foundation stage has developed and they now use planning to ensure they cover all areas of learning. Adult led activities now show a clear focus and are understood by staff and children. staff have begun to use assessments as a tool for planning the next steps in children's learning, but this has not yet been fully developed.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Ofsted received concerns in relation to National Standard 7:Health. The Compliance, Investigation and Enforcement Team contacted the provision. The provision provided an investigation response regarding the concerns raised and a recommendation was raised following this. Ofsted are satisfied the provider remains qualified for registration.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they 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): • make sure that staff are vigilant about children's safety, make sure children are restrained when in high chairs, all electric sockets are protected and liquid plug-in air fresheners are made inaccessible • increase the range of resources that promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice • ensure records of the hours of staff attendance are kept up to date • develop and implement an action plan that sets out how supervisors will achieve a level 3 qualification.

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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): • further develop opportunities to promote children's independence in their personal self care

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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 • develop opportunities for children to use simple calculation in every day activities • further develop the use of assessments to inform planning, and ensure initial assessments are completed for all children in order to identify their starting points.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) 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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