Tigers Tots Nursery

Tiger Tots Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY357150 Unique Reference Number 21 July 2008 Inspection date Gillian Sutherland Inspector

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2 Simonswood Lane, Liverpool, L33 5YP Setting Address

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E-mail

Tiger Tots Nursery Limited 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 good. 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Tiger Tots Nursery was registered in 2007. It operates from designated rooms within the Pride Centre in Kirkby. It is owned and managed by a limited company. All children share access to a number of enclosed outdoor play areas. A maximum of 41 children may attend the nursery at anyone time. The Pride centre offers creche facilities for parents attending courses, and the services offered by the centre range from health, child care and parenting support to adult and family education.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery operates 08.00 to 18.00 Monday to Friday all year round. There are currently 54 children aged under five years old, on roll in the nursery. Of these, eight children receive funding for early years education. The nursery currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties or disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 13 staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare partnership and from Knowsley Sure Start.

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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. Staff ensure that children's physical development is well provided for because on a daily basis, they provide many opportunities for children to participate in a range of physical activities. These activities are freely available to children both indoors and outdoors and the daily activity programme ensures that all children access a wide and varied range of resources that contribute to keeping them healthy. Children enjoy riding bikes, climbing, balancing and playing games. For example, they enjoy participating in the parachute game where they have to listen and follow simple instructions for this game from the members of staff. Children’s balancing skills are well promoted as they learn to hop, skip and jump and this is further promoted through their action rhymes and songs which they regularly participate in. For the younger children, they enjoy using the push along toys as they safely play in their own enclosed outdoor play

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Helping children to be healthy

area. Children’s fine motor skills are developed as they skilfully use a range of tools including scissors, paintbrushes, pencils, cutting tools and the computer mouse.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are cared for in a very caring environment, where children’s health and well-being is well promoted. They have a good understanding of personal hygiene because staff ensure they follow effective procedures and practices, such as hand washing before snack and meal times, after participating in messy play activities and after toileting. Children are well protected from the risk of cross infection as, after washing their hands, they use paper towels and know how and where to dispose of these. Babies and young children are cared for according to their individual needs and routines, which are made known to staff prior to care commencing. Those individual needs and routines, such as sleeping, feeding and nappy changing, are then well met by caring staff.

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Helping children to be healthy

Most of the required records and consents are in place and a number of staff hold current first aid qualifications, thus ensuring there is always a member of staff who is trained in first aid on duty. The nursery has a sickness policy which all parents are given a copy of prior to care commencing. All medical conditions are recorded on each child's enrolment form and parents give prior written consent for medication to be given, thus ensuring that children receive the correct dosage according to their needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children learn about healthy eating through discussion at snack and meal times and by enjoying varied range of meals which include a selection of vegetables. During the day children freely access drinking water and a choice of fresh or dried fruits. As a result of this practise, each child is developing an understanding of a healthy diet, the different foods that are good for you and those which are not good for your teeth or health. All children in the nursery participate in the government dental programme and are given their own toothbrush and toothpaste and these are replaced every three months.

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Helping children to be healthy

All meals are freshly prepared on the premises, by the cook who prepares and attractively serves the meals to the children. Staff sit at the tables with the children at mealtimes, and chat to them about what they are eating and whether it is hot or cold and also why different foods are good for you. This ensures that mealtimes become a social and enjoyable activity. Drinks, including water, are freely available to children, whilst for the babies these are offered regularly throughout the day.

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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 good. Children are relaxed and happy as they enter the nursery. The security of the premises is effective in keeping children safe. Access is via the main reception to the centre and then parents ring doorbells to gain access to the nursery. All visitors are required to sign the daily sheet at the reception and include their times of arrival and departure. Children are supervised when entering and leaving each session and the nominated adult collecting the child is known to the staff. A password system is also used if anyone other than the parents or nominated adults are collecting the children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The nursery is well set out and organised and children are cared for in three main areas, those being according to their age and ability. Each indoor area has their own adjoining fully enclosed and covered outdoor area which children can freely and easily access. Children are greeted warmly by staff and then they go off quickly to seek out their friends. Colourful displays of children's work help to develop their sense of belonging and create an attractive environment for them to play. Children independently make choices from a good range of easily accessible resources some of which are stored in labelled low-level units. Others which may be stored out of their reach are clearly labelled in a child friendly way and are made available on request. Clearly defined play areas allow them space to be quiet, use their creativity, extend their imagination and develop their play.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children move around and self-select the toys and resources they want to play with and the activities they want to participate in. Their safety is well promoted through daily risk assessments, where staff check all areas, both indoors and outdoors, prior to each session operating. Good procedures are in place regarding the collection of children and appropriate arrangements are made with the staff if anyone other than their parent comes to collect them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Effective fire safety procedures are in place and staff ensure that all children learn how to evacuate the building quickly and safely. Fire drill practises take place at regular intervals and a record is maintained of when these are carried out.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have attended training and have a good knowledge and understanding of the procedures to follow if they had concerns about a child in their care. They understand their role and responsibilities regarding safeguarding children and have the appropriate contact details of the different agencies they may need to contact in each room, should they have concerns about a child in their care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children arrive really happy and eager to participate in the excellent range of activities and experiences which await them in the different areas of the nursery. They achieve well because highly skilled staff use their very good understanding of early years guidance, the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage and the 'Birth to three matters' framework to provide extremely good quality of care and good quality education. The nursery staff are very clear about the aims of the different activities that children participate in on a daily basis. Staff use good questioning to determine the children's interest and excitement in learning. All children are offered, and enjoy, an excellent range of activities and opportunities which supports their learning and development and this is very well promoted both as a group and also as individuals. Parents have access to their children's learning journey booklets at any time. They also receive

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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 newsletters regularly and are invited to parent’s evenings, when they have a more specific time to discuss with their child’s key worker their progress and development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are very relaxed and settled at the setting. They enter the nursery happily and quickly leave their parents to play with their friends. Children are very confident as they freely self select their chosen activities. Staff produce detailed plans throughout the nursery to ensure all children take part in a range of purposeful, and interesting play and learning opportunities. Children freely choose from an extremely wide variety of toys and equipment and staff ensure that whenever possible such resources are easily accessible to them. For the very young children, this means placing toys and equipment around the room at their level, which ensures they are within their reach. Children move well from one activity to another, chatting to one another, with the very young ones babbling away.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Babies show great delight as they listen to rattles making different sounds, and access hand held toys that make interesting sounds and noises when buttons are pushed or pulled. They are intrigued as they examine these closely to try and understand where the sound is coming from. They also participate in a varied range of creative activities, including some which allow even the very young children to explore different textures. For example, the babies enjoy participating in a sand play activity where they giggled as the fine sand trickled through their fingers, and begin their awareness of touch and texture. They also then accessed play dough and feel how the texture was very different. For children under three, they also experience many other activities which help develop their understanding of their senses. An example of this is where the children listen to gentle background music as they play and crawl around.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They enjoy looking in the safety mirrors, where they can see their own images and enjoy watching and listening to objects, such as different coloured feathers and metal objects which have been securely hung up by the staff and which flutter and tinkle in the breeze.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy close contact with familiar adults and an effective key worker system fosters a sense of security. Staff are extremely knowledgeable about the family circumstances and individual needs of each child and ensure those needs are met in the nursery. Staff continually give children lots of praise and encouragement throughout the day, thus raising their self-esteem.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are very confident as they freely self select their chosen activities. The younger children may choose to play in their home corner, which is very well equipped with a varied range of resources including such items as a kettle, toaster, microwave and play foods plus dolls in cots and prams, which they can freely access and push around. For the older children, they often decide to change their role play area into a different setting. During the inspection it was being used as a travel agent and holiday shop and children had created their own passport office complete with a photographic booth and both were well equipped with brochures, information sheets, a computer keyboard and writing materials. They eagerly chat to staff and to each other about the different holidays they had been on to different parts of the world.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. There are lead members of staff in each age group, who are responsible overall for the planning and implementation of the daily activity programme. However, all of the staff team work well together by contributing and sharing their ideas thus devising a well planned programme of activities which supports children's learning and helps them progress. Effective planning and record keeping assists the staff to provide a broad range of new and stimulating play activities.

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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 Children eagerly participate in a very wide range of purposeful activities and access a broad range of resources which support their progress across all areas of learning. They enjoy looking at books and have group story times, or they can simply choose a book and sit down and look through it quietly and at their own pace. Children enjoy listening to stories, and respond to questions appropriately. They are very confident speakers and talk to each other during their play. They also enjoy 'entertaining one another' as they make themselves a stage and sing out their favourite songs. The staff have very recently started a book lending scheme where parents are invited to take a book home to look at with their child, and then they are asked to record any comments they may have. The staff explained they are hoping this will expand and develop

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

into a lending library for the children who attend the nursery.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

During the day children are provided with many different opportunities to promote their creativity, and their personal self-esteem is raised, as they proudly display and talk about their art and craft work. Children freely access painting, chalking, drawing and participate in collage work and access play dough. They experiment even further as they use clay to create models of their favourite foods. Staff are extremely vigilant when planning such activities and ensure that children are not allergic to any of the materials used. Under the guidance of the staff and with the help of their parents children have created their own family tree, and after creating the tree they then hung laminated pictures of their family members, including aunties and grandparents and are keen to share information with each other about the members of their family.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children participate in many activities which develop their understanding of number, letters and shape recognition. Mark making and mathematical activities are available for children participating in role play, as they have created their own travel agents and passport office and in this activity they make a passport and make a holiday booking. Outside children create their own seaside, complete with a sandy beach, paddling pool and seaside shop where they may buy sunglasses, flip flops, buckets and spades. They play well together and wait patiently for their turn to be the shopkeeper and have made their own cash till and use play money to purchase their chosen items. Children's language development is extremely well promoted during this activity as they talk about the different holidays they have been on and begin to say some simple words in Spanish. Children have the opportunity to learn some words and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

phrase in different languages, for example, Spanish lessons are currently being offered within the children's centre and nursery children have the opportunity to access these sessions. They are beginning to identify different letters and recognise their own name in both English and Spanish.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children use and recognise numbers in role play and in a range of purposeful songs, stories and activities. For example, in singing activities they begin to learn how to add and subtract. An example of this is as the children sing and act out ‘Five currant buns in the bakers shop’ or Five little spotty frogs’. They further develop their mathematical skills during their play and can easily identify different shapes they are creating or playing with, for example, a square, triangle or a circle. Other resources which children benefit from, in relation to developing their mathematical skills, include the threading activities plus shape and number sorting puzzles. All of such resources are freely available to them and children skilfully manage to complete these puzzles. They experience weighing and measuring as part of a baking activity. When under the guidance of the staff, they measure out their own ingredients.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's curiosity is aroused as they enjoy using torches to create and eagerly follow shadows on the walls, floors or ceilings and this activity promotes a question and answer session with the staff. Children are introduced to nature and have played a big part in developing their

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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 garden area in which they have planted an assortment of vegetables plus some sunflowers. They are then introduced to healthy eating as they discuss the different fruits and vegetables there are, some of which they are carefully tending until they grow. Children are very excited at the idea of growing things and were eagerly waiting to see how tall their sunflowers will grow or experience the taste of their other vegetables which they have planted. The highly skilled staff engage the children in conversations about their senses, including taste, size, smell and texture of the vegetables they have grown or the models they create with their malleable materials. Another experience which promoted a question and answer session is where a group of children found a frog in the adjacent outdoor play area. The staff and children then spent

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

some time looking closely at the creature before it jumped away.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

A further activity which all children have eagerly participated in is the story of 'Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat'. Here the staff and children spent time looking closely through the story book, and then they watched the video before finally creating their own models of Pharaoh and Joseph with his very brightly coloured coat and other characters in this story. A wide range of materials were used to create a wonderful display, about which children described the different colours of the coat and also some of the materials they had used when participating in this activity.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

There are a number of other events which the children have participated in and which arouses their curiosity and also make them aware of issues and situations in their community. Examples of such events and activities include: making the ice melt; finding things to do in the wind; and collecting and recycling unwanted papers, cans and cardboard. They have created their own recycling area in the corner of the outdoor play area and know when to go out and safely dispose of unwanted items in their own 'recycling area'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children are cared for in an environment which is extremely welcoming to them, and their parents. Children are greeted warmly by staff who are keen to know how they are and what they have been doing at home. This helps them feel secure and develop a sense of belonging. There is no gender bias and children are learning to make their own decisions as they freely self-select the resources they want to play with or the activities they want to participate in.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children attending the nursery are developing a very good understanding of their local community and the wider world through a varied range of planned activities and a wide range of resources. They celebrate many different festivals throughout the year and positive images are attractively displayed around the environment. Staff are extremely knowledgeable about children’s individual needs as these are fully discussed with parents prior to care commencing. Each child's individual needs are then met in practice by the nursery staff.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave extremely well and benefit from the praise and encouragement they receive from staff. They are exceptionally polite, saying 'please' and 'thank you' without prompting and they are always willing to share resources and take turns when participating in the activities available. Staff act as very good role models and children learn from the good example they set. Parents are made aware of the nursery’s behaviour management policy and are fully aware of the strategies that are used to manage any incidents of unwanted behaviour. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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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 Partnership with parents is very good. Parents stated they are always made to feel very welcome at nursery and are provided with relevant information regarding its policies and practices. Newsletters, notice board displays and the nursery’s parent’s evenings are the main methods used to share information about the day nursery with the parents. Children's development and progress is observed, monitored and very well recorded. Parents are fully aware they have access to these records at any time, thus ensuring they are able to contribute to their child's care.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's care and learning is enhanced by the effective deployment of staff and their roles and responsibilities. Good and robust systems are in place for the recruitment of new staff and interview and induction procedures are appropriate. Staff clearances regarding their suitability are maintained and are kept safe and secure.

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Organisation

The operational plan works effectively and the comprehensive policies and procedures are reviewed regularly to ensure they meet current legislation and guidelines. Parental consents are obtained as required, however, the owner has overlooked the need to obtain written consent to seek emergency treatment or medical advice.

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Organisation

Children are well cared for as high staff to child ratios are maintained and this ensures they receive lots of care and attention. The daily registration system ensures that staff always know who is present and are therefore able to maintain children's safety and welfare.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. All staff work very well together as a team to support children's learning and development. Space, resources, time and grouping are well organised to promote children's enjoyment and achievement. The day nursery owner and staff evaluate how well the planned activities have met the learning outcomes and ensure that all areas of learning are fully covered.

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Organisation

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

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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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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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

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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 good. 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 good.

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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 that written consent is obtained for emergency medical advice or treatment to be sought in the future

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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): • develop further the book lending scheme which is available to parents and their children.

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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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