National Specialist Family Service

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. Phoenix Futures Family Centre Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 501030 Inspection date 21/01/2009 Inspector Jill Lee

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Setting address 29-31 Collegiate Crescent, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 2BJ Telephone number 0114 2685131 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration whichever is the later, which require Ofsted or the provider to take action in Annex C.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Phoenix House Nursery was registered in 2001. It operates in a large, detached house close to the centre of Sheffield. Phoenix House is a registered charity providing rehabilitation for parents with problems of substance misuse. The nursery specifically supports parents living at the centre and undergoing a therapeutic programme.

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Description of the setting

The nursery premises are in a self-contained unit on the lower ground floor of the main building. There is a main playroom, a soft play room with ball pool and an additional room for very young, non-mobile babies. Children have access to a secure, enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is accessed by steps.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 13 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery provides full day if needed, but routinely offers a two hour session each morning between 10.00 and 12.00 and a drop-in service between 12.30 and 16.45. There are currently 10 children on roll. The nursery supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are three staff employed to work directly with the children, all of whom have an appropriate early years qualification. The person in charge is currently working towards early years professional status. The nursery is also registered on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the child care register.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The nursery offers a warm welcome to all families and staff work very closely with parents to develop shared, enjoyable opportunities to play together and have fun with their children. Staff consistently implement inclusive strategies, promoting respect for diversity. They observe children's play skilfully and give high levels of attention, helping them plan very effectively to support the individual needs of all children in their care. Staff are reflective practitioners, who monitor practice to help them identify areas requiring further development to improve the outcomes for children. They are looking at ways to improve everyday, independent play choices and challenge in the daily play environment, both indoors and out and are refining a new approach to planning based on children's interests.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 improve the range and accessibility of resources in the continuous provision, including the outdoor area  consolidate the use of observations of children's interests in planning enhancements to the daily environment  develop further the effectiveness of systems to support and monitor ongoing evaluation of practice. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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provision

Thoughtful implementation of required policies and procedures means that children’s welfare is consistently and effectively promoted. Clear recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that adults are suitable to work with children. Staff are well supported, through the induction and appraisal system, to understand their responsibilities and develop further skills. They enjoy well planned access to appropriate training opportunities. Staff fully understand their safeguarding role and have in place clear systems to work cooperatively with parents, whilst prioritising the needs of the child. They are deployed effectively to ensure children are always fully supervised. They encourage children to develop safe levels of independence, although they acknowledge that this is somewhat restricted for older children, on occasion, by consideration of the safety needs of toddlers. Risk assessments are very well considered, helping to keep children safe in all activities.

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provision

Staff give high priority to establishing a close and trusting working relationship with parents. Parents are valued and respected as the prime carer and are encouraged to share as much information as possible. This helps staff to formulate a clear care plan for each child. Staff plan play sessions with parents to give them confidence in supporting their child's development and modelling ways to engage with children in play. For example, parents enjoyed a lovely session exploring the five senses with their babies. They did hand prints with different coloured paints, made sounds with musical instruments, explored treasure baskets and tasted citrus fruits. Staff are aiming to involve both children and parents in their ‘learning journey’ record, actively seeking new ways to engage them in planning for future learning. Staff show a real sensitivity to parents in encouraging their active involvement, promoting inclusive practice and valuing cultural differences.

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provision

Close working links are established with other professionals, like health visitors, to ensure developmental or health issues do not present barriers to children's learning and development. Staff have effective working links with other early years settings, enabling them to establish appropriate alternative pre-school placements, where required, to support individual development needs.

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provision

Staff strive continuously to evaluate and improve children’s play and learning experiences. Developing strength in the leadership and management of the nursery is helping to enhance staff commitment to good quality practice. All the recommendations made at the last inspection have been addressed well. Staff meet together regularly to evaluate their practice and appropriately identify areas needing further attention. For example, they wish to increase the accessibility of, and range of resources in, the continuous provision and to improve the links between observations and enhancements to the play environment. Planning for improvement is effective in enhancing the outcomes for children but staff recognise that they have not as yet established a fully systematic approach to self- evaluation. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children enjoy their time in the nursery. The play environment is organised to enable children to explore freely and make independent choices. Planning of activities is based around continuous provision, providing play experiences in all areas of learning. Staff have however, identified the need to enhance the accessibility of toys and extend the range of resources freely available, especially to support creative and exploratory play, both indoors and out. For example, children cannot independently access different tools to enhance their creative water and sand play and only a selection of paint, sand, water and dough are available at a session. Staff have well established systems for both formal and informal observations of children and have recently adapted curriculum planning so that it focuses on children's interests. They are developing confidence in using their observations to introduce enhancements to the daily environment in order to

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

promote planned, purposeful play. Observations are recorded, with photographs, in each child's 'learning journey' booklet and are being used effectively to plan next steps in learning.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The babies love being with others in the calm and relaxed atmosphere of the baby room. They lie happily watching the movement of the mobiles, reaching out to touch and hold the hand of the baby next to them. They are stimulated by the coloured lights and bright patterns all around. They sit facing each other, interacting, smiling and interested, communicating with sounds. Staff observe closely, allowing babies time to explore their own feelings and sounds, intervening minimally but very responsive to their needs. There is a clear emphasis on consistency in care routines and the 'key person', who establishes a close bond with children. Lots of cuddles and reassurance from well known staff help children feel secure.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Older children engage busily with activities of their choice. They build very positive, trusting relationships with staff, seeking them out for support or comfort, or to share an activity with them. Significant emphasis is placed on settling children and supporting their social and emotional development. Staff are skilled in helping children to manage strong feelings and they create clear and consistent boundaries to help them understand expectations and feel secure. The 'golden rules' provide a very positive framework to help children begin to consider and respect the needs of others. Children quickly become familiar with daily routines and enjoy helping to tidy away toys and wash the paint pots. Daily routines are used skilfully to promote children's self-esteem, as they learn to take turns, share, respect differences and consider the needs of others.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Staff are calm and focussed as they interact warmly with children, following their lead as they play. They use a wide variety of books, which stimulates their curiosity and awareness of the wider world. They find out about their Chinese birthday signs, count to 10 in Chinese, Urdu and Hindi and taste Chinese food. They are fascinated by 'Brian', the giant snail and get the book about snails to find out where his eyes are and what he likes to eat. They love cuddling together on the settee reading stories. They explore shape and size in their construction play and recognise the numbers on the telephone handset. They act out their own This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 experiences with the small world people and love dressing up and role play. A toddler has great fun playing 'scary monsters' in the pop-up tent with his mum. Children have opportunity to explore their own creative ideas in art, craft, dance,

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

music and movement. They think about growth, change, the seasons and the natural world as they enjoy activities outdoors. Their work is valued and displayed for all to enjoy and is used well to share their 'past' and 'present' experiences.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children learn about the importance of keeping themselves healthy and how to stay safe. They talk about exercise and healthy eating. They thoroughly enjoy active play and outdoor play times in the fresh air. Children learn to use the climbing equipment safely, developing skills to manage risks with care as they build dens on the climbing frame platform. They creatively tie the wheeled toys together, making trailers, steering around obstacles with confidence. They develop skills of coordination and balance, as they climb, roll and move in different ways in the soft play room. They learn about the dangers of traffic and think about road safety when on outings. Staff actively involve children in making rules and thinking about ways to keep themselves safe, which helps them begin to take responsibility for their own behaviour. For example, they think about what might happen if they throw toys when they are angry. Children make friends, learn to cooperate and

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

enjoy independent exploration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

How well does the provision promote inclusive practice? 2 The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement.

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement? How well does the setting work in partnership with parents and others? How well are children safeguarded? 2

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 2 How well are children helped to be healthy? 2 How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? 2 How well are children helped to make a positive contribution? How well are children helped develop skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being?

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex C: complaint/s made to Ofsted

This section of the report includes details of any complaint/s made to Ofsted when:  we took action for the provider to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register; or  we asked the provider to take action in order to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register; or  the provider had already taken any necessary action to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register.

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Annex C: complaint/s made to Ofsted

We will not report on any complaint where the provider met the requirements of the Early Years Register or did not require any action by Ofsted or the registered provider.

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Detail of the complaint/s

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection.

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Detail of the complaint/s

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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