Early Days Day Nursery

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. Early Days Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY370496 Inspection date 02/10/2008 Inspector Lynne Naylor

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Setting address Early Days Child Nursery, 83 Church Road, Formby, LIVERPOOL, L37 3NB Telephone number 01704 833 305 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). This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Early Days Day Nursery was registered in 2008 and is one of two nurseries run by Merseyside Care Limited. It was founded in 1994 and operates from a detached building in Formby. The nursery is accessed via the ground floor. Stairs are used to access the first floor where pre-school children are accommodated and the second floor where staff facilities are sited. Children have access to a secure outdoor area. A maximum of 51 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 66 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery is open five days a week, all year round, from 07.30 until 18.00. The service employs 16 staff, of whom 12 hold an appropriate early years qualification.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the nursery is welcoming and inclusive. Since registration, the provision of high quality furniture and a significant investment in resources, including staffing, has made a positive impact on the quality of the provision and the outcomes for children. Taking effective steps to evaluate the quality of the setting, the leadership and management team have useful plans to bring about further improvement. Parents and staff are meaningfully involved in the evaluation process and significant changes to practice have taken place. Partnership with parents is informal, with useful exchanges of information mainly limited to exchanges about children's care needs and less about their learning. However, children are well cared for through effective routines and they make steady progress in their learning and development.

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further?

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

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further?

 match observations of children's learning to the expectations of the early learning goals and use to plan relevant learning experiences  seek information from parents in relation to children's learning and development and enable parents to contribute to the ongoing assessment process  extend the risk assessment to ensure it includes anything with which a child may come into contact  update all documentation in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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provision

The required policies are in place, shared with parents and followed effectively by staff; however, some have not been updated to reflect the implementation of the requirements as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Parents are provided with useful information about the service and their suggestions for development are actively sought and valued. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Parents share what they know about their child, particularly when the child first starts to attend. Plenty of relevant verbal information, exchanged with parents, is used to meet the unique welfare needs of their child. Systems to share information about children's learning are less evident; consequently, parents are not specifically informed about their child's progression towards the early learning goals or involved in supporting their child's ongoing development towards them.

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provision

Improvements since registration have had a positive impact on the overall quality of the provision. For example, learning and development of staff is positively encouraged by the management team. Staff attend external workshops and share information with each other at regular team meetings. Staff are keen to implement what they have learnt and are motivated to further develop their professional knowledge and understanding.

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provision

Robust recruitment and vetting procedures are followed which help keep children safe. Induction procedures, although informal, ensure staff know and understand policies and procedures, in particular those that safeguard children. Children are adequately protected from possible abuse or neglect. Staff are aware of signs and symptoms of abuse and understand the procedure they must follow if they have any concerns. Staff are vigilant about children's safety and complete safety checklists for their own room, twice a day, to manage or eliminate risks. The full risk assessment document is less useful in managing risks as it does not include everything with which a child may come into contact.

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provision

The outdoor area is easily accessed with the ground floor rooms having direct access. Children play safely outdoors on an impact absorbing surface and on grassed areas. Plans to further develop the outdoor area and the learning that takes place in it are on target. Indoors, children play in a clean environment. Staff take effective steps to promote children's health and prevent the spread of infection. Cots are made up with clean bedding as they are required and older children sleep comfortably on mats with individual sheets and blankets. Each room has very good access to toilets, nappy changing facilities and equipment.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are supported well by staff to make sound progress as they enjoy a balance of self-initiated and adult-led activities. Within age related groups, children make independent choices and decisions about where and with what they wish to play. Babies sit comfortably with staff, crawl and toddle around clear floor space investigating items from treasure baskets, such as different cloths and household items, for example, sink plugs. Older children help themselves from low-level storage units in rooms that are attractively set up in to different areas of learning.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The nursery is attractively resourced, for example, indoors and outdoors, different sized dinghies contain interesting materials which children feel, such as sand and pine cones. The links between observation, assessment, planning and the early learning goals are developing. Staff make some sound use of information gained from observation to assess children's learning and are beginning to identify the next steps in children's learning. However, the planned next steps are not always well This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 matched to the early learning goals.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children's literacy skills are developing well. They use a range of tools with increasing control as they develop early writing skills. For example, outside, toddlers use brushes and water to make marks on walls and indoors they concentrate well using paint pens on paper. Older children develop skills that contribute to their future economic well-being. They spontaneously use numbers and mathematical language whilst playing. They work together well when operating technological equipment, such as the listening station and the computer. They make suggestions about what they would like to do, such as going outside to collect leaves to make a picture. They are then encouraged to think about and solve problems, such as how they can carry leaves indoors to make collages.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children's health benefits greatly from daily fresh air in the garden and from physical activities, such as yoga, outdoor sports and music, led by visiting specialists. Nutritious snacks and meals are freshly prepared on-site by a cook who takes on board suggestions from parents and information about children's preferences. Children enjoy meals, such as mince, mashed potato and mixed vegetables followed by an exquisitely prepared fresh fruit salad using grape juice with grapes, banana, pear, peach and nectarine. Children serve themselves a second helping, which helps enhance their independence skills. Meal times are a pleasant social occasion where children sit at covered tables with floral arrangements. Older children set their own place at the table with cutlery and a laminated placemat. They are keen to talk about the placemat they have made and show the photographs of their family and what they have written and drawn.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Fire alarms are tested weekly and children are satisfactorily involved in learning to keep themselves safe in the setting as they practise emergency evacuations with staff. Children effectively learn about staying safe and healthy through stories and by following hygiene routines. Children are reminded to behave safely, for example, to hold the banister as they come down the stairs. In addition, interesting visitors such as the police and fire officers give out stickers and teach children how to call the emergency services, and the dental health officer teaches children how to care for their teeth.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children develop a good understanding of the world in which they live. They care for pets, such as fish and hamsters, and when the travelling farm visits they handle other animals, such as a goat, sheep, rabbits and chickens. The provision of a light station enables children to look closely at and examine items they find, such as a snail on a leaf. 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

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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of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

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

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement? Good

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How well does the setting work in partnership with parents and others? Satisfactory

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How well are children safeguarded? Satisfactory

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? Good How well are children helped to be healthy? Good How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? Satisfactory How well are children helped to make a positive contribution? Good

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped develop skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being? Good

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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 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 registration.

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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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