Foundations 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. Foundations Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 509482 Inspection date 03/12/2008 Inspector Carol Johnson

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Setting address Elim Church Centre, Exeter Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, West Midlands, B29 6EU Telephone number 0121 4140583 Email foundations@sellyelim.org 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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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

Foundations Day Nursery opened in 1993. It is owned by the Elim Church and run by a management committee that includes some staff, parents and representatives from the church. It operates from 10 rooms in a church building in Selly Oak, Birmingham. Some areas of the premises are accessible to people with disabilities however, there is no lift to the upper floor. The nursery opens five days a week all year round and includes before and after school provision. Sessions are from 07.30 until 18.00. The nursery serves the local area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is in receipt of nursery education funding and is registered to care for a maximum of 143 children at any one time. There are currently 149 children on roll, 133 of whom are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The setting has systems in place to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are 31 staff who work directly with the children and most of these hold a recognised early years qualification. Additionally one member of staff is a Level 4 and two other staff members hold degrees in Early Education Studies. The nursery also employs additional kitchen, cleaning and maintenance staff. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are cared for in a spacious and welcoming environment. They enter the setting happily and enjoy their time at the nursery. Relationships with parents are good, individual children's needs are met and staff promote children's learning and development with success. The management team and staff demonstrate a limited understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and this has resulted in weaknesses in some practices, policies and procedures. The nursery demonstrates a satisfactory capacity to maintain continuous improvement but current self-evaluation systems do not effectively identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the procedures for conducting risk assessments to ensure that staff constantly reappraise the environment and activities to which children are being exposed and to ensure that the risks associated with outings are fully assessed  develop staff knowledge of how to effectively use observation and assessments to plan the next steps in individual children's learning  improve the organisation of the setting to include effective procedures to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 evaluate the provision in order to identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 demonstrate how there will be at least one person on outings who has a current paediatric first aid certificate (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 05/12/2008  provide information for parents regarding the procedure to be followed in the event of a child going missing ( Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 05/12/2008

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provision

Children are appropriately supervised and cared for in well-resourced and welcoming environment. The manager and deputy are supernumerary and deal with the day-to-day running of the nursery. The out of school facility is under the ‘umbrella’ of the main nursery but retains its own identity through the name, ‘Cool Kids’. Most of the required documentation to ensure children’s safety is in place but the nursery does not provide parents with information regarding the procedure that explains the procedure to be followed in the event of a child going missing. Systems for evaluating and reviewing the setting’s strengths and weaknesses are still in their infancy and the views of others to contribute to the setting’s self- evaluation are not actively sought. Suitable improvements have been made in respect of recommendations raised at the last inspection but current methods for reviewing and checking everyday practice and procedures are not always rigorous.

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provision

There is a thorough and robust recruitment system and the ongoing suitability of staff is constantly monitored through the supportive induction process, regular one-to-one meetings and annual appraisals. Staff are actively encouraged to undertake further training in relevant subjects and staff meetings provide an opportunity for learning and good practice to be shared. Most staff hold a first aid certificate and during 2007 in-house training on child protection was delivered to all staff. However, only a small number of staff have attended training with regards to the EYFS and this has resulted in a limited knowledge of its requirements and how to effectively implement them. For example, management are unaware that they are required to have a member of staff with a current paediatric first aid certificate on all outings. During the journey to and from school this is not currently the case and this put’s these children’s welfare at potential risk.

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provision

Partnership with parents is strong. The nursery maintains regular two-way communication with parents and this ensures that children’s individual requirements are known and consistency of care assured. Parents receive an abundance of information about the nursery, for example, through notice boards, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 newsletters and a website. Also, attractive displays of children’s work throughout the setting help to create a welcoming and informative environment. Letters and cards displayed around the nursery confirm that parents are very happy with the service provided. For example, parents comment of the friendliness of staff and how effectively they support their children through transitions such as moving between rooms in the nursery and when they move on to school.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children play and learn in a welcoming and child-friendly learning environment. They are making good progress and are happy and settled. Children behave well and their good behaviour is promptly rewarded with smiles, praise and stickers. Pre-school children maintain their own reward charts, counting the numbers of stars they have received and working out how many more they will need to receive a certificate. Staff effectively use open-ended questioning techniques to encourage children to communicate and problem solve. Children of all ages demonstrate high levels of self-esteem, independence and confidence.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The nursery provides a range of healthy and nutritious snacks and meals and ensures that children have easy access to drinks at all times. Children are learning about hygiene through discussion, planned activities and following the good example set by staff. Children for whom English is an additional language are suitably supported and children learn about themselves and the wider community through everyday play, discussions and a range of planned activities. For example, resources throughout the nursery show positive images of diversity and children explore a range of religious and cultural festivals through stories and creative activities.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

An effective key person system is in place and this helps to foster children’s sense of security and to build working partnerships with their parents and/or carers. Staff know the children well and use their own observation and discussions with parents to assess children’s starting points. Staff observe and assess all children on a regular basis and use this information to inform planning. Some staff have attended recent training regarding the EYFS and this has resulted in changes being made to existing systems. However, not all staff are confident with or fully understand these changes and practices are inconsistent between the various rooms.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children enjoy wide variety of stimulating and developmentally appropriate experiences that help them to enjoy and achieve in all areas of learning. Staff carefully adjust planned activities to meet the needs of individual children and use everyday routines to promote learning. For example, during lunch time pre-school children learn to problem solve as they lay the table and their social skills are enhanced as they chat between themselves and to staff about things that interest them. Resources are plentiful and they are suitably stored to encourage children's independence and freedom of choice.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are learning to protect their own safety through planned activities and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 listening carefully to staff. Pre-school children have been learning about fire safety through role-play and all children have had the opportunity to take part in fire drills. Through discussion staff show a sound awareness of safety issues and some have attended specific health and safety training. However, children's safety is potentially compromised because outings are not formally risk assessed and systems for carrying out risk assessments do not ensure that all risks are effectively identified or minimised.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children that attend ‘Cool Kids’ comment on the fun that they have at club and the friendly staff. They describe how they can take part in French and guitar lessons and enjoy outings, craft activities and role-play. Activity planning is informal and based around children's needs and interests. Children attending range from three to eleven years and staff carefully organise activities to ensure that children are appropriately supported and/or challenged. 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? 3 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? 3

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 3 How well are children helped to be healthy? 3 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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