Little Waves Community 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. Littlewaves Community Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY332399 Inspection date 15/10/2008 Inspector Claire Meese

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Setting address Nursery Building, Windwhistle Primary School, Kingsley Road, Weston-Super-Mare, BS23 3TZ Telephone number 01934 427450 Email wendy.fagan@n-somerset.gov.uk 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

Little Waves Community Nursery is situated in the Bourneville area of Weston- super-Mare. It was registered in 2005 and is part of the South Weston Children’s Centre. It operates from purpose built premises on the grounds of Windwhistle Primary School. Children access two indoor playrooms, an enclosed outdoor play area, a kitchen and toilet facilities.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered to care for up to 36 children under five years. It is open each weekday from 08.00 to 17.00, for 50 weeks a year. There are currently 42 children aged under five years on roll. Of these, six children receive funding for early education. The nursery currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The nursery employs thirteen members of staff to work directly with the children. The nursery manager is qualified and experienced in her role and over half of the remaining staff have childcare qualifications to level 2 or 3 and experience in childcare. The setting receives support from a teacher from the local authority. It has links with the nursery class and Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision in the primary school. This provider is on the Early Years Register, compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children enjoy their time, thrive and make good progress in this welcoming and stimulating nursery. They learn and develop well as a result of the carefully structured learning environment and the high quality interaction they receive from adults. The staff in the nursery know the local community well and their detailed knowledge of the children’s backgrounds enable them to meet the full range of children’s needs. The whole staff team works together to bring about improvements in the nursery and they show a strong commitment and enthusiasm to continue doing this. Led by the nursery manager, they are becoming more focussed and systematic in their approach to monitoring and evaluating the provision offered in the setting. Its capacity for further improvement is good.

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further?

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

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further?

 build on the new monitoring procedures to systematically evaluate how effectively the curriculum meets the needs of children across all areas of learning  make the next steps in children’s learning more precise

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provision

The nursery is well led and managed. All the necessary policies and procedures to ensure its smooth and safe running are in place and are implemented effectively. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 There are rigorous systems for safeguarding children and these are well known by all staff. Information regarding what to do in the event of child protection concerns is displayed around the nursery and this acts as a helpful reminder to staff. Strong relationships have been formed with a wide range of external agencies and these particularly benefit the large number of children with learning difficulties and disabilities. There are strong links with the adjacent nursery class and primary school that enable resources to be shared and good continuity to be provided when children move on to the next stage of their education.

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provision

Parents and carers are very positive in their views of the nursery. They describe it as ‘welcoming and supportive’. They have opportunities to exchange information with staff on a daily basis and notice boards and regular newsletters keep them informed about what is going on. Parents and carers are encouraged from the outset of their child’s time in nursery to be involved in their learning and development and they contribute to this by the use of ‘wow slips’. Their views have been sought about improvements being made to the nursery, especially the outdoor learning area.

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provision

Staff work closely together as a team. They hold regular meetings and use these as an opportunity to plan collaboratively, to discuss children’s progress and to review the work going on in the nursery. A range of self-evaluation processes has been used to bring about improvements. For instance, the use of observation and assessment information to identify next steps in children’s learning has been developed. Recently, systematic monitoring of children’s learning diaries has been introduced. The findings of this work are beginning to inform plans for developing the different areas of learning. Being part of the South Weston Children’s Centre means staff have access to a wide range of training opportunities and the expertise of a local authority advisory teacher continues to be significant in securing improvements.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Young children are sensitively cared for and develop well in the under twos room. The attractive, multi-sensory environment encourages them to explore and investigate objects using all their senses. The carpeted floor and steps and the low level soft furnishings mean that babies and toddlers can safely roll, stretch and crawl and develop their walking and climbing skills. The ‘no shoes’ policy in this room helps maintain a clean environment and minimises the chances of infections spreading. The children can freely access a good range of toys and books that have been carefully selected to match their stages of development. There are designated rooms for babies to sleep and have their nappies changed. Both rooms have effective hygienic procedures in place and children are checked regularly when they are sleeping. Their proximity to the under twos room mean that children operate in a familiar, secure environment.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Older children have continual access to both an indoor and outdoor learning area that are set up to promote independent learning. They select their own equipment and choose activities to support their development across all areas of learning. They readily explore, investigate and find things out for themselves. This was This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 clearly demonstrated when a child used a pulley system to hoist a bucket containing sand up to the canopy above her and then spent time pulling it up and down. Children have some opportunities to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment in the nursery but this is an area that is underdeveloped.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Adults support the children’s learning and development effectively. They are skilled in knowing when to intervene in the learning process and when to allow children to explore independently. They make regular observations and assessments of the children across all areas of learning and use these to plan the next steps in their learning. On occasions, there is scope for these next steps to be more precise in order to further increase the children’s rate of progress. Many children attending the nursery have limited language skills. Staff take every opportunity to extend their spoken language and vocabulary in order to improve their communication skills. For example, as they interact with children who are role playing how to cross the road safely with road safety equipment, they model the correct language, and then encourage them to speak up, reply to each other in sentences and use the correct vocabulary.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

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 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

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints that required the provider to take any action

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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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