Highley Minors Childcare Centre

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. Highley Minors Childcare Centre Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY290170 Inspection date 17/03/2009 Inspector Donna Stevens

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Setting address The Severn Centre, Bridgnorth Road, Highley, Bridgnorth, WV16 6JG Telephone number 01746 860005 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

Highley Minors Childcare Centre is based within purpose built rooms in the Severn Centre in the centre of the village of Highley, near Bridgnorth. The group opened in 2005 and is committee run. The setting serves the local area. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The setting opens from 07:45 to 18:00 for 51 weeks of the year.

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Description of the setting

The Childcare Centre is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare register. A maximum of 59 children may attend the setting at any one time. There are currently 139 children from four months to 11 years on roll. As well as providing day care for children in the early years age group the setting provides before, after school and holiday care for school age children. The group currently supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities or who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are 14 staff working with the children, of whom 11 hold suitable early years qualifications. The remaining three will be qualified in the near future. One member of staff is working towards her Early Years Professional Status. The setting provides funded early education sessions for three and four-year-olds.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good. The staff work closely with parents and carers to develop a clear knowledge of each child's individual needs, ensuring that all aspects of the children's welfare and learning are promoted with success. They are well cared for, happy and enjoy their time in the setting. They are provided with an interesting and varied range of activities that enable them to make good progress in all areas of their learning and development, given their age, ability and starting points. The setting is committed to maintaining good quality service to the children they care for and takes positive steps to evaluate their practice, identify any areas for improvement and acting upon them, providing a service that caters well for the needs of the children and families who use it.

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further?

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

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further?

 complete a risk assessment for lone working  improve the procedure for obtaining information from parents with regards to who has legal contact with the child and who has parental responsibility for the child. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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provision

The management and committee work closely together to ensure that children are cared for by an experienced staff team. All staff are encouraged to attend core training, for example, safeguarding and key person training. Staff with designated areas of responsibility will attend particular training and cascade relevant information down to the rest of the staff team. This includes behaviour management, equal opportunities and special needs. Mandatory training is well organised, for example, a rolling programme of first aid training ensures that there are always several members of staff with a current first aid certificate in the event of an accident or emergency. The committee are actively involved in fundraising and following evaluation of the children's play by the staff and management the money is used to extend the range of toys, resources and activities available to the children. This positive attitude to continued self evaluation, improvement and

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provision

development of staff skills ensures that the provision is fully inclusive and individual needs are well met.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and carers are good and valued by the staff in the setting. They are kept constantly informed about their child's day through informal discussions at both ends of the day and daily diaries are used for younger children. Outside each room display boards with information about activities, areas of learning and photographs of the children enjoying themselves provide further information for parents. The nursery operates an open door policy and parents are welcome at all times. Children's learning journeys are regularly shared and parents are encouraged to include their own entries of children's achievements and activities at home. Management is pro-active in seeking the ideas and opinions of parents and acts upon their ideas and suggestions if they are appropriate. Parents felt they would like the daily diaries to continue once the children had left the baby room. This change has now been implemented and diaries are completed for

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provision

Children's welfare is safeguarded as the staff ensure that the nursery remains safe, secure and child friendly. A daily safety check and cleaning programme for each room enables children of all ages to play safely and stay healthy. A clear system for carrying out risk assessments ensures that staff respond to any potential hazards. Following the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage children are spending more time moving between the outdoor and indoor environment. As the weather has improved the fire doors to the outside have been left open and staff recognized that the bars on the doors were at child head height and a potential danger. A risk assessment was carried out, the local fire officer consulted and the bars were then padded. Occasionally staff will work alone in a room with a small group of children. A risk assessment for this needs to be carried out to ensure that both children and staff are safeguarded at all times. The staff have a

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provision

good understanding of child protection issues, and a clear safeguarding policy in line with local guidance is in place.

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provision

The management and committee have developed a range of policies and procedures which reflects the good care provided. These are shared with parents This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 so they have a clear understanding of the expectations of themselves, their children and the setting. Documentation is well organised and most required information is obtained from parents. Information with regards to who has legal contact with the child and who has parental responsibility is asked on admission and any issues are recorded. The group now plan to make improvements to this process to ensure the information is maintained to each child.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children make good progress towards the early learning goals and in all areas of their development. The staff are skilled at sensitively observing the children's play on a daily basis and record what children have enjoyed playing with, areas of achievement and tasks that they may have found difficult or required further support to complete. This information is recorded in the children's learning journeys and used to inform future planning, tailoring the activities to the children's individual needs, preferences, age and ability. This process allows staff to develop a good understanding of how individual children learn, the next steps in their development and learning and how these can be accommodated in a fun and stimulating way.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The nursery rooms are well laid out to allow children space to spread out their play and move around freely. They are able to move between the indoor and outdoor areas easily and a full range of activities covering each area of learning and development is available in both. Children enjoy a selection of good quality toys and equipment and they are encouraged to make their own choices about what they would like to play with. As the children get older more structured activities balanced well with time for free play and self expression encourage children to develop good concentration and become careful listeners both to staff and their peers.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are encouraged to be independent, creative and imaginative as they use their problem-solving skills to enhance their own play. Outside a forest school area encourages children to build dens using everyday materials such as wood, sticks, cardboard boxes and lengths of guttering and drainpipes. The children work together discussing their ideas and sharing their opinions. Younger children are encouraged to explore a range of natural materials through the use of treasure baskets and messy play. Staff recognize that their own routines are important and provide plenty of opportunities for physical contact and comfort. Children develop skills in literacy and numeracy through interesting and exciting activities. From a young age they are encouraged to mark make in a range of medium such as gloop and sand and as they get older progress to using different writing materials to make marks and eventually form basic letters and write their names. A game of

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

hopscotch outside introduces numbers in a variety of forms. Children throw a large dice, count the number of spots then jump the correct number of squares looking at the written number on the final square they end on. These experiences help children to make connections between written numbers and objects and the basics of addition and subtraction as some children take more or less jumps than others. One of the key strengths of the setting is the staff's recognition that children will learn the same thing in different ways and they have embraced the principles of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the Early Years Foundation Stage, altering their practice to ensure that children direct their own learning.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children have various opportunities to learn to keep themselves safe and take risks in a secure environment. The introduction of the forest school has enabled them to use critical thinking skills and problem solving to work together to move large objects and learn about safety in the outdoor environment. They are encouraged to stay healthy as from a young age they develop good hygiene habits as hand washing is encouraged at mealtimes and after using the toilet or potty. Children of all ages enjoy regular exercise and fresh air and healthy eating is encouraged. Stringent procedures for nappy changing and regular sterilization of toys and equipment used by the youngest children ensures that children are protected from cross-infection.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Good strategies for supporting positive behaviour are in place and children are provided with plenty of opportunities to learn to share and take turns during their play and whilst helping staff with everyday tasks such as handing out drinks and food at snack time. The staff provide praise and encouragement and the freedom for the children to make their own choices and extend their play ensures they do not become bored or fractious. Inappropriate behaviour is discussed with the children and they are calmly asked to stop and the possible consequences of their actions and dangers involved explained clearly. This helps children to learn right from wrong and develop a sense of responsibility. Themes and activities introducing children to other ways of life and different cultures encourage them to respect diversity and recognise themselves and their families as being unique. The range of activities and opportunities for children to direct their own play allows

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

them to develop as independent, confident and enthusiastic learners. 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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