The Martin High School Anstey

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. North Stars Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 137828 Inspection date 23/03/2009 Inspector Gail Groves

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Setting address 73 North Way, Kingsbury, London, NW9 0RA

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Telephone number 020 89056449 Email bala@nsnl.co.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 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

North Stars Nursery opened in 2001 and operates from three rooms in the ground floor of a converted house. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is situated in a residential area in Kingsbury in the London Borough of Brent. It is open each weekday from 08.45 to 16.00 for 48 weeks of the year.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register as well as both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 26 children may attend the nursery at any one time of whom none may be under two years. There are currently 22 children aged from two to under five years on roll, some in part-time places. The nursery currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and a number of children with English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are six members of staff, five of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least NVQ level 2. The setting provides funded early education 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. Children's welfare is well promoted and they are valued as individuals. Staff work well with their parents and other providers and agencies to meet children's individual needs and this helps to support all children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. The nursery wishes to provide the best quality care and education for all children and their self-evaluation procedures are effective in identifying priorities for the future development and continuous improvement of the setting. Most documentation is in place and the nursery's policies and procedures are inclusive and support children's care and learning needs well.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the information given to parents regarding the nursery's policies on learning and teaching and how these link to the Early Years Foundation Stage develop systems to more closely monitor children's progression in all of the areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage  ensure thet the observations and assessments of each child's achievements, interests and learning styles are used to clearly identify the next steps in their learning.

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further?

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

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further?

 request written parental permission, at the time of the child's admission to the provision, to the seeking of 13/04/2009 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare)  keep a record of the risk assessment clearly stating when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident. (Documentation) 13/04/2009

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provision

Children’s welfare, care and safety are effectively promoted. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that children's welfare is carefully safeguarded and policies and procedures are effective and used consistently to meet children's needs. Staff work well as a team and move freely around the rooms, confidently supporting and extending children's play and learning throughout their interactions with them. They regularly attend training to update and enhance their skills and staff appraisals and management observation processes support staff development well. Most of the required documentation for the safe and efficient management of the setting is in place although the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements to keep records of risk assessments and to seek written parental permission for emergency medical advice or treatment are not met.

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provision

All of the staff are involved in the process of self-evaluation of the setting and parental views are sought through discussions and written feedback so that a full and accurate picture of the nursery's strengths and areas for development can be obtained. This has led to improvements that have had a positive impact on the outcomes for all children. For example, the outside play area has been developed to provide a covered seating area and the ground has been covered with bark chippings so that it can be more safely and easily used in poor weather. This allows children to use the outside environment more frequently and for a greater variety of play and learning.

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provision

The nursery values its strong partnership with parents and carers. Their open-door policy as well as newsletters and regular opportunities to attend parent evenings encourage parents to become involved in the life of the setting and to discover what their children are learning. However, although parents receive good quality information about the nursery when children start to attend they are not given any information about the Early Years Foundation Stage or how this links to the nursery's policies on learning and teaching. Therefore, they are not fully encouraged to understand how they can continue to support and develop their children's learning at home. Children's development and progress records are shared formally with parents during the twice yearly consultation meetings and written reports are also provided. Parents are encouraged to pass these on to the next setting when children move on to ensure continuity in their care and learning.

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provision

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

The nursery promotes children's welfare, learning and development well. The premises are well organised to support children's safety and independence and provide a stimulating and colourful environment both inside and outside in which children can develop as active and inquisitive learners. Resources are readily and safely accessible to all children and this encourages them to make choices and to take decisions about what they wish to play with, and as a result they develop positive self-esteem. Consistently used policies and procedures are in place to ensure that children's good health and well-being is promoted effectively and that all necessary steps are taken to prevent the spread of infection. Children learn good hygiene routines such as washing their hands before eating and discussions with staff help them to understand why this is important. Safety is prioritised and daily checks are carried out to ensure that the risks to children are minimised.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Visits from a dentist and a police officer as part of planned topic work support children's understanding of how to keep themselves healthy and safe.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children show good levels of involvement and concentration and good social skills as they play and explore alone, in pairs and in small groups. They are confident, happy and interested in finding out about the world around them and show independence in self-care skills. For example, they put on their coats and shoes and use the toilet with little or no support. Children behave well and clearly understand what is expected of them because the staff are calm and consistent in their approach to behaviour management and use age-appropriate methods to deal with unwanted behaviour. Children are encouraged to share and take turns and staff are adept at giving children negotiation strategies. For example, when a child asks a member of staff if he can use a bike, she models the way he should ask the child already using the bike if he can have a turn. When he does so, she praises him and later ensures that he is the next person to be offered the chance

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

for a ride in order to show him that this strategy will achieve the desired result.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children enjoy planned, purposeful play and exploration, both in and out of doors, with a good balance of adult-led and child-led activities that results in them becoming confident learners. Staff interact with the children at all times to extend and develop their play and their careful questioning techniques encourage children to develop good thinking and reasoning skills. They regularly observe children's progress and achievements and use these observations to plan challenging and motivating learning experiences. However, the next steps in children's learning are not always clearly identified in their individual developmental records and there are no structured systems in place to fully monitor how individual children are progressing within each area of learning.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children enjoy a wide variety of opportunities to develop early reading and writing skills. They use pencils, paint brushes and chalks to develop mark-making skills and older children are encouraged to develop phonic awareness and learn to recognise letters and to write their names. Frequent opportunities to count and use numbers within practical experiences and to develop children's ideas about shape and size encourage their mathematical awareness and problem solving skills. They look at fruit, talk about where it comes from and look at plants and insects to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 develop their awareness of the natural world and learn about the wider community through celebrating and reflecting on the cultural differences of the children who attend the nursery. Children's physical skills are well supported and the daily use of the outside play area allows them to develop good coordination as they throw,

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

catch, balance and climb with a variety of interesting and challenging play equipment. They develop imaginative role play scenarios using the home corner or the dressing-up resources and enjoy a range of creative experiences including singing, listening to music and dancing.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children with additional learning and/or development needs as well as those with English as an additional language are quickly identified and are well supported. The nursery works closely with other professionals such as Speech and Language Therapists as well as the child's parents in order to meet children's particular needs and to ensure continuity and progression in their learning and development. 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

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