St Pauls Nursery, Malvern Street

St Pauls Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY216824 Inspection date 09/10/2009 Inspector Adelaide Griffith

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Setting address St. Pauls Nursery, 10 Malvern Street, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands, B12 8NN Telephone number 0121 464 1886 Email suzanned@stpaulstrust.org.uk Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk 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.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

St Pauls Day Nursery was registered in 2002. It is one of two nurseries run by the committee of a community and voluntary organisation. It is attached to the Sure Start Children's Centre which is on the same site. The nursery operates on the ground floor of a multi use building in the Balsall Heath area of Birmingham. It is open each weekday from 8.00am to 6.00pm for 50 weeks of the year. Children have access to four playrooms and there are two fully enclosed outdoor play areas.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 58 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 42 children aged from four months 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. It also supports children who speak English as an additional language. This nursery is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register and children attend during the school holidays.

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Description of the setting

There are 15 members of staff who work directly with children. All of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery provides funded education for three and four year old children. The nursery receives support from the local authority and the Children's Centre teacher.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The nursery provides a warm environment in which children are making steady progress in their learning and development. Children are competently safeguarded and their welfare needs are addressed. On the whole, children's individual needs are met. The positive partnership with parents generally contributes to children's care and learning and the relationship with other early years providers works suitably for the education of children. The self-evaluation process is in its infancy and some plans are in place for the further development of the provision.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop all staff's knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage further to ensure that they provide experiences which are appropriate to each child's stage of development as they progress towards the early learning goals  improve further the system for using observations and assessments to identify learning priorities and to plan these for each child effectively  review existing procedures to ensure that all staff develop appropriate skills to manage children's behaviour effectively  review the procedures for reporting progress and achievements to parents. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's care and learning is generally promoted because some staff have a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff have a clear understanding of their responsibility with regard to child protection issues and children's welfare is effectively safeguarded. All adults working on the premises are vetted. Staff are vigilant about safety issues and conduct risk assessments, both indoors and outside, to ensure that hazards are minimised. All records required for the safe and efficient management of the nursery and to meet the needs of the children are maintained.

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the early years provision

The self-evaluation process is at an early stage and staff have an opportunity to contribute through regular meetings. They have reorganised the layout of rooms to facilitate activities and have changed some of the documentation to record aspects of development more effectively in order to support children's learning. Strengths of the nursery include the promotion of children's self help skills. Additionally, there is continuity of care because some staff have worked at the nursery for a considerable period and have built firm relationships with children and their families. Although, the manager has a vision for the nursery, this is not shared by all the staff. She has identified priorities for improvement such as attendance on behaviour management courses. There are plans for improvement, such as developing the outside play area for a range of activities. However, the capacity to make necessary improvements is not reflected in the response to

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the early years provision

recommendations because some are not fully addressed.

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the early years provision

Parents are appropriately informed about the nursery through a prospectus. Staff maintain frequent communication and parents comment positively on the warm welcome that children receive on arrival each day. Information is shared about children's experiences daily and a parents' evening is organised to provide feedback about their child's progress. However, this information is not sufficiently clear to enable parents to gain a sound understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff encourage parents to share what they know about their child at the start and some suggestions are offered for parental involvement in children's learning, for example, taking books home for reading. The staff have a long established relationship with other professionals. The area special needs co- ordinator attends to give guidance in behaviour management and there is an effective system in place for children's transition to local schools.

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the early years provision

The manager and staff strive to provide an environment that is inclusive for all children and their families. Generally, children get the support they need. Owing to the ability of some staff to speak community languages children are supported in developing appropriate language skills. Also, some words in children's first language is obtained from parents in order to encourage effective communication with all staff. Children are learning to develop respect for other cultures due to celebrations of festivals and through sampling a range of different dishes. They are helped to develop an awareness of disability and few resources are available to support this aspect of learning effectively. The broad range of resources is changed consistently to ensure that children access a variety at all times. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy the time they spend in the spacious rooms of the nursery. They move around freely and confidently choose from the available resources. Children are encouraged to develop a sense of responsibility by tidying away after play. The environment is cheerful with posters and colourful displays that include examples of their work. Some staff use all play activities to promote children's learning appropriately. For instance, very young children are supported in developing concentration and language skills due to the staff's interactions whilst they stack objects which they count repeatedly. However, this approach is not consistently implemented throughout the nursery and at times the opportunities to maximise children's learning are not used effectively.

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and outcomes for children

Children's independence is promoted positively because most serve themselves at meal times. This also encourages the development of small muscle skills as they pour drinks and use cutlery with precise control. The staff take into consideration children's preferences during free play sessions and then use these for planned activities. For example, role play equipment is used to encourage younger children to develop caring attitudes towards others. Some staff have a secure understanding of the early years framework and use this to plan for the next step in learning when they carry out observational assessments of children's attainment. On the other hand, similar practice is not consistently applied by others. Consequently, children's learning is not always fully promoted.

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and outcomes for children

The key worker system clearly supports children to settle in the nursery and they have formed positive relationships with staff and their peers. Children's self-esteem is increasing as they respond to praise from the staff. Furthermore, they feel secure because younger ones see their reflections in low mirrors and older children have access to folders that contain photographs of themselves and their families. They are sufficiently confident to continue with play without adult intervention at some stage. They access writing tables and engage in mark making skills and they enjoy singing songs and nursery rhymes.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing an awareness of safety issues. They refrain from throwing objects across the room in response to requests and appropriate explanations. Also, staff talk to children about being careful when transferring food from a large bowl to their plates at dinner time. They concentrate fully and follow instructions appropriately. On a daily basis children play outside and they walk to the local library regularly. They participate in a variety of activities and bring books back to the nursery for further use. A soft play room is available to promote the physical skills of younger children appropriately. Children demonstrate their understanding of personal hygiene routines. They repeatedly press on the dispenser to access soap for washing hands and then use paper towels for drying. Healthy options are promoted through the balanced meals which are prepared daily and staff make allowance for children's individual dietary requirements. A fair selection of fresh

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and outcomes for children

fruit is available daily and this raises children's awareness of healthy eating appropriately. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Most children are gaining skills in taking turn and sharing. However, some children are reluctant to do so and disrupt the play of others regularly. Moreover, they are not always responsive to guidance from the staff. Consequently, children's learning is, at times, hindered by this type of behaviour. In spite of this children are encouraged to work together and they build high towers which they describe as 'big'. Staff talk and listen to children but opportunities to develop critical thinking is not sufficiently explored and children are not consistently encouraged to work out problems. For example, how to add to the height of the tower which is above their heads. Children are making reasonable progress in their learning and challenge is

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and outcomes for children

included appropriately. For instance, they explore with a variety of textures including paint and sand. They are gaining an awareness of the environment by growing vegetables. Furthermore, they visit the adjacent farm regularly where they see animals and learn about their lifestyles. Their understanding of the community in which they live is promoted due to these visits, story sessions at the library and outings to local shops. In addition, children have access to a variety of programmable resources and information technology equipment and this contributes to some of their skills for the future. 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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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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Stage

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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