Halesowen Day Nursery Ltd

Halesowen Day Nursery Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY389904 Inspection date 09/09/2009 Inspector Patricia Webb

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Setting address 137 Hagley Road, HALESOWEN, West Midlands, B63 4JN

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Telephone number 0121 585 0265 Email heidi@halesowendaynursery.co.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 . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

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

Halesowen Day Nursery originally opened in 1993 and was re-registered under the current private ownership in 2009. It operates from four rooms in converted premises in Halesowen on the outskirts of Birmingham. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The setting is within easy access of local facilities. The provision for the children is on the ground floor with additional wheelchair access at the rear of the building. The nursery is open Monday to Friday all year round from 7:30am until 6:00pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions and come from the local area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 43 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 75 children on roll. The setting has procedures to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and strategies to support children with English as an additional language. The provision maintains close links with local schools and has links with other Early Years Foundation Stage providers.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 16 members of staff who work with the children, most of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications and two are working towards a Level 3 qualification. Some staff, including the owner/manager, are working towards achieving Early Years Professional Status (EYPS). Additional staff are employed in the roles of a cook, a cleaner and a business manager to support the operation of the nursery. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are making great strides in their development as staff are highly skilled and intuitive in identifying and meeting the needs of all children attending. Some aspects of the provision are outstanding as all children thoroughly enjoy their time in the setting and achieve very highly. There is a very strong commitment to continuous improvement from the owner who is highly reflective in involving everyone in identifying areas to develop in order to further enhance outcomes for children. All of the required polices are in place and are effective in practice to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the provision in safeguarding children.

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further?

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

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further?

 complete the planned improvements to further develop the access to the outdoor play area with particular regard to children under two years  extend the process of evaluating the quality of the provision and its impact on outcomes for children  review the format for the logging of any complaints to reflect the change of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 ownership.

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the early years provision

The owner/manager works very positively with the management team and the staff to drive forward improvements within the practice. Staff are well qualified and eagerly undertake specific courses to raise their knowledge and understanding of how children learn, progress and contribute to their enjoyment and achievement. For example, baby signing has been tried and evaluated in the setting, resulting in many of the older babies and toddlers using this proficiently to develop early communication and reduce frustration and this has been shared with parents and carers. Whilst parents receive detailed information about how to make a complaint or discuss any issues or concerns with the owner, the format for recording the outcomes of any possible concerns has not yet been drafted under the new current ownership.

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the early years provision

Everyone involved in the setting is being encouraged to participate in the processes for evaluating the quality of the provision. Parents contribute through questionnaires and staff share ideas and areas for improvement in both team and room meetings. Children are also involved in some of the decision making and identifying their ideas for improvement. For example, a recent consultation with the children about the selections offered for breakfast resulted in a wider choice of cereals and prompted a discussion about the possible health hazards of having sausage, bacon and egg for breakfast every morning. The formal process of recording the self-evaluation is still in progress although the owner is aware of this being a live document that will change and expand as the practice continues.

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the early years provision

Children are fully protected as staff have a secure understanding of the safeguarding procedures, working closely with relevant agencies should there be concerns regarding any child in their care. Designated staff take lead responsibility for various aspects of the operation of the setting, including health and safety. All staff understand that safety is everyone's responsibility and the detailed risk assessments reflect how staff have identified and acted upon concerns as they arise. For example, concern regarding the cords on the story sacs led to staff in each care base evaluating the risk and addressing it in a manner suitable for each age range. The procedures for the recruitment and selection of staff are robust and stringent ensuring that children are cared for by adults who are suitable, having been carefully selected and vetted.

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the early years provision

Each child is valued and highly respected as an individual. Where English is an additional language, staff work very effectively with parents to gain some insight into the home language, reflecting key words within the child's daily routines to encourage security and a sense of belonging. This applies to oral language and sign language as both children and adults hone their skill in this and take pride in promoting effective communication. Procedures for identifying and meeting any children's learning difficulties and disabilities are in place and demonstrate how important liaison with the relevant agencies is in ensuring that all children are supported in reaching their full potential. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children make extremely strong progress in their development due to staff knowledge and understanding of child development and how highly tailored planning effectively keys into children's interests. Staff have high expectations of how children can learn and grow through their everyday routines, activities and the warm and positive interaction and support they receive from the adults. For example, a young toddler assists in distributing the children's drinks in their individual feeder cups. The adult encourages the child in recognising their peers, giving their name as the toddler takes time to seek out the correct child, presenting them with their drink with a most emphatic plonk, so very proud of the success.

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and outcomes for children

Babies receive close and caring attention from skilled staff who nurture and encourage each child to progress to their next steps. Constant reflection on the layout of the environment and how resources are presented results in some innovative ideas being implemented following in-depth research and planning. Babies delight in crawling to the monochrome decorated relaxation area, as they gain a sense of security whilst developing their eyesight and ability to focus as they observe the geometric shapes and movement in the display. Detailed care plans are drawn up in consultation with parents and carers and regularly reviewed to take account of individual children's progress and specific needs. Parents are consulted in preparation for their child's transition to the next care base, and as older children prepare for the move to full-time school. Such consideration enables children to feel secure and settled as their individual needs are identified and met.

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and outcomes for children

Parents are kept fully informed of their children's progress through ready access to the attractive and meaningful developmental records maintained by the key workers. They become involved in the life of the setting as they join in with social gatherings and attend well-planned open evenings to discuss children's development in more detail. They complete questionnaires planned to gain their opinions and views, all of which are acted upon and responded to by the management team.

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and outcomes for children

Children thoroughly enjoy their time in the setting. They revel in accessing the various well-planned activities spontaneously and with ease both indoors and outside. The current layout of the setting prevents direct free access to the outside area for the younger children although plans are in place to address this and staff plan outdoor activities and walks in the local area on a daily basis. Older children delight in the wonderful outdoor area, donning wet play clothing, eager to engage wholly in water play, filling their receptacles from the tap. Great delight is to be had when creating the large puddle in the tuff spot tray and then using wheeled toys to pedal through it and create their marks and patterns on the slabs. They take their caring roles very seriously as they tend to their flowers and vegetables, watering them copiously and checking the tomatoes for ripeness to include them in their daily snacks. In-depth discussions held to choose a pet resulted in the

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and outcomes for children

purchase of 'Smudge' the rabbit, who is fed and watered daily, receiving frequent This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 visits from the many 'friends' in nursery. The involvement shown by some of the older children has resulted in some parents now finding themselves the proud owners of their own rabbits as they become actively caught up in their children's development and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Staff are very intuitive in keying in to children's interests and use these effectively to plan for individual children's learning and development. One child shows a strong penchant for Thomas the Tank Engine and trains in general. Staff then use this to plan the learning, ensuring that all areas of learning are covered through this particular interest, noting the formation of the letters in the various engines' names, the route each once takes along the track and what makes the engine move. Younger children also have their interests built upon as, for example, a toddler shows great fascination with watches and clocks, resulting in taking apart and reassembling a clockwork timepiece and accessing books containing pictures of clocks. Older children recently re-enacted their favourite story of 'The Gruffalo', creating the deep, dark wood in a corner of the room and using torches to 'explore'. One child created their own story book using rhyming words taken from

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and outcomes for children

the story to note the similarity and patterns of sounds. Children in kindergarten create their own games as they become absorbed in 'marching' around the base, singing and playing their musical instruments with staff being 'asked' to join in.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their balanced and nutritious meals with relish, chatting with their friend the cook about the meals on offer and expressing their pleasure. Older children manage their own café-style snack time, selecting whole fruit and sorting out their drinks. Any specific dietary or religious requirements are noted, checked and followed to ensure on-going health and well-being. All staff hold first aid qualifications, ensuring that any minor accidents are managed efficiently with suitable arrangements discussed with parents in the event of an emergency. Children's behaviour is very well managed and they respond to the trust staff place in their behaviour. They know the boundaries and expectations as, for instance, a child reminds friends that there is not enough room in the Caribbean beach café for them all to crowd in because it would be dangerous. The café was designed by the children following input from a grandparent who gave information about what

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and outcomes for children

it was like to grow up in Jamaica. Children are also developing a further awareness of their world around them as they refer to the world map on the wall, paint and draw the various countries' flags and plot the various holiday destinations they and their friends have visited. They show care and consideration for each other and for others as they become aware of differences in society, learning skills for the future. A debate about the 'rules' for the beach café resulted in the decision that no dogs should be allowed. One child then reminded the group about the need to acknowledge that blind people might have to have a guide dog and so this exception was added to the 'rule'. 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 1 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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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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