YMCA Gosport Nursery, St Vincent

St Vincent Early Years Centre Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 511070 Inspection date 07/12/2009 Inspector Clare Moore

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Setting address YMCA Gosport, St Vincent Early Years Centre,, St. Vincent College, Mill Lane, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 4QA Telephone number 023 92504199 Email michaela.oscroft@ymca-fg.org 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

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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 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

St. Vincent Early Years Centre was registered in 2000. It is managed and supported by the Children's Work Director of South East Hampshire YMCA, which is a charitable organisation. It is one of a chain of six YMCA managed nurseries. The centre is registered to provide care for 53 children in the early years age range, from birth to under five years. It provides sessional and full day care and is located in the grounds of St. Vincent College, Gosport.

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Description of the setting

The centre is open each weekday from 8.00am to 6.00pm all year round. All children have access to a secure enclosed outside play area. There are currently 120 children from four months to five years on roll. The centre receives funding for early education. It currently supports a small number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also those who speak English as a second language. The centre works closely with teachers at local schools and the Early Years Advisory Teacher. The centre employs a qualified Manager and Deputy Manager in a supernumerary capacity and there are 14 staff working with the children. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is working towards a qualification.

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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 happy and settled. They are confident, they relate very well to staff and work and play together harmoniously. They make very good progress across all the areas of learning. Staff work together in close partnership with parents and professionals to reflect on practice and to bring about continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 continue to improve support for children who are learning English as an additional language, for example, by using the effective practice examples in the Department for Children, Schools and Families guidance 'Supporting children learning English as an additional language'  further develop the use of sign language to support children's communication skills.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded very well as this area is a high priority and the recruitment system is rigorous. It includes an innovative traffic light scheme to ensure everyone is aware of the stage of the checks. All staff are inducted in safeguarding as soon as they start work and all parents are informed about the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 safeguarding policy. The setting is very secure and all parents observe the procedures so that no unauthorised person can gain entry.

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the early years provision

Those in charge are strongly motivated and enthusiastic. They ensure that the whole staff team is valued and involved in their professional development. They consult parents and advisors for ideas to help towards making improvements and also use recommendations from previous inspections. The whole team is involved in the self-evaluation exercise which is brought together by the manager. It demonstrates that the centre has an accurate view of the provision and constantly seeks to develop it.

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the early years provision

They have an exceptional range of resources which includes an expanding collection made from natural materials such as wood. Resources are displayed attractively throughout the setting and outdoors so that children can access them independently. They are organised very well with clear labels in both words and pictures and are displayed so children can see what there is. Books are located throughout so that children can refer to them in other areas, for example, role play and construction. Staff have an efficient system to make sure they follow the children so that they are deployed effectively in the outdoor area and both the rooms the older children use. This enables them to work with children effectively in small groups and on a one-to-one basis.

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the early years provision

Staff work hard to promote equality and diversity. They spend time together with individual children to ensure their needs are met and learning styles respected. Children with English as an additional language are supported well to help them communicate in English through a variety of imaginative methods including picture cards. However, the home language aspect has not yet been developed to show that it is valued and to raise awareness amongst the other children.

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the early years provision

Partnership working is promoted well and the centre has strong working relationships with the Early Years Advisory Teacher and the Children’s Centre. They also work with the Area Inclusion Coordinator and speech and language specialists. This helps them to plan for individual children, reflect on practice and to lead to continuous improvement. Parents are very well informed about how the centre runs through introductions, discussion at handover times, information about procedures and the notice boards. They spend time with the key worker and are also involved with their children’s learning and development through consultation. They are warmly welcomed into the setting. Both mother's and father's contributions and involvement are encouraged, respected and valued.

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and outcomes for children

Children make very good progress in their learning and development. They are becoming increasingly independent in accessing their toys and resources and staff interaction supports them well across all the areas of learning. The environment is attractive and welcoming and children’s views are sought which helps to promote a sense of belonging for all of the children. The key worker system helps staff to know individual children very well. They keep the learning journals up-to-date and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 make careful observations, retain samples of work and photographs and use this information to plan the next steps of learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are curious and inquisitive learners. They develop communication and language skills as they enjoy stories, songs and rhymes and staff talk to them throughout their activities and use nappy change routines well for one-to-one interaction. There is a wide range of wall displays including children’s work and colourful posters with positive images of diversity. There are also displays depicting everyday needs such as a drink, and although these are used to help to name objects they are not often employed to encourage children to use and become familiar with signing to help them with communication skills. Children find out about space, shape and number, they solve problems as they construct, count blocks, compare size and practise number recognition. They find out about the natural world as they grow plants from seeds and gently handle and observe the changes in the stick insects in the aquarium. They develop their fine motor skills as

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and outcomes for children

they use tools such as pliers during construction to grip bricks, dress dolls, mix colours to paint and make marks, using, for example, chalks on blackboards. They develop their imagination and express themselves in a variety of ways. They mix colours as they experiment with paint. They explore sand, water and modelling media. They take part in dressing-up and role play using resources to prepare play meals for one another. They explore a wide collection of musical percussion instruments and improvised sound effects both indoors and outside.

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and outcomes for children

Older children are able to flow freely to the outdoor area and between both rooms in most weathers to extend their choice and use their learning preferences in the most productive way. Babies have time outside on a daily basis and the different ages are able to spend time together and interact which helps to build and reinforce relationships and assists with smooth transitions when younger children move on to be based with the older age group. Babies and younger children are encouraged to develop their identity through the use of mirrors and have great fun enjoying a game of hide-and-seek. They have frequent opportunities to explore through the use of a range of sensory and battery operated activity centres, captivated by the lights and sounds.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop exceptionally healthy lifestyles. They are very active both inside and out-of-doors. They enjoy a healthy home-cooked diet with fresh fruit and vegetables. They adopt healthy personal hygiene routines and clean their teeth after lunch with appropriate support. They demonstrate they feel safe through, for example, moving large soft play items confidently and using all the space freely. They make a positive contribution through being very supportive of each other, for example, offering a role-play hard hat so another child can join in and fetching shoes so a friend can be ready to go outside. They use polite social conventions such as saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ well as staff are very good role models. For example, staff say ‘excuse me’ to children when they need to pass through a space that children are blocking and thank and praise children for their help and efforts. Children develop skills for the future through the Early Years programme and also

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and outcomes for children

through their use of electronic and battery operated equipment. A recent addition is a digital camera which they use skilfully and enthusiastically to take pictures in the setting. 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 1 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 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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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