Kids Planet Linacre Road

Early Days (UK) Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY216300 Inspection date 23/11/2009 Inspector Jean Evelyn Thomas

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Setting address Early Days UK, 7-15 Linacre Road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L21 8NJ Telephone number 0151 928 1551 Email 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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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

Early Days Nurseries is one of two nurseries owned by the registered person. It opened in 2002 and operates from three rooms in a purpose-built building. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is in a residential area of Litherland, Liverpool. It is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 52 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 42 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 68 children aged from birth to under five years old on roll. The nursery offers care to children aged over five years old to 11 years old, currently older children do not attend. The nursery is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

There are 16 members of staff, 11 of whom hold early years qualifications to at least level 2. The setting provides funded early education for three and four-year- olds.

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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 management and staff are committed towards continuous improvement and use their self-evaluation systems to prioritise plans for the future. The uniqueness of each child is respected and the partnerships established with parents contributes towards children's individual care needs being met. In line with the principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) children develop independent and active learning in a supportive environment. However, some omissions in the legal documentation and inconsistencies in staff's knowledge of the setting's policies means aspects of children's welfare are not fully promoted. A healthy lifestyle is strongly promoted and children learn how to stay safe.

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further?

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

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further?

 obtain information from parents about who has legal contact with the child; and who has parental responsibility for the child and carry out a full risk assessment for each type of outing. (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 08/12/2009

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure the system to request written permission from parents to seek This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 emergency medical advice or treatment clearly shows their consent has been given  provide opportunities for parents to contribute to their child's observation, assessment and planning process and establish links with all other setting which delivers the Early Years Foundation Stage to the children to promote continuity in children's learning and development  ensure consistency in staff's knowledge and understanding of the equality of opportunity policy and the safeguarding procedures for children's welfare  establish children's starting points when new children attend and ensure consistency in the planning for children's next steps in learning and development across the six areas of learning to support their progress towards the early learning goals.

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the early years provision

Children are appropriately safeguarded through staff's knowledge of child protection issues gained through undertaking training, either in-house or attending formal training sessions. The nursery's safeguarding policies and procedures are documented. Nevertheless, staff are not consistently secure in their knowledge of these to ensure effective implementation. Recruitment procedures are in place to assess applicants suitability to work with children. Risk assessments are completed on the whole premises by the designated member of staff. Premises are secure and the installation of the close circuit television increases the level of monitoring of all areas of the setting. Procedures are in place for outings for children's safety. However, risk assessments have not been carried out for each type of outing and recorded as legally required.

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the early years provision

Staff are deployed effectively to enable them to interact with children during play and to respond to any individual needs. Regular staff meetings and appraisal meetings support staff and clarify roles and responsibilities. Children benefit from easy access to a wide range of resources, set out in learning areas to stimulate their interest and promote the development of skills. Outdoor play is planned for each day. The nursery day is well structured to offer a mix of free-choice and adult-led activities, thereby maintaining a relaxed atmosphere and providing children with a variety of learning experiences. The provision is committed to promote inclusive practice and generally staff support children's understanding about the diversity of society and acknowledging difference in line with the settings policy.

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the early years provision

Staff have worked hard towards improving the outcomes for children since the previous inspection and the recommendations raised have been addressed. As recommended there is an increase in resources to support children's understanding about the diversity of society and cleaning rotas are in place to ensure play materials are clean and suitable for use. Staff developed systems to implement the childcare framework which was in place at the time of the last inspection. They have since sought advice and attended training in order to increase their knowledge and understanding of the EYFS. Staff work closely as a team and they are all involved in the setting's self-evaluation process to create a shared vision for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 improvement. They reflect critically on the setting's strengths and weaknesses to identify key areas for improvement. One being the outdoor play facilities for which

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the early years provision

they have successfully secured funding to make significant improvements to this area.

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the early years provision

The staff establish a close working partnership with parents which contributes to children's individual needs being met. Staff's friendly approach forges mutual relationships and promotes two-way communication. This is further enhanced with the implementation of the key person system. Consequently, staff know the children well and respond caringly to their individual needs. Parents express their satisfaction with the quality of the provision and state that they are kept informed about their child's progress. The parents emphasise how happy the children are to attend and really appreciate that it is a small, caring and friendly setting. Parents are given an information pack when the children start giving an insight to the organisation of the setting. Information regarding the educational programme is displayed through out the nursery. Information is gathered from parents when children start; including their routines, preferences and dietary requirements.

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the early years provision

However, information about who is legally responsible for the child is not obtained as legally required and the documentation format used to request medical advice or treatment to be sought in an emergency does not clearly show parental consent has been given.

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the early years provision

Information is not obtained from parents when children start about what children already know and can do to enable staff to be aware of children's starting points on entry to form a baseline for children's learning and development. The parents of the older children were recently invited to attend a meeting with their child's key worker to share with them their child's learning journal and discuss their progress. It is planned for a similar meeting to be held for the parents of the younger children. Parents are regularly given documented information which contains photographic evidence showing their child's achievements in planned activities. However, parents do not contribute to their child's ongoing observation, assessment and planning process. Links are established to support a smooth transition for children to their different primary schools. However, liaisons are not currently developed with children's other providers of EYFS to promote the

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the early years provision

integration of care and education for children and families.

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and outcomes for children

Children are secure and settled and they relate warmly to all staff, including support staff in the relaxed nursery atmosphere. In the older children's room friendships are forming, they excitedly chatter about what they have been doing and decide what to do next. Children become happily involved in play situations, enjoying the support of adults who interact to enhance their play and promote learning. The children are actively curious and enjoy the freedom to explore and confidently pursue activities of their choice. This demonstrates staff's understanding of one of the underlying principles of effective early years practice in following the children's interests. This practice deepens children's level of concentration and gives opportunity to practise and develop their skills. For This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 example, the babies are fascinated as they discover how to make a toy spin and

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and outcomes for children

repeat the action a number of times. Toddlers learn to pour and use different tools in the sand. In both the baby and toddler room the children happily investigate different tactile resources materials laughing as the feathers tickle their faces and wrapping themselves in large pieces of textured materials.

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and outcomes for children

The older children and staff construct a large space rocket. In play pieces of the rocket come apart; the children study the structure and successfully repair their design independently using their problem solving skills. They use their imagination as they travel to the moon in the space rocket. Staff enthusiastically join in the children's play and encourage children to count down from five before they 'blast off' on their journey. Continuing in their creative play some children without prompt from staff count beyond 10 before their return journey to earth. Language and communication skills are actively promoted throughout the nursery resulting in many children being confident communicators. Areas are organised to create communication friendly spaces, such as cosy cushioned areas and dens. All ages of children participate in action songs and enjoy sharing books with staff. The older children's attention is held during a lively story telling session, they ask questions

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and outcomes for children

about the story line and predict what is going to happen next. Informal learning opportunities are pursued during daily routines, for example, when the staff set the table for lunch children recognise the initial letter of their name on place mats. The staff suggest they find the same letter on other children's place settings. Children have opportunity to develop technology skills through the interactive toys, operating electronic equipment and use of the computer. Developing these skills has a positive impact on children's future economic well-being.

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and outcomes for children

Staff carry out regular observations on each child in their key worker group. These observations are used to assess and plan for children's individual next steps in learning and development. However, there are inconsistencies in the planning for individual children's next steps across the six areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children's understanding of sustainability is nurtured as they learn about what can be recycled and they use a bin for this specific purpose in their care room. They also walk to the local recycling base to responsibly dispose of a wider selection of recyclable items. Children learn about the benefits of following a healthy lifestyle as they enjoy playing outside in the fresh air throughout the year and are involved in activities which support their understanding of healthy eating. As an additional activity the children aged over two years have weekly instruction from a visitor to the nursery which brings a different dimension to developing physical skills. The children's meals are cooked freshly on the premises. A nutritionally balanced diet is provided with fruit and vegetables incorporated into the daily diet. The cook works closely with staff and parents to meet children's individual dietary needs.

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and outcomes for children

Mealtimes are social occasions where children enjoy being together and learn to serve themselves.

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and outcomes for children

Good hygiene routines are followed and children learn to take responsibility for their own personal care. Children develop a sense of belonging within the nursery where they develop friendships and learn to be part of a social group. Their behaviour is good. They learn to consider the consequences of their actions. Minor disagreements are skilfully dealt with in a way that is appropriate to each child's This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 age and stage of development. Children are encouraged to recognise potential risks and learn how to respond in dangerous situations, such as road safety procedures and not taking their drink of water to the designated computer area. 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 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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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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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