Nookin Cottage

Pixies Tree Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 131606 Inspection date 17/02/2010 Inspector Jacqueline Munden

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Setting address 63 Portsmouth Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO19 9BE

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Telephone number 023 8044 5869 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 0300 123 1231, 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: 0300 123 1231 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

Pixies Tree Day Nursery opened in 2000. It is owned and managed by the Pixies Day Nursery Group and operates from a detached building in the Woolston area of Southampton. There is easy access for younger children on the ground floor with provision for three- to five-year-olds on the first floor. All children have access to a secure outside area. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm all year round. Children come from the local area and attend for a variety of sessions.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 48 children. There are currently 91 children in the early years age range on roll. Of these, 33 receive funding for nursery education. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. There are 18 staff working with the children. Of these, 15 hold appropriate early years qualifications and three are currently 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 cared for in a welcoming environment, where their health and safety are generally promoted well. Effective systems, polices and procedures ensure their individual needs are met. Committed staff work cohesively with parents and other professionals to ensure children are valued and included. Staff's well developed knowledge of each child ensures they successfully promote most children’s learning and development. Regular self-evaluation makes sure that priorities for development are identified and acted on, resulting in continuously improving outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure all assessment records accurately reflect each child's level of development and use them to plan activities which provide sufficient challenge for all children aged over two years to fully promote their learning in all areas, and ensure that planning shows the learning intention of focus activities  ensure all resources and areas of the setting are well maintained to fully promote children's health and safety and that resources in the pre-school room are suitably organised, allowing children to make full use of them, with particular regard to role play  implement the planned activities and resources to ensure all children from different cultural backgrounds feel included, safe and valued in the two- to three-year-old room. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The management and staff team work well to provide a nurturing environment where children are secure. Staff have a clear understanding of safeguarding children; new staff are informed about policies and procedures regarding all aspects of safety as part of their induction and ongoing appraisal. The setting is undergoing structural changes which will benefit children, including their access to the garden. Therefore, temporary procedures are in place while building work is carried out. Management have accurately assessed the additional risks involved and have taken measures to ensure children are kept from harm and their routines and care is unaffected. For example, known and vetted builders are used and access to unsafe areas is restricted to children and visitors. Children are closely supervised by vigilant staff at all times and day-to-day risk assessments are generally used effectively. However, some weaknesses in the maintenance of the

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the early years provision

toilets and where some children sleep do not fully protect their health and safety.

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the early years provision

The good deployment of staff and daily routines ensure children's individual needs are met well. For example, staff make full use of the time that the setting is permitted (by local authority planning conditions) to use the garden, benefiting all ages of children. The effective key person system promotes children's welfare and further develops the strong links formed with parents. In the baby room, daily sheets are given to parents to provide information about children's diet, sleep times and how they have spent their day. For older children, detailed verbal feedback is shared at collection time. Parents report they are very happy with the care and support children receive. They are given many opportunities to be included in their child's life at the setting. For example, a parent council meet regularly with management and they are invited to attend open evenings to meet with key workers and discuss their children's progress. The setting has

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the early years provision

implemented an effective system to liaise with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) that children attend to enhance the care they receive. Staff work with other professionals to further develop their practice and support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery offers an inclusive approach to welcoming children and ensures any particular needs are catered for. These include special dietary needs and for most of those speaking English as an additional language. For example, in the pre-school room, dual language story books are available, and a book of photographs of people and activities in the nursery and of the child's family is created to help children feel valued and secure. However, this system is yet to be implemented to fully benefit those developing their use of English in the two- to three-year-old room.

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the early years provision

The nursery demonstrates a strong commitment to driving improvement which benefits children. For example, children's outdoor play experiences have been improved by the creation of grass covered tunnels and robust wooden climbing equipment. Staff attend meetings and parents complete questionnaires which contribute to the evaluation process and an ongoing development plan is in place. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

All children are happy and settle quickly as they arrive at the nursery, where their care needs are met effectively by caring staff with whom they form close bonds. In the baby room, children benefit from being held when being bottle fed, and being cuddled and comforted when needed which ensures they feel safe. They make good progress as they use a wide range of clean resources that help them develop. Staff interact well, encouraging children to reach and grasp toys and singing songs to engage them. Staff maintain records of their development and plan effectively for their individual needs. Older children confidently enjoy moving around their rooms using a varied range of activities which promote all areas of learning. They can freely select from a broad range of resources including creative materials, role play and a computer. However, some are not organised well to enable full use of them and some are not clean. Staff plan focus activities that help

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and outcomes for children

target areas for development, although the written plan does not always show the intended learning outcome. Staff generally assess children's progress well, although the written records for some do not always accurately reflect the level they achieve. Therefore, the planned next steps for some children do not always offer sufficient challenge to maximise the progress they make.

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and outcomes for children

Staff are on hand to support and interact when necessary as children play independently or with peers. Children use creative materials and tools well to make models from recyclable materials and use chunky, easy grip pens to colour pictures. Children enjoy looking at books and listen attentively to stories being read. They start to recognise their names on coat pegs and place mats. Some in the pre-school use name cards to help as reminders when writing their names. Children learn to count when playing games such as 'What's the time Mr Wolf?'. They learn about length as they make long and short snakes using modelling dough. Children have many opportunities to take part in cooking activities and confidently explain how they recently made pancakes. Children thoroughly enjoy using the robust and challenging climbing equipment to develop skills and large muscles. Staff prepare the garden with a wide range of equipment to provide an

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and outcomes for children

extension to the indoor learning environment. Boys enjoy using the clipboards and pencils to write the names of passengers on their boat as they play on the climbing frame. Children learn about the world around them as they dig the soil and talk about trees and insects. They grow plants and taste the vegetables they grow, such as radishes. They experiment moving around on the many wheeled toys available, pedalling and scooting around. Children are encouraged to become independent as they serve their own vegetables at lunchtime and put their coats on to play outdoors which results in them developing high self-esteem. They learn to respect others by taking turns with toys and are well mannered saying please and thank you. Parents report that children respond well to the effective use of a reward chart, showing delight when their space ship reaches the sun and they choose a special activity such as face painting.

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and outcomes for children

Healthy living is promoted well. Children enjoy a varied menu of freshly prepared and cooked meals and snacks that are cooked on site. Good discussions are held at these times to help children learn about what is good for them to eat. Children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 adopt good habits for keeping healthy as they know why it is important to clean hands before eating and after using the toilet. Children learn about the importance of brushing their teeth as they do so after lunch. They learn how their body changes when running around. Children learn to keep themselves safe through being gently reminded to go up and down the stairs with care. They follow procedures such as lining up and being counted before returning indoors from the garden and practising the emergency evacuation procedure. 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 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 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 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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