Stepping Stones Community Nursery

Stepping Stones Community Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY398669 Inspection date 15/02/2010 Inspector Mauvene Burke

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Setting address Ground Floor, Melbury House, Richborne Terrace, London, SW8 1BA Telephone number 0207 820 3800 Email jonima99@btinternet.com 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 .

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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: 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

Stepping Stones Community Nursery opened in 2009. It operates from a hall in a purpose-built community building in a residential estate in the London Borough of Lambeth, close to public transport links. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is open each weekday from 08:00 to 18:00 all year round.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 14 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently nine children aged from five months to two years on roll, most in part-time places. There are three members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least NVQ level 3.

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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

Children's welfare and learning needs are generally well met and staff have a satisfactory knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and mostly apply this in practice. On the whole, children are happy and settled and enjoy their time at the setting. The setting is accessible, inclusive and welcoming. Staff have formed positive partnerships with parents, to ensure that children's individual needs are suitably met, partnerships with other providers are being developed. The setting has yet to formalise systems with which to monitor and evaluate the provision, nonetheless, the manager has identified areas for future development.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the record of risk assessments so that it includes the date of review and any action taken following a review or incident and ensure that it includes any assessments of risk for outings and trips (Documentation) 01/03/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 continue to develop systems for planning and assessment to ensure children's progression is tracked against the expectations of the early learning goals, next steps are identified for all children and incorporated into the planning and parental involvement encouraged  extend the planning for outdoor play to ensure learning opportunities are maximised in this area  ensure that all staff are aware of the need to maintain privacy and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 confidentiality  reduce the risk of cross infection by ensuring that all staff follow good nappy changing procedures and that individual hand drying towels are available for both staff and children.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded effectively because all staff have a good understanding of child protection procedures and they know how to implement the policies if any concerns are identified. Full written child protection policies are in place and are shared with parents to ensure that they are fully aware of the setting's safeguarding responsibilities. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensures that everyone working with the children are suitable to do so. All visitors are required to sign in and out of the nursery, ensuring an accurate record of everyone coming into contact with the children is maintained. Written risk assessments and daily checks are carried out on the premises to ensure the children are cared for in a safe and secure environment, however the provider does not ensure that the dates of reviews are included or the action taken following a review or incident. In addition to this, the risk assessment does not include an assessment of risks for

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the early years provision

outings. This is a specific requirement of the EYFS.

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the early years provision

The staff team are committed to ensuring that children's learning and welfare are effectively met. Good communication exists between adults and the maintenance of ratios are always met. Staff are vigilant in their supervision of babies and children and they work well together as a team. All regulatory documents are in place as required but these are not always sufficiently maintained. For example, staff do not always adhere to their confidentiality policy by ensuring that information written about individual children is kept private, such as recordings of accidents and incidents.

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the early years provision

The staff ensure children have access to all resources and rotate toys and equipment to give stimulation and interest. They are well presented to children, paying particular attention to detail to ensure they are inviting and interesting, such as, treasure baskets and tents with cushions inside. The sensory room with apt lighting provides a suitable rest area for children who may find it difficult to rest. This doubles up as a home corner and puppet area. Resources are age appropriate, fit for purpose, meet children's individual needs and are stored to allow easy and free access. The provider has an awareness of her responsibilities to promote equality and diversity. Steps have been taken to promote language as children are spoken to and sung to in Spanish. Children are supported to develop a positive sense of identity and to show respect for one another through the staff being good role models. Nonetheless, although there are some resources which

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the early years provision

reflects difference such as dolls and books, there are none that promotes disability or religion.

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the early years provision

There are as yet, no formal systems in place with which to monitor and evaluate the settings strengths and weaknesses. However, through discussion with the manager, she was able to identify areas she would like to see improved This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 throughout the setting, this includes the outdoor play area and using a nutritionist to develop the settings menus.

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the early years provision

Parents spoken to at the time of the visit are complimentary about the setting and the professional approach staff have towards their work. They consider that they are given relevant information about the setting but are not always given the opportunity to share in their children's learning such as working on their children's targets at home. Although there are no children attending the setting with special educational needs, staff are aware of the links within their immediate vicinity, such as the children's centre, where they can access relevant support.

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and outcomes for children

Considering that the nursery is in its infancy, children's personal, social and emotional development is developing very well. Children are happy, sociable and have settled well in this environment. They crawl and walk around the play room, confidently selecting resources of their own choice. The children are extremely kind and thoughtful to one another. For example, they assist each other in finding their shoes when going into the garden and the older children take hold of the younger children's hands and gently leads them to and from the garden, without any prompts from the adults. There is a strong emphasis on children's creative development. The majority of the children currently attending the setting are under two years old. These children are engaged in a range of media which allows them to touch, taste and smell different textures which they respond to enthusiastically. For example, they are provided with activities that include playing

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and outcomes for children

with jelly, crushed Weetabix, cooked pasta and custard. They have opportunities to explore colour through the use of paint and enjoy listening to and sometimes joining in with familiar stories and songs. Overall, resources provide the children with development opportunities across the areas of learning. Very young children are being introduced to the concept of numbers and shapes as they join in with number songs and are shown 'circles' drawn in the flour and corn flour by the adults and encouraged to do the same.

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and outcomes for children

The balance between adult- and child-led activities is appropriate. A daily routine is followed, and children have daily opportunities to spend time outside where they develop their physical skills when they play on the climbing frame, ride the pedal bikes and kick the ball to each other. However, children are unable to free-flow play between inside and outdoors and currently, the outdoor activities do not complement indoor learning as not enough attention is given to this in the planning. There is a key worker system in place and each member of staff have a group of children and are responsible for keeping their progress records up-to-date and noting their next steps. However, although staff demonstrate an understanding of the educational programme and how children's progress is monitored, there is no evidence of any observations in any of the children's profile files nor evidence that the children's next steps have been identified.

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and outcomes for children

Children's good health is mostly satisfactorily promoted. They learn the importance of washing their hands and keeping them clean. The premises are clean and staff This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 remove their shoes when working in the baby area. However, staff do not always follow good hygiene procedures, for example, they do not always wear gloves when changing children's nappies and staff share the same hand towel with which to dry their hands. This puts children at risk of cross-infection. Children currently bring packed lunches, the setting provides parents with information about foods which can be safely stored and supplied. Staff place a high priority on children keeping safe. There are regular fire drills carried out and recorded and the children have a good awareness of the procedure to follow and what to do in such an emergency when the alarm is set off. The older children are becoming increasingly

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and outcomes for children

aware of their own and that of others safety, for example, they carefully replace tables back underneath tables. Babies are secure in this setting as they display a sense of belonging and forming good relationships with the staff. The range of equipment and activities provided fully support children's skills which they can take forward 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 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 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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