Little GemsOfsted inspection, 14 May 2010

Little Gems Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 122407 Inspection date 14/05/2010 Inspector Rebecca Hurst

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Setting address Methodist Church, Coulsdon Road, Caterham, Surrey, CR3 5NU Telephone number 01883 343678 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

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

Little Gems Nursery is situated in Caterham, Surrey. It opened in 1989 and operates from a church hall. Children have the use of a large hall. Toilets, including disabled provision, are located off the main entrance hall. The group also have use of the kitchen facilities. The pre-school is open daily from 9:15 am to 12:15 pm during term time only. Children can bring a packed lunch for lunch club which operates three days a week until 12:45 pm.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 50 children aged from two to under five years on roll. The pre- school supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs six members of staff. Of these over half hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is beginning to work 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

Staff demonstrate good knowledge of each of the children's individual development, which supports the learning and development of the children. The children are kept safe whilst attending the setting due to daily safety checks and visits to local community which have risk assessments carried out on them. The children's needs are being met through excellent partnerships with parents. Evaluation and reflective practice ensure the setting builds on the staff's professional development and that of the service it provides. Partnerships with outside agencies is a key strength which ensures children's needs are fully met.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure policies and procedures have the up to date contact details of the regulator  look at the organistion of the outside area to maximise the children's physical development  evaluate fire drills to record any problems that were encountered and how they were resolved

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the early years provision

The setting has clear safeguarding children procedures in place and provides information to parents which is in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidelines. A range of daily risk assessments are carried out for all areas of the hall and for the local outings the children attend. This ensures that the safety of the children is maintained at all times. Emergency fire drills are carried out with all of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the children and recorded with dates and times. However, the staff do not record the evaluation of how well the drills went. As a result, there are missed opportunities to improve each fire drill. Staff have a good understanding of child protection issues and how to safeguard children. As a result, children are protected from harm and neglect.

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the early years provision

The staff adapt activities for all of the children to meet their individual needs. Staff are all fully aware of the needs of the children and work very closely with people from outside agencies. Staff work very well with parents and outside agencies in writing the children's individual educational plans. Consequently, staff are committed to inclusive practice. They work together to ensure the needs of the children are paramount and that they are progressing well with their development. The children enjoy learning about different festivals and celebrations from around the world. The staff teach the children about Chinese New Year, Easter, Christmas, Diwali and other festivals.

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the early years provision

The staff have excellent partnership with the parents of the children. The staff ensure parents are kept informed throughout, the time their child spends at the setting. This builds extremely effective bonds and children benefit greatly from this. The staff share all of their observations and portfolios of the children with the parents through regular meetings with the parents.

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the early years provision

The provider has well organised systems in place to ensure all of the required records and documentation are available at all times and are kept safe and secure. This ensures that records are confidential. All developmental records are shared with the parents and the staff ensure all parents are kept up to date with any accidents and/or incidents.

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the early years provision

The setting has full policies and procedures in place which are available at all times for parents to view. Some policies and procedures however, do not have the correct contact details in place of the regulator. As a result, parents have not been given the full procedures to follow should they wish to contact the regulator.

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the early years provision

The self-evaluation process is effective and includes all staff and parents' views. The provider and staff are able to clearly identify the setting's strengths and weaknesses and they work with the local early years team to maintain continuous improvement of the provision. All staff attend regular training sessions which updates their knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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and outcomes for children

All children are very happy and settled at the setting. The staff make good use of the information that is shared between them and the parents. The staff use a range of media to gather a clear picture of their individual needs. Staff use observations, photos and discussions with parents. Observations are detailed and are used to inform the planning of the continuous provision for the children. Each child's next step is used in the continuous provision as a learning intention for the staff to move the children on with their development within the planning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children have an excellent range of resources to choose from on a daily basis, which are laid out to reflect the six areas of learning. Children have a good mix of child-led and adult-initiated activities. Children have access to a good amount of resources which reflect diversity and equal opportunities. Staff interaction with the

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and outcomes for children

children is enthusiastic and they use lots of open questions and praise to help extend their learning and develop their language skills. Children enjoy playing with information and communication technology equipment and staff sit with the children to aid them when playing the games. Children enjoy using a range of craft materials which enhances the children's creative development.

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and outcomes for children

The organisation of the outside area limits the children's development of their gross motor skills. The children's fine motor skills are greatly enhanced by the activities they have on offer around the setting both inside and out, in all six areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

Staff are skilled in asking the children open ended questions which make them think about what they are doing. Staff are very calm with the children, and explain everything to them at a level they can fully understand, which results in well behaved children who respond well to praise. Staff have a clear understanding of the importance of the use of positive strategies to support children's behaviour. All staff actively encourage children to share and take turns, and they monitor the children at play to ensure that toys and equipment are used safely and appropriately.

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and outcomes for children

Children are carefully supported to learn good basic hygiene skills through the use of effective hygiene routines. Children take themselves to the toilet and wash their own hands, and they are provided with individual paper towels. All children are openly encouraged to wash their hands after they have come in from the garden. This ensures children are protected against cross-contamination and infection. Children help themselves to drinks, which are available while they play.

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and outcomes for children

Children's independence skills are greatly nurtured through well thought out snack times. Staff sit with the children and talk to them about the food they are having and about the benefits of healthy eating. The children cut up their own fruit for snack time and the staff give the children healthy choices of milk and/or water to drink. The children also pour their own drinks. Children self register during snack time, which allows the staff to see who has had snack and for the children to learn early word recognition. 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 2 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 1 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 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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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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