Ark Les Enfants Nursery and Forest School

Les Enfants Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY343942 Inspection date 18/05/2010 Inspector Ann Bamford

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Setting address Les Enfants Ltd, Lower Woodbank House, Avondale Road, DARWEN, Lancashire, BB3 1JE Telephone number 01254 760473 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 .

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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

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

Les Enfants was registered under the current owner in December 2006. It operates from a property close to Darwen town centre and is run by a limited company. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

Children are grouped in playrooms according to their age and stage of development. The playrooms, along with bathroom facilities, are located in the basement, and on ground and first floors. There are several outdoor play areas available for children's play.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 6pm, all year round. It is registered to provide care for a maximum of 93 children under eight years at any one time and there are currently 71 children on roll. The nursery supports children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery also provides out of school care. The before and after school club is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 9am and from 3.15pm until 6pm during term time. The holiday club is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 6pm during school holidays. The out of school club currently has 20 children on roll.

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Description of the setting

There are 14 staff employed to work directly with the children. The manager and owner of the nursery are supernumerary but work within the nursery for most of the working day. All staff hold an appropriate early years qualification. The nursery has completed the Quality Counts assurance scheme.

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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

All children's needs are met in an effective way while they are cared for in the nursery. Children's welfare is promoted with attention to individual children's needs as the nursery works with parents in a very skilled way. Children are highly safe and secure at all times and enjoy the time they spend at the nursery. Their good health is generally maintained effectively. Care meets all individual needs in a very child-centred way as the nursery makes extensive use of individual information elicited from parents, both before and during the child's time at the nursery. Children experience a rich variety of activities in an environment that is very well tailored for them. They generally make rapid progress in all areas of development. The nursery has made solid use of self-evaluation as a tool to identify and develop areas of continuous improvement. This has resulted in the quality of childcare and education that children receive being effective and consistently improved.

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further?

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 continue to develop planning children's next steps with parents  continue to develop strategies to ensure there is no cross infection.

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the early years provision

Children are extremely safe in the nursery. All staff have a very clear understanding of their role in safeguarding children and the confidence to seek assistance for a child, using the local area guidelines, should the need arise. The area where children are cared for is risk assessed on a daily and ongoing basis. Children are highly actively involved in keeping themselves safe as they are taught on an individual basis, for example, to use stairs safely. As a result, all children are safe and are developing a sophisticated awareness of how to keep themselves and others safe. Extensive written risk assessments are in place for outings and many other areas of care. The childcare area is regularly modified to ensure that children have maximum access to toys and equipment while still keeping them safe in the indoor and outdoor environment. Children's good health is generally maintained effectively as staff give a high priority to children performing self-help tasks from

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the early years provision

an early age. However, this is slightly impeded as some children have sun cream applied without protective gloves being changed between children, leaving them at risk of cross infection.

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the early years provision

Good use is made of documentation for both the safe management of the nursery and as a means of ensuring that children are making strong progress in each area of learning. The nursery regularly reviews documentation and plans for further development. The records of the planning in all areas of the nursery are clear and take good account of children's individual needs. The organisation of children into very small same age groups ensures that they are able to use toys and equipment at their own level. These groups are set with individual challenge and areas of focus. Staff make good use of the quality records of children's progress to ensure that children enjoy the clear challenges presented to them. This increases children's experience of success when learning.

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the early years provision

All members of the staff team have high aspirations for the quality of care and learning. Their commitment to ongoing improvement ensures that children receive a very good level of care that is consistently developing to meet needs in a skilled way. They have made effective use of the Early Years Foundation Stage documents as a tool for ensuring that each child makes progress in all six areas of their early learning. The individual targets for each child are consistently linked to the early learning goals from the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, they are not yet agreed with parents and this affects the rate at which children progress. Staff use everyday experiences so all children experience success, such as setting and clearing the table, pouring drinks and using cutlery to cut their own food. Innovative ideas increase their sense of belonging and valuing the world they live in. For example, children are involved in growing vegetables and herbs used in the

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the early years provision

nursery food and all ages of children are involved in recycling. This aids the development of valuable skills for the future. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Working in partnership with parents is good. The nursery involves parents in gathering information and evaluating their service. Children who have additional needs are clearly identified and staff work as part of a multidisciplinary team of nursery workers and others, such as health professionals, to meet children's needs. This enhances children's experience of consistency of care. In addition, the nursery works effectively with other professionals, such as other providers of nursery education, to achieve the best possible outcomes for children. The nursery also welcomes staff from feeder primary schools into the nursery to get to know their children.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from the staff team's unfailing strive for improvement. Staff's regular attendance on courses and skill in weaving new knowledge and understanding into practice mean that children can experience new ways of learning and having fun. The nursery's analytical approach to their own practice demonstrates their sophisticated ability to define where improvement can be made. They make good use of the views of parents and children. They then develop their practice in a methodical way, using both their records of progress and the setting's development plan. For example, the nursery plans to allow children additional time engaged in outdoor activities. The progress of the plan is clear to all. Parents, staff and children are excited at the plans for the further development of the outdoor area. Staff use all resources very effectively to develop children’s understanding of the multicultural world around them, by planning

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the early years provision

creative use of stories, food and cooking to focus on particular aspects of difference, such as Chinese or Asian heritage. Older children enjoy talking about learning to speak Spanish.

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and outcomes for children

The nursery provides integrated care and learning to meet individual needs. The careful allocation of key workers means that they hold a robust understanding of the different stages of children's development and learning; as a result, children's individual learning needs are promoted in an imaginative way. The environment is highly creative to encourage a balance for children in selecting their own activities and engaging in adult-led activities, both in and out of doors. Observation, assessment and planning are used skilfully to create an environment where children can be active learners and by staff challenging them to think critically. All next steps are linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are involved in many aspects of planning, for example, what time and where they will eat their snack, or what they will do for any given part of the day. Staff communicate effectively and work as a team to ensure that children can have individual choice,

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and outcomes for children

for example, playing outdoors. All children are encouraged to do as much as they can for themselves. For example, staff only provide support for children to start off fastening their coats. Children develop excellent self-help skills in managing their own hygiene needs. Staff focus consistently on helping children become independent when using the toilet, blowing their noses or playing outdoors appropriately clothed. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The staff's patience and encouragement of children to persist enhances their confidence to succeed. The planning of next steps ensures that a child who is unwilling to play with a particular type of toy, such as kicking a football, has one- to-one staff attention. This encourages the individual development of these skills. Children's individual progress is charted with care; the next steps are agreed with

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and outcomes for children

parents verbally and in meetings. Records are used to reflect clearly children’s good levels of achievement in relation to their starting points.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare is promoted in a very good manner. All children learn how to maintain their own health and safety from a very early age. They are encouraged to indicate their needs for food and drink, managing their own hygiene, sleep and cuddles. The nursery's use of strategies, such as concentration on initials or endings of words, enhances children's communication skills and confidence. All children pour their own drinks and wash their own hands before eating food with increasing independence. Children develop a robust awareness of preventing cross-infection as they talk about what happens if they do not wash their hands before eating. The strategic placing of towels and soap at child-height significantly develops children's ability to take responsibility for their own hygiene needs. All children have an exemplary awareness of safety as they mop up a spill or tidy away bricks completely independently. This is a result of the organisation of the

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and outcomes for children

nursery and their knowledge and understanding of how to use equipment, such as a dustpan, and how many children may play in the sand safely. All children have an awareness of the needs of others as they engage in many planned activities which require turn taking and sharing, or negotiating the use of a particular piece of equipment. Children develop excellent independence skills. For example, they discuss whether they should play out in the rain, considering whether or not they will be safe if they get wet. They develop a robust understanding of the wider world as they focus on a variety of festivals, which reflect both their own and others' cultural heritage or actively engage in learning how to communicate in Spanish. 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 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 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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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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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