The Nest Nursery

The Nest Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY402935 Inspection date 03/06/2010 Inspector Sally Ann Smith

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Setting address Pype Hayes Children's Centre, Gunter Road, BIRMINGHAM, B24 0RU Telephone number 01214 644252 Email enquiry@pypehayescc.bham.uk 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

The Nest at Pype Hayes Children's Centre opened in 2009. The nursery operates from designated rooms within Pype Hayes Children’s Centre building which is part of the Gunter Primary School complex, in Birmingham. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play and the premises is accessed via a flat drive to the front.

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Description of the setting

The group opens Monday to Friday all-year-round, except for public bank holidays. Sessions are from 8.00am until 6.00pm. A maximum of 30 children may attend the group at any one time. There are currently 54 children on roll. The group supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and for those whom English is an additional language. The group is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs 10 members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Staff have a comprehensive and robust knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and as a result, consistently meet children's needs exceptionally well. Excellent relationships are established with parents and carers and other early years settings to ensure continuity of care and learning so that children's social, emotional and educational needs are successfully met. Children flourish due to the highly committed and professional staff. Very effective systems are in place to monitor, evaluate and target specific areas for improvement through collaborative working with parents and staff.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 continue to increase resources from a variety of cultures to stimulate new ideas and different ways of thinking.

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the early years provision

Staff's knowledge of safeguarding is comprehensive and they fully understand their responsibility in protecting children. They have a thorough awareness of the signs and symptoms of potential signs of abuse and the importance of reporting concerns without delay in order to ensure to safeguard and promote children's welfare. All staff have an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau disclosure to ensure This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 that they are suitable to have regular contact with children. Systems are in place to monitor visitors to the setting and ensure that relevant identification is produced before being permitted entry. Policies and procedures are robust to ensure children's welfare is promoted and these are shared with parents. Risk assessments are comprehensive and effectively implemented by staff who are very proactive in taking appropriate action to ensure that any potential hazards are

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the early years provision

minimised, ensuring children's safety at all times. All necessary consents are obtained regarding children's care.

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the early years provision

The management team are exceptionally well-motivated, excellent communicators and highly enthusiastic and this transcends to all staff, therefore getting the very best out of them. Managers are ambitious and purposeful, setting very clear targets for the future in order to offer a centre of excellence. Staff are appropriately trained, skilled and work together very cohesively to share knowledge and best practice, helping to maintain consistent and positive outcomes for children. A 'rolling programme' of high-quality training based on staff's development needs enables them to continually develop their skills and enhance the already excellent environment in which children play and learn. Training is successfully cascaded to all staff in the setting to ensure consistency. The setting continually strives for improvement and has high aspirations for the quality of care and learning it provides for children. Practice is regularly evaluated to ensure that

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the early years provision

staff are focused on meeting the needs of all children. They recognise the importance of continuous improvement and the impact this has for children's learning and development. Positive and forward thinking ensure that staff are well- informed about regulatory and legislative changes and the necessary changes to practice that these may require. As a result, morale within the staff group is very positive and therefore staff retention is good, ensuring continuity of care for all children.

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the early years provision

Staff deploy themselves well and support children effectively so that each child makes good progress towards the early learning goals. Resources are easily accessible so that children can select independently and initiate their own play if they choose. Staff give top priority in promoting the welfare, care and learning of all children who attend the nursery. They are very knowledgeable about each child's individual needs and interests, ensuring that the environment both indoors and outdoors is resourced appropriately to take account of these. Staff are very proactive in ensuring that all children have fun whilst also providing activities that challenge children in developing across all areas of development.

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the early years provision

Staff work very well with parents and carers in order to support children and meet their individual needs. Communication with parents about children's care, learning and development is a key strength of the nursery. Staff are very proactive in ensuring that they obtain as much information from parents as possible and recognise them as being crucial to their child's education. Parents are regularly consulted through a variety of channels and their views are welcomed. Information is shared regarding children's 'Learning Stories' and how parents can contribute to these and they are made available at all times for parents perusal. In addition, notice boards, newsletters, parents' consultation meetings and questionnaires provide further opportunities for a two-way exchange of information. Parents are also signposted to various groups within the children's centre to support their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

child's care, learning and development, for example, 'Baby PEEP' (Peers Early Education Partnership). An effective key person system develops a genuine bond with parents and children, helping to forge close and trusting relationships. Parents speak very highly and positively about the nursery and the commitment from staff in providing a truly loving and family-orientated environment for their children in which to thrive.

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and outcomes for children

Staff's knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage is excellent and they provide a wealth of opportunities for children to play and learn. They organise each day to focus on the individual needs of children and value every child as being a unique individual. They recognise that children learn and develop at different rates and plan for this accordingly, adapting activities to meet individual children's needs. Each child has their own key person who goes to great lengths to ensure they know the children in their group well. The key person leads the assessment and planning for their children in close consultation with parents and other staff. Staff establish children's starting points through discussions with their parents and build on this knowledge. They regularly undertake both planned and spontaneous observations to assess children's progress and plan a range of activities to meet individual children's needs. This information is recorded in

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and outcomes for children

detailed 'Learning Stories' with a wealth of wonderful photographic evidence to share with parents. Staff also recognise the importance of ensuring that children's interests are at the heart of planning so as to ensure that they are stimulated and participate in nursery life eagerly and with great enjoyment. Planning consistently takes account of the six areas of learning and staff recognise that these are often interconnected.

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with a rich and varied curriculum to fully promote their overall development. They excitedly look under some bark and gaze in wonderment at the variety of bugs to be found. Children learn to think and understand for themselves, inspired by clever use of 'open ended' questioning by staff. For example, children spontaneously fetch a bug catcher from inside to examine some of the bugs in greater detail. Once they have finished, they attempt to tip the bugs back into the soil but one gets stuck in the container. A member of staff observing says 'oh dear boys, what are we going to do now?'. Between them the boys work collaboratively and diligently, fetching various large implements to remove the bug. However, they recognise that these are all too big to fit inside the container. The member of staff sits back and observes rather than intervenes. Eventually one child finds a stick whist another holds the pot as they carefully ease

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and outcomes for children

the bug out and return it to the soil. The member of staff praises them for their hard work.

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and outcomes for children

Babies and toddlers develop a sense of self and become aware of themselves as separate from others when looking at their reflection on the white board. They experiment as they place different objects on the projector and watch in awe as the patterns and colours dance on the wall. They receive lots of reassurance and encouragement to explore their surroundings. Plastic toys are kept to a minimum This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 with preference being given to lots of natural and everyday resources to explore. This has impacted on the learning environment as it now contains lots of natural colours and earth tones. Staff have also reflected on some of the space used by babies and transformed this to include the colours of black, red and white as well as some natural colours as, through training, they have established that these are the most stimulating colours for young children.

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and outcomes for children

Children's communication and listening skills are exceptionally well fostered. Staff ask questions, encourage dialogue continually and play lots of games to recognise sound which is often done through the white board as the sound is more magnified. Staff have participated in 'Every Child A Talker' (ECAT) training and have audited the setting to look at how they promote language and encourage children to communicate. As a result, they have implemented rhyme challenges looking at rhyming words with children and working with parents to promote this at home. The 'Music Man' visits weekly as well as 'Debutots', a drama company. Children enjoy singing songs, following a theme and acting out the story. A library service provides opportunities for children to take books home to share with their families and encourage an interest in reading. Children also learn other forms of communication such as sign language, confidently signing various requests as well

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and outcomes for children

as understanding words to keep them safe. Children play with a variety of resources and read books that reflect cultural diversity, peoples' differences and disability positively. Positive images are displayed at their level. The setting continues to build on, and develop resources to promote this area of children's learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with healthy snacks and meals. A range of appetising meals are freshly prepared to entice children's taste buds. Children help with tasks such as laying the tables which are attractively decorated with vases of flowers. They also help to prepare and grow some of their food. Mealtimes are social occasions where children sit together with staff and have lots of discussion. Physical exercise is a regular feature and children happily wiggle and shake their bodies to 'action rap'. Staff say 'can you wink, blink and hop on one leg?'. The music begins and children know the words and actions well, even the very youngest singing 'are you ready, are you steady, lets go, go, go'. babies are held by staff as they dance in time to the music. Children discuss why their heart is beating faster and why they might feel hot and sweaty. Children rest and sleep according to their needs. They are able to crawl into wicker 'nests' and snuggle up with a book or cuddly toy and

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and outcomes for children

Children behave exceedingly well and staff implement behaviour management strategies consistently so that children are aware of boundaries. Children all play together in a large, open-plan area and older children show the utmost care and consideration to the younger children. This results in a lovely family-orientated environment, of which parents spoke very positively. Children play and learn in a vibrant and innovative setting that successfully promotes all areas of their learning. 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 1 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 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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