Children 1st @ Sheffield

Children 1st @ Sheffield Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 403676 Inspection date 11/05/2010 Inspector Tracey Jane Outram

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Setting address Breedon House Nurseries, 39 Scotland Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 7BS Telephone number 0114 279 8892 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

Children 1st @ Breedon House Sheffield, was registered in 1996 and is one of a number of nurseries owned and managed by Breedon House Nurseries Limited. It operates from a large two-storey building, which has access to a secure outside play area. The nursery is within walking distance of Sheffield city centre.

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Description of the setting

The nursery serves the local and surrounding areas. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. With the exception of bank holidays, the setting opens each weekday throughout the year from 7.30am to 6pm. The nursery may care for a maximum of 145 children at any one time and there are currently 208 children in the early years age range, on roll. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are 34 staff employed to work directly with the children, of whom 28 have an appropriate early years qualification. The nursery also employs a qualified teacher. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association and has achieved the accreditation award 'Quality Counts'. The nursery has also achieved the Investors in People award and is an approved early years training centre.

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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

The nursery provides a good standard of care to children, with some outstanding elements. A key strength of the nursery is their commitment towards safeguarding children. In addition, they build positive relationships with parents and support children to become independent and capable of forming strong bonds and friendships. The nursery completes effective self-evaluation and demonstrates a commitment to making continuous improvement; this has a positive impact on children's care and learning.

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further?

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

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further?

 look at ways of supporting children's independent access to the outdoor area and evaluate the planning for outdoors to promote all areas of learning  provide more opportunities for sustained shared thinking in order to help children to make connections in learning to further develop an idea or skill  improve the range of equipment and physical challenges for babies. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The welfare and safety of children is effectively addressed. The premises are secure and well maintained and comprehensive risk assessments are completed, which result in the successful implementation of safety measures that are designed to eliminate hazards. Throughout the setting there is a widespread awareness of child protection issues. All staff receive frequent training and any changes of policy are discussed at staff meetings. This results in children receiving exceptionally high levels of care from staff, who have a robust understanding of the procedures to follow if they are worried about a child or the behaviour of other adults. In order to further safeguard children, extremely effective recruitment, vetting and induction procedures are in place for all adults working with the children. The vast majority of staff hold appropriate childcare qualifications, first aid certificates and demonstrate a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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the early years provision

The nursery is well equipped and resources are freely accessible. The children have space to explore and relax, and enjoy playing independently and in small groups. Outdoor play is a daily feature of the provision, although, planning is not evaluated to ensure that all areas of learning are equally addressed. In addition, it is not always possible for the children to move freely between the indoor and outdoor play spaces, and there are no systems in place to monitor individual children's use of the environment and preferences for learning.

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the early years provision

Good systems are in place to meet the children's personal requirements. Positive steps are taken to counter discrimination, and demonstrate that children’s unique family backgrounds, culture and ethnicity are respected. The nursery also values linguistic diversity. Staff make efforts to learn words of children’s home languages and they support children to communicate their needs by using books, pictures and gestures. The children see and hear examples of their home language through musical activities and in books, posters and labels.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are highly effective because members of staff work hard to foster high-quality relationships. They keep parents up to date with what children do in the setting and encourage them to share what children do at home. The children’s records are extremely informative, easily accessible and provide a clear picture of their learning, development and progress towards the early learning goals. Members of staff work hard to overcome barriers to communication for parents who speak English as an additional language. They use translators where possible and focus on face-to-face interactions to supplement the written documentation, such as emails and newsletters. Staff also encourage a ‘buddy system’ between parents who share the same language, in order to aid settling-in processes and provide support to communicate any concerns. Transition processes, for children moving onto school, are discussed with parents and records

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the early years provision

are shared. In addition, the nursery has implemented methods of communicating with other providers of The Early Years Foundation Stage who share the care of the children, in order to provide a complementary service.

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the early years provision

Overall, the nursery management communicate ambition and they encourage all This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 staff to be actively involved in the process of critical self-reflection. They are confident, and set themselves realistic and achievable goals for improvement that are based on the varying needs of the children and their families. The nursery welcomes the views of parents. They issue questionnaires and have a parent steering group in operation, which serves as a meaningful platform for sharing ideas for the development of the nursery. All recommendations made at the last inspection have been effectively addressed.

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and outcomes for children

The nursery embraces the spirit of the Early Years Foundation Stage by planning activities that are designed to meet the unique needs of the children. They achieve this through skilful interactions and analysis of observations, which are used to effectively help children make progress. The nursery environment is attractive and children benefit from a range of purposeful activities that help them to become resilient, confident and self-assured learners. Older children are making good progress across all areas of learning. They explore with a broad range of different materials and media and are confident to express their thoughts and ideas. Activities that support phonological awareness are plentiful; the children link sounds to letters and enjoy rhymes and stories. They develop good skills for the future as they competently use computers and explore mathematical concepts, such as shape, space and measure. Similarly, as the children participate in

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and outcomes for children

focussed activities, such as making smoothies, painting self-portraits, and learning about skeletons, members of staff guide and encourage them. While they actively use some open-ended questioning techniques, they do not consistently engage in sustained shared thinking, in order to help children to make connections and develop an idea or skill. Younger children attending the nursery are equally well stimulated. They access a broad selection of resources and their sensory development is actively promoted through a wide variety of early years experiences, such as baking, painting and modelling. They develop good language skills and are supported to build their imaginations through stories, role-play, dance, music and art. This builds talents and encourages children to express themselves in front of others. The babies attending the setting also benefit from high-levels of stimulation from staff, who recognise, acknowledge and praise their

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and outcomes for children

attempts to communicate through babble and non-verbal gestures. They are extremely content and engaged in playful activities which encourage them to investigate and explore the interesting resources that capture their imagination. Members of staff are consistently available to help the babies and young children with the things they cannot quite do for themselves, but they are not overbearing, and allow children to become increasing independent. However, the babies are not always fully challenged to make strong and purposeful movements through using a variety of equipment.

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and outcomes for children

The personal, social and emotional development of children is fostered exceptionally well. The children are developing firm friendships and benefit from close relationships with their key workers. The children show an excellent understanding of what standards of behaviour are expected and apply these in order to keep themselves and others free from harm; for example, they have very This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 good self-help skills and relish taking responsibility for the completion of small tasks, such as tidying away books or setting the table in order to aid the daily organisation of the nursery. The children attending the setting respect cultural and linguistic diversity and are accepting of different needs and lifestyle choices. The children have a very strong sense of safety within the setting; they enjoy relationships with staff that are close, warm and supportive. In addition, they use

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and outcomes for children

equipment with care and take measures to prevent accidents, such as not running indoors and avoiding the use of climbing apparatus when they are wearing long dressing-up clothes.

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and outcomes for children

The physical health of children and babies is given high regard. They sleep and rest according to their needs and benefit from fresh air and exercise. In addition, the children eat healthily and participate in activities which help them to learn about nutrition. This is also extended to home-times, when the children are encouraged to develop good eating habits for the future by taking individually packed bags of fresh fruit for their journey home. The children demonstrate very high levels of emotional well-being. This is largely due to the effort, made by the dedicated and sensitive staff, to build strong relationships which are supportive of children's different feelings and needs. 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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