Kindred Harlow

Dizzy Ducks Day Nursery Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY399612 Inspection date 08/11/2010 Inspector Lynne Talbot

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Setting address Harlow Leisurezone, Second Avenue, Harlow, Essex, CM20 3DT Telephone number 01279454495 Email rebecca.buckley@dizzyducks.co.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 assesses 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.

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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

Dizzy Ducks Day Nursery registered in 2010 and is one of four nurseries run by Dizzy Ducks Day Nursery Limited. The provision operates from a purpose built community leisure centre in Harlow, Essex, The building is easily accessible by all users and all children share access to secure enclosed outdoor play areas.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting receives funding for nursery education. A maximum of 40 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The setting opens on weekdays from 7am until 7pm all year round and on Saturdays from 8am until 1pm. The setting is also registered to offer care to children aged over five years. Children occupying these places share the same facilities as the children in the early years age range. There are currently no children on roll in this age range.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 78 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age range. Some children attend other settings such as the early years unit of the local primary school or childminders. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children for whom English is an additional language. There are 14 staff members. Of these, 12, including the managers, hold relevant childcare qualifications and one is undergoing training.

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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

Planning for the Early Years Foundation Stage is focussed and adaptable to children's interests, supported by detailed planning to ensure that children receive experiences that foster good progress overall. Staff create a highly welcoming environment, using excellent safeguarding procedures and thorough risk assessments. They have cohesive knowledge of each child's needs to ensure that every child is fully included. Partnerships with other agencies, together with those with parents and carers, are key strengths. The managers communicate ambition and drive to secure continued improvement using developing self-evaluation processes.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide opportunities for children to practise and extend their skills with particular reference to problem solving, mark-making for a purpose, and the development of independent learning to enhance their good progress towards the Early Learning Goals  ensure that assessments on children are routinely updated and use them to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 feed the planning for all children, showing both challenge and support, meeting the needs of individuals  develop further the use of self-evaluation and quality improvement processes as the basis for ongoing internal review.

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the early years provision

Comprehensive and detailed safeguarding procedures ensure that children are fully protected. The managers ensure that all persons required undertake the appropriate checks to safeguard children. Daily routines within the premises and staff vigilance, ensure that safeguarding procedures work at all times. Close monitoring of visitors and the numbered keypad door release, the number known only to staff, support the overall security. Senior management implement in-depth recruitment and induction for staff to ensure that the staff group remains effective at all times. Annual appraisals and detailed training programmes are in place to promote continued staff development. Risk assessments for the premises and outings undertaken are systematic and scrutinised to ensure their efficiency. An accident log is maintained and reviewed by the safeguarding representative to address any recurring issues. Senior management are highly enthusiastic and have

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the early years provision

clear expectations for progression. There is commitment to ongoing professional development throughout the staff group resulting in a positive impact on the care and learning provided. Self-evaluation processes are underway and include input from both the staff group and the users of the service. However, the process does not yet fully incorporate reflective practice in order to confidently identify aspects of the service that are done well, and those aspects that require improvement, so as to continue to promote good outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

Children's individual learning styles are respected. Staff use signing to assist with early communication, and they label areas of the room with words in children's home languages. Children are given options within their play and express opinions easily. This ensures that every child is supported to achieve. Staff are deployed well throughout the day, supervising children's planned play sessions inside and outdoors. The environment is highly conducive to learning, safe and well-cared for. An excellent range of quality play provision is used to achieve the planned goals. The highly inclusive systems of communication used to engage parents and carers ensure that there are consistent and productive partnerships. Methods include monthly newsletters, incorporating annual questionnaires, issued by email, an internet communication site for parents, as well as a parent forum group. The parent forum has resulted in changes being made such as the 'tag system' for

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the early years provision

drinking cups and the inclusion of general childcare guidance, included within newsletters. There is clear indication that the provision seeks to act on comments made by their users. Consequently outcomes for children are good due to the commitment of staff, attention to children's needs and the excellent use of resources.

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the early years provision

The managers and staff actively promote equality and diversity and tackle unfair discrimination. They are highly committed to working in partnership with others and play a proactive role in establishing effective working relationships. Examples This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 of these links include feedback books shared with other settings that children attend and work with parent groups in the local Children's Centre, focussing on children's learning journals. They also host and chair events such as shared learning with other nurseries and facilitating 'care to learn' placements from colleges. Within the provision they use visual clues for children such as daily timetables, charts to show 'what mood are you in today?', and general discussion to agree on activities. This helps children to be involved in all areas. The managers and staff make the most of events and festivals to broaden children's awareness of

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the early years provision

each others culture. Children, including babies, all take part in crafts, role play and dressing-up to look at festivals and other cultures. Project works are carried out such as, looking at 'around the world' through foods and travel, as well as exploring Braille writing and re-creating it themselves. This helps children to appreciate the local and wider society around them.

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and outcomes for children

Children are offered planned activities that help them to make good progress overall in their learning and development. Assessment through recorded observation is in place and the information gained is able to be used to identify next steps. Spontaneous observation is gathered through photographs and narrative which is added to progression charts to which parents may also contribute to by using the parents' observation sheets. However, the systems set in place are not always routinely updated or monitored so that aspects of the observation process fail to be consistently implemented for all children. This means that their individual progress may not be sufficiently challenged or supported to reach their full potential. Staff plan inventive activities which, whilst set around themes, do adapt to children's emerging interests. For example, as children become interested in travel, the staff create a travel agents in the role play area

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and outcomes for children

and involve children in visits to actual travel agents, the railway station and the bus station. They extend this activity to discussions about holidays in both hot and cold countries, exploring the topic as far as children maintain interest. Younger children are involved in tactile and sensory play which stimulates their concentration and exploratory nature. Mirrors are set at a low level, opaque boxes encourage them to explore facilities and highly attractive discovery mats and tables prompt them to pull, push and turn knobs. They babble continually and staff repeat words and gestures encouraging them to continue early development of language. Younger children seek attention and a comforting lap from staff demonstrating a strong sense of security. They explore treasure baskets, to which parents contribute, and exciting discovery bottles which they roll across the floor. Younger children explore a plethora of tactile materials such as jelly, mashed

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and outcomes for children

potato, cooked spaghetti and flour. They tap it, sprinkle it, rub their hands through it and discover textures beginning to make marks in it.

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and outcomes for children

All children have inventive daily opportunities to become physically active, developing good health. This includes the separate outdoor play areas where they use chalk boards and sit and ride toys. They plant flowers and herbs tending them to explore size and growth. Children are encouraged to be interested in natural This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 wildlife and insects. They use magnifying glasses to observe the ladybirds, worms, bees and spiders attracted by their plants. Children begin to care for the environment and staff provide bird feeders and a nesting box where they can observe birds in their garden area. Local community facilities broaden these experiences when they use local open play areas and visit the pond to feed the ducks. Children begin to understand care for the environment as they take part in a recycling project, contributing items from home both for their modelling and

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and outcomes for children

recycling. They are involved in raising funds for projects such as 'Children in Need' for which they carry out sponsored events. Children share stories and books in groups. They sit together to share story and song sacks where they take turns to pick an object from the sack and think of a song to which it relates. This activity fosters children's recollection and aids their confidence when in a group. Children are able to make choices such as when finding a duck, they decide the song should be five little ducks went swimming one day. Staff use praise frequently and deepen children's sense of self-esteem. However, they do not always use the opportunity to incorporate problem solving within everyday activities to reinforce developing knowledge. For example, anticipating what number follows or how many are left.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very interested in what they see around them asking relevant questions and keen to take part in activities. They engage in conversation easily with both staff and visitors. However, they are not consistently supported to benefit from independent learning. For instance, opportunities to engage children in preparing and mixing paints are not always capitalised on, despite them showing an interest, nor are they given free opportunities to develop their own pictures to add to displays, such as autumn, rather than using pictures designed by staff. Whilst children do have natural materials to use for creative works such as leaves and sticks they have gathered, there is no consistent expectation for them to develop their own images to display. Children do explore mark-making in a variety of forms such as using sand, making height charts, and creating posters to display the 'rules' for behaviour. However, there are intermittent expectations on children

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and outcomes for children

to begin mark-making for a purpose on their own drawings or paintings. Whilst staff generally promote children in all areas and they are developing well through very good activities planned for them, there are opportunities for independent learning which are not being consistently pursued. Children regularly discuss keeping themselves safe when they carry out emergency evacuation routines and consider the use of sun-cream and sun-protection during hot weather. Personal hygiene routines are followed with the help of staff. Healthy eating and nutrition is incorporated into daily care. Children make placemats for their lunch and enjoy food tasting sessions to broaden their taste buds. Healthy eating is shared with parents with the display of menus, and these are also provided through the newsletters, to strengthen those links between the provision and the home. These methods of promoting safety and health awareness are highly effective. All

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and outcomes for children

children make full use of the exciting sensory play room where there are 'bubble' tubes and fibre-optic lights. They explore parachutes, soft play blocks and experience new technology. Children are learning the skills and attitudes necessary for future learning and taking their place as part of the community. 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

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 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 1 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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