Children 1st @ Plum Tree

Children 1st @ Plum Tree Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY410676 Inspection date 27/10/2010 Inspector Janice Walker

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Setting address Station Road, Plumtree, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG12 5NA Telephone number 0115 973 2600 Email children1st@breedonhouse.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

Children 1st @ Plum Tree was registered in 2010 and is one of 13 nurseries run by Breedon House Nurseries Ltd. The company is a family-owned business and is also a CACHE accredited training organisation. The nursery operates from a converted show room which is located in the village of Plumtree, near Nottingham. There are three main designated areas where children are grouped according to their age and ability. The setting is located on one ground floor level and is accessed by a main door to the front of the building. There are also two secure, fully enclosed outdoor play areas, one for the under two's and the other for over two's. The nursery serves families from the local and surrounding rural area and is establishing good links with local schools.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and also on the compulsory part of the childcare Register. It is registered to provide care for 90 children under the age of eight years, all of whom may be in the early years age range. It is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. It also provides a before and after school facility for school-aged children up to the age of eight years. It is open from 7.30am to 6.30pm. It is open all year round, closing only for Bank Holidays and for one week over the Christmas period. Children attend a variety of sessions each week depending on the individual requirements of each family. There are currently 20 children on roll aged up to five years, 19 of whom are in the early years age range.

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Description of the setting

The nursery currently employs six staff to work with the children, four of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification and the remaining staff are working towards this. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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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

Children are well cared for in a safe, stimulating and welcoming environment. They enjoy an interesting and varied range of activities both indoors and outdoors, which are well supported by staff and based around children's individual interests. They are therefore actively engaged and make good progress in their learning and development. Communication with parents and other local providers is highly effective in ensuring consistency and continuity of care. The manager is fully aware of the strengths and areas for development within the setting and, along with the staff team, constantly strives to improve the experiences for children who attend.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  ensure that children's access to possible dangers is more effectively restricted with particular regard to the play house in the garden and some missing fittings on chairs in the pre-school  extend the resources and opportunities for play and learning that acknowledge children's particular cultural backgrounds.

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the early years provision

The systems that are in place to ensure that children are safeguarded are mainly very secure in this setting. Robust vetting procedures ensure that all staff are appropriately qualified and suitable to be in contact with young children and their ongoing suitability is regularly reviewed. All staff regularly attend safeguarding training and the designated member of staff fully understands her responsibilities within this area. The building is safe and secure and the risk assessment identifies possible hazards. However, although staffs' vigilant supervision of the children helps to minimise the risk of possible accidents, preventative measures taken are not always as thorough as they could be. There are excellent systems in place to ensure that all the company's comprehensive range of records, policies and procedures are effectively implemented by the staff team to promote the welfare of children. The confident and skilled staff team have established an attractive and

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the early years provision

child-friendly environment which is accessible to all children and promotes their independence. They work well together providing excellent levels of supervision and support to children and ensure that the nursery provision runs smoothly.

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the early years provision

Staff establish excellent relationships with parents who highly praise the staff team. From the outset they receive comprehensive information about the setting through a personal induction programme and share detailed information about their children's background, routines, needs and levels of ability. This enables staff to respond sensitively to their individual needs and to clearly identify starting points for learning. Parents are kept fully informed of current information through the use of notice boards, newsletters and ongoing verbal exchanges of communication along with daily diaries for the younger children. Innovative ideas such as the homework tree encourage parents to be involved in their children's learning. For example, children have been on nature walks with their parents or collected items from their garden and brought their findings into nursery. Children then gain immense satisfaction as they share their experiences with staff and their

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the early years provision

peers and engage in creative activities with their findings. Parents are involved in decision-making through the use of questionnaires and a suggestion box and recruitment to a parents' forum is underway. Good relationships are being established with local schools where the care of children is shared or where children will be moving on to, which supports a smooth transition and consequently continuity and consistency in their care and learning.

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the early years provision

The manager and senior management team show an exceedingly high commitment to the development and improvement of this newly-registered provision. Use of the wide range of good quality resources are effectively monitored by the manager and identified gaps, particularly related to meeting the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 needs of individual children, are in the process of being addressed. Excellent staff support systems ensure that the staff team continually update their knowledge and extend their skills and abilities. The highly efficient manager has high aspirations for quality and has already established a comprehensive self-evaluation process which fully includes input from the staff team, children and parents. She rigorously monitors the well-targeted plans for improvement. This results in the continual improvement of the outcomes for all children.

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and outcomes for children

Children quickly feel at home in the nursery due to the sensitive settling-in procedures, and they are confident and happy. The newly formed staff team create a stimulating environment for the children and make good use of the wide range of good quality toys, equipment and play resources to provide for children's learning across all the areas. The outdoor area is continuing to evolve to fully reflect the indoor provision and provides broader opportunities for interesting experiences in the sensory area along with wider opportunities for active play on the new safety surface. There is a separate outdoor area for the under two's to enable them to safely engage in outdoor play. Senior staff have a solid understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They meticulously implement the procedures for observing children, evaluating their observations and planning activities which support their next steps and take

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and outcomes for children

account of their personal interests. Planned activities also take into consideration seasonal changes, local events and a variety of festivals. Identified targets for children are regularly reviewed to ensure that each child is making progress across all areas of their learning. The setting is newly registered and systems are currently still in the very early stages of development but, along with the high levels of commitment evidenced by the staff team, they are already highly effective in supporting children's learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Staff give strong emphasis to developing children's independence skills; they pour their own drinks, serve their own meals and help to prepare tea. The good organisation of resources enables them to make their own selections regarding their play and they do so brimming with confidence. Staff provide very high levels of support during activities, extending children's language and learning through open questions and encouraging children to describe their present experiences, such as the texture and aroma of the play dough, and also recall past events. Babies confidently explore their surroundings, investigating using all of their senses and the whole of their body, for example, when in the ball pit. Children develop an understanding of possible dangers and how to stay safe through planned events such as practising fire drills along with clear instructions from staff regarding the safe use of equipment such as knives and scissors. Staff also plan activities with an

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and outcomes for children

underlying safety theme such road safety and stranger danger. Personal hygiene and a healthy lifestyle are exceedingly well promoted through regular times outdoors, healthy, balanced meals, snacks of fresh fruit and ongoing verbal and visual reminders to wash their hands. This was reinforced during the recent 'healthy living' week when they made fruit kebabs and smoothies, danced and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 moved to music and discussed the benefits of exercise. A healthy snack is provided each day for the children to take on their way home. Children behave well because staff set good examples and are positive role models. Good behaviour is valued and encouraged and children are treated with respect and kindness. They develop an awareness of the wider world through the positive images throughout the setting along with planned activities linked to festivals. Staff also seize

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and outcomes for children

opportunities to explore similarities and differences, for example, by exploring the country of origin of different fruits as part of a fruit-tasting session. Children thoroughly enjoy themselves in this provision and through the high levels of support and wide variety of experiences they are developing the underpinning skills and knowledge that they will need for future 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

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 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 2 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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