Cotton Tails Too

Cotton Tails Too Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 507648 Inspection date 30/11/2010 Inspector Kashma Patel

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Setting address 14 Leach Green Lane, Rubery, Rednal, Birmingham, West Midlands, B45 9BP Telephone number 0121 453 3000 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 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. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

Cotton Tails Too is one of three nurseries run by Cotton Tails Day Nurseries Limited. The nursery opened in 2001 and operates from a converted house in the Rubery area of Birmingham. The nursery serves the local area. The nursery is accessible to all children and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 49 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 62 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery also offers care to children aged over five years to eight years. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 14 members of child care staff. Of these, 11 hold appropriate early years qualifications to level 3 and two staff have a level 2 qualification. The owner is currently studying for a Foundation Degree in Early Years. The nursery 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 happy and settle well in the nursery. Good systems are in place to ensure that all children's individual needs are met. Staff have a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage which enables children to make good progress in the six areas of learning. Children are safe and most aspects of the welfare are well promoted. Excellent partnerships are in place between parents and other agencies which ensure individual children's needs are fully met and supported. The owner and staff work closely together to monitor and evaluate the quality of the provision; this demonstrates that the setting has a good capacity for making continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve opportunities for children to learn about information technology to support their learning  ensure staff maintain children's privacy, for example when they are using the bathroom. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's safety is well maintained in the setting. Robust procedures are in place for safeguarding children and protecting them from harm. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of the setting's safeguarding policy and talk confidently about their responsibilities with regards to protecting children. All adults working at the setting hold an appropriate Criminal Records Bureau check and evidence of this is held on the files, which are available for inspection. Security within the provision is good. For example, close circuit television monitors all playrooms and outside the nursery to ensure children are kept safe. In addition to this the main doors leading to the setting are key coded and numbers are changed frequently, which restricts access to the premises.

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the early years provision

A comprehensive risk assessment is in place which has been recently reviewed and updated. This is further supported by effective daily checking procedures, to ensure that potential hazards to children are identified and minimised. Children learn about their own safety as they discuss with staff the importance of not running in the snow because they may slip over. Older children learn how to use equipment safely so they do not harm themselves.

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the early years provision

There are several systems in place for self-evaluation which incorporate input from staff, parents and children. For example, managers from the other two sister nurseries carry out their own announced inspection at each other's setting. This ensures all aspects of the provision are carefully monitored and evaluated to improve the quality of care and learning for all children.

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the early years provision

Resources within the setting are effectively deployed to enable children to freely access them in all rooms. Toys and equipment are presented in low-level storage containers, which are labelled for easy access. Older children access toys of their choice whilst younger children point to toys that they want from higher shelves. Appropriate-sized furniture in the baby room promotes children safety and independence.

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the early years provision

There are excellent partnerships with parents, carers and other agencies. The nursery ensures that parents develop a sense of belonging to the setting and have a say in the care and well-being of their children. For example, they make suggestions to staff about what areas of development they would like their children to progress further in. There are various excellent opportunities for home- learning. For example, older children have weekend books, whilst younger children take a soft toy home which comes with a book and personal items such as a comforter. The nursery has regular parents' evenings, where all parents are invited to spend time with the staff in discussing their child's development and progress. The nursery also holds workshops to enable parents to fully understand how the nursery operates, and how their children learn through play. Recently held workshops, include planning and outcomes from the Every Child Matters

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the early years provision

programme. Parents speak very highly about the nursery and the staff team. They feel that their children have settled in very well and are grateful to staff who liaised with other agencies to further support individual children. As a result, children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 thoroughly enjoy their time in the nursery and are reluctant to leave when parents come to collect them.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in their learning and development due to the staff's good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff make regular and useful observations of what children can do and evaluate these against the six areas of learning to identify children's next steps. Planning is based around children's interests and ideas. Observations are used to plan for the next stage in children's learning and to identify any gaps in children's progress in the six areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children have warm and secure relationships with the staff who are caring and sensitive. As a result, children willingly approach staff as and when needed and new children settle quickly in to the nursery. Children develop their vocabulary as they freely access a good range of books; older children enjoy having stories read to them which creates a discussion. Babies are confident to communicate by babbling and using gestures. At registration time older children sit and listen carefully to instructions given by staff. They learn about other means of communications as they identify various signs in Makaton. This promotes their awareness of the wider community. Routines and activities are well used to help children learn about numbers and colours. Staff encourage young children to count with their favourite toy cars and build towers with wooden blocks which they enjoy knocking down. Resources such as pens, pencils and felt-tips are used by older

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and outcomes for children

children to make marks whilst younger children use large chalks, which are easy for them to grip and handle. Messy play, for example with sand, provides further opportunities for children to practice patterns and develop their imagination.

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and outcomes for children

The nursery has regular visitors to promote children's learning and development. For example, regular sessions of rhyme times are booked for each age group in the nursery. In addition to this a dance instructor visits older children to develop skills in balance and coordination. A well resourced outdoor area provides opportunities for children to be active and get fresh air daily. They enjoy the experience of walking on the snow and access a wide range of wheeled toys, which help them to learn to peddle and steer. Young children enjoy crawling through tunnels and access appropriate equipment for their development. Younger children have some access to electronic toys, however these are limited. Older children have fewer opportunities to develop their awareness of information technology due to lack of appropriate equipment. Staff comment that this has been identified and an order is in place to address this issue.

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and outcomes for children

Meals are freshly cooked on-site. They are well-balanced and encourage children to enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods. A four week menu is displayed for parents. Children behave well and receive high levels of attention. Good strategies are in place to promote positive behaviour throughout the nursery, which is reinforced with praise and encouragement. Children receive rewards, such as This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 stickers for good behaviour.

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and outcomes for children

Good hygiene practices across the nursery help to minimise the risk of spreading infection. For example, appropriate procedures are in place for nappy changing and disposal which promotes children's health. Staff wear gloves when serving food and encourage all staff and visitors to use the antibacterial gel when arriving at the nursery. Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene habits, such as hand washing before food and after using the toilet. Most aspects of children's welfare are well promoted. However, toilet facilities do not have individual cubicles and doors and this means that children's privacy is compromised when attending to their personal 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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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 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 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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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