Totstop Day Nursery

Totstop Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 220158 Inspection date 01/12/2010 Inspector Jan Burnet

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Setting address 5 Harrowden Road, Brackmills Industrial Estate, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN4 7EB Telephone number 01604 674600 Email info@totstop.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

Totstop Day Nursery opened in 2000 and operates from three main areas in a converted building. It is situated on the Brackmills Industrial Estate in Northampton. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm all year round. All children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There is one step at the main entrance, although access at ground level is possible into playrooms from the outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 65 children may attend at any one time and all may be in the early years age group. There are currently 58 children on roll and of these, two are aged over five years and attend during school holidays.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 12 childcare staff. The manager holds a BA Honours degree in early childhood studies, nine staff members are qualified to level 3 in early years and two are working towards level 3 in early years.

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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

Staff meet children's individual developmental needs successfully. They safeguard and promote children's welfare effectively. The provider, manager and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring sustained improvement. They are aware of strengths and areas for improvement and they work well together to ensure that the needs of children, parents and carers are met. The partnership with parents is good and partnerships in the wider context are developing in order to promote good quality education and care. Information obtained from parents helps staff to identify and address children's differences and meet their needs well.

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further?

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

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further?

 extend the partnership with parents and carers so that they are meaningfully involved in the self-evaluation process  extend systems to include information from parents to help plan for the children's next steps in learning.

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the early years provision

Children are cared for in a warm and welcoming environment. Staff assess and minimise risks successfully on a daily basis and a written risk assessment record is kept. They are aware of their responsibilities with regard to protecting children from abuse in accordance with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Foundation Stage requirements and the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Board procedures. Children are protected well because staff effectively use knowledge that they have gained from training. All staff have completed safeguarding training during 2010 and the manager has also completed safer recruitment training which has been cascaded to all staff during team meetings. The induction pack for parents includes the safeguarding procedure. The provider and manager ensure that procedures for recruitment, selection and induction are

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the early years provision

robust. Staff members' suitability is thoroughly checked before they have unsupervised access to children. Good health and well-being is promoted effectively and necessary steps are taken to prevent the spread of infection. Staff teach children about keeping safe and healthy.

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the early years provision

The planning for improvement including processes of self-evaluation is good. The Ofsted self-evaluation form was completed by the previous manager and the current manager, recruited in 2010, is currently reviewing and updating it. Staff are involved in the review, but the views of parents and carers have not yet been requested. Since being appointed the manager has improved partnerships by introducing a newsletter, but a planned questionnaire has not yet been provided for parents. The manager identifies that her initial priority was a review of the observation and assessment system. This has been addressed with the full cooperation of staff who say that the new system is working well. The provider strives for improvement by ensuring that all staff are qualified or are working towards a level 3 qualification. The manager is currently working towards Early Years Professional status. Resources meet the needs of children well and staff

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the early years provision

deployment is good. Documentation and records are kept up-to-date and in good order. Recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed successfully.

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the early years provision

Parents/carers are provided with good quality information about the early years provision and the partnership with parents is strong. They are invited to spend as long as necessary settling their child in and during this time the child's key person finds out as much as possible about the child. Copies of all policies are provided, newsletters are sent out and information is displayed on notice boards. Key staff share information on children's learning in conversation with parents each day and parents' evenings are organised so that each child's progress can be discussed. Several parents explain how happy they are with the service provided. They say that their children cannot wait to get to the nursery each day. The manager and staff welcome support from Northamptonshire development workers and the local special educational needs coordinator visits periodically, although there are currently no children on roll who need support from external agencies or services.

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the early years provision

Children on roll do not attend any other settings but staff are aware of the benefits of establishing links with other providers in order to provide consistency of care and education for children.

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the early years provision

Good systems are in place to ensure that effective inclusive care is provided for every child. Staff have a thorough knowledge of each child's background and needs due to comprehensive admission information and good communication with parents. Children are encouraged to recognise their own unique qualities and characteristics they share with others. Staff are proactive in making sure that opportunities are provided for children to develop and use their home language in This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their play. Toys and play equipment reflect diversity and effectively meet the developmental needs of the children who attend.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in all areas of learning and development in a stimulating and welcoming environment. Staff structure the day flexibly and make full use of the indoor and outdoor environment to maximise opportunities for children's progress and enjoyment. The system for observing and assessing children's development is good, but the use of this and information from parents is not yet fully effective in informing planning for every child's next steps

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and outcomes for children

Children's personal, social and emotional development is given a very high priority. All children are settled, happy and confident. They gain an awareness of their similarities and differences as they play with books and toys that reflect disability and culture and challenge gender stereotypes. They gain an awareness of different ways that families celebrate and learn about different foods and clothes. Independence is encouraged as children can choose and select resources from low-level shelving. Staff ensure that there is a good balance of supported and child initiated play and friendships have formed amongst older children as they play cooperatively in pairs and small groups. A group of four boys aged three and four years play in the home corner. They are using a bench seat as a car and one says, "quick, come and get in the car and we'll go on holiday". Three of them sit down and another says, "well where will I sit?". He knows that the space is too small and

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and outcomes for children

he does not want to squeeze into it and so a staff member offers support by suggesting that he sits on a different chair and drives the car.

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and outcomes for children

Children are actively encouraged to be involved in physical play. Menus are carefully planned and fresh food is cooked on the premises daily. Fresh water is available throughout the day. Children are able to compare their own growth needs in relation to other living things as they plant and grow flowers and vegetables. Children learn how to keep themselves safe, for example, use of scissors and road safety when out walking. Pre-school children do not have direct access to the outdoor play area and they know that as they exit via the main door, they must walk within the yellow lines around the building.

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and outcomes for children

All children develop good manipulative skills as they play with resources that are appropriate for their different stages of development. Pre-school children enjoy access to a good range of writing materials and scissors in their graphics area and they build together with small construction toys. All children count as they play. Very young children do so by saying numbers randomly and older children confidently count objects to 10 with 'one on one' correspondence. Some are able to count confidently beyond 10. Staff are aware of children's different stages, for example, they sing songs such as 'Five little ducks' and use props to demonstrate that they are taking one away. Older, very able children are aware of adding groups of objects together and recognise plus and equal signs as they use the props to do simple 'sums'. Writing skills are developing well. Children make marks This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

in wet sand and dough, with paint and with a range of writing materials. Children aged two years are happy to see the marks that birds' feet have made in the snow and babies make prints with their painted feet. Older children are able to write their own name and write for a range of purposes, such as their own preferred menu to put on the tables at lunchtime. Children enjoy books. A baby turns the cardboard pages of his book as he sits on a staff member's knee and she talks to him about the pictures. Older children find their favourite books for a staff member to read. Children enjoy good opportunities to explore different textures and they investigate change as they make cakes and biscuits. Play space in all areas is well organised and role play resources and art and craft activities are always available. 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 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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