The Old Fire Station Children's NurseryOfsted inspection, 13 Dec 2010

The Old Fire Station Childrens Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 228975 Inspection date 13/12/2010 Inspector Julie Preston

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Setting address 69 Albion Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B1 3EA

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Telephone number 0121 603 0003 Email enquiries@ofsnursery.com 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

The Old Fire Station Children's Nursery opened in 1992. It operates from 11 rooms in a grade II listed building, which once housed Birmingham's busiest fire station and which has retained much of its character. It is situated in the Jewellery Quarter in Hockley, Birmingham and is within walking distance of Birmingham city centre. The nursery does not have access to an outside play area. There are currently 57 children from eight months to four years on roll. This includes 11 funded three and four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting can support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language. The nursery opens five days a week all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6.30pm. There are 13 members of staff working with the children. Over half of the practitioners have appropriate early years qualifications. The group receives support from the local authority early

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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 cared for in a safe and secure environment where they are able to make good progress towards the early learning goals through a range of varied activities that challenge and stimulate their interest. Each child is recognised as unique and staff ensure that their individual needs are well met. Children are happy, confident and enjoy their time at the setting. There is a good working partnership with parents and the majority of the policies and procedures are implemented well. This helps the nursery to further develop methods to reflect on their practice and to monitor the care and education of children.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 Ensure the premises are organised to meet the needs of the children. This particularly refers to the heating arrangements to maintain rooms at a temperature which ensures the comfort of the children and staff, including non-mobile children 27/12/2010

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further?

 4. Ensure the daily record of attendance clearly states hours of attendance. This specifically relates to times of departure. 27/12/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 extend opportunities for partnership working between parents and professionals, and between all the settings that the child attends. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Safeguarding is addressed well as systems identified and implemented within the setting ensure this. For example, the group provide a good range of policies and procedures to support this, such as, safeguarding, fire safety and emergency evacuation. Staff regularly update training on child protection and safeguarding with nominated persons identified to oversee child protection issues. This ensures children are protected if any child protection concerns arise and that staff are aware of signs to be vigilant for. Appropriate procedures are implemented well to assess the environment both inside and out, as detailed risk assessments and daily safety checks are completed. Effective recruitment and vetting of staff is undertaken to ensure that adults are safe and suitable to work with children, with the group maintaining a high level of qualified staff to offer support to children.

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the early years provision

Staff have an understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and are committed to continuous development. They complete plans reflecting this and undertake observational assessments of children to enable all children to make good progress, including children who attend with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children for whom English is not their first language. Equality and diversity is fostered to ensure that no child is disadvantaged, as a wide range of resources, activities and opportunities support this. Partnerships with parents are effective as staff work closely with them to ensure the individual needs of children are met. An effective key worker system ensures information is shared regularly and parents receive feedback on a daily basis, with notice boards and daily record sheets used to supplement this. Parental questionnaires are undertaken and used as a tool for the group to improve practice, with appropriate action taken to

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the early years provision

address areas for improvement. Parents who use the setting provided comments such as, 'very happy with the care and like the parents' evenings' and 'very approachable staff, lots of feedback'. The partnership with parents is good, they take part in fundraising activities and enjoy attending special events organised by the nursery. Parents have open access to their children's 'Learning Journey' development records and daily diaries/sheets help communication between staff and parents and keep them informed of their children's care and well-being. Staff currently work in partnership with outside agencies to support children with special needs and/or disabilities and have developed links with a local church. The manager intends to extend links into the community including developing links with the local children's centre. However, partnerships with parents could be extended and include links with other provisions attended by children to enable the continual

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the early years provision

needs of the child to be fully addressed.

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the early years provision

The manager and staff work closely together to promote the welfare, learning and development of children who attend. A good range of resources are available, that includes ICT equipment and items that reflect cultural diversity and disability. These are used effectively by staff to promote children's enjoyment of activities they participate in. For example, babies enjoy interacting with each other and singing action rhymes and older children enjoy going for a walk to visit the German market. The manager and senior management team provide appropriate guidance This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to their staff and a newly updated range of policies, procedures and records that are mostly implemented effectively to promote the smooth and efficient running of the setting. However, records of attendance do not always include times children depart from the setting and this potentially compromises children's safety. The

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the early years provision

deployment of staff within free play and adult-led activities is effective, enabling them to support children well in their individual learning and development, including children with English as an additional language and children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, undertaking tasks independently. The management has a positive attitude to the further development of the group. Through their process of self-evaluation the staff and management identify their key areas for further improvement. For example, the nursery would like to work more closely with parents extending links with key workers and encouraging parents to have input into their child's learning journeys.

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and outcomes for children

A welcoming, child-friendly environment is provided for children with a range of resources that cover all areas of learning available. However, on occasions the room temperature fluctuates and compromises the comfort of staff and children, especially those who are not mobile. Staff provide a good balance of adult and child-led experiences within each session, engaging children and supporting children's learning well. For example, children in three to five area enjoy writing their own names to be displayed with their robins on a winter display board. Children of all ages are happy to enter the group, they enjoy the warm and caring relationships developed with staff, they make choices and are interested in the activities available. For example, children enter the group enthusiastically with some children giving their friends a welcoming cuddle and then easily become engrossed in the range of free choice activities available at the beginning of each

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and outcomes for children

session. They happily navigate the room independently selecting activities they wish to participate in from the variety provided at their level, then move on to the next activity, showing enthusiasm and motivation to learn. For example, children in the toddler room enjoy making crackers, playing in the sand and singing songs before moving on to go and use the indoor garden area for physical play. Children show care and concern for each other and are forming good relationships with staff and one another. They are well behaved in all areas and respond well to staff's management of their behaviour, enjoying receiving praise and encouragement for their achievements.

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and outcomes for children

Children use their imagination well, such as, two to five year olds enjoy acting out different roles such as, firemen within role play and train drivers when using the wooden train set. They play together well, independently developing their social skills. Children thrive as staff spend the majority of time at their level, developing good language skills as staff continually talk to them about what they are doing and extend their play and enjoyment of each activity through discussion and questioning. Children are encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle as the staff encourage them to be active, eat healthily and to implement good hygiene This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 practices. For example, children are encouraged to eat a range of fresh fruit and vegetables within meals and snacks. Children are supported to learn about safety, such as, developing their understanding of road safety and highlighting issues such

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and outcomes for children

as, stranger danger. The premises are clean and well maintained, with the group encouraging healthy practices in many ways. Children enjoy opportunities to be creative in a variety of different ways, through art, music and dance. For example, children from the two to three area enjoy playing musical statues.

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and outcomes for children

Children's understanding of equality and diversity is promoted effectively as resources, activities and experiences support this. For example, resources promote positive images and children learn about and celebrate a range of festivals, such as, Eid, Diwali, Hanukah and Christmas. Children make good progress in their learning and development as they are encouraged to be independent and confident learners. They are regularly observed and assessed across all areas of learning, with next steps identified for individual learners and used as tools to plan for individual learning and development. Planning in all base rooms reflects a wide range of learning opportunities across all six areas of learning. Regular observations are made by staff in order to monitor children's progress and contribute to the assessment process. As a result all children are making good progress in their learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

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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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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