ABC Day Nursery (Tiptree) Ltd

Kids & Co. Childcare Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY333651 Inspection date 22/12/2010 Inspector Lynn Smith

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Setting address Kids & Co, 22 Grove Road, Tiptree, COLCHESTER, CO5 0JP

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Telephone number 01621810772 Email mneelendra@googlemail.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

ABC Day Nursery (Tiptree) Ltd was registered in 2006 and is privately owned and run. It operates from a converted house in the village of Tiptree, Essex. The securely enclosed garden is used for outdoor activities. The nursery is open 7.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year, closing between Christmas and the new year.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 32 children under eight years may attend the nursery at any one time, all of whom may be in the early years age range. There are currently 47 children attending the nursery. The nursery support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language. Care is also offered to children aged over five years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years, compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs eleven staff, eight of whom, including the manager, hold early years qualifications to a minimum of level 2 qualifications.

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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's welfare, learning and development needs are effectively met through the setting's clear practices, policies and procedures. Staff demonstrate secure knowledge of the children in their care and use this knowledge to provide suitable and challenging activities to help them make progress across all six areas of learning. The setting conducts risk assessments throughout the premises to ensure children's safety. However, the environment is not well-monitored, for example, some areas of the premises are cold and some are not effectively cleaned and maintained. The setting is developing partnerships with other settings, however, this system is in its infancy and does not effectively enable staff to provide continuity in children s learning.

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further?

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

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further?

 reappraise the environment to which children are being exposed amend and make necessary adjustments to secure their safety and comfort at all times, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 this is in relation to the cleanliness, d cor and temperature within the nursery building  extend opportunities for parents and others across different settings to share what they know about the child and become involved in identifying the next steps in their learning and development.

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the early years provision

Children are effectively safeguarded within this nursery as staff follow the written polices and procedures with regards to protecting the children in their care. They work well with parents and other agencies. Staff undertake regular safeguarding training to ensure that they have current and appropriate knowledge of their responsibilities. All adults working at the setting have undergone appropriate suitability checks and proof of their clearance is held on file. Staff keep the premises safe and secure by conducting regular risk assessments. At present, however, the risk assessments do not fully identify issues within the nursery such as the cleanliness of entrance and consistency regarding temperature within the setting.

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the early years provision

The setting is managed by a management team, some of whom work on a part- time basis. The owner of the provision oversees the administrative aspects of the nursery and communicates on a regular basis with the managers. The setting has worked hard since its last inspection to develop clear systems and has a number of plans for the future which will be beneficial to children and will enhance their learning environment. The management team is keen to involve all staff in the process for identifying areas for improvement and is developing a self-evaluation system which allows this to happen. All recommendations set at the time of the last inspection have been addressed and the setting has worked effectively in partnership with development workers from the Local Authority to embrace the Early Years Foundation Stage and enhance the provision for children.

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the early years provision

All children are encouraged to develop independence as staff present toys and play resources within easy reach. They present equipment in low-level storage units and on the floor. The three rooms for older children are presented with a specific theme, for example, the imaginative play room, the messy play room and the technical room. Appropriate resources are presented within each room and staff regularly change the selection of imaginative play resources to extend children's role play experiences. Staff are well-deployed around the rooms to fully support the children's learning and to ensure that they remain safe and well supervised. Staff enjoy training and are provided with good opportunities to further develop their knowledge and understanding of childcare through in-house and external training course. All children are valued and respected within the provision and staff are committed to developing systems which enable children to feel secure. For

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the early years provision

example, parents are encouraged to bring photographs of the children's siblings and family members to make individual books which they can look at, at any time. Staff in the baby room laminate these and place them on Velcro on the lower walls of the room to enable the babies to take them down and look at them whenever they want to. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Staff work well with parents and encourage them to play an active role in their children's learning. They write a brief summary of the children's progress on a monthly basis which they send home for the parents to read and comment on. This enables parents to be active in deciding on the children's next steps in learning. The setting is developing systems which enable them to work in partnership with other settings. At present, however this system does not allow staff to share relevant information regarding individual children's learning with

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their time at this nursery. They are busy and fully engaged throughout the day which enables them to fully participate in a wide range of learning activities. They explore their environment safely and move confidently between the play areas, accessing toys and resources to help them to facilitate their play. Children make choices over their play and learning and help to make decisions, which enables them to develop confidence and self-esteem. Babies have fun exploring a range of materials such as paint, shredded paper and sand. They watch attentively as the sand pours through their fingers and enjoy tasting it and listening to the crunching noise it makes in their mouth. Older children demonstrate their knowledge of the wider world as they use small cubes to make a range of patterns, for example, an England flag and a dance floor. They enjoy being creative as they place a range of collage materials onto their Christmas

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and outcomes for children

shapes. They talk about the colours and materials they are using demonstrating their knowledge of colours and sense of exploration. Staff use an effective system for observing and recording children's progress. They plot their development using the development matters system which enables them to identify children's next steps in learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children move comfortably around the provision, freely approaching staff for support and interaction. They behave in ways which keep them safe, for example, they know that they must walk carefully up and down the stairs and that they need to hold on to the safety rail as they do. Children talk about safety, for example, they know about road safety and the importance of crossing at the traffic lights. They understand that the garden can be slippery in bad weather and that they need appropriate clothing for different types of weather. Children understand good hygiene habits such as hand washing after using the toilet and before meals, as staff encourage them to follow the setting's clear procedures. Younger children's personal needs are effectively met as staff demonstrate a good knowledge of their individual routines and requirements. Children enjoy a range of healthy and well-balanced snacks and meals throughout their nursery day and are

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and outcomes for children

encouraged to develop independence skills at meals times by helping to serve themselves. They are encouraged to pour their own drinks and chat with staff about why milk and water are good for them. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are settled and confident within the nursery environment. They part from parents and carers with ease and are encouraged to develop a good sense of belonging as they are provided with their own named coat peg. Children learn about other people's cultures and beliefs through a range of festivals, books and resources. Parents are encouraged to share relevant information about the children's home backgrounds to enable staff to incorporate special festivals and celebrations into the nursery programme. The range of activities offered to children enables them to develop essential skills for the future. For example, they learn essential pre-reading and writing skills when they access resources around

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and outcomes for children

the provision. They learn to verbally communicate as staff constantly talk to them and ask them open ended questions. They learn to solve problems by using mathematical resources which offer challenge and interest. 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 3 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 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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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