Lavenders Day Nursery

Lavenders Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 219220 Inspection date 19/01/2011 Inspector Kelly Eyre

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Setting address 19-21 Bushmead Avenue, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 3QJ Telephone number 01234 342818 Email lavenders.nursery@childbase.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.

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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

Lavenders Day Nursery was first registered in 1990 and is one of 39 day care nurseries owned by Child Base Limited. It operates from a converted house and adjoining building and is situated close to Bedford town centre. The setting is accessible to all children and they have access to the fully enclosed outdoor play areas.

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Description of the setting

The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It is open each weekday for 52 weeks of the year, apart from bank holidays, and sessions are from 8am to 6pm. Children may attend for a variety of sessions. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register to provide 112 places and there are currently 150 children on roll who are within this age group. The setting serves a wide catchment area. A small number of children attend other settings such as local pre-schools. The setting currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and several children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The setting is also registered to offer care to children aged over five years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently no children on roll in this age range.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs 36 members of child care staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and 26 at level 3 or above. One staff member has achieved Early Years Professional Status. 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 outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are respected as unique individuals, enabling them to develop a positive sense of self. They make excellent progress and are very well supported by staff, ensuring that their needs are met and they are able to participate meaningfully in all activities and opportunities. All areas of the setting are meticulously evaluated and staff are involved in developing comprehensive action plans for further improvements, thus maintaining a service which is highly responsive to children's needs. Caring, well trained staff competently utilise excellent assessment and planning procedures to ensure that children are offered a wealth of activities that promote their development. Highly effective partnerships with parents and carers ensure that individual children's needs are met and their welfare is consistently promoted.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  developing further the experiences and support at meal and snack times in order to optimise the opportunities for children to gain social skills and to fully promote their independence.

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the early years provision

Children's well-being is significantly enhanced and their welfare consistently promoted because there are highly effective safeguarding procedures. For example, staff training in this area is frequently updated and there are robust procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Exceptionally comprehensive risk assessments are regularly reviewed and mean that children's safety is consistently promoted. Children demonstrate an excellent awareness of safety issues. For example, they help with daily risk assessments of the outdoor play area, identifying any potential hazards and marking these off on their own checklists.

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the early years provision

Managers and staff maintain highly positive partnerships with parents and carers. Excellent communication procedures ensure that parents are exceptionally well informed of their children's progress and activities. For example, there are informative displays throughout the nursery and staff talk daily with parents, ensuring that they have frequent opportunities to view their child's assessment records and to contribute to these. Staff provide tailored guidance and information about ways in which parents and carers can support their children's learning across different areas. The setting also has excellent procedures for working with other professionals. For example, they work closely with local pre-schools attended by the children, ensuring that children's care is consistent and their development promoted.

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the early years provision

Managers and senior staff demonstrate a very genuine enthusiasm for their work. They pass this on to staff and support them well, successfully inspiring them to be fully involved and to work together to maintain high standards. The rigorous monitoring and honest evaluation of all areas of the setting support managers in developing practical action plans. Feedback is actively sought from staff, parents and children, ensuring that changes are appropriately prioritised and lead to improvements in the outcomes for children. For example, recent changes include improvements to the outdoor area for babies and young children, thereby offering them improved access to an extended range of opportunities. The promotion of equal opportunities is closely monitored and is pivotal to all areas of work. Thorough procedures ensure that staff obtain a comprehensive understanding of each child's background and needs, and actively utilise this information when

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the early years provision

planning activities. This ensures that children are treated as individuals and are always offered appropriate support. All resources are used exceptionally well in order to promote children's development. For example, children visit a nearby home for older people, enjoy stories at the library and participate in picnics in the park. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children thrive and make excellent progress because staff have a comprehensive understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The comprehensive, practical planning ensures that children are offered a wealth of activities and experiences that accurately reflect their individual developmental needs. This is securely supported by thorough assessment procedures that enable staff to include each child's needs and interests in the daily planning. Staff confidently encourage children to initiate their own play, whilst offering them sensitive support to fully extend this. Children therefore become confident and are keen to explore and play an active part in their own learning. Staff pay meticulous attention to ensuring that the setting is safe and welcoming. Children's behaviour demonstrates that they feel secure, as they eagerly participate in activities, independently select resources and readily include staff in their play and discussions.

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and outcomes for children

Thoughtful staff interaction with all age groups helps children to feel settled and enhances their enjoyment. For example, staff working with the youngest babies sing nursery rhymes to them, help them to play with paint, discover rattles and interactive toys and explore the outdoor area. Children's play is further enhanced as staff join in and skilfully capture their interest. For example, a staff member joins younger children in the outdoor area and they work together to make a train with cardboard boxes; the children become engrossed in this and laugh and giggle as they sit in the boxes and make train noises. Children's development is consistently promoted as staff are always seeking to use children's interests to extend their play and learning. For example, after noting that older children showed an interest in learning about processes, staff offered further opportunities, such as cooking. The children thoroughly enjoy discovering the different

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and outcomes for children

ingredients and noting how these change through each stage of the mixing and cooking process.

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and outcomes for children

Children's emotional development is promoted as they develop secure, trusting relationships with staff and with their peers. Their behaviour is exemplary and they show an excellent understanding of the expected standards of behaviour as they organise their play, negotiate and share the resources. All children are highly valued and participate in a wide range of activities that help them to value diversity and understand the cultures and lifestyles of others. For example, they join with staff and parents in sharing their own cultures and traditions, research and celebrate the traditions and festivals of others and participate in activities where they explore feelings, helping them to understand and respect each other. The excellent procedures for working with parents and others mean that children who speak English as an additional language or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are consistently offered highly appropriate support. For

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and outcomes for children

example, staff sensitively adapt activities and resources to ensure that all children participate meaningfully.

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and outcomes for children

Children have numerous opportunities to work together to solve problems, thus supporting them in gaining valuable skills for use in future life. For example, older children work in small groups to programme a robotic toy, helping each other to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 determine the direction and to work out the various stages of the programme. Children gain an excellent awareness of the relevance of a wide range of health practices. For example, their understanding of healthy eating is promoted through ongoing discussions and their participation in a range of activities, such as cooking. Staff promote children's independence by offering them support and encouragement in all areas. However, opportunities at snack and meal times are not used to the optimum to fully promote children's independence and social skills.

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and outcomes for children

The thoughtful provision of resources helps children to feel welcome and promotes their sense of belonging. For example, staff make individual books for each child and these contain photographs of the children's family members and people who are important to them; the children love looking through these books and sharing them with their peers. This attention to detail in the provision of resources also means that children's enjoyment is enhanced and their learning extended. For example, children playing outdoors explore scented plants, listen to wind chimes, help tend the vegetables, engage in role play or sit in cosy corners to read and talk with their friends. Children's self-esteem is promoted as they are fully involved in all areas of this vibrant setting. For example, they work together to produce 'mind maps', where they use words and pictures to record their feelings, ideas and favourite activities. Staff then display these at child-height and actively use them

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and outcomes for children

when planning further activities. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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