Epping Forest College

Bright Start Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 130677 Inspection date 14/02/2011 Inspector Christopher Mackinnon

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Setting address The Old Slipper Baths, 1 Barrack Yard, North Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1YA Telephone number 01273 291570 or 693558 or 293880 Email wendy.plater@brighton-hove.gov.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

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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 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

Bright Start Nursery was first registered in 1993 and is run by Brighton and Hove City Council. It is primarily the workplace nursery for Council employees and is situated in central Brighton. Children have access to a secure outdoor play area. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 8.00am until 6.00pm, all year round and is registered on the Early Years Register and on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 55 children may attend in the early years age group. The nursery currently has 75 children on roll, all in the early years age range. Children aged three and four years are funded for free early education. The nursery offers support to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and to children with English as an additional language. There are 18 members of staff working with children who all hold early years qualifications to at least level 2, and one member of staff is working towards 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

The nursery is well organised with a confident and trained staff team providing good quality childcare to meet children's needs overall. Children enjoy an attractive and highly stimulating play environment, with many well presented resources and play areas. Staff consistently plan and present challenging activities, providing excellent support for children's individual learning progression overall. The nursery maintains close partnerships with parents and carers, using an effective system of self-evaluation to prompt further development in the monitoring of children's achievements and be well placed to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 extend the use of a key person into existing systems for observation and assessment to further support children's next steps in learning  revise the current system of risk assessment to include potential hazards in all areas with which a child may come into contact.

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the early years provision

The nursery is consistently managed overall by a well qualified and experienced staff team. A well organised key person system is in place, and the whole staff team work together to successfully maintain the organisation of the nursery's play This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 provision. Safeguarding is consistently organised within the nursery and a clearly organised range of policies and written guidance are in place. Staff also have up- to-date training in child protection procedures and safeguarding awareness. Staff take care to ensure children are made welcome and encouraged to feel safe within the nursery. They follow clear procedures to maintain safety and security and daily checks are made on all play materials and play areas. The nursery has a clear and detailed set of risk assessments and well organised security procedures are applied to control access to the premises. However, some elements of play equipment in

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the early years provision

the outdoor area have not yet been fully assessed to limit all hazards to children.

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the early years provision

The nursery has a particularly well organised play and learning environment, which is highly beneficial to promoting children's interests and learning. Children have good opportunities for messy play and space for group activities, with a well stocked role play room providing resources for child led play. A wide range of well chosen play resources and materials are provided within the indoor and outside play environments present children with consistent learning challenges to develop future skills effectively. For example, a series of excellent learning areas are presented for assembly and small world play. Access to the computer and opportunities to explore sound and listening also successfully promote children's awareness and widens the scope of their experiences.

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the early years provision

Staff take care to ensure all children are included and share information effectively to ensure their progression. Key persons focus effectively on individual children's learning needs, and take care to work with outside agencies to promote children's developing skills. This is particularly evident with trained staff working with children who have disabilities, or those who require educational support. Children are successfully encouraged to develop a good understanding of diversity, and a well planned range of festivals are organised. For example, a recent play theme for Chinese New Year provides children with a wide range of activities, including art crafts and learning about another culture.

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the early years provision

The nursery maintains consistent partnerships with parents and other carers. Staff have regular contact with local schools, and also successfully liaise with the local authority for support, and to engage in quality assurance schemes. Parents and children are well supported by their key persons, who work closely with families, to ensure children settle and enjoy their time at the setting. Parents are encouraged to become involved in their children's learning and have frequent opportunities to review the nursery's detailed and informative learning progress records to follow their child's achievement. Staff are confident child care practitioners and show considerable skill in their application of reflective practice. The nursery has produced a detailed and well written self-evaluation document that outlines practice, and clearly identifies areas for improvement.

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and outcomes for children

The nursery has an extremely well organised system of planning which staff use to organise a wide range of activities that are seasonal or based on children's This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 interests. Planning of the play environment is also well organised, with focused learning to support individual children's development. Staff demonstrate excellent skills with teaching and interacting with children to promote their achievement. They are also highly attentive, and provide close care and support for the younger children during soft play and hiding games. Well focused guidance for older children is successfully managed through interactive role play.

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and outcomes for children

Staff take observation notes and record children's achievements on a daily basis. Key persons successfully organise individual children's development records and gather information about children's learning. The nursery provides highly organised individual progress folders for each child, that include photographs and written comments on their learning journeys. The nursery has identified the monitoring of individual children's progress as an ongoing development area, with regard to using the key person system to further support children's next steps in learning through tracking their individual progress.

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and outcomes for children

Staff work effectively with children to promote their healthy growth and development. Children have regular planned activities that include learning about different foods and healthy eating. They engage in a wide range of activities to promote their physical development and staff encourage confidence with balance, climbing and group games. Children have frequent shared learning tasks, and group play opportunities are provided to promote cooperation and working together. For example, helping each other during art and craft projects, sharing small world resources and inventing adventure games with play figures.

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and outcomes for children

The nursery's highly effective range of planned activities ensures children make excellent progress with skills for future learning. The promotion of children's language and literacy is a highly consistent feature and is well directed. For example, children have focused learning sessions where they use letters and word cards to develop their use of language. Children can choose books easily and enjoy time with staff reading stories. Problem solving and numeracy is well explored, and children enjoy sorting items to learn about shape and size and matching games. Children's creative instincts are strongly promoted with well planned art projects. For example, the recent Chinese theme is well explored by the children making 'willow pattern' plates. An excellent range of themed resources are provided within the play environment to promote children's imagination and interest. For example, sea shells and African animals successfully help to widen children's knowledge and

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and outcomes for children

understanding of the world. 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 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 1 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 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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