YMCA Gosport Nursery, St Vincent

St Vincent Early Years Centre Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 511070 Inspection date 03/02/2011 Inspector ChristineClint

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Setting address St. Vincent College, Mill Lane, GOSPORT, Hampshire, PO12 4QA Telephone number 023 92504199 Email michaela.oscroft@ymca-fg.org 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

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

St. Vincent Early Years Centre was registered in 2000. It is managed by the Assistant Director South East Hampshire and supported by the Children's Work Director and Area Director. The Organisation is the YMCA Fairthorne Group which is a charitable organisation. It is one of a chain of seven YMCA managed nurseries. The centre is registered on the Early Years Register to provide care for 53 children in the early years age range, from birth to under five years. It provides sessional and full day care and is located in the grounds of St. Vincent College, Gosport in Hampshire.

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Description of the setting

The centre is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm all year round. Children use the nursery rooms which are all on the ground floor with an accessible entrance. The babies and children under two years are cared for in a separate section of the nursery. All children have access to a secure enclosed outside play area. There are currently 102 children from four months to five years on roll. The centre receives funding for early education for both two-year-old and 3 to 4-year-old children. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also those who speak English as a second language. The centre works closely with teachers at local schools and the Early Years Advisory Teacher. There is a qualified manager and a deputy manager, both employed in a supernumerary capacity and there are 14 staff working with the children. Twelve staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery also has a qualified Early Years Lead Practitioner

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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 managers have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. They include well established and thorough systems to monitor and evaluate most areas of the setting for maintaining continual improvement. There are consistently good levels of evidence to show that staff are effectively meeting the individual needs of the children attending. Children are developing independence and making clear, recognisable progress in almost all areas of learning and this is based on the strong and continual systems for assessment and planning.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop routines to enable babies and toddlers to see and share some time with older children in the nursery, to meet the needs of siblings and promote This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 family care  increase the opportunities for children to learn problem solving, reasoning and numeracy during everyday activities and daily routines.

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the early years provision

The nursery has developed a full range of procedures for safeguarding children; there are robust systems for checking all new staff before they carry out the full range of nursery routines. There are very clear procedures for referring any concerns about children and these are planned in advance for staff to follow step- by-step guidance. The environment is safe and supportive, with a secure entrance, which is very thoroughly monitored at all times. Parents are greeted every time they enter and depart and all visitors are timed on the premises. Staff also follow organised and well documented systems to record their presence. The nursery have developed and recorded very regularly checked risk assessments for all indoor and outdoor areas, these are held in the different age related rooms of the nursery. There are also fully documented assessments of risks on planned outings; each hazard shows how children will be protected and managed. The nursery has

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the early years provision

clear systems in place for recording any complaints and the records are available for parents or Ofsted on request. Fire equipment is in place and records show that regular fire drills are carried out; individual staff follow a rota for initiating a fire drill and this ensures that the managers also learn to respond automatically. All documentation is securely in place to meet the regulations for first aid and emergency treatment, for accidents and administering medication; all parental permission is clearly recorded and available. The leadership and management of the nursery is consistent with a high level of communication. There are well established routines for evaluating the quality of the provision, for reviewing the procedures and for encouraging continual progress. Managers support and stimulate the involvement of all staff, they encourage and channel staff efforts and make use of their skills and enthusiasm;

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the early years provision

especially when staff can translate and speak with parents in their own language. There are regular systems for monitoring activities and for observing staff performance. Staff have supervision on a very regular basis and their performance is assessed quarterly and training opportunities are developed and planned. Key staff are responsible for the planning for children and they link activities to include children's next steps in development; these are based on the observed and recorded evidence in children's learning journals. The assessment systems for children have recently been reviewed and are continually monitored by the advisory teacher who is closely linked with the setting. Ongoing training and liaison have helped to establish staff confidence and maintain the almost continual free- flow learning environment. The nursery has a good supply of resources to encourage and support children's learning and these are fully available for children to make choices and select in

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the early years provision

various areas. Older children can move freely between the rooms and the outdoor play provision most of the time, they can select areas according to their choice of activity. Babies and toddlers have newly arranged, compact spaces available within their separated rooms and these have a very wide range of appropriate resources immediately within reach. Staff recognise the impact these changes have made on This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the younger children, because they are feeling safe, secure and comfortable and their confidence has increased. However, there are few opportunities for babies or toddlers to see and spend time with any older children or siblings, because the indoor routines and play activities are managed separately and this does not include the opportunity for maintaining family care. The nursery is improving outcomes for all children attending; children are

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the early years provision

developing well in relation to their starting points and staff are taking effective steps to close identified achievement gaps. Staff show they are diligent in challenging negative behaviour, they encourage children to communicate with each other instead of being physical and to respond to unwanted behaviour by saying 'no thank you'. Staff are identifying any needs as early as possible and working with other agencies and parents to promote individual learning. Staff have attended Makaton training and use this under the advice and guidance of support agencies. They work with parents when children are learning English as a second language and support children's understanding and development. The nursery has a range of resources to reflect the differences and diversity in society. They link closely with children's home life and include celebrations that are relevant to the children's experiences. There are highly positive and well established relationships in place with parents

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the early years provision

and carers. They are all welcomed into nursery, they are keen to show their appreciation and understanding of their child's progress and the opportunities available to promote children's learning. Parents provide clear details to cover all requirements at the start of children's care and these include full development levels to enable staff to understand children's needs and plan their progress. Parents are encouraged to be involved with children's assessment and termly meeting are planned with key staff. There are key person display areas in the nursery where parents can see the planned themes and activities, they are invited to record or share any individual achievements for their children, these are then transferred to children's learning records. There are also well developed links within the community. Management staff work closely with the nearby community centre and support is provided for families who attend both settings. Staff are also

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the early years provision

assisted and guided by the advisory teacher who shares her expertise to promote their knowledge and understanding. There are close links with nearby schools and children transferring are visited by the reception teacher, they also have visits to their new school. The nursery also ensures that they meet the individual needs of new children by linking with other carers when children transfer to the setting or through foster parents to enable information and settling routines to be established.

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and outcomes for children

Children are keen to attend and they enter the nursery with enthusiasm, they are managing their own coats and outdoor clothes in the newly created cloakroom. They are also learning to self register by using their names and pictures and transferring these when they arrive. Children have free choice and can select resources, they have ample space in the older age rooms and can use the low level baskets of construction equipment, or cars. Children dig in the sand trough and fill This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 buckets, they use the shovels with expertise and talk about how much sand they need to fill up the bucket. Children make sand castles and squash these flat again. They have regular group times throughout the morning with their key person, who encourages children to join in for short activities that include listening, watching and developing language. They welcome each other by name, through repeated

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and outcomes for children

singing which includes each child's name, they sound out rhythms with clapping and stamping. They play number games in the outside area by finding the numbered mats that staff have positioned on the ground. Children manage this well, although the older more able children easily respond before others can be included. Children are learning about hygiene through regular routines of hand washing and becoming independent when using the toilets. They sit together for lunch and they are learning to serve their own vegetables as they become more capable. Snack times are decided by the children and they take turns to sit with staff, who help children to prepare fruit and serve themselves. Children can access water any time and learn how to pour drinks themselves. The babies and younger children have all their needs for hygiene fully managed by staff. There are very clear and planned routines for storing food, checking temperatures and meeting each baby or

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and outcomes for children

toddler's individual needs; these are well recorded and displayed. Children have very regular outdoor play and opportunities for physical development. They ride the wheel toys and bicycles with enthusiasm, they learn to play with balls and use bats. Children understand that they can run and move more freely in the outdoor play area and they learn that this is a safer environment for experimenting with movement. Children dance to music indoors, they learn rhythm and expression; they show eagerness and enjoyment. Children's health and welfare is promoted through opportunities for rest and sleep during the day, these arrangements are entirely flexible and planned with parents. Babies have a sleep room and there are well planned and prepared systems to monitor all sleep routines. There is also a delightful sensory area for the babies and toddlers, children can relax, enjoy the quiet time by looking at lights and

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and outcomes for children

reflective items on the ceiling. Older children in the main nursery have a quiet room also and this can be used for rest and relaxation. The key person group times are individually planned by staff and linked with children's individual learning needs. These are all currently based on 'sounds and letters' learning. All the groups sing the same song and they all read the same 'over and over' story. The stories are repeated several times and children learn to recognize the rhyming words and can add the words themselves when prompted. Staff and parents are very aware of the increase in children's vocabulary and pronunciation. Children show increasing levels of interest and concentration, they look at the pictures and know the story. Children show they are happy in the role play area, they sit comfortably together chatting whilst holding the dolls they have wrapped in blankets; they are relaxed and happy in their chosen area of play. They wear dressing up clothes and develop

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and outcomes for children

imaginary games with each other; they set the table and pretend to make cups of tea for staff. Children learn about nature through growing vegetables in the garden troughs, they use magnifying glasses to find and recognize bugs, they enjoy this and continue to investigate on their local walk. Children sit together with staff and take turns to recognise animal sounds, they use actions to identify animals and learn to name these. Children are learning to follow daily routines at times and these are often related This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to key person group activities and the snack and meal times. The clearly recorded observations and continuing records of development, show that children are developing across all areas of learning, although during everyday play there is less encouragement to develop skills of problem solving and numeracy. 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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