Little Jo's Day Nursery and Pre-School

Little Jo's Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY347796 Inspection date 14/02/2011 Inspector Angela Howard

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Setting address Little Jo's Nursery, 35 Doncaster Road, BARNSLEY, South Yorkshire, S70 1TH Telephone number 01226 779199 Email dknursery02@aol.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

Little Jo's Nursery is a private nursery which registered in 2002 and operates from a single storey building on Doncaster Road, close to Barnsley town centre. Children come from the local community and the wider area. There are three designated areas and secure outdoor space for children's use, with access to toilets, kitchen, an office and storage space.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 65 children under eight years of age may attend the setting at any one time. Of these, 65 may be in the early years age range and no more than 15 may be under two years. There are currently 70 children on roll. Of these, 31 receive funding for early education. The nursery is open Monday to Friday all year round, excluding Bank Holidays, from 8am to 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery supports a number of children with learning difficulties, disabilities and English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are 16 staff employed to work with the children and all hold recognised early years qualifications to Level 3 or above. The setting receives support from the local authority and is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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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 making good progress in their learning and participate eagerly and with a good level of enjoyment. Their sense of belonging is fostered well through the warm, welcoming and homely atmosphere. Staff take highly positive steps to learn about the language and culture of families and any barriers are actively addressed to ensure all children are fully included in the setting. Strong links with parents further enhance inclusive practice, and the relationships with other professionals are positive. The management of the setting are forward thinking and are proactive in involving children, staff and parents in the self-evaluation of the setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the observation and assessment system to include the children's next steps in learning and use rigorously to inform planning to provide personalised learning, development and support  build further upon the links established with other settings providing for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure that the education provided complements the education received at other settings. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

There are robust procedures in place to safeguard children. Staff have up-to-date knowledge of the possible signs and symptoms of abuse and the appropriate procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child. There is a clear statement, based on government procedures, which is effectively implemented by staff, ensuring children's safety is a high priority. The named people responsible for ensuring child protection concerns are dealt with promptly have up-to-date knowledge and skills and are very clear about their role and responsibilities. All staff and volunteers in the setting are appropriately vetted and robust systems are in place to record the details of any visitors, including the purpose of their visit. Staff have a systematic approach towards assessing potential risk and take effective steps to prevent accidents. The use of thorough risk assessments on the premises and before any outings ensure children are safe. Resources and space

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the early years provision

are used well to support children's learning and help to provide a stable environment for children to access a wide variety of activities independently. Outdoors is particularly well equipped and the good use of an allotment further enhances children's outdoor experiences. Vibrant posters and the wide range of resources promoting positive images encourage children to value diversity. Staff use key words from the child's home language along with signs, symbols and gestures to ensure that all children are fully included in the life of the setting. A key strength for this setting is the way children, staff and management have embraced learning a new language. Children and staff thoroughly enjoy the Polish lessons and are very skilled in the pronunciation of common words to aid communication with their peers. The children with English as an additional language love the fun games offered to learn English words naming parts of the

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the early years provision

body, and sing with gusto 'heads, shoulders knees and toes'. Clever use of activities linked to children's interests, such as Chinese New Year, are used to support their awareness of other cultures. They explore festivals from around the world through role play, artwork, stories and factual books. Today, for example, the children play in the Chinese restaurant which has a menu written in Chinese and they use chopsticks when they pretend to eat their food. This is further enhanced by staff actively encouraging children to talk about home and their experiences to help them learn to appreciate and value each other's similarities and differences.

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the early years provision

Parents praise the setting highly and feel very well-informed of their child's progress. Photographs, lovely wall displays and how the setting is presented each day gives them a good insight into activities available to their child. From the outset, staff work in complete partnership with parents and ensure that a personal welcome is given to everyone entering the building. This promotes good communication and creates a sense of belonging. The relationship with other professionals is positive. Staff liaise with other settings and have been proactive with settings sharing transition records. However, it is not clear how the different settings complement each other to ensure continuity of care and education. A key strength of the setting is the staff's commitment to the development and improvement of their practice. The evaluations made about practice, children's activities and snap-shot observation records of children's progress show how keen

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the staff are to continually improve outcomes for children. All recommendations made at the last inspection have been completed. Staff have a clear vision for the future which is supported by well-targeted plans that are likely to lead to improved outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop well as staff implement the Early Years Foundation Stage effectively. Staff are well trained and are constantly seeking to improve their own professional development so as to support children in reaching achievable targets. Staff observe children's progress in a range of ways and use this information appropriately to focus adult support for activities. However, in each child's file there are a number of documents which some staff are not fully aware of how to use. The files are still in their infancy and many staff are still coming to terms with the changes. For example, in some cases next steps are not routinely recorded and, if they are, they are not effectively linked to planning to ensure a personalised learning journey is provided.

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and outcomes for children

Children are self-assured in their play and are eager to try out new experiences. Older children are eager to mark make and are showing increasing control as the marks are recognisable. A child draws a picture of 'Grandma' on the white board complete with all facial features and glasses. The child explains 'she is smiling because grandma always smiles'. When playing with construction bricks, children count the bricks accurately and solve problems, such as, how to balance bricks to ensure stability. They have vivid imaginations when pretending to be spacemen and fly to the moon. They go under a table and count backwards to 'blast off' pressing the pretend button on the leg of the table. In the small world activities, they act out home events, such as, going to work and taking the car to the garage. The toddlers explore role play with great enthusiasm. They make cups of tea and wash the pots. They show curiosity as they play with the play dough, squeezing

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and outcomes for children

and squashing it. Toddlers enjoy making patterns in the sand, repeating the action over and over again. Babies are confident, happy and eager to play. They are becoming very independent as they self-select toys and move around freely from one activity to another. They love new experiences and show delight when they take part in sand-play, letting the dry sand trickle through their fingers. It is wonderful to see babies interacting with each other independently, smiling, laughing and passing toys to each other. They share pots and pans and press buttons on cause and effect toys to make lights flash and music play. They follow with their eyes each movement of their peers and smile in pleasure, giggling as they make eye contact. Babies are beginning to communicate while playing as they make a 'brum brum' sound when they push the car across the sand. Creativity is nurtured well as the activities and experiences are varied, imaginative and meet

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and outcomes for children

the individual needs of children consistently. Older children chatter constantly asking 'what are you doing?', 'why?' and 'how does that work?' They are beginning to recognise letters on the laptop keyboard and say 'J is for' and name a child in the setting. Children seek out familiar staff for comfort when upset, tired or restless, and staff interact effectively to comfort and distract the children, who soon settle. This results in children feeling secure, stimulated and engaged in This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 purposeful play, which helps to develop strong skills for future learning.

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and outcomes for children

Good adult supervision and clear explanations of safety procedures ensure children are kept safe from harm. Children devise their own rules when playing under the table by agreeing that only two children can go in it at one time in case someone gets hurt. Therefore, children are demonstrating through their play that they recognise and can confidently talk about dangers and how to keep themselves safe. Children are beginning to develop a good awareness of healthy lifestyles. They eat wholesome nutritious meals and snacks, help to prepare food and serve themselves at meal times, learning about portion control. They have planted, cultivated and prepared vegetables from their own allotment. The well-balanced and nutritious range of food offered raises children's awareness positively of the importance of healthy eating. Consistent reminders about hygiene practice rules help children to take responsibility for their own personal hygiene. Children have

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and outcomes for children

plenty of opportunities to engage in physical activity daily and take part with gusto in jumping, climbing and running games. They propel and pedal ride-on toys to make themselves move, are spatially aware as they move around obstacles and peers and skilfully climb on the climbing frame. 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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