Littlebrook Nursery

Littlebrook Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY334366 Inspection date 24/02/2011 Inspector Anne Faithfull/Susan May

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Setting address 501 Bath Road, West Drayton, Middlesex, UB7 0EN

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Telephone number 01753 686029 Email nicolabanyard@littlebrooknursery 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

Littlebrook Nursery registered in 2005 and is privately owned. The nursery operates from a two storey building in Longford Village, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The nursery is close to Heathrow Airport. Children can access a large garden area. The nursery is open five days a week all year round except for bank holidays from 7.15am to 6.30pm. The nursery is registered for 104 children on the Early Years Register and is also registered on the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register. The nursery operates a holiday play scheme during the school summer holidays only. Children attend from the local surrounding areas.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 80 children on roll and the nursery is in receipt of funding. The nursery currently supports children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 27 staff. Of these, 24 of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications and a further member of staff is working towards a qualification. The nursery employs a cook. The nursery 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 satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are happy to come into the nursery and have developed good relationships with each other and the staff who know them well. All children are valued and included. Children have good access to toys and resources, however, not all are safe and suitable for their purpose. The nursery has built sound relationships with the parents and information is exchanged daily about their child. Parents can access their child's learning file; however, there is no system in place to request or include the parent's contributions regarding their child's learning. Overall, children's welfare needs in most rooms are well met. The new manager has implemented systems to evaluate the nursery which includes identifying areas for staff development to ensure the continuous improvement of the nursery and the outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop systems to ensure that parents have regular opportunities to contribute and add their comments to the development records of their child improve the garden area to ensure equipment and toys are safe and suitable for purpose and organised in a way that meets the needs of the children  improve the systems in place for meeting the individual needs of all the children in the toddler room. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff demonstrate a sound understanding of safeguarding procedures and are clear about their role and responsibilities. They are aware of the steps and procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child in their care. Appropriate recruitment, checking and induction procedures ensure all staff and students working with the children are suitable to do so. There are secure systems in place to protect children from unvetted persons such as, the video surveillance system which operates both inside and outside of the nursery. Visitors identification is also checked and their times of attendance in the nursery recorded. A range of risk assessments are in place and this includes a daily safety check completed in all rooms and the garden to ensure all areas used by the children are safe. However, staff completing the daily safety check on the garden area and the staff supervising the children in the garden fail to notice a number of health, hygiene

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the early years provision

and safety issues. For example, a large amount of stagnant and dirty water was seen in a variety of containers and broken toys and resources are scattered around the garden. The majority of the outside equipment is also not clean and fit for purpose. Children are beginning to be aware of the steps they should take in an emergency as they regularly participate in the fire evacuation procedure.

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the early years provision

Staff promote diversity well in the nursery through a range of activities and displays. This enables children to begin to recognise the differences, cultures and lives of others. All children and families are valued and respected. Most children are able to independently access a wide range of toys and resources. Staff organise the rooms to into different areas such as, role play, art and craft and sensory this enables the children to make independent choices about their play. Some rooms operate a free flow system between the indoor and outdoor areas which further promotes children's' independent choices about whether to play inside or outside. Suitable procedures are in place to work with parents. Copies of all policies and procedures are in place for parents to access and all required information in order to meet children's individual needs is gathered from parents prior to their child starting. Parents of babies and younger children are kept

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the early years provision

informed about their child's care through the daily dairy. Parents comment about how happy their children are to come to the nursery, the information given to them and how the staff are very approachable. However, they also comment on the frequent staff changes and the cleanliness of some of the areas of the nursery, including the toilets. Systems are in place to liaise and exchange information with other settings the children attend or when they leave to go to school.

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the early years provision

A new manager has been in place for a few months and she is committed to ensuring all staff access and receive relevant training and support to enable them to extend their knowledge of childcare and to further improve the outcomes for children. The manager is aware this cannot be achieved immediately and has started to work with the local authority and staff to put in place some action plans to ensure areas for improvement already identified are reviewed on a regular basis and the progress recorded. The annual appraisal system in place further enables staff to identify any areas for training and their ongoing suitability to work with children. The manager has recently put in place systems to evaluate and monitor This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the nursery. These include completing the Ofsted self-evaluation and parental questionnaires.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled at the nursery. They readily leave their carers and greet staff and their friends. They have developed good relationships with the staff and each other. They share and take turns when required and older children listen to what other children have to say in group time and show care and concern when appropriate. Children readily include others in their play including visitors who they approach and ask if they want a cup of tea. Children's work is displayed throughout the nursery in all of the rooms and corridors giving them a sense of belonging. Staff are aware of how children learn and develop through play and use their childcare knowledge to provide children with a range of appropriate activities and experiences to ensure they are making progress in their learning and development. Most children have their individual learning needs and requirements met in the nursery. However, some children in the toddler room at times look lost

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and outcomes for children

in the room and are unsure of what or where to go next. Staff do not readily acknowledge them or engage them in an activity to motivate or interest them and help them develop their confidence. Babies play and explore in a bright colourful room where staff ensure they have free floor space for them to crawl around and explore their environment. Staff readily support them in their play and use facial expressions as well as talking to them to encourage their early communication skills.

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and outcomes for children

Each child has their own key person and learning journal file. Regular observations are undertaken and staff effectively link these observations to the areas of learning covered and use them to identify the child's next step in their learning. The journals contain lots of photographs and examples of children's work. They are displayed so parents can easily access them and take them home if required. However, there is not system in place for parents to add their contributions regarding their child's learning to ensure all information regarding their development is shared. Children can access a range of resources to develop their skills for the future such as computers and electronic toys. They are beginning to be aware of recycling as they use boxes for junk modelling and the paper recycling bin in the room encourages them to recycle the paper they have used. Older children enjoy experimenting with paint and mix the different colours

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and outcomes for children

together to see what happens. Younger children thoroughly enjoy playing with the bubbles in the water tray and are beginning to develop their pouring skills. Staff use everyday routines to encourage children's early understanding of number such as, singing number songs and counting the children in the group.

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and outcomes for children

Children are beginning to be aware of the lives of others as they have visits from other professional in the local community such as, policemen and firemen who talk to the children about their roles. Birthdays and festivals are celebrated and displays in the room show children participating in making a rabbit for Chinese New Year. Most children are aware of the routines in place and help to tidy away This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 when required. Older children help to sweep the floor before lunch and talk about how they help their mummy at home to do this. Staff use their close vicinity to the airport to help new children settle as they often like to go in the garden and watch the planes land and take off. Children are encouraged to develop their physical skills in a variety of ways, including playing in the large indoor activity soft play area and ball pool, where they can jump, climb and balance. Through the use of

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and outcomes for children

scissors and smaller craft resources they can develop their fine motor skills. All children are able to access their drink when required. Older children pour their drinks and younger children can identify theirs by their name or photograph attached to their beaker. Snacks and meals provided are nutritious and home cooked. Children are beginning to be aware of the hygiene routines in place such as, washing their hands before eating and putting their coats and boots on before going outside. All children have the opportunity to access fresh air and play in the garden owing to the free flow system in place and children in the rooms upstairs are regularly taken outside. Staff are aware of the hygiene procedures to follow when changing nappies and children enjoy climbing up the small steps to access the changing unit. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 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 3

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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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