Seesaws Avenue Road

See-Saws Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 228984 Inspection date 05/01/2011 Inspector Jennifer Turner

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Setting address 1 Avenue Road, Erdington, Birmingham, West Midlands, B23 6UY Telephone number 0121 350 6521 Email 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

See-Saws Day Nursery is one of five nurseries run by See-Saws Day Nursery Limited. It was registered in 1996 and is situated in a residential area of Erdington in Birmingham. The nursery operates from five rooms within a large concerted house. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.00am to 6.00pm including bank holidays. It is closed on Christmas day and Boxing day. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 48 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 61 children aged from six months to under five years on roll. The nursery is able to support children who speak English an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 15 members of staff. Of these, 11 hold appropriate early years qualifications at NVQ Level 2 or above and four staff are working towards a qualification. 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are happy, settled and form good relationships with each other and staff. They have access to a good range of age-appropriate toys and resources which help them make positive progress in their learning and development. Staff offer an inclusive and welcoming service, supporting all children to actively participate in activities which meet their individual interests and developmental needs. Documentation is regularly reviewed and mostly in place. All staff and parents are included in the self-evaluation process. This demonstrates a positive attitude towards continuous improvement.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 update all children's records to include who has legal contact and parental responsibility. 23/03/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop planning and assessments through evaluation to identify learning priorities for each child. 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 clear written policies and procedures in place in relation to safeguarding children. Staff are confident about their duties and areas of responsibility and they know the signs and symptoms to look for, which contributes effectively to the protection of children. A wide range of policies and procedures are in place to safeguard children. For example, robust recruitment procedures ensure that adults are suitable to work with children and this is enhanced through frequent training, both in-house and external. However, information regarding parental responsibility has not been updated for all children, which means staff are not fully informed. Risk assessments are carried out on the premises and for each outing children are taken on and these are regularly reviewed and updated.

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the early years provision

The management review the provision consistently and staff, parents and children contribute to this self-evaluation process. Regular staff meetings and appraisals provide valuable opportunities for staff to share good practice and to identify their training needs, which are prioritised by the manager. Children's individual needs are addressed as agreed with parents and as identified through observations. Resources are organised to ensure that children can access them without help or with minimal assistance to aid their independence. Staff are effectively deployed to support children during all activities and to ensure that supervision is consistently maintained.

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the early years provision

Staff with responsibility for special needs have a sound knowledge of the procedures and develop good relationships with parents and other professionals. This ensures children with special needs are included in all aspects of nursery life and make good progress. The sound relationship developed with parents contributes to successful outcomes for their children. Staff exchange information with parents and carers through high quality written information, care diaries and noticeboards. Open evenings are arranged so that parents can spend time with their child's key worker to talk about how their child is progressing. This helps build a bridge between home and the nursery. As a result, parents feel well informed and make many positive comments about the nursery.

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and outcomes for children

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a good knowledge of the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage and competently put this into practice. They know how children learn and plan a good range of activities and experiences to cover all areas of their development. Staff use open-ended questions to effectively promote children's thinking and set out the room to stimulate children's interest in activities. As a result, children are motivated and make many good links in their learning. There is a good balance between adult-led activities and free play. The opportunities for children to self-select resources and initiate their own play are plentiful. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Planning is flexible, generally clear and covers all areas of learning in the curriculum. Systems are in place to observe and monitor children's achievements

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and outcomes for children

and to plan experiences that help children progress. However, these plans and assessments are not consistently evaluated for individual children which means staff are not sufficiently able to identify learning priorities for each child. All children are self-assured in their play and confident to try new experiences in a supportive environment. They are sociable and readily engage their peers, staff and visitors in conversation and play. Children are extremely imaginative. They make up their own games, enjoy dressing-up and taking on varied roles and different characters. Children are confident speakers and good listeners. They say 'please' and 'thank you' and they are keen to share experiences and enjoy listening to stories. Staff manage children's behaviour well by creating an environment that sets, explains and maintains clear and consistent limits.

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and outcomes for children

Children are encouraged to show an interest in numbers and are supported to develop the skills needed for counting, for example, through a range of interesting games, songs and everyday activities. Children are helped to say numbers in the correct order and begin to recognise the number of objects in a small group. Older children count reliably up to ten and some beyond. Children begin to use language to describe and compare shape, position, size and quantity. Their physical skills develop and improve through a wide range of experiences, including music and movement and good access to outside play. Children show an awareness of space for themselves and others as they move around the room choosing what to play with.

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and outcomes for children

There are good opportunities for children to be creative and practise writing for a variety of purposes. They enjoy books, accessing them independently, listening to and joining in with their favourite stories. Good emphasis is placed on developing children's communication, language and literacy skills, for example, by encouraging listening skills, extending their vocabulary and linking sounds to letters as they attempt to write their names.

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and outcomes for children

Children know about the uses of everyday technology and all children learn how to operate computer equipment and electronic toys. There are good opportunities for children to find out about features of the local environment and community. Children develop a good understanding of the natural world through topics and focussed activities. Younger children are fascinated by the objects in the treasure baskets as they feel the textures of soft, smooth and rough objects. They learn to care for the nursery's pet rabbit and enjoy tending to their vegetable patch. Children are given time and encouragement to use all their senses to investigate a wide range of materials. They explore how light reflects when they shine torches in dark tents, or when twirling light sticks around in the air. Children are involved in discussions and activities about special events in their own lives and gain an awareness of beliefs and cultures outside their immediate experience. They

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and outcomes for children

celebrate festivals such as Eid, Diwali and Hanukkah and engage in a wide range of activities to help them learn about their own and other cultures. 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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