Elms Day Nursery

Elms Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 227172 Inspection date 24/02/2011 Inspector Adelaide Griffith

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Setting address 33 Edgbaston Park Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, B15 2RS Telephone number 0121 414 8118 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

Elms Day Nursery is owned by the University of Birmingham and was registered in 1993. It operates from eight rooms in a Victorian Grade 2 listed building. The nursery serves the university staff, students and the wider community. The nursery is accessible to all children and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, except for Bank Holidays and university closure days. Sessions are from 7.55am to 6.20pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 114 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 143 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 33 members of childcare staff. There are also three management staff and an advisory teacher. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications to least NVQ at Level 3 and one member of staff is working toward a Level 3 qualification. 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 outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children make substantial progress in their learning and development. Their welfare is extensively safeguarded and their well-being is promoted comprehensively. The setting provides superbly for children's diverse needs through effective systems. The self-evaluation process is embedded and results in significant outcomes for children and their families. The nursery works extremely well with parents, other settings and external agencies to ensure that children get the support they need. This leads to effective continuity of care and learning, enabling children to flourish in the highly stimulating environment.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 develop different learning opportunities for individual children or groups who may need more challenge to ensure they achieve at their highest level. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The nursery benefits from exemplary leadership and management. There is a very strong emphasis on safeguarding children and all staff are well informed of the policies. Rigorous procedures, such as the regular vetting of staff, ensure that they remain suitable to work with children. All staff, including the managers, undertake repeated training in safeguarding and staff understand the procedures to be followed in the event of concerns or allegations. The setting is highly committed to keeping children safe. For instance, the fire route has been revised and evacuation from the building is more effective. Adult-to-child ratios exceed the minimum requirement and this means that staff are successfully deployed to support children at all times.

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the early years provision

The management and staff have used the self-evaluation process diligently to make continuous improvements to the setting. They have gained the healthy setting award for excellence in promoting children's lifestyles. There are plans to build on this achievement by providing a forest school facility to enable children to take physical risks in a safe environment. The management is very responsive to parental requests. For example, they have effectively extended communication systems to include electronic methods. All staff consistently review activities at the end of a session to ensure that children's learning is continually refreshed. The management demonstrates a very strong capacity to maintain continuous improvement by addressing the recommendation from the last inspection effectively. They foresee that sustainable improvements can be maintained by adapting the premises for parents and children with disability.

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the early years provision

The setting provides a service that is highly inclusive for all children and their families. For instance, children's individual needs are addressed commendably and steps are taken to facilitate communication with children and parents who speak English as an additional language. Many resources reflect the children's backgrounds and this contributes admirably to their sense of belonging. Children have opportunities to learn about disability through activities. There are highly developed systems in place to support children who need additional input to address serious health conditions or special educational needs. The staff are highly experienced at working with parents to access help from external agencies to ensure that children get the support they need. Their expert practice ensures that guidance is thoroughly implemented as suggested by other professionals.

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the early years provision

The partnership with parents is based on mutual respect and trust. Parents are informed in a number of ways about the service the setting provides. The commitment to working successfully with parents is illustrated by the steps taken to ensure they have copies of risk assessments, maps and details of venues for outings. A parents' open forum is held to address issues and they are invited to suggest topics for the agenda. Daily feedback is shared about children's experience and time is used effectively to discuss children's progress during parents' evening. Parents are highly satisfied with the service they receive and comment favourably on the vast range of activities and resources available to promote children's learning. Parents know their child's key worker and this well- This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 established system underpins interaction between staff and parents to promote

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the early years provision

children's well-being positively. The staff are aware of the importance of sharing information with other early years providers and ensure that transfer documents are sent to school when children leave.

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and outcomes for children

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the setting. They take pleasure in looking at books and listening to stories. Adults make time to sit with children and encourage active involvement by inviting them to predict what might happen next. This helps children to maintain concentration and they correctly respond to questions. All children participate in activities and are effectively supported according to their ability. For example, in the baby room, children sit at low tables and practise mark making while some pre-school children form recognisable letters and numbers. Challenge is included for all children as adults have a substantial knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. For example, adults have agreed goals with parents to help more able children develop reading skills. They have also identified how to promote letter recognition for some children aged two years.

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and outcomes for children

Starting points are identified for all children when they first attend and transition documents are completed for children moving from one room to another. Consequently, adults can accurately identify the progress children make over a period of time. This is achieved through a series of observations of children's development which is used to plan for further learning. However, some children are not sufficiently challenged and, as a result, options to achieve learning at the highest level are not always fully addressed. Nevertheless, staff are committed to doing the best for the children. For this reason, they critically trial and review how to plan for children's individual learning to meet their needs more effectively.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate a very strong sense of security as they seek out adults for support. Children are developing a substantial understanding of issues relating to safety as staff consistently provide guidance to reinforce their awareness. Adults enthusiastically join in with activities and often follow children's lead. For instance, they enter into the spirit of play by blowing bubbles repeatedly and this delights babies who attempt to catch the passing bubbles. Adults consistently praise children for effort as well as achievement. Exploratory play is well promoted as staff talk about textures while children use rolling pins to flatten play dough and express their creativity by making a range of items. Children's language skills are developing well because adults maintain a flow of conversation and this encourages children to increase their vocabulary. Experienced adults are highly skilled at using a wide range of methods to promote learning. For instance, they

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and outcomes for children

imaginatively use bubble wrap as an effective resource to help children learn about different sounds and textures.

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and outcomes for children

Children are self-assured and very confident in the setting. They have unhindered access to resources and use these to initiate and to develop their play. Children recognise the importance of good personal hygiene. They access tissues This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 independently and dispose of these appropriately. They consistently wash hands in relation to activities, such as, meal times and after outside play. They have ample space to run around outdoors and develop a positive attitude towards being active. All children are able to use the outdoors during the day. Children's understanding of the wider community is nurtured through outings to local venues and visits from people who help us, such as the fire service. The wide variety of interesting activities help children to develop skills for the future as they progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

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 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 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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