South Essex College of Further and Higher Education

Blueberry Nursery Early Learning Organisation Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 130672 Inspection date 30/03/2011 Inspector Fler Wright

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Setting address 5 Davigdor Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 1QB

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Telephone number 01273 733 799 Email blueberry@tesco.net 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

Blueberry Nursery first opened in 1994. The nursery is privately owned and is managed by a small limited company made up of a management committee. It is situated in a converted house in Hove, East Sussex. Children have access to a secure outdoor play area. The nursery is open Monday to Friday for 49 weeks of the year from 8am to 6pm.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered to care for 64 children at any one time and there are currently 123 children aged from 18 months to under five years on roll. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register and is in receipt of funding for early education. The nursery offers support to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and to those children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs a total of 24 staff, all of whom hold at least a level three qualification in child care; two are qualified teachers and four are early Years Professionals. Three have Early years foundation degrees and one member of staff is working towards it.

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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

Highly skilled staff ensure children benefit from everything they do. As a result, children are making excellent progress in their learning and development towards the early learning goals given their starting points and capabilities. Each child's individuality is recognised and nurtured by all staff, who have a secure knowledge of their family and home circumstances, individual needs, interests and abilities. The organisation of the nursery is exceptional. Excellent partnerships with parents, agencies and other settings help to ensure complete continuity of care. Robust and consistent reflective practice and evaluation techniques ensure all children thrive, and the nursery has an outstanding capacity to ensure its continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 further encourage outings for younger children to increase the opportunities for them to take an interest in their local environment This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Exceptionally robust recruitment and vetting procedures are in place, and rigorous risk assessments help to ensure children's safety and welfare is of paramount importance. Staff are vigilant and all use walkie-talkies to contact 'floating' staff or one of the management team if they need support with tasks such as taking children to the toilet. CCTV is also in place throughout the whole nursery so parents are able to watch their children from the comfort of the parent lounge, and the management team are able to respond very quickly to support staff if required. This helps to ensure children are very well supervised at all times. Staff fully understand their responsibilities to safeguard children's welfare and all of them have attended training in this area.

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the early years provision

The nursery is run by a 'hands on' management committee who work incredibly well together to ensure all aspects of the nursery run seamlessly. The owner in particular is very passionate about her work, and the management team together wholeheartedly motivate the strong staff team, who feel well supported and show a clear sense of purpose and an extreme commitment to offering an exceptionally inclusive environment for all children. Staff communicate continually, and regular meetings, informal gatherings, staff monitoring and appraisals, all ensure children's needs are met and the nursery and its staff continue to evolve in every aspect. Staff are all highly qualified and have a vast array of skills and experience benefitting all of the children in attendance. Innovative business planning ensures the day-to-day organisation, deployment of staff and use of resources, all contribute exceedingly well to creating a happy, purposeful and safe learning

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the early years provision

environment for all. The nursery is highly committed to promoting equality of opportunity, and the 'equalities and multicultural co-ordinator' at the setting has an excellent current knowledge of all aspects, and shares this with other staff in the nursery helping to benefit all. She inspects rooms on a termly basis to ensure children have access to a wide variety of equipment to promote equality and replenishes them as required. She also creates resources for each room to use as they please, such as laminated cards showing different family make-ups that staff are able to use on a display or during circle times. Children with special educational needs are also very well supported to ensure they are given every opportunity to achieve. All children and families are valued and appreciated by staff who are proactive in ensuring the nursery environment is inclusive for all.

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the early years provision

Parents, staff and children all help contribute to extensive evaluation and reflective practice techniques that help the nursery to devise well targeted plans. The management team are continually striving to improve every aspect of nursery life. The partnerships formed with parents, carers, outside agencies and other childcare settings are outstanding, and fully promote the well-being of all children. An informative parent handbook is distributed and revised annually containing the aims and objectives of the nursery and the operational plan helping to ensure parents are kept fully up to date with nursery life. A texting service is also available to issue parents with important reminders about trips or other news such as emergency weather closures. Parents are able to sit in on interview panels ensuring their views are taken into account, and monthly coffee mornings and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

other regular social events also help to ensure parents feel welcome, and an integral part of the nursery. Parents are routinely involved in their children's learning, for example, through adding comments into their child's learning journal that is easily accessible for them to look through at any time. They are also able to come into the nursery and share experiences with the children, such as by playing the fiddle or singing songs in their native languages. Parents are very complementary of the nursery, and comment that the staff are highly skilled and really know the children well, responding to children's needs as they grow and develop.

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and outcomes for children

Children greatly enjoy their time at the nursery. They speak with a great deal of confidence and eagerly tell their friends about their home lives at circle times. Staff complete home visits for every child before they start at the nursery or move rooms, meaning they have an excellent knowledge of children's differing circumstances so are able to support children well as they talk about their families. Children demonstrate outstanding progress in developing the skills that will help them in the future. Staff place the happiness and welfare of the children at the heart of everything they do, as well as encouraging the children to play their own dynamic role within the nursery.

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and outcomes for children

Children have access to dedicated spaces that are excellently resourced as staff have total responsibility for the contents of their own rooms. They have credit cards that they are able to use to get what they want for their rooms, and this helps to ensure that the items available relate totally to children's individual needs and interests. The high level of staff of expertise ensures that their environments are conducive to learning, all areas of the curriculum are covered and children learn from everything they become involved with throughout the day. Staff never move around the rooms in the nursery, so children are offered consistently high levels of care from individuals who know them well, and who have much experience in caring for children of the same age group. Staff have an excellent understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the key worker and grouping systems in place help to support children to achieve excellent outcomes.

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and outcomes for children

Children make extremely good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff make observations of the children regularly and record these straight into each child's learning journal helping to ensure they are always up to date. They also record ways for future development and use these comments to inform the planning, which is of a high quality and includes many areas to promote individual children's interests further to ensure all achieve to a high level. Regular assessment ensures children's progress is reviewed across all areas of learning on a regular basis, and shows children are making massive strides in their learning. Staff show excellent levels of dedication, enthusiasm, praise and encouragement, helping children to enjoy every minute they spend at the nursery.

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and outcomes for children

Children form very close bonds with adults and other children at the nursery. The relationships with their peers go from strength-to-strength as children call each This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 other their 'friends' and they are able to play together throughout the day, and stay in the same small groups for at least one school year helping to add to their sense of security. Children behave very well as staff are very positive in their interaction with them. They encourage good listening and children clap one another to celebrate their achievements. Children know that they can put their photo on the 'kindness bus' if they do something nice like 'help to tidy'. Older children use 'kindness flowers' as a different variation. These methods and celebrations all help children to feel good about themselves.

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and outcomes for children

Children have an excellent understanding of keeping themselves healthy and activities and experiences around the nursery help to ensure this remains of paramount importance. After some research the nursery discovered it was better for children to rinse their mouths out after lunch rather that brush their teeth, so they do this routinely every day. Children wash their hands and visit the toilet if they are able to independently, helping them to think of their own physical needs. The nursery offers a balanced, organic diet to children and has fresh produce delivered daily. Children develop a positive attitude towards being active as they are able to use the outdoor areas throughout the day in all weathers. Older children enjoy trips out, and although younger children are able to go on a couple of main nursery outings each year, they do not currently have the opportunity to explore their local environment on a regular basis, and this is an area for further

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate a strong sense of security and understand issues relating to safety. They are encouraged to walk around the garden and identify potential hazards for themselves such as the crates or steps and talk about why they may be dangerous. They are very confident and self-assured in the nursery and confidently move around their play spaces engrossed in their play. They take ownership of the displays in their rooms and are proud to show them off. Children engage in a wide range of activities and experiences which help them to value diversity. They have access to an excellent range of resources helping them to learn about the wider world, and celebrate a diverse range of cultural and religious festivals throughout the year. Overall, the outcomes for children are excellent. 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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