Beech House Day NurseryOfsted inspection, 16 Mar 2011

Beech House Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 313076 Inspection date 16/03/2011 Inspector Denise Sixsmith

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Setting address 10 Huyton Church Road, Huyton, Knowsley, Merseyside, L36 5SJ Telephone number 0151 289 5224 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

Beech House Day Nursery was registered in 1997 and is operated by an individual. It is based in a converted detached property in the Huyton district of Knowsley near Liverpool. Children under three years of age are cared for in three base rooms on the ground floor of the main building. Children over three years are cared for in a separate two storey building. A fully enclosed outdoor area is available for all children.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 5.30pm. It is open all year round and closed only for public holidays and a week over the Christmas period. It is registered to care for a maximum of 55 children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than 55 may be in the early years age range. There are currently 56 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery provides care for children with special educational needs and funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. The nursery is registered by Ofsted on both parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs nine staff to work with the children, all of whom hold early years qualifications to at least a Level 2 and the majority to Level 3. Two members of staff are working towards additional qualifications, including early years degrees and Early Years Professional Status. Staff receive 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

The nursery provides good quality care with two outstanding aspects. Children settle with ease in the welcoming and inclusive environment. They benefit from having their individual needs met effectively by staff, who take time to form positive relationships with all children and their families. Partnerships with parents are outstanding and a key strength in making sure that children progress very well in their learning and development. The manager and staff strive for improvement through ongoing training and continuous evaluation. They are confident about what they need to do to move forwards to continue to improve outcomes for all children.

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further?

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

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further?

 build on the current system to further develop the flow of information of children's learning and development with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage  review documentation to ensure that it is up-to-date and that all aspects of forms are completed fully by staff. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff are committed, enthusiastic and skilful practitioners. They follow effective procedures to safeguard the children in their care. There is a clear line of responsibility for reporting concerns about children's welfare and staff are clear about their duty to report such concerns. Staff receive regular training to make sure that their knowledge and understanding remains current. Appraisals take place to support staff and their ongoing professional development and to make sure that they continue to work effectively with children. Safe arrivals and departures further safeguard children. Staff ensure that required records, policies and procedures are in place, although some documentation is not as well organised or systematically completed as it should be. Risk assessments are undertaken of all child accessible areas and of the activities they undertake. This makes sure that they are kept safe and secure. The environment is conducive to

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the early years provision

learning as it is bright, welcoming and well cared for. Indoor resources and child- height storage are extremely good and are used very well to achieve planned goals in children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

The nursery has worked hard to ensure a highly stimulating set of resources are in place and a wonderfully challenging environment is provided for the children. Good regard is given to sustainability, with evolving plans for development in place. The management team and staff place the promotion of equality of opportunity at the heart of their work. They effectively and actively promote equality and diversity and tackle unfair discrimination. Staff have a very good knowledge of each child's background and needs. Consequently, the outcomes for children and their experiences are positive. Staff update their skills and knowledge on a regular basis and effectively help children to learn about and understand the society in which they live. The systems for evaluating the service ensure that achievable steps are in place to promote improvement and quality.

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the early years provision

Outstanding partnerships are in place with parents. Staff, parents and carers are very proactive in sharing information about children's learning and ongoing welfare needs. Highly informative daily exchanges about the children's day take place, as well as regular individual meetings to discuss children's development. Questionnaires, as well as ongoing newsletters and information on notice boards, ensure a high level of information is exchanged and used to evaluate the quality of the setting and future plans. A variety of systems ensure a good ongoing exchange of children's interests. This ensures that parents and their child's key person very effectively build on what children know and can do. Parents spoken to state that open communication with the nursery is extremely good and that all staff are very approachable, helping them to support continuity of care for each child. They are all very supportive of the nursery and feel that they 'cannot praise the warm,

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the early years provision

caring staff and exciting environment enough'. In particular, they value the staff's commitment to ensuring their children receive good quality care and learning, and that children thoroughly enjoy themselves while at the nursery. All state that they would recommend the nursery to others. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

All children make good progress in their learning and development. Good written observations, photographs and samples of children's creations are combined into a learning journey record for each child. Effective tracking ensures that children progress very well towards the early learning goals. Children are happy, settled and eager to learn, and frequently help to organise their own play. Staff are readily on hand to support and enhance learning opportunities as they arise. This ensures that children make good progress in developing the skills they need for future learning. Children readily link sounds and letters as they sound out their name or as they write it on their artwork or the party invitations they decide to make. Children enjoy exploring number language as they confidently use number names in sequence and count the fingers on their hands, as well as joining in the singing of number rhymes. Problem solving is undertaken regularly during all aspects of

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and outcomes for children

their play and daily routine. Staff ask sensitive open-ended questions, extending play and promoting the children's thinking and communication skills very well.

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and outcomes for children

Children thoroughly enjoy attending the nursery and make their own choices, for example, deciding that they want to listen to a story with a member of staff in the book area or work independently in the craft area. The well-resourced outdoor area enables children to use their imagination very well. Children practice their construction and negotiating skills as they help each other to build with the large scale planks and blocks. They learn to balance and take risks as they move across their constructions, climb the mounds or creatively paint the fence and cars with large brushes and water. Younger children enjoy digging in the planting area as they look for worms or carefully negotiate their way across the small wooden bridge to play with the balls. Indoors they make themselves comfortable in the quiet area with the dolls, covers and books. Babies have good access to treasure baskets and opportunities to develop their mark making skills through the

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and outcomes for children

exploration of gloop, sand and finger paints. A bright and comfortable environment tailored to their age range and stages of development ensures they make good progress. A very busy toddler room promotes good language and exploratory development. All staff work hard to support children fully.

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and outcomes for children

Children are motivated to enjoy learning and exploration through a broad range of activities and to investigate objects and materials by using all of their senses. For instance, they enjoy creating paintings and collages using a variety of natural and creative media. All children are valued and engage in a wide range of activities and experiences which help them to value diversity. For example, through books, jigsaws, puppets and small world figures which are incorporated into the daily resources. Outings and walks in the local community enhance their knowledge and understanding of the wider world.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate a willingness to keep themselves and others safe through their good behaviour. They show a strong sense of security and belonging to the nursery. Very good examples are set by staff and, as a result, children are extremely well-behaved, polite, kind to one another and are learning right from wrong. Children follow simple safety rules on the stairs and practise evacuation This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 drills to ensure they know what to do in an emergency. They are developing a good awareness of the importance of following appropriate hygiene procedures to maintain their good health. Children wash their hands thoroughly at appropriate times, with support from adults as required, and help themselves to drinks of water throughout the session. Children develop independence and social skills very well as they choose to eat their snack at a time that best suits their needs. They

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and outcomes for children

readily tuck into a range of snack items that promote healthy eating and clean their teeth in the afternoon. 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 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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