Ladybird Nursery School

Ladybird Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY417318 Inspection date 18/04/2011 Inspector Claire Parnell

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Setting address 11 Ryder Gardens, RAINHAM, Essex, RM13 7LS

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Telephone number 01708 551 778 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

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

Ladybird Nursery School was registered in 2010. It operates from a converted house in a residential area of Rainham, Essex. The nursery is divided into four age- related rooms, both upstairs and downstairs. Toddlers and pre-school children have access to two toilets. There is a secure outdoor area for children to play.

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Description of the setting

The nursery serves the local community. It is registered on the Early Years Register to care for 32 children within the early years age range at any one time. The nursery currently cares for a total of 24 children, of which nine receive funding for nursery education. The nursery operates from 8am until 6.30pm, Monday to Friday all year round.

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Description of the setting

There are currently six members of staff all of whom hold either level two or level three early years qualifications. The nursery also has bank staff to cover sickness and holidays. The nursery also uses local amenities such as local parks on a regular basis. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with English as an additional language.

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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

Overall p ractitioners competently promote the unique needs of the children and effectively meet their learning and welfare needs but less attention is given to reflecting children's home languages. Staff keep good observations records on each child which are generally used effectively to help each child learn and develop. The staff team work closely together to fully contribute to the evaluation system, identifying strengths and areas to improve. This demonstrates a good capacity to maintain continuous improvement. The setting highly promotes engaging parents in the daily care and development of their children although parents receive less daily information about children's achievements.

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further?

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

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further?

 extend the feedback given to parents to make them fully aware of children's developmental achievements on a regular basis  value children's home language, for example, through the use of resources such as dual language books  review and extend the planning and assessment system so that it identifies more clearly the personal path for each individual child. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded well through the effective policies, procedures and safety practices of the staff. Therefore children are kept safe and secure within the provision. For example, visitors to the nursery are monitored through CCTV when arriving at the nursery and are asked to sign in and out. Designated staff take the responsibility for child protection throughout the nursery and ensure all staff have a clear understanding of their roles to protect children from harm. Staff are fully aware of the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about children's safety by monitoring the concerns and referring these to appropriate professional bodies. Fire drills are successfully implemented, recorded and evaluated to promote children's understanding of evacuation procedures. This includes the safe evacuation of babies using appropriate equipment from the upstairs rooms. Thorough risk assessments are in place for everyday use of the setting and the

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the early years provision

outside areas. All required documentation is in place to promote children's well- being and good health. Staff take on a mature and responsible attitude towards emergency care, such as when babies have very high temperatures. The proprietor and manager follow robust recruitment procedures to provide necessary checks for new staff allowing them to have unsupervised access to children. The whole staff team, including the proprietor, have a very clear vision and ambition to continuously improve practices within the setting to promote the ongoing outcomes for children. All staff take an active role in identifying the strengths of their practices and the set up of the nursery, evaluating how this can be improved further. They are pro-active in identifying weaknesses and establishing an action plan to develop strategies and practice to improve in these areas. The nursery have a self-evaluation system that is linked to the outcomes for

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the early years provision

children and successfully use this to monitor the effectiveness of the care and learning for the children and their families. Individual staff have identified training needs and are actively sourcing courses to attend to keep their practices and knowledge up to date to enhance children's learning and care experiences. The setting uses the resources, advice and information from the local authority to promote and implement correct procedures and practices successfully. Children have access to a wealth of resources in all the age-related play rooms. Most activities and equipment are stored in easily accessible units where children are encouraged to make independent and individual choices for themselves. The staff use the outside area imaginatively, encouraging learning in all six areas of learning both inside and out. Equality and diversity are promoted well in the nursery. Children play with activities and resources that reflect positive images of

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the early years provision

today's society; such as posters of cultural celebrations and different skin tones participating in activities together. Staff have introduced labels around the setting to reflect children's home language and older children welcome each other at circle time using sign language. However, children with English as an additional language do not always have their home language valued through the books available or through songs played in the background. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well through liaisons with other professionals and through the information about their care needs gained from the parents. Therefore their continuity of care and ongoing development is continuously promoted. None of the children in the setting currently attend other settings, although staff have a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 clear awareness of the importance of making links with other settings to promote

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the early years provision

continuity in children's lives. The partnerships with parents are strong. All staff have a positive commitment to consistent and continuous care and learning opportunities for children. They have a high regard for the information gained from parents. For example, parents are asked to complete a comprehensive settling form that relates to every detail of their child's daily routine and development. Therefore an individual programme of care and development is promoted. This results in reassured parents and happy and settled children. Parents are constantly reassured that their children are happy through the daily display of photos showing their children participating in fun and interesting activities. Staff encourage parents to phone during the day to talk about what their children are doing and to ask any questions about their children's ongoing care. Parents receive a daily feedback sheet containing information about

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the early years provision

their child's day; such as their feeds, sleeping and what activities they have participated in. However, parents do not receive as much information about what their child has achieved that day.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very settled and happy in their environment. They are familiar with the routine of daily activities and with familiar staff. Children are comfortable with making choices from the pre-selected resources and accessible additional activities where they confidently and independently choose to play. Babies play happily amongst familiar equipment where staff make comments to them about how much they enjoyed playing with them the previous day. Staff have a clear respect for the children and they make learning and development for the individual their main focus. Babies are supported well by their designated staff. For example, one baby on their first full day is given plentiful cuddles and cradled to sleep due to their unfamiliarity of the cot. Staff strive to plan the best activities in order for children to learn and thrive in their care. Staff are very aware of children's interest and use these observations to inform future planning. However, these plans do not identify

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and outcomes for children

the learning intention for these individual children. Staff gain clear and useful information about children's starting points and use this as a basis to plan for children's ongoing development. Evaluative observations are made of children's achievements and basic links are made to the Early Years Foundation Stage areas and stages of learning but not to children's specific achievements. Both the inside and outside environments are equally promoted throughout the children's play, encouraging children to make choices whether to play inside or out through an effective free flow system Children are inquisitive thinkers, asking both staff and visitors questions and confident enough to ask for help and support when it is needed. For example, one child asks for help going to the toilet when they had paint all over their hands. They participate in all activities, particularly when they lead the play; such as

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and outcomes for children

acting out "The Bear Hunt" in the outside area. Staff promote independence in adult-led activities to provide children with choice and a sense of fulfilment. Older children identify their names by finding their coat pegs and their written names for registration. They freely explore texture and manipulative materials by mark This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 making in glitter spilt on the table and in their food on their high chairs. Children explore the world around them by experimenting with technology. Babies quickly learn that if they press the keys on the walking frame they make different sounds, resulting in an early understanding of cause and effect. Older children go on listening walks to explore the sounds in their local community. Children identify birds, cars and aeroplanes themselves. Staff follow this up when returning to the nursery by helping children to recall the sounds that they heard. Children are

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and outcomes for children

confident and active participants, identifying numbers and amounts during successful circle times, linking this area of learning to everyday routines such as how many children are staying to lunch. Staff support children well by helping them to count by rote and then associating the numbers with their age. Children learn to solve problems at an early age. Babies look to see where toys have gone under a drawer and quickly learn to lift the drawer to find it. Older children learn to squeeze glitter glue out of the tube by shaking the tube first. They also quickly learn to put the lid on the tube before shaking it. Babies are encouraged to try new physical skills to help them to become confidently mobile. Staff place toys slightly out of reach to encourage babies to stretch and move to retrieve the toys, giving them encouragement and praise throughout the exercise. Older children learn movements associated with a familiar story, to squelch through the mud and swish

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and outcomes for children

through the grass. Activities such as these help to extend children's skills and promote their abilities for future learning. Children have a good understanding about safety and keeping themselves safe, learning to tidy up after themselves and to put activities away where they belong. For example, one child finds the dust pan and brush to sweep up the glitter on the floor so that she doesn't slip. Other children help staff to tidy away the cars before lunch and put them in the appropriate storage trays. They behave well towards each other and the staff, demonstrating their skills at turn taking and sharing as well as using good manners. Children learn from the positive role models of all the staff. Children understand the importance of good hygiene by confidently and independently washing their hands in the playrooms or in the toilets. Younger children's hygiene is constantly promoted through effective and hygienic nappy

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and outcomes for children

changing procedures and staff's good practices of washing their hands after nappy changes and before serving foods and preparing bottles. Babies bottles and dummies are kept scrupulously clean by using sterilisers and individual pots for storage. Babies noses are constantly wiped using either tissues or wipes to prevent their noses from becoming sore. Children access fresh air on a daily basis. Older children choose when to play outside, where as younger children have set periods of outdoor play by using the toddlers garden area. Babies are taken on regular walks within the local vicinity, visiting local parks. Children are provided with healthy foods and drinks throughout the day, by outside caterers. Children with dietary requirements are provided with appropriate foods to cater for their needs. Staff discuss babies weaning development at length with parents, taking into careful consideration their age and stage of development and

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and outcomes for children

the next steps for weaning. Older children are encouraged to use self help skills to feed themselves with effective support and encouragement from staff to ensure they eat sufficient food whilst in their care. All children have access to fresh drinking water throughout their time in nursery to enable their thirst to be quenched at any time. 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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