Waddles Nursery

Waddles Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 229015 Inspection date 12/04/2011 Inspector Sally Wride

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Setting address 75 Short Heath Road, Erdington, Birmingham, West Midlands, B23 6LH Telephone number 0121 373 4827 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

Waddles Day Nursery opened in 1990. It operates from six rooms in a detached two storey building in a residential area of Erdington. The nursery serves the local area and parents who commute into Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham. The nursery is accessible to all children and there is a fully enclosed play area available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 37 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 54 children attending who are within the early years age range. Of these, 24 children receive funding for early years provision. This nursery is registered by Ofsted 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 opens five days a week all year round, except for Bank Holidays. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. A music and movement teacher visits the nursery twice a month. 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 14 members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications to National Vocational Qualification level 3. The manager and deputy manager hold degree level qualifications and the manager is currently working towards Early Years Professional Status. The nursery receives support from the Local Authority and is currently working towards the Quality Improvement Programme.

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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 very well cared for in this bright, stimulating and inclusive nursery environment. They benefit from a wide range of well-planned activities that support and develop their learning and they make good progress towards the early learning goals. However, some opportunities to develop children's independence are missed. Highly positive relationships between staff, parents and other professionals promote good quality care and education. Whilst systems of self- evaluation ensure that the nursery s strengths and areas for development are identified by leaders and managers, staff are not fully involved in this process. Continuous improvements are made through well-considered plans which are aimed at bringing about improvements for the benefit of children who attend.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further children's self-care skills by allowing them to pour their own This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 drinks and serve their own food at mealtimes  develop staff involvement in self-evaluation through their engagement in informed reflective practice.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is safeguarded within this nursery. Leaders, managers and staff are fully committed to promoting children's safety and understand their responsibilities in relation to protecting children from harm. Written safeguarding policies meet with Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures and are freely available to parents. The vast majority of staff have attended safeguarding training and have a clear understanding of the known indicators of abuse and referral procedures. Effective recruitment, vetting and induction procedures are well implemented to ensure those working with children are safe and suitable and have full knowledge of their roles. Detailed written risk assessments and ongoing visual checks ensure that children are cared for within a safe and secure environment. All of the required documentation for the safe and efficient management of the nursery is in place and well maintained. Staff are well deployed and children

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the early years provision

receive high levels of supervision and support in their play.

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the early years provision

Leaders, managers and staff work well together and have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They implement this with success and are committed to ensuring children receive high quality care and education. Leaders and managers recognise the value of continuous quality improvement and engage in regular self-evaluation. They actively seek the views of other professionals, parents and children as they identify their strengths and plan areas for continuous development. However, the well-qualified and experienced staff team are not fully involved in the self-evaluation process or informed reflective practice. Staff training and development needs are recognised through annual appraisals, which include peer observations of staff working with children. Such processes ensure recommendations are made as to how staff practice can be developed for the benefit of children. All staff have good opportunities to develop their professional

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the early years provision

knowledge and skills through ongoing access to training.

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the early years provision

Parents speak very highly of the care and education their children receive and of the good progress they make in their learning. They receive a wealth of high quality information about how the nursery operates, local services and child development in general. Parents are valued as partners in their children's learning and have ongoing access to their development records. They are invited to add in comments at any time and engage in detailed discussions with staff each day. Formal meetings are regularly offered to discuss children's progress in more depth and all parents are encouraged to extend their children's learning from home. Regular workshops are held, where parents are invited to spend time at the nursery with their children to take part in activities, such as baking. Their views in relation to the nursery's strengths and areas for improvement are proactively sought through focus group sessions. Partnership working arrangements with

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the early years provision

other professionals are well developed to ensure children receive support in line with their needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 from well-detailed individual education plans, which are developed following consultations with all involved in the child's care. Children who speak English as an additional language receive good levels of support and are encouraged to communicate in both English and their home language.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in their learning. They benefit greatly from individualised planning that effectively highlights their current stage of development and detailed plans as to how each child will be supported to make progress towards the early learning goals. Plans are informed by ongoing observations and assessments of children's progress and current development stages. Children's identified learning needs are successfully fed into daily activities. These are well planned to ensure all children take part in a good range of stimulating activities which cater for all six areas of learning. Both the indoor and outdoor areas are well designed to ensure that children are enabled to make independent decisions about their play.

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and outcomes for children

Babies and children are happy and settled and play very well alone and with their peers. They are motivated and interested in the broad range of activities and confidently explore the environment. They enjoy warm relationships with staff, who ensure their individual care needs are well met. Staff successfully support and extend children's learning. For example, as they ask them questions to develop their understanding. Children's self-esteem is developed through praise and encouragement for their achievements. All children develop a positive appreciation of diversity in society. They take part in celebrations of festivals where they engage in arts and crafts, taste foods and explore artefacts from around the world. Children develop personal qualities that enable them to take responsibility for small tasks and develop skills for the future. For example, a recent focus on developing children's skills in the use of information and communication technology has

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and outcomes for children

positively impacted on outcomes for children. Babies enjoy exploring shapes, colours and shadows when using the light box whilst older children skilfully use the laptop. Children design and build with blocks and engage in a wide range of arts and crafts. They enjoy listening to stories and have many opportunities to make marks and practise their early writing skills. Their language skills develop as staff respond to babies' vocalisations and older children engage in conversations with others. Babies and children have many opportunities to explore through their senses as they use objects produced from natural materials.

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and outcomes for children

Children have excellent opportunities to develop an understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Babies and children have excellent role models in the staff team, who ensure the care environment is kept hygienic and clean at all times. All children wash their hands at appropriate times and older children confidently talk about washing 'away the germs'. Children enjoy a vast range of nutritious foods which meet with their individual dietary needs. Children and their families work in partnership with the chef to design the menus of food on offer, which ensures their preferences are well catered for. Babies and younger children receive This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 excellent levels of support as they begin to feed themselves. However, there are missed opportunities for older children to develop their self-care skills by pouring their own drinks and helping to serve their own meals. Children learn about

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and outcomes for children

sustainability and healthy living as they grow vegetables in the garden. They compost vegetable peelings and talk about foods which are more and less healthy. Children engage in regular physical activity and make excellent use of equipment that develops their physical skills and control. High quality adult-to-child interaction and the organisation of daily routines help babies and children throughout the nursery to gain an extremely strong sense of security. They show excellent understanding of expected behaviours and ensure that they follow these and reinforce agreed rules with their peers. They handle a range of tools and equipment safely, such as staplers, hole punches and scissors. Children's understanding of safety issues, for example, of how to evacuate the premises in the event of a fire, is exceptional. They take part in regular fire evacuation practices and role play where they use their imaginations to take on roles, such as

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and outcomes for children

fire fighters. 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 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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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