Child 1st Day Nursery

Child First Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 250129 Inspection date 06/05/2011 Inspector Parm Sansoyer

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Setting address City Technology College, PO Box 1017,Cooks Lane ,Kingshurst, Birmingham, B37 6NZ Telephone number 0121 779 2380 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.

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as 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

Child First re-registered in 1998. It operates from purpose built premises on the site of City Technology College, Solihull. The setting provides places for the children of students attending the college and also serves the local community.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education places. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered to provide care for 116 children in the early years age group, 48 of whom may be under two years. There are currently 123 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting is open for 51 weeks of the year and closes on bank holidays and Christmas week. Sessions are Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6.00pm.

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Description of the setting

There are 21 members of staff employed to work with the children. Of these, nineteen hold a qualification at level 3 in early years and one of these is working towards a foundation degree in early years; one holds a qualification at level 2 and is working towards a qualification at level 3 in early years and the other holds Early Years Professional Status. The setting 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 satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children enjoy a warm and friendly environment where staff are attentive to their individual care needs and offer them support. Children mostly make steady progress in their learning and development. There are appropriate procedures in place to ensure all children are kept safe and staff have a sound understanding of safeguarding issues. Children's progress in their personal, social and emotional development and staff's promotion of healthy lifestyles are key strengths of the setting. Partnerships with parents and carers and other agencies are satisfactory. The developing self-evaluation system identifies most of the strengths and areas for improvement of the early years provision.

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further?

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

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further?

 plan and provide a broader range of experiences across all six areas of learning and ensure the learning intention of activities is clear  build on the range of toys and resources and make full use what is available This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 by making these more accessible, to help extend children's play and learning  build on the systems for monitoring and evaluating the early years provision in order to maintain continuous improvement.

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the early years provision

There are clear written policies and procedures in place in relation to safeguarding children and there is a relevant designated member of staff with overall responsibility. All of the staff clearly understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children and have a satisfactory understanding of the possible signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect. Recruitment procedures are sound and ensure that all staff are appropriately vetted. The provision maintains and updates all of the required records, policies and procedures to ensure the safe and efficient management of the service. Staff take positive steps to ensure that the children are safe indoors and outdoors and that the furniture, equipment and toys are suitable and safe.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents and carers and other settings and organisations are satisfactory. Parents receive appropriate information about the early years provision, framework and its policies. They are kept appropriately informed about the children's achievements and progress. A developing two-way flow of information means parents are able to access and contribute to their children's developmental assessments and gain up to date information from the notice boards and regular newsletters. Partnerships with other agencies and professionals are established and help support children appropriately, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All children are valued, supported and reasonable adjustments are made to ensure all are included.

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the early years provision

Staff are experienced and use the Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage to help support their practice. Therefore, children mostly engage in planned, purposeful play and exploration in the indoor and outdoor environments. Staff caring for children under three years have a developing knowledge of how to help children make progress towards the early learning goals. Therefore, the range of experiences and resources on offer do not always fully promote children's learning consistently across all six areas. Recent changes to the planning systems of the educational programme means all staff are becoming familiar and developing their confidence in its use and implementation. Although the educational programme offers a varied range of experiences it does not consistently cover all six areas of learning and the learning intention of activities is not always clear. Therefore, the children's learning is not always consistently and fully extended. Staff make regular

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the early years provision

observations of what the children do and enjoy and sufficiently use this information to guide their planning to help plan for the children's next steps in learning.

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the early years provision

Since the last inspection there has been a change in the person who is managing the setting. The provision has made some significant progress since the last This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 inspection. Most of the previous recommendations have been tackled to improve outcomes for children in their safety and welfare. However, the programme for further promoting children's problem solving, reasoning and numeracy skills and to improve observation and assessment systems are ongoing areas for development. There is a commitment to improvement and staff are supported well to raise their skills and qualification levels to level three and above. Self-evaluation is largely undertaken as a team and identifies most of the strengths and weaknesses of the early years provision. It is based on appropriate levels of monitoring and analysis but is not yet fully embedded.

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and outcomes for children

Children's personal, social and emotional development is fostered well. Children are often keen and interested to learn. They engage positively with staff and other children and enjoy their time at the setting. Close relationships, which are warm and caring, lead to the growth of their self-assurance, sense of belonging and emotional health and well-being. Babies' care needs are met well through established routines which reflect their individual needs. Children are confident within their environment and seek to do things for themselves. They move from one activity to another, showing appropriate levels of involvement in their play.

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and outcomes for children

Older children spontaneously interact with adults, who engage them skillfully in conversation and promote their language and communication skills during activities and group time. The environment for older children mostly incorporates early writing skills well. For example, outdoors both boys and girls enjoy making marks on the ground with chalk. They use the white boards and paint at the easel. However, younger children have fewer opportunities to scribble, finger paint, use brushes and dough at their own leisure. Children are beginning to develop a fondness for books, stories, songs and rhymes. Children are beginning to problem solve, make connections, count, sort and match as they build with construction toys, puzzles and games. Opportunities for more able and older children to learn about and compare weight, capacity, and measurement and take part in early scientific experiments are developing.

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and outcomes for children

Children have some interesting first hand experiences to explore and find out about plants and creatures in the natural habitat. For example, children have observed the life cycle of a butterfly and have observed chicks hatch in the incubator. They take regular walks to observe changes in their natural environment and begin to learn about their local environment and community. The recently developed garden area is used well to help increase the children's learning. For example, children have been involved in growing vegetables and care for the fruit trees. Children are introduced to a range of cultures through some meaningful experiences, such as opportunities to taste various foods from around the world and access to a range of books and music.

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and outcomes for children

The outdoor area offers purposeful play and exploration to help children become This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 active and creative learners. For example, children increase their imagination as they use the tents, dens and pirate ship and inquisitively use the sheets of fabric to extend their play. Indoors children over three years enjoy regular opportunities to express their creativity and imagination through using a variety of arts and crafts materials and musical instruments. Many children enjoy the role play area and develop their imagination when adopting roles spontaneously. However, opportunities for children under three years to use a broad range of resources to engage in pretend play are not as well planned.

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and outcomes for children

The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles is good. A mostly organic menu, which is healthy, balanced and nutritious, is enjoyed by all of the children. Special dietary requirements are met and catered for well. There are effective hygiene practices in place to prevent the spread of infection and children develop good habits due to the routine praise and encouragement they receive. Children greatly benefit from access to fresh air and the outdoor environment throughout the day, which contributes significantly to their health and well-being. Children learn to keep themselves suitably safe through themed activities and gentle reminders from the staff and understand that certain rules are in place for their safety. They develop skills that contribute to their future learning and develop satisfactory habits as active, inquisitive and independent learners. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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