Leo's Den Nursery

Leo's Den Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY382828 Inspection date 03/05/2011 Inspector Josephine Geoghegan

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Setting address 37 Law Street, LONDON, SE1 4DZ

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Telephone number 02076200950 Email capital.people@dial.pipex.com 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

Leo's Den Nursery has been registered since 2009 and is privately owned. It operates from the ground floor of a converted building. It is located on a residential road in the Tower Bridge Road area of the London Borough of Southwark. The nursery is registered to provide care for 32 children, of these, 32 may be within the early years age range. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is open each weekday from 7:00am to 6.30pm for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery is close to local amenities with transport links. Children are cared for within an open plan style setting with two group areas and a secure garden for outside play. There are also suitable toilet, office and kitchen facilities. There are currently 24 children on roll in the early years age range, of these, a few children have identified special educational needs and/or disabilities and 11 children use

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Description of the setting

English as an additional language. The nursery employs a total of 11 staff members who work with the children, of these eight staff hold recognised childcare qualifications and two staff are working towards gaining qualifications.

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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

The capacity to maintain continuous improvement is outstanding as the provider shows a clear vision of establishing an exceptional setting. The provider is supported well by the manager and together they enable all staff to be purposefully involved in the continuous methods of evaluating the quality of the service. They have developed a range of effective monitoring systems to ensure children's welfare, learning and development are promoted effectively. Excellent systems are in place to ensure the needs of all children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are met effectively. This is due to high levels of staff communication that promote cooperative working patterns which subsequently ensure children's learning is successfully supported and their individual learning priorities are accurately targeted.

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further?

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

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further?

 extending opportunities for children to develop their personal independence at mealtimes This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Robust systems are in place to help safeguard children and promote their welfare. All staff participate in continuous methods of vetting and assessment to assure their suitability to work with children; this includes vetting checks, induction programmes and ongoing appraisal. Effective systems are in place to ensure staff are able to act promptly if they have any concerns regarding children's welfare as they have attended relevant training and appropriate polices and procedures are in place. Staff show high regard to promoting children's safety as they conduct risk assessments relating to all aspects of the setting and prior to outings. In addition, excellent methods of communication, including staff use of log books and message books ensure any safeguarding or safety concerns can be tracked effectively. All required documentation is in place which is maintained and shared with parents appropriately. Engagement with parents is effective as they are offered a variety of

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the early years provision

information about the setting, including regular news letters and home contact books that are used by staff to record all events of the day and the activities that children have enjoyed. In addition, parents participate in gradual settling in programmes and have regular opportunities to discuss their children's progress with their key person. Children participate in planned activities that relate to a variety of festivals which helps them to learn about cultures and beliefs. They use a good range of books and resources that promote positive images of people in the community. Staff show a clear awareness of children's individual needs and abilities, as a result, promoting inclusion is embedded in their practice; this is evident in the way that all children and staff show acceptance of children with additional needs which enables all children to fully participate in the variety of activities available. Excellent partnerships have been established with a range of

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the early years provision

professionals who support children who attend the nursery; this ensures that information is communicated effectively so that appropriate steps are taken to meet children's individual needs and support children who are transferring to school. Staff show high regard to developing continuous methods of self-evaluation that reflect all aspects of their service. The provider shows clear ambition in driving improvements that develop the quality of their service and meet the needs of all users. All staff participate in regular meetings where they review polices and procedures, discuss relevant topics and make plans for further improvements. In addition, the personal development of staff is supported well, ensuring that staff have good opportunities to attend relevant training that extends their knowledge and understanding of children's learning and development. Deployment of resources is effective as staff communication is excellent, as a result, staff support

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the early years provision

each other well which creates a relaxed atmosphere where children are constantly supervised and purposefully engaged. Good use is made of time and space, so that children are able to experience well planned activities that promote all areas of learning effectively. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with a bright and welcoming learning environment where they can move freely and select resources that reflect all areas of learning. The separate baby area provides space for babies to crawl and develop their walking skills in a safe environment, along with an excellent range of suitable toys and equipment. Children benefit from an excellent balance of learning opportunities as they fully participate in free-flow indoor and outside play, adult led focus activities, whole group activities and free play. In addition, children are able to learn about the environment in which they live as they participate in regular outings to the park and library each week and also go on outings to places of interest that relate to their activity themes; this helps to consolidate their learning. Staff have established excellent methods to track children's progress as they make observations that are clearly linked to the expectations of the early learning goals

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and outcomes for children

and highlight children's next learning steps. Staff have also developed tracking methods to ensure that they make their observations of children's progress in a consistent manner; as a result children's progress in all areas of learning is tracked effectively. Staff successfully use their assessments of children's progress to plan a broad range of activities that reflect the needs of individual children and the group. They use individual education programmes to ensure the support offered to children who have additional learning needs is accurately targeted. Children are supported well during play as staff work cooperatively enabling all children to move freely and follow their own interests. Children are provided with a balanced and nutritious diet of meals that reflect their individual dietary requirements. They enjoy relaxed and sociable mealtimes, although opportunities for children to develop their independence at meal times are less well established as food and

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and outcomes for children

drinks are mainly served by staff. High regard is given to maintaining good hygiene practice during meal times and toileting routines, helping to stop the spread of infection. In addition, children learn good personal skills such as appropriate hand washing and brushing their teeth after meals. They adopt healthy lifestyles as they participate in activities that promote regular exercise and enable them to gain fresh air. Staff have established excellent relationships with children which promotes a relaxed atmosphere where children freely and confidently approach staff with any concerns. Staff are clear and consistent in managing any challenging behaviour, as a result, children are supported well in learning expectations of their behaviour. Children show a positive contribution to their learning environment as they respond positively to the daily routines and take responsibility for tidying away toys

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and outcomes for children

and setting the table for lunch for example. Staff are attentive and offer lots of hugs and support, helping children to feel safe and secure. Children are happy, settled and purposefully engaged in play. They participate fully in group activities, for example, they join in enthusiastically with songs and action rhymes and listen well to the story read by staff. Children enjoy creative activities while using a range of paint, collage and drawing materials. They experiment with sound as they use a variety of musical instruments and babies use operational toys that produce sounds and lights. Babies also enjoy exploring a variety of materials in treasure baskets and actively use the ball pool. Older children learn about nature as they use magnifiers to explore the earth with This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 real plants and a variety of plastic mini-beasts; they then look outside in the

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and outcomes for children

garden and enthusiastically talk about the spider webs they have found. They develop their awareness of technology as they use a variety of resources including the computer. Children develop their awareness of number and size through use of songs and while using a range of constructions sets independently. They develop their physical control as they use a variety of wheeled toys and climbing equipment effectively during outdoor play. They develop their spatial awareness through adult led activities that encourage them to make small and large movements including running, hopping and jumping. They enjoy being imaginative and become fully engrossed in role play as they play cooperatively in the home corner and with the doctors set; this enables them to re-enact real life experiences. Children make purposeful marks while using a range of drawing materials, while older children show good writing skills as they draw representational pictures and make good

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and outcomes for children

attempts at writing letters. Children's awareness of letters and the sounds are enhanced during group times as staff follow a phonics programme and children are encouraged to recognise the letters of their names on their place mats at meal times. Children show a keen interest in books as they use books purposefully and imitate reading. Overall, children have outstanding opportunities to develop their skills for the future as they are provided with interesting and challenging activities that reflect all areas of learning while being supported well by staff who track their individual progress effectively. 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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