Stratford Upon Avon School

Little Crystals Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 137236 Inspection date 31/05/2011 Inspector Rebecca Hurst

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Setting address 49 Maberley Road, London, SE19 2JE

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Telephone number 020 8771 0393 Email geraldine@crystalchildcare.co.uk 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

Little Crystals Day Nursery opened in 1994 and is part of the Crystal Childcare Limited group of nurseries. The nursery operates from the ground floor of a semi- detached house, situated in the London Borough of Bromley. Children have access to three playrooms, toilets and a secure outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 31 children from three months to five years on the roll who attend a variety of part-time or full-time sessions. The nursery is open five days a week for 50 weeks a year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is registered to care for no more than 20 children aged under eight years; of these no more than six may be aged under two years at any one time. There is no provision for overnight care.

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Description of the setting

Six staff work directly with the children. Additional visiting staff provide opportunities for the children to participate in French lessons and football. Over half the staff have early years qualifications. The group is a member of the National Day Nursery Association.

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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 benefit from a safe and secure environment in which they learn and develop at a good pace. Staff member's knowledge and skills helps to provide children with a good range of activities. Policies and procedures are well written and staff have a good working knowledge of these to enable them to support and protect children. This helps to ensure that the individual needs of all children are met at all times.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The manager and staff understand the importance of evaluating the provision to improve the services it provides to the children and to the parents. Differentiation is not currently recorded in the planning and toddlers have missed opportunities to enhance their independence skills.

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further?

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

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further?

 clearly record differentiation for more and less abled children in the focus activities, to bring about best possible outcomes for all children  consider ways to fully enhance the development of children's independence skills during meal times, especially with regards to the toddlers This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff have a good understanding of child protection issues and how to safeguard the children in their care. They are aware of the procedures to follow if they should have any concerns about the welfare of a child within their care.

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the early years provision

Staff take time to talk to children about how to move safely around the setting from one room to another. Full and detailed risk assessments are carried out to ensure the building and resources are safe for the children to use. Fire drills are carried out and recorded which ensures the children know what to do in an emergency. All staff have current Criminal Records Bureau checks in place and a comprehensive recruitment process ensures that all staff are suitable people to be caring for children.

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the early years provision

Toys and other resources are well deployed to allow the children to have independent access to them. Resources are labelled in various languages to aid the children's early word recognition. Children participate in a wide range of festivals and celebrations which teaches them about the wider world around them.

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the early years provision

All staff get good chances to attend further education and training to enhance their knowledge and skills further. The staff work well with any outside agencies that are involved with the care of the children. This ensures there is continuity of care for the children.

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the early years provision

The staff have a good relationship with parents which greatly benefits the care of the children. Staff work with the parents to ensure that details of their child's progress and development are shared and any identified issues are addressed. All users of the setting have an active role in the self-evaluation process. As a result, the evaluation process is effective as it is able to highlight the settings strengths so that staff may work on any areas to improve.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled in the care of the nursery. Staff know the children well and are able to care from them appropriately. Children are making good progress towards the Early Learning Goals. They are supported by a well informed staff team who have a secure understanding of how children in the early years age group develop and learn. Staff plan activities that cover all of the six areas of learning and comprehensively support children's understanding of a range of challenging ideas.

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and outcomes for children

Well written observational assessments are linked well to the planning to ensure all children are able to progress with their learning and development. However, there are missed opportunities to stretch the learning and development of the children as currently differentiation is not recorded on the planning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The babies and toddlers enjoy playing at a low level sand and water tray. They run the tactile materials through their fingers and enjoy filling up containers. They learn about space and volume as the sand and water overflow. Staff use open ended questions about what is happening to encourage language development.

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and outcomes for children

Older children have their independence skills enhanced especially at meal times as they lay the tables and serve their own meals. Snack time is well utilised as a learning opportunity as children pick out their own named cups and are encouraged to count fruit segments and talk abou the food they are eating. However, an opportunity to extend the independence skills of the younger age group is missed as the staff serve their meals for them.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning about where vegetables come from as they are currently growing their own. The well laid out garden ensures the children are able to extend their learning into the outside area. This learning is extended with an indoor activity where children make collage pictures of vegetables, sticking on paper shapes with a glue stick. This activity links different areas of learning and allows the children to practise their fine motor skills in a creative way.

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and outcomes for children

The setting is committed to promoting positive images of the diversity of people within the wider community. Toys and resources are available that show different skin tones and positive images of age, gender and disability. Appropriate festivals and cultural events are celebrated at the setting, and parents and children are encouraged to share aspects of their home culture.

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and outcomes for children

The children enjoy their time with a visiting football coach. They practise moving the ball around through hoops and enjoy developing physical skills and the art of playing together.

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and outcomes for children

Staff are consistent in their approach to behaviour management and, given the children's ages and stages of development, the children are well behaved. Children are protected from cross-infection through the good hygiene procedures that are in place such as the wiping of tables and children's hands washing. 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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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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