Newton Abbot College

Kid Co Limited Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 113559 Inspection date 13/06/2011 Inspector Susan McCourt

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Setting address Inger Cottage, Balcombe Road, Horley, Surrey, RH6 9SW

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Telephone number 01293 775107 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

Kid Co Limited has been registered since 1995. It is a privately-owned setting which offers full day care and out of school care and is on the Early Years Register as well as both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting operates from a large converted detached house in Horley, Surrey. Children are cared for in different age groups on the ground floor of the property, with only older children having access to a room upstairs. Toilets, hand washing areas and nappy change facilities are easily accessible. There is a large enclosed outside area, including woodland. The setting serves the surrounding towns and rural area. A maximum of 113 children may attend at any one time. The setting is open from Monday to Friday throughout the year from 7.30am to 6.30pm.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 165 children, aged from four months to 5 years, on roll. Of these, 66 children receive funding for nursery education. The setting supports children with special needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

A team of 29 staff work with the children. Of these, 21 staff hold recognised early years qualifications. A further six staff are currently working towards a qualification.

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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

Overall the nursery generally meets the needs of the children for whom it provides. Staff get to know the children well and provide very affectionate and warm care. The learning environment is of mixed quality due to the use of resources which has a significant impact on those children who are active learners. The leadership and management has strong aspects but did not fully address issues raised at the last inspection, therefore the capacity to maintain continuous improvement is satisfactory.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the indoor learning environment to support children to become active learners and increase their opportunities for self-initiated, sustained and independent play. 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. Recruitment and staff checks follow a robust process which means that only suitable adults work with children. Policies and procedures are detailed and thorough and all staff are familiar with their responsibilities in protecting children from harm. The building is inaccessible to unauthorised people, and parents are aware that they must not let others through the door. This keeps the premises very secure. Risk assessments are thorough and carried out regularly by all staff to ensure the safety of children. Staff update the information they have about children's welfare needs in order to give them the best care and attention. Senior managers work alongside the staff team and have a hands-on approach which gives them good knowledge of the families and how the staff work. Their fundamental aim is to provide a fun, safe and caring environment in which children can play and learn, and they are well motivated to

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the early years provision

evaluate their work and make improvements, always ensuring that staff have ownership of any changes made. The managers have largely addressed the recommendations from the last inspection but have not fully taken account of how the indoor learning environment does not support child-initiated play. The nursery has excellent resources in terms of space and equipment but does not use them effectively to improve the outcomes for children. Staff are very well deployed and are alongside children at all times, supporting their learning and ensuring their needs are met. The nursery reflects the diverse community around it and staff are aware of the varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the children. The policy of the nursery is to tackle any discriminatory behaviour and the staff have created a welcoming atmosphere in which everyone is treated with respect. Staff pay close attention to children's individual learning and development which means that children with

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the early years provision

special needs are given good support. However, the learning environment does not consistently support active learners, which limits the full potential of some groups of children. The senior staff have good relationships with receiving schools and work effectively with them to give children a smooth transition. Staff also work with other professionals to provide consistent care. Parents are very appreciative of the care that staff provide and particularly liked the detailed information they received about their baby's day. The learning records are also held in high esteem and parents enjoy meeting regularly with the key workers to review their child's progress. Notice boards in the nursery entrance hall give detailed information about the staff team and the plans for the week. There is an established system for communication which ensures staff know who is collecting a child, with passwords and photographs used to verify identity.

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and outcomes for children

Children are well settled in the warm and affectionate care of the staff team. Children feel secure in the nursery and can gain a good sense of belonging as they have their own named pegs and bags in which to store their belongings. Staff This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 know the children very well. Babies have their personal routines and comfort needs known, so they can feed and sleep as they would do at home. Staff also know the toddlers and pre-school children well. The information gathered from parents is used effectively to ensure that staff can take care of all their welfare needs. Staff also know each child's personal style, for example, they can pick out a child's painting from others as they are familiar with how that child paints. The care is organised so that children are with others of the same age and stage of development, they are well supported in any transition as they move through the

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and outcomes for children

nursery. As children get older, the routines become fixed with set times for play, group times and toilet times, though children can ask to use the toilets at any time. Staff know the Foundation Stage very well and are skilled at mapping where the children are in their progress through the developmental stages. They create plans to promote children's next steps in the Foundation Stage, and also identify next steps that are more personal to individual children. Staff make skilled observations which are recorded in the child's personal book along with photographs, parent's comments and samples of work. These form a lively and individualised record of each child's progress of which parents and children are justly proud. Children make good progress from their starting points. The learning environment is of mixed quality. Outdoors, all children have excellent opportunities to make their own challenges, explore, investigate and play co-operatively and imaginatively with

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and outcomes for children

their friends. Indoors however, the routine for pre-school children involves extensive periods of sitting in a large group at different times of the day, or playing with only a small selection of toys as there is little continuous provision. The activities that staff plan are interesting and engaging, but only form a small part of the child's day. This means that pre-school children are not active learners for the majority of their time at the nursery which has an impact on their non-cognitive skills such as independence, the ability to make choices and sustain play in extended periods of concentration, and affects their abilities in being cooperative and assertive with their friends. The indoor learning environment for babies and toddlers offers significantly more choice, though continuous provision for the toddlers is limited. Children generally enjoy their time in the nursery because they are familiar with

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and outcomes for children

the routine and feel secure in the care of familiar staff. Pre-school children make good progress in their learning in most areas and have good opportunities to identify letters of the alphabet, numbers and shapes. They also enjoy looking at books. Staff ask the children about what toys they would like to have out and the majority decision is accepted, which gives the children some choice about what they like to do. Babies respond well to staff and enjoy investigating new experiences such as paint and glue. They babble to join in with familiar songs and play with favourite toys. Toddlers are absorbed in exploring how different toys work and learning new skills. When outdoors, children explore with great interest and excitement, developing an imaginative expedition, negotiating natural obstacles through dens created in the large shrubs and investigating the bugs that live under logs. Children are fascinated by what they find and staff are on hand to

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and outcomes for children

build on children's knowledge of the natural world. All children have good opportunities to adopt healthy lifestyles. Lunch and tea are cooked on the premises and provide a healthy and hearty diet. Children enjoy various types of physical play and can opt to do dance and football in addition to the games and activities offered by the nursery. Children have regular access to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the outdoors to play in the fresh air and can also help take care of the garden by planting vegetables and digging. Children can take care of their personal hygiene and understand its importance. Children are secure in the care of the staff and show pride in their achievements. Behaviour is generally good but where toys and play equipment are limited children's play can become inappropriate such as throwing small cars or taking toys from other children. In addition, staff do not

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and outcomes for children

take sufficient account of the needs of those children who need a very active approach to their learning, and again toys are sometimes used inappropriately. This all has an impact on children's ability to feel safe in the nursery and affects their self-esteem when staff have to intervene. Staff have adopted a positive approach to behaviour management and phrase their interventions carefully which helps to reinforce good behaviour. Generally children learn the variety of skills they need to support future learning. 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 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 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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