Bright Sparks Day NurseryOfsted inspection, 31 May 2011

Bright Sparks Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY331865 Inspection date 31/05/2011 Inspector Helen Blackburn

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Setting address Rossington Childrens Centre, Grantham Street, New Rossington, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN11 0TA Telephone number 01302 868684 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

Bright Sparks Day Nursery opened in 2006 and is managed by Rossington Miners Welfare Scheme. It operates from rooms within the Sure Start Children's Centre in Rossington, close to the centre of Doncaster. There are schools, parks, shops and public transport links in the local area. Children have access to a fully enclosed outdoor area. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 37 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 67 children aged from three months to under five years on roll. The nursery supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children with English as an additional language. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds.

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Description of the setting

There are 14 members of childcare staff employed at the nursery. Of these, 11 hold early years qualifications to at least level 3 or above. In addition, two members of staff are currently working towards a qualification. The nursery is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance and they are currently working towards Doncaster's Early Years Quality Assurance Scheme. In addition, the organisation has achieved the International Organisation for Standardisation 9001 Certification Quality Assurance Award. The nursery is affiliated to the children's centre in which it is situated. The centre offers a range of services, including health, family support and adult training.

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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

Practitioners have good relationships with parents, children and others involved in children's learning or care. The children are happy and enthusiastic learners and they access a varied range of activities and experiences to support their learning. The learning environment for children is safe, and practitioners support them in becoming independent, well-behaved children who are developing a positive attitude towards diversity and difference. Overall, most documentation, policies and procedures are in place to promote children's learning and the safe management of the setting. Practitioners' commitment towards promoting improvement is good and their self-evaluation processes are sufficient to bring about positive change.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 improve documentation to ensure the risk assessment record includes aspects of the environment that need 22/06/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to be checked, when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action following a review, and ensure written parental consents include the seeking of any necessary emergency medical advice (Documentation).

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further?

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

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further?

 improve self-evaluation processes to ensure they effectively monitor all aspects of the service, especially documentation  organise observation, planning and assessments arrangements so that the monitoring of children's progress is systematic, clear and consistent, including making use of the learning journals to match children's progress towards the expectations of the early learning goals  improve resources within role play areas to ensure they are familiar, exciting and reflect everyday real life experiences.

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the early years provision

The arrangements for safeguarding and promoting children's welfare are good. Practitioners fully understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children from harm. For example, they regularly attend safeguarding training and have access to detailed policies and procedures. This means they are aware of possible signs of abuse and neglect and the procedures for reporting and monitoring concerns, which ensures children's welfare is paramount at all times. Overall, there are a good range of documentation, policies and procedures in place which support the safe management of the setting. However, some documentation does not include all the mandatory information, which results in breaches of specific legal requirements. For example, the record of risk assessment does include information, such as aspects of the environment that need to be checked, the date of review or when it was carried out, and written parental consents omit the

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the early years provision

seeking of emergency advice. However, practitioners do keep children safe, irrespective of their risk assessment record lacking detail, because they carry out regular risk assessments and safety checks and they effectively supervise children's play. In addition, through good recruitment, vetting and induction procedures, they ensure all practitioners are suitable to work with children. Furthermore, they supervise students and any visitors to the setting, which contributes to protecting children from harm. Through good organisation of resources, children can make safe and independent choices in their play. Staff retention at the nursery is good and practitioners work well together. For example, they deploy themselves around the nursery so that they maintain adult-to-child ratios, both indoors and outdoors. In addition, they make good use of resources within the local community to extend children's experiences. For instance, children go on walks and enjoy playing in the

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the early years provision

sensory room within the children's centre.

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the early years provision

The commitment towards promoting improvement and outcomes for children is good. For example, through a number of quality improvement processes, such as This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 self-evaluation and working through the local authority quality assurance scheme, practitioners are taking positive steps towards evaluating and monitoring their service. However, there are some gaps in the self-evaluation processes, especially around monitoring the effectiveness of documentation, resulting in omissions in record keeping. Practitioners have addressed all the recommendations made at the last inspection. For example, by taking children on outings and looking at signs, posters and other labels in the environment, children are learning that print carries meaning. The approach to self-evaluation is inclusive because practitioners welcome any feedback from parents, children and other professionals in the

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the early years provision

process. Practitioners access a good range of training courses to extend their skills and experience. This demonstrates their commitment towards promoting their ongoing professional development.

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the early years provision

Relationships between parents and others involved in children's learning or care are good. Through effective communication and information sharing, they all work well together to ensure they meet children's individual needs. Policies, procedures, notice boards and children's daily communication books provide parents with good quality information about their child's day and the service provided. Practitioners encourage parents to be involved in their children's learning and progression. For example, they hold parents evening, share children's progress records and welcome parents into the setting at any time. Practitioners work well with other professionals and external agencies to ensure they provide the best learning opportunities for children who need additional support or help.

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and outcomes for children

Relationships between the practitioners and children are good, for example, children approach them for cuddles when upset or when they need reassurance. These trusting relationships mean children feel safe and secure. In addition, the children are developing a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. For example, they take part in fire evacuation practices and practitioners remind them how to go down the slide in safe ways. Through everyday routines, children are developing a good understanding of the importance of effective personal hygiene practices. For example, they independently wash their hands at appropriate times throughout the day. The nursery meals and snacks are nutritious, which supports and encourages children to make healthy food choices. In addition, children grow and eat some of their own foods, such as beans and tomatoes. The children have good opportunities to be active and to access fresh air. Children enjoy riding bikes,

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and outcomes for children

climbing, running up and down the grassy slope, building, constructing and exploring different medias, such as, sand, water, custard and dough. This supports children in developing good physical skills, dexterity and coordination. In addition, babies have the space and freedom to roll, crawl, reach and manipulate different objects.

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and outcomes for children

Practitioners are actively involved in children's play and they support them in making good progress in their learning. Practitioners carry out observations and therefore have a good understanding of children's abilities, which means they plan well for children's individual learning priorities. However, the organisation and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 system for monitoring and recording children's progress is a little muddled and unclear. This is because practitioners record information across a number of documents, such as development records, planning and children's learning journals, resulting in some inconsistency and repetition. In addition, practitioners do not fully utilise the information in children's learning journals when matching their observations to the early learning goals. Practitioners provide activities for children based on their likes and interests, which results in children having a

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and outcomes for children

positive and enthusiastic approach to their play. For example, children are confident and curious learners, older children eagerly ask questions, they solve simple problems as they work out the different catches, bolts and chains to unlock the jigsaw pieces and babies watch the bubble tube as it changes colour with excitement and intrigue. Children take part in a good range of activities that help them develop their literacy, reasoning and numeracy skills. For example, they count in everyday situations, match and sort objects by colour and shape, make marks in a number of ways, such as making lists and drawing, and construct and build with different materials. Children are able to be creative and express their imagination and creativity through music, arts and crafts. However, some role play areas lack excitement and familiar resources to reflect real life experiences.

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and outcomes for children

The children behave well and practitioners provide consistent boundaries and routines so that children know what they expect of them. Through play, children talk about being kind, sharing and taking turns. This results in children having good and cooperative relationships with their peers. The children's confidence and self-esteem is good. This is because practitioners praise and value their contributions and individuality. The children are learning about diversity, difference and the world in which they live. For example, they talk about differences, celebrate different festivals and traditions and access a good selection of resources that promote positive images of all people in society. 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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