Serendipitys Day Nursery and Pre-school

Serendipitys Day Nursery & Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 253399 Inspection date 09/06/2011 Inspector Angela Hufton

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Setting address 32 Nottingham Road, Bingham, Nottinghamshire, NG13 8AT Telephone number 01949 836730 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

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

Serendipitys Day Nursery & Pre-School is a privately run provision which has been operating since 1998. It is part of a group of four nurseries. The nursery operates from a converted bungalow in the centre of Bingham. The premises consists of three playrooms for different ages, a soft play room, a kitchen, office and toilet facilities. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. The setting has a car park for staff and parents at the front of the building. Children attend from the town and surrounding villages.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and may care for 64 children in the early years age group. There are currently 124 children on roll. The setting supports children who have special educational needs and disabilities. All children speak English as their first language. The provision receives support from the local authority and is a memebr of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA). The nursery is open each week day throughout the year from 7.15am until 6pm, with the exception of bank holidays. The nursery employs 22 members of staff on both a full and part-time basis. In addition the setting employs two cooks. Of the childcare staff, 13 have completed childcare qualifications. Ten staff have a Level 3 qualification, two staff have a Level 2 qualification and are working towards Level 3. One member of staff has Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and Early Years Professional Status (EYPS), two other members of staff also have Early Years

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Description of the setting

Profesional Status. The manager is sutiably qualified and has a Level 3 in management.

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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

The staff offer a warm, friendly and reassuring welcome to all children and their parents. They demonstrate a very positive attitude to providing an inclusive environment. The wide range of interesting experiences made available to children ensures they have ample opportunities to make progress. Systems for planning activities and monitoring children's progress are continually being reviewed. Most required procedures and records are in place and generally maintained to a very high standard. The registered person and manager work closely with their staff team to make sure continuous improvement is maintained.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that on outings there is at least one member of staff that holds a current paediatric first aid certificate (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 23/06/2011

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further?

 conduct a risk assessment that identifies all aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular 23/06/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 basis, the risk assessment should cover anything with which a child may come into contact. (Suitable premises, environment and equipment).

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further observations and assessments to more clearly identify what children can do and to identify learning priorities to enable targeted planning of relevant and motivating learning experiences for each child  develop further the use of self-evaluation and quality improvement processes as the basis of ongoing internal review to more clearly identify priorities to bring about improved outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

All of the staff have attended safeguarding training, either in-house or externally and demonstrate a thorough understanding of their role and responsibility. This results in children being well protected in the event of child protection concerns. Safety assessments take place on a daily basis of the main areas used by children. These are recorded and help reduce the chance of accidental injury. However a risk assessment of all aspects of the setting, for example, access to the office has not been completed recently. This is a breach of requirements. The manager and owners show a commitment to the professional development of their team, encouraging training in all areas. Well-qualified and vetted staff with a range of experiences has a positive impact on the quality of care provided.

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the early years provision

Children's play opportunities are supported through the overall effective organisation of space, time and resources. Excellent relationships have been developed with parents. Staff ensure parents are extremely well informed of the activities their children have enjoyed and how this has supported their progress through in-depth feedback at the end of each day. This is further enhanced through regular parents' evenings and comprehensive written information and assessments of children's progress. Parents are actively encouraged to take part and contribute their skills to the nursery, such as reading stories in another language or bringing in a fire engine. Staff have exemplary links with other professionals, such as speech therapists, to meet children's individual needs. They have excellent links with local schools and go the extra mile to support children through the transition process. This is particularly effective in supporting children

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the early years provision

with additional needs and fully ensures outstanding continuity and cohesion for all children.

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the early years provision

The manager, owners and their team clearly evaluate the learning and development opportunities they offer. They gain verbal and written feedback from parents to give them a broader view of the service provided. They complete formal evaluations of the provision and identify many ways in which to improve. This does not always lead to priorities as the setting is very keen to improve everything. All the recommendations from the previous inspection have been This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 positively addressed. This impacts favourably on the overall effectiveness of the provision.

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and outcomes for children

All staff have accessed training, including through external training, on the Early Years Foundation Stage and implement it well. Children benefit from the setting having its own qualified teacher in the pre-school and an Early Years Professional Status practioner in each of the other rooms. The staff team work well together to continually evaluate the system of planning, observations and assessments to ensure these are effective. They are aware of the importance of gathering children's starting points and are considering how to improve this. Children learn at their own pace through an effective balance of adult-led and child initiated activities. Staff plan activities on a daily basis for their individual rooms. Children have individual files which are completed by their key person and contain photographs and observations linked to the areas of learning. These are then analysed and next steps are identified to inform planning. Parents receive a

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and outcomes for children

comprehensive assessment of children's progress across all areas through termly reports.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy looking at the lovely range of age-appropriate books both independently and with members of staff. They relish story sessions with staff who are extremely enthusiastic and adept at encouraging children to contribute, such as guessing what comes next. This successfully supports all children's participation and builds a strong foundation for lifelong enjoyment of reading. The way that staff listen to children encourages them to be good communicators. Communication, language and literacy is a key strength of the early years programme.

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and outcomes for children

Children use their imagination well and this is developed in to extended and purposeful play. Older children enthusiastically use chalks to draw around staff and each other when in the outdoor play area or use crates to make a train and invite their friends to join them. A variety of creative activities promote children's self- expression and gives them opportunities to explore their senses. For instance when babies try different textures such as jelly cubes or crumbled cereals, pouring these into bowls or seeing what they taste like. Young children have a wealth of sensory play experiences to develop their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children use information and communication technology to support their learning, for example when accessing a computer to complete counting and shape recognition games. All children explore shape, sort and match objects regularly through fun activities. Children have nutritious meals and snacks and learn about healthy eating through staff support and engaging activities. They have great opportunities to learn about the natural world as they grow vegetables such as radishes or go on trips to farms and woodland. Very young children, including babies have frequent trips in the local area. However, on the day of inspection neither member of staff escorting the babies held a current first aid qualification. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 At the last minute staffing was changed. Whilst this was an oversight it resulted in a breach of regulations and did not ensure children's welfare.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave very well and are kind and considerate to their peers. The staff have very good strategies in place for managing behaviour, which are appropriate to the children's ages and stages of development. Staff are excellent role models and consistently praise the children for behaving well, ensuring children know exactly what it is they did that is good so they can repeat this. Children develop a sensitive awareness of diversity and an understanding of the needs of others. This is achieved through a range of activities and resources which promote a positive outlook of the wider world. They are happy and self-assured in the setting, confidently speaking to staff and visitors.

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and outcomes for children

All children, including babies, have good opportunities to develop their physical skills through daily access to the outdoor play area, riding bikes, climbing, sliding or chasing bubbles. They also benefit from frequent access to the soft play room, where they understand to access water to stay hydrated. Good hygiene procedures are followed by staff and young children fully understand why they need to wash their hands before meals or wash their faces afterwards. 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 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 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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