Tree Tots Nursery Kirkham

Youngsteps Nursery Treetots Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY360154 Inspection date 14/06/2011 Inspector Margaret Mellor

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Setting address Field View, Freckleton Road, Kirkham, Preston, PR4 3RB

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Telephone number 01772 673600 Email treetots@tiscali.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

Youngsteps Nursery Treetots was registered in 2007. It is run by a private provider and operates from the ground floor of a detached building in Kirkham, Preston. Children use four nursery rooms and three fully enclosed outdoor play areas. The provision is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. It primarily serves the local community.

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Description of the setting

The provision is registered to care for a maximum of 90 children under eight years at any one time, all of whom may be in the early years age range. There are 108 children on roll in this age group. They also offer care to children aged over five years to 11 years. The provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The provision supports children with special educational needs and children who have English as an additional language. They provide funded early education for three- and four- year-olds.

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Description of the setting

The manager leads a team of 21 staff who work with the children, all of whom have an appropriate early years qualifications and three also have a degree in either children, schools and families or social care. Additional staff are employed for food preparation and cleaning. The staff receive support from Lancashire County Council and an early years development worker. They are 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 are well cared for and are kept safe and secure at all times. They greatly benefit from enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff who provide enjoyable and stimulating activities. Children are happy and their contribution to the excellent learning environment is conducive to the good progress they make in their development. A strong and meaningful partnership with parents and others ensures an inclusive environment where each child's uniqueness is routinely met. Effective action has been taken to address previous recommendations and the planning for future improvement, including self-evaluation, is generally good.

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further?

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

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further?

 incorporate more problem solving with the children that extends their awareness of number  develop self evaluation to include the views of staff and parents. 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 because all staff have accessed relevant training and twelve have also completed common assessment framework training. Therefore, staff have a good understanding of the possible signs of abuse and their responsibilities to protect children from harm or neglect. All safety measures in place help to keep children safe, along with effective staff vetting procedures and regular risk assessments to help manage or eliminate risks. Children are also protected from cross-infection because the staff follow good hygiene practices. Nutritionally balanced meals prepared by the qualified cook contribute to children's dietary requirements. Children's welfare is also enhanced through good opportunities for fresh air and exercise. All the required ducumentation is maintained and a complaints procedure has been introduced as an outcome of the previous report. This helps to support the safe and efficient running of the

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the early years provision

The management provide parents with good quality information about the provision, including child protection and complaints policies. 'All about me' profiles encourage parents to share information about their child when they start so children's individual needs are met effectively. Partnership with parents and other professions also provides personalised support tailored to the needs of individual children. Ongoing sharing of information is good and parents are also able to add their comments to the star board so that they can share children's experiences of home and the setting. Communication books also aid discussion between home, the provision and other provisions for individual children. Transition forms and working with parents also support children when moving rooms or going to school. Parents say that they are delighted with quality of the provision.

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the early years provision

Children thrive because the management of the provision is child led. For instance, improvements to the assessment arrangements have improved outcomes for children and key areas for future development include enhancement boxes in outdoor play. Monitoring of the provision is conducted through participation in the local quality award scheme, reflective practice and a formal self-evaluation document. The management recognises that the views of staff and parents are not actively sought in the review and development processes. This means that effective self-evaluation is sometimes impeded. Excellent thought to organisation enables children initiate their own play and learning. The management and staff are also committed to providing good quality sustainable resources.

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and outcomes for children

All children are making good progress across the six areas of learning because the staff support them effectively in their learning and provide appropriate challenges. Therefore, children thoroughly enjoy purposeful play and exploration. A good balance of opportunities to play indoors and outside and a balance of adult-led and child-led activities foster children's active learning well. The staff make effective This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 use of information and kind words that parents write on the star board to help children discuss and reflect on events with confidence at circle time. They are also very skilful at judging when to allow children to independently explore or when to become involved, such as help with cutting fruit. The child's key person uses starting points and observations appropriately to identify and plan for their next steps in learning. Every child has a learning journal and information recorded helps

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and outcomes for children

to monitor their progress towards the early learning goals. This helps the staff to support children effectively to achieve their potential and develop future skills.

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and outcomes for children

Good quality toys meet all the children's needs and great deployment of resources enables them to become confident learners through hands-on experiences. As a result, children's imagination and creativity are challenged as they explore a variety of things, such as paint, music and dark dens with torches. Children become aware of technology through activities, such as using the computer. They are also developing good early writing skills because the environment is rich in text and they access many opportunities to make marks. This also stimulates their creativity and helps many children to form recognisable letters and some words, such as their name. Children have fun finding different colours and shapes as they play a group game of 'I spy' with adults. However, children's mathematical development is sometimes impeded because their awareness of number is not consistently supported. For example, numbering bikes and parking spaces.

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and outcomes for children

A stimulating array of children's own work as mobiles or wall displays and bringing a pet rabbit to support children's fascination in nature highly values their contribution. This is reflected in their happiness, confidence and strong sense of well-being. Children enjoy warm relationships with adults and behave very well because the staff act as very good role models. As a result, children are very polite and supportive of others as they willingly help with tidying away toys. Effective partnerships with parents and a Portage worker also help individual children to become aware of simple behaviour expectations, such as sharing. Children develop respect for other cultures as they celebrate Ramadan and Easter. Words displayed in a child's home language, along with activities during Celiac awareness week, also aid children to understand and embrace differences. Enjoyable walks help children to become aware of their local area and recieving letters they post also

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and outcomes for children

helps children to make sense of the world.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare is promoted because the provision is well maintained with plenty of natural light and space for active or restful play. For example, a cosy sensory area enables children to snuggle up with their friends and push-along toys support new walkers. Children become aware of keeping themselves safe because staff teach them about road safety on outings and their awareness of personal hygiene is supported by a visit from the dental hygienist. Continuity of care at bottle feeding times nurtures babies' emotional well-being. Children are also supported to make healthy choices about what they eat and develop skills to become independent as they wash their own plates after snack. Safe challenges in the outdoor provision promote children's physical development. Children also learn about healthy lifestyles when they participate in growing vegetables. 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 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 1 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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