Happy Days Childcare

Happy Days Childcare Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY297068 Inspection date 23/05/2011 Inspector Ann Austen

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Setting address Ecton Brook Children's Centre, Ecton Brook Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN3 5DY Telephone number 01604 409280 Email happydays@ebps.northants.sch.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.

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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

Happy Day's Childcare opened in 1996 and is a voluntary run group. It operates from Ecton Brook Children's Centre in the Ecton Brook area of Northampton. The provision serves the local area and has strong links with the children's centre and adjoining school. The provision is accessible to all children and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The provision opens 48 weeks a year from Monday to Friday. Sessions are from 8am to 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The provision is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 60 children of whom 60 may be on the Early Years Register may attend the provision at any one time. There are currently 62 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The provision also offers care to children aged over five to under eight years. The provision provides funded early education for two, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The provision employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, five members of staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications. The provision receives support from the local authority.

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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 cared for in a welcoming, inclusive environment where they settle well and make good progress towards the early learning goals in relation to their capabilities and starting points in their learning. Staff generally have a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The safeguarding of children is given high priority and ensures that all children are safe and well protected. Strong partnerships are established with parents and other professionals to support children's care and learning. Management uses self-evaluation to drive forward improvements and maintain the quality of the care and learning offered to all children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the range of open ended questions to support and extend children's thinking and help them make connections in their learning  develop the use of the outdoor play area as a purposeful learning environment. 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 well protected because management and staff have a clear understanding of their roles and take full responsibility for the welfare of the children in their care. For example, staff understand the indicator signs of abuse and the designated persons are fully conversant with the procedures to follow to report concerns. They have attended appropriate safeguarding children training to support their practice. All required policies and guidance procedures are in place. Stringent checks are carried out to ensure that all staff are suitable before they have unsupervised access to children. Thorough risks assessment, including outings and daily checks ensure that hazards are minimised or removed. These are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure children's ongoing safety. Security within the pre-school is a priority. Secure procedures are in place in relation to the collection of children by appropriate adults and the monitoring of visitors. For

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the early years provision

example, staff use a password system if children are collected by other adults and visitors are requested to produce their identification and asked to sign the visitors book. Secure steps are taken to promote the good health of the children. The majority of staff members hold current paediatric first aid certificates. Clear procedures are in place to record and monitor any accidents and for the safe administration of medicines. For example, all members of staff have attended training from a qualified health professional to ensure the safe use of an epi-pen. As a consequence, children's health and well-being is well promoted.

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the early years provision

Management and staff have appropriate qualifications, participate in appraisals and are committed to developing their performance and professional development. They are actively supported by management to gain further qualifications and to attend training workshops. All required records, policies and procedures which contribute to the children's safety and well-being is maintained and made accessible to parents. For example, an equal opportunities and a behaviour management policy. The manager communicates ambition and drive. Management and staff reflect on and evaluate practice to ensure that children have positive experiences and continue to make progress. Clear targets have been set to ensure future improvement, for example, the development of the provision to meet the needs of younger children. Recommendations raised at the last inspection have been met. Planning systems and strategies to manage children's behaviour has

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the early years provision

improved and are continuing to be developed. Labels are now displayed around the room to increase children's awareness of word recognition.

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the early years provision

All children and their families are made welcome, are respected as individuals and are encouraged to be a part of the pre-school. Good levels of staffing enable children with individual and special needs to benefit from being part of a group. Staff encourage children to develop their knowledge of the wider world. For example, they meet others when they walk in the local community, celebrate festivals and handle resources which depict positive images of others. Pictorial displays and evidence of the children's work creates a welcoming environment to the children and their families. Resources are fit for purpose and are able to support children's learning and development. However, whist children have daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise, the outdoor play area is not fully used as a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 learning environment. Consequently, children's opportunities for outdoor learning

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the early years provision

experiences across the six areas of learning are limited. Regular fund raising ensures that resources and the environment are sustainable.

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the early years provision

Staff form strong partnerships with parents and carers. Time and care is taken to gather relevant information about children's home backgrounds, any medical needs, likes, dislikes and starting points in their learning. Consequently staff and parents develop a shared knowledge of the best ways to meet each child's individual needs. This is further enhanced by an effective key person system and helps parents and children to become familiar with the provision and to feel confident and safe within it. Parents receive information about the setting and regular newsletters. Daily discussion, parent consultation meetings and social events enable staff to talk to parents and provide opportunities to discuss their child's achievements and well-being. Management is continuing to develop systems to encourage parents to become further involved in their children's learning. Positive written comments from parent's feedback questionnaires show they value

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the early years provision

the staff and are happy with the service provided.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and develop positive attitudes towards learning as they play. They settle quickly and seek out their friends to share experiences. Observations are used to identify children's next steps and to inform the overall planning. Subsequently, learning priorities and experiences provided for the children are based on their interests and needs. Staff build warm and close relationships with the children. They become engaged in the children's play and generally staff support children of all ages and abilities well. However, less experienced staff sometimes miss opportunities to build on children's existing ideas and skills and to help them make connections in their learning. This is because questioning does not always effectively promote children's thinking. Consequently, children's learning is potentially compromised.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning to become independent and to take responsibility, for example, children select resources for themselves and put on their aprons for messy play. They interact and talk with growing confidence. Children are developing their appreciation of books, looking at those independently as well as listening attentively to stories. They make marks as they draw, paint and chalk. Older children draw recognisable pictures, play games to begin to associate sounds with letters and are developing their emergent writing skills. Children are learning to count and solve simple number problems. For example, children complete puzzles, recognise different shapes, sort items into groups by their size and work out how many beakers and plates are needed for the number of children at snack time. Older children are beginning recognise numbers as they play.

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and outcomes for children

Children have opportunities to visit a local forest school to learn about the natural world. They are learning to question how, for example, a camera works as they enthusiastically take photographs of one another. The computer and pre- This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 programmable resources are used to support children's learning. Children have regular opportunities to use their imagination through art and design, music, dance and role play. They sing, use small world equipment, create three dimensional models out of construction resources and act out real and imagined events, for example, children prepare meals in the home corner.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy regular outdoor play and benefit from the fresh air and exercise. They energetically manoeuvre wheeled toys and enjoy picking up speed as they move down the slight slope in the outdoor play area. Children move to music, push buggies, climb on the climbing frame and balance on stilts which actively promotes their control and coordination. They safely manipulate tools and implements, develop hand-eye coordination and strengthen small muscles well. For example, children use knives to cut the fruit for snack, handle scissors during activities and carefully place the coloured beads onto the mosaic board.

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and outcomes for children

Children feel secure and develop a strong sense of belonging because they are valued and respected as individuals. This increases their sense of well-being and promotes their emotional development. Children are developing an understanding of dangers and how to stay safe without being fearful, for example, they learn road safety rules, how to ride wheeled toys carefully and why they should not speak to strangers. They are helped to understand simple rules and boundaries, to share and take turns. As a consequence, children are beginning to behave in ways that are safe for themselves and others. Staff regularly praise and acknowledge the children's efforts and achievements.

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and outcomes for children

Children are encouraged to learn about personal hygiene. Hand washing routines are well established and help children develop good habits. For example, children know that they wash their hands before snack, after messy play and after using the bathroom. The provision has successfully obtained the highest achievable rating for a hygiene award. Dietary health is maintained because records are kept of any special food requirements and staff are knowledgeable about children's dietary needs and provide accordingly to this. Children enjoy helping with preparations, such as preparing the food and laying the table. Snack times are enjoyable social occasions where children learn good social skills and talk about their day and past events in their lives. 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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