Clever Cloggs Day Nursery

Clever Cloggs Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY409684 Inspection date 22/06/2011 Inspector Lynn Clements

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Setting address 26 Honey Road, Little Canfield, Takeley, Essex, CM6 1FF

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Telephone number 01279 871 687 Email info@clevercloggsdaynursery.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

Clever Cloggs Day Nursery was registered in 2010. They are registered to care for a maximum of 145 children in the early years age group at any one time, of whom 47 may be under two years. The nursery currently has 64 children on roll, of whom 12 are in receipt of early education funding. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery has two sister settings in Brentwood, Essex.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 7am until 7pm all year round. Children may attend for a variety of different sessions within these times or for the whole day. They operate from purpose-built premises situated in a residential area of Little Canfield, Essex.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 14 members of staff, of whom 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting employs a qualified cook.

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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

All members of staff have a very good understanding about individual needs of the children in their care, helping them to support their learning and welfare well. The bright and exceptionally well-equipped nursery provides children with a safe, secure and stimulating environment where they can develop their understanding about the wider world. Partnerships with other agencies and settings are good, while those with parents and carers are exemplary and significant in making sure that the individual needs of all children are met, along with any additional support needs. This means that all children in the nursery progress well given their age, ability and starting points. Attention to self-evaluation is exceedingly good, clearly identifying the nursery's strengths and making sure that clear priorities for improvement are acknowledged and addressed well, resulting in a continuously improving nursery with staff who respond exceptionally well to user needs.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the existing excellent outside play area providing children with a wider range of opportunities to learn about the natural world  develop further a framework for partnership working with other settings the children attend, including feeder primary schools, in order to continue to securely underpin the successful delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

There is a comprehensive awareness of safeguarding issues among members of staff within the setting at all levels, all of whom receive regular training on safeguarding. Comprehensive policies and procedures are implemented consistently and robustly to ensure any concerns are prioritised and dealt with effectively. Children are safeguarded by extensive recruitment and vetting procedures, including the successful induction of new staff. Regular, ongoing appraisals make sure that staff continue to work effectively with the children, and the attention to their continuing professional development enables them to proactively meet and adapt to changes in practice or legislation. Staff have completed paediatric first aid training and this ensures that they can respond effectively in the event of an emergency. Children's well-being is significantly enhanced by the exceptional organisation, risk assessment and planning for

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the early years provision

continuous improvement. Furniture, equipment and resources are of an extremely high quality and clearly suitable for the ages of children to support their learning and development. Outcomes are without a doubt attributed to the excellent use of resources, including the highly effective deployment of staff in all rooms. The environment is safe and conducive to learning; it is managed very well and carefully looked after. Children also have access to an extremely large and exciting outside play area with lots of high quality wheeled toys and apparatus. The management team and staff have identified clear plans to further extend the existing great opportunities for the children outside to increase access for them to enjoy and explore the natural world. Children clearly benefit and thrive as a result of the setting they are in. The provider is taking well-considered steps to ensure resources and the environments are fully sustainable. The provider, management

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the early years provision

team and all members of staff place the promotion of equality of opportunity at the heart of all their work. There is no bias in staff practice in relation to gender, race or disability and these open attitudes enable them to provide a range of experiences which help the children to learn about the wider world around them. Parents and carers from different cultures are encouraged to share their festivals and customs in the setting. Staff are effective in ensuring that all children are well integrated in the nursery.

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the early years provision

Communication systems with other providers and feeder schools to support children are currently being further developed, enabling staff to build effectively on what each child knows and can do and to support smooth transitions for those moving into mainstream school. Partnerships with parents and carers are exemplary. Opportunities for parents, carers and grandparents to share their knowledge and skills with the children are excellent. In addition, notice boards throughout the nursery, social events, parent and carer forums and a host of open communication systems help to keep families fully involved in their child's formative years within the setting. Parents and carers are heavily involved in decision making on key matters affecting the setting through well-established and highly inclusive procedures, including self-evaluation. Parents and carers report that their children have gained confidence since attending the nursery. They have

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the early years provision

also noticed that their children have made good progress in all areas of learning, particularly with regard to letter and number recognition. They very much This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 appreciate the key person system and the wealth of information which is shared, including learning that happens at home. They enjoy the parent and grandparent interaction days and events and find the security of the setting excellent. Parents and carers find staff friendly, helpful and approachable and would not hesitate to recommend the setting to others. This is a new provision and the provider, management team and staff in partnership with parents and carers have worked extremely hard to establish a strong nursery which provides positive outcomes for the children. Self-evaluation at all levels reflects rigorous monitoring and searching analysis of what the nursery does well and what they need to improve. As a result,

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the early years provision

actions taken by staff are well targeted and have had a very good impact in bringing about sustained improvement in their early years provision. Leaders and managers communicate ambition and drive effectively and staff feel valued.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in their learning. Strong links with parents and carers help to involve them in their children's care and education, and they are kept very well informed of their children's progress. Children make good overall progress in developing the personal qualities that enable them to take responsibility for small tasks and develop skills for the future. Staff throughout the setting have a good understanding about the learning, development and welfare requirements. They make good observations of the children as they learn through play. The observations are assessed using the Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage and children's next steps for learning are identified. Planning is linked to children's individual learning needs. Children have warm relationships with members of staff and are confident to work on their own or in groups. There are a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led learning opportunities which

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and outcomes for children

build on the children's imagination and participation. Children are eager to attend and clearly demonstrate that they are successfully developing the skills that will help them in the future.

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and outcomes for children

Children show good levels of independence, curiosity, imagination and concentration. For example, they demonstrate their inquisitive nature, investigating their developing ideas independently. They develop mathematical ideas as they learn about movement and capacity when experimenting with water on the water wall. They display good concentration skills and coordination as they carefully pour water from different-sized containers down various tubes and into the water catchers at the bottom. Much to their delight they are able to follow the progress the water makes as it twists and winds its way though the clear tubing. Larger tubing has been set up close by and this enables further opportunities for the children to put their problem solving skills to the test as they use larger resources, for instance, toy cars or different-sized balls to find which can travel faster. Babies have good opportunities to explore different media using all of their senses. For

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and outcomes for children

instance, they thoroughly enjoy crawling through the large floor-level trays which are filled with various media including shredded paper and wet sand. They push their hands into treasure baskets filled with sponges, wooden spoons, brushes and cardboard rolls, using their eyes, hands and mouth to explore this exciting new world. Babies also enjoy crawling and the opportunities to immerse themselves in This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the ball pit, learning how they can move their bodies in different ways. This is enabled by members of staff who organise the extremely large and well-equipped play areas to provide plenty of free space for them to move, roll, stretch and explore freely and safely. Babies are learning that their voice and actions have effects on others, for example, as they cry out for comfort when they go down for their sleep or as they begin to feel tired. They are learning that their noise and

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and outcomes for children

babbling helps them to communicate. Older children are confident communicators; they talk about the things they like most in the nursery or communicate together as they organise their pretend play. Children enjoy sharing stories, joining in with gusto to repeated refrains and using the pictures as clues to help them follow the storyline. Children learn about simple sustainability as they grow herbs and carrots. The carrots they grow are fed to the two pet rabbits in the nursery garden. This opportunity helps them to build on their personal and social development as they learn about caring for other living creatures.

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and outcomes for children

Children show an exceptional understanding of the importance of following good hygiene routines, washing their hands at pertinent times and clearly understanding why they need to do this. They show an excellent understanding about the importance of healthy eating and make healthy choices at snack and meal times. They are fully supported in making these healthy choices due to the excellent organisation of menus and home-cooked meals which meet children's specific dietary requirements and help them to grow and thrive. Children display an excellent awareness of safety issues and recognise and understand how to keep themselves safe. Plenty of positive praise and encouragement raises children's self- esteem and confidence to do things for themselves, and helps them to learn about linking positive behaviour and attitudes to keeping themselves and others safe. 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 1 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 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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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