Kidderminster, the Offmore First School

Tot Town Nursery Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 116697 Inspection date 21/06/2011 Inspector Carol Willett

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Setting address 1 Fryers Lane, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP12 3AN Telephone number 01494 440066 Email info@tottownnursery.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.

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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

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

Tot Town Nursery is a privately owned group, which opened in 1999, the preschool room opened in 2002. The nursery operates from a single storey building on the outskirts of the town of High Wycombe. The group is open five days a week from 8:00am to 6:00pm for 51 weeks a year. Children attend for a variety of sessions and they have access to three separate outdoor play areas.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 55 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 49 children aged from three months to five years on roll. Children aged three and four years are in receipt of free early education. Children attend from surrounding areas. The nursery supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They also support children who learn English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 13 staff of which 11 work directly with the children and includes a cook and an administrator. Of the staff working with the children six hold appropriate early years qualifications and four are currently working towards a qualification. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development Partnership. They are members 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 inadequate.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The individual needs of children are not met as some staff are not confident in their knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are significant weaknesses and inconsistencies in the nursery's ability to promote children's welfare and safeguard them, extend their learning and plan suitable activities that challenge children and meet their needs. The management team do not effectively monitor and evaluate the provision so they have not accurately identified the weaknesses. Children are generally happy and spend their time learning through play within the secure nursery environment. Staff form satisfactory partnerships both with parents and with other agencies involved in children's care which ensures consistency in their development. Overall, the nursery provision requires significant improvement.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the early years provision requires significant improvement. The registered person is given a Notice to Improve that sets out actions to be carried out.

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further?

To comply with the requirements of the EYFS the registered person must take the following action by the specified date: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  ensure children's good health is promoted throughout the nursery and take necessary steps to prevent the risk of infection (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 04/07/2011

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further?

 ensure all members of staff understand the safeguarding policy and procedure (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 04/07/2011

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further?

 plan and provide experiences that are appropriate for children's stage of development as they progress towards the early learning goals (Organisation) 04/07/2011

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further?

 undertake sensitive observational assessment in order to plan to meet young children's individual needs (Organisation) 04/07/2011

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further?

 take all reasonable steps to ensure that hazards to children, both indoors and outdoors, are kept to a minimum (Suitable premises, environment and equipment) 04/07/2011

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further?

 keep a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises, their hours of attendance and the names of the children's key workers (Documentation) 05/07/2011

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further?

To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 improve knowledge and understanding of responsibilities with regard to data protection  encourage parents and children to feel more valued by creating an environment that reflects all of their backgrounds, including displays of words from home languages used.

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the early years provision

The nursery has a clear safeguarding policy in place and staff attend training. However, there are some significant weaknesses in promoting children safety and welfare. Some staff are not confident in their understanding of the safeguarding procedures and who to contact if concerned which means children are not effectively safeguarded. Children's safety is not fully protected as risk assessment procedures are not effective. Records show all resources are in good repair when some are not, including split play mats in the garden and the climbing frame in the preschool outdoor area. Staff do not always follow written nursery procedures in removing damaged resources. This is a breach of a legal requirement. Hygiene procedures are not fully effective and children's health and welfare is compromised because staff do not consistently follow nursery procedures. The systems for monitoring the nursery are not effective. The nursery has significant gaps in record

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the early years provision

keeping and procedures. For example, attendance registers are not accurately updated for late arrivals. This is a breach of a legal requirement. Also accident, medication and fire evacuation records sometimes lack detail. The manager does not have a clear understanding of her responsibilities regarding data protection. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 There is appropriate security at the nursery as the door is kept locked, the outdoor areas are secure and rooms are all covered by CCTV. Recruitment procedures are sound and all staff undertake a criminal records bureau check. Many of the staff have current first aid certificates and suitable first aid boxes are easily accessible in each playroom so children's welfare is promoted in the event of an accident. Staff regularly practise fire evacuation with the children to ensure they are aware of what to do in an emergency.

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the early years provision

The nursery operates a key person system so staff have a suitable knowledge of children's needs and family backgrounds. Information is obtained at initial meetings with parents which ensure children's welfare needs are met. Staff develop satisfactory relationships with the parents offering them a flexible service and respect their wishes. Parents are happy with the care their children receive and feel they have good feedback about children's progress. They do not all feel they are included in setting children's next steps in learning. Parents have opportunities to complete questionnaires to express satisfaction with the nursery. Staff organise the nursery sufficiently and they generally provide a suitable range of resources and activities for most of the children. The organisation of daily routines enables children to have time for free play adult-led activities, meals and rest periods. Babies follow their individual home routines. Play rooms are organised

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the early years provision

effectively to enable children to freely choose from the range of age-appropriate resources. Children can freely choose to play inside or out as the nursery has developed the free flow system of play. Children have access to a limited range of resources that promote positive images of diversity. However, there are no resources or displays to reflect the backgrounds and home languages of the children attending in order to help them feel valued in the nursery.

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the early years provision

Some staff are not confident in their knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children's development records contain written observations and photographs of the children but these are not consistently kept. Targets for learning are not always indentified and observations do not always show clear links to the early learning goals. This means some children are not always sufficiently challenged and they do not all make maximum progress in their development. Some activities are not appropriate for the ages of the children. For example, children in the preschool room sit too long after lunch for large group times and they are not always interested in the activity becoming restless and disruptive. The nursery does not have robust systems in place to monitor and evaluate their practices. Managers do not effectively identify when practice does not follow laid down procedures. Staff appraisals are inconsistent and

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the early years provision

do not always identify staff strengths and training needs. The self-evaluation does not effectively identify weakness in the nursery in order to continually improve outcomes for children. The manager has identified this as an issue and she has sought help from the local early years childcare team showing some commitment to improving the provision. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are secure and sufficiently supervised in the nursery as staff ratios are maintained and there is appropriate security within the premises. Fire evacuation is practised so children become confident and aware in an emergency. However, staff fail to act to remove resources they know are damaged so children's safety is not fully assured. Children play independently and learn to share and take turns and show an interest in their surroundings. Staff plan activities that generally interest the children and they enjoy sensory play materials such as bright blue hair gel to practice mark making skills. They can freely paint and have a range of resources to develop role play. Babies and toddlers explore an interesting range of natural resources in treasure baskets. Staff organise the playrooms to enable children to develop skills across all areas of learning. Children have access to a satisfactory range of age-appropriate toys as they play in age-related base rooms.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy using resources such as ride on toys and playing hide and seek with the student showing excitement as they find her hiding in the outdoor area. They like music and singing activities.

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and outcomes for children

Younger children use sounds to communicate with the staff who interpret and act on what they say. Children choose to look at books and staff use the opportunity to engage with children and look at books together. Staff generally respond to children's enthusiasm and interests. For example children love to stand under an umbrella as rain water is tipped out of the canopy. Some staff have good teaching skills and effectively use children's interests in jigsaws to develop skills for naming colours and numbers Younger children are interested in using large puzzles, and they make attempts to fit pieces together developing problem solving skills. Children successfully use pushbutton pop up and musical toys. They have some opportunities to learn about differences through using resources or taking part in planned activities. Adults, such as the policeman and the lollipop man, are invited in and share their job roles so children gain an understanding of their local

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and outcomes for children

community. Children develop physical skills through using a range of tools such as pencils and rolling pins and paint brushes and larger outdoor equipment including slides, climbing frames and wheeled toys. They can run freely during outings to park. Children draw with chalks and make marks with a variety of resources including painting brushes and buckets of water outside. They have access to a range of resources and planned activities to generally promote sensory and creative development. For example the make kites from resources pre-cut for them by staff.

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and outcomes for children

Children's good health is not effectively promoted throughout the nursery. Children in the preschool room know they need to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating and there are suitable routines in place to encourage this. They competently use the water dispenser to fill their drinking cups during the day demonstrating an awareness of their own needs. However, effective routines are not followed across all rooms in the nursery as babies do not consistently have their hands washed before they eat. Good hygiene routines are not sufficiently embedded in nursery practices. Adults are not required to remove their shoes when they go into the baby room and children's drinking cups are washed in cold This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 water in the preschool room. These practices increase the risk of cross infection. Staff follow satisfactory hygiene practice when changing nappies and each child

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and outcomes for children

has separate bedding for sleeping. Children have regular snacks and meals. Snacks includes cut up fruit and raw vegetables. Lunches often include processed food and do not always include fresh vegetables, such as at the time of inspection children ate fish fingers, spaghetti hoops and mashed potatoes, which are also pureed for babies. The staff have a sound awareness of children's dietary needs from information given by parents and babies feeding routines are followed appropriately. Children have good opportunities to have fresh air as they freely access the outdoor play areas.

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and outcomes for children

The nursery has a key person system. Staff have a generally sound knowledge of children's needs, though some staff are unsure if children in their rooms have identified special educational needs. Staff complete observations of children but they are not consistently used to plan effectively for children's development. Activities are not sufficiently challenging and staff do not extend them effectively. Some staff are not confident in making the links to the early learning goals in order to plan for children's next steps in learning so all children do not make maximum progress in their development. Staff encourage children's communication skills overall but some staff do not allow children choices as they take picture cards toddlers choose and show them ones they select and name the objects. Planned activities are not always age-appropriate for example, to recognise numbers to twenty using number cards. Children help plant flowers in the outdoor area but

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and outcomes for children

neither they nor the staff know what they are which limits the impact of the activity. Staff are aware of the home languages of children attending the nursery but they do not use them to enhance the learning environment, such as in print and labelling, so that all children are valued and included. This limits children's knowledge of diversity and the wider world.

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and outcomes for children

Children mostly develop satisfactory relationships with staff. Babies show an interest in their surroundings and happily explore the toys provided, supported by their key carers. Home routines for feeding and sleeping are followed so they are content and secure. Older children's behaviour is satisfactory overall and they are mostly cooperative in their play as they are aware of the daily routines. However, some staff do not always manage behaviour effectively as they sometimes shout across the room when children become disruptive and fight in large group times when activities fail to stimulate and challenge them. Staff do not respond in a timely manner to children's lack of interest. Overall, children's welfare and learning needs are not adequately met. 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 4 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 4 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 4

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 4 The extent to which children feel safe 4 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 4 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 4 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 4

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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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