Play-Days Corporation Ltd

Play-Days Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY423186 Inspection date 04/07/2011 Inspector Karen Cooper

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Setting address Newport Cottage Care Centre, Upper Bar, NEWPORT, Shropshire, TF10 7EH Telephone number 01952820012 Email theresa@play-dayschildcare.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

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

Play-Days nursery opened in 2008 and re-registered in 2011 on becoming a limited company. It operates from a wing of the Cottage Hospital Care Centre in the centre of Newport, Shropshire. The nursery serves the local and surrounding areas and is easily accessible to all. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 25 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 52 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age range. Of these, 20 children receive funding for early years education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is open each week day from 7.30am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery 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 nursery employs 13 staff all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications and the provider holds a BA Hons in Early Childhood Education and Care. The nursery 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 well settled and have formed positive relationships with staff and each other. Children are valued, which ensures their individual needs are effectively met. Space and resources are well organised to provide a varied range of activities that help children make good progress in their learning and development. Exceptional partnerships between parents and other agencies ensure individual children's needs are effectively met. Documentation is well organised and most procedures are effective. Staff demonstrate a positive attitude towards continuous improvement and improving outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure any non prescribed medication administered to children is provided by the parent, such as a specific children's pain killer  take reasonable steps to ensure that all hazards to children both indoor and outdoors are minimised, this particularly refers to the security of the outdoor play area and the window in the tweenie room  expand the selection of resources depicting positive images of disability to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 promote children's understanding of the differing needs of others.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded because staff have a good understanding of their role and responsibility to protect children in their care. Staff are fully aware of the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child. They have attended training and are fully aware of the various signs and symptoms of abuse to ensure children's welfare is fully protected. Staffing arrangements are organised to meet the needs of the children and there are robust employment procedures in place to check staff suitability. Indoor and outdoor space is organised effectively, creating a child-friendly environment which enables children to play, eat and rest in comfort. There is a wide range of resources available for children to choose from throughout the setting, allowing them to make independent choices about their play. Staff are aware of their responsibilities to keep children safe. They assess potential risks to children and put procedures in place to minimise these at all

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the early years provision

times. However, the gate to the outdoor area is not fully secure and the window in the tweenie room is of such a height that children's safety is not fully protected. All visitors are requested to sign in and out of the setting and there are clear procedures to ensure children are collected only by authorised people. For example, passwords are used when necessary for extra protection.

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the early years provision

Staff work well together, complimenting each other with their various characters. The provider is a good role model to staff and children and is passionate about raising outcomes for children. All staff hold an appropriate early years qualification and staff attendance at training opportunities are proactively implemented through effective appraisal systems. The staff have a strong attitude to the further development of the setting and through their process of self-evaluation they have identified their key areas for further improvement. Staff work very effectively with other professionals within the centre and have established excellent links with the local schools to ensure the children's individual needs are effectively promoted.

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the early years provision

The staff place great value in ensuring that parents develop a strong sense of belonging to the setting and have a say in the care and well-being of their children. As a consequence, relationships with parents are excellent. The staff seek parental opinions and input on a regular basis via the use of questionnaires to enable them to monitor and develop the service provided. Parents speak highly of the setting and one comment in particular echoes the overall sentiments received; 'a friendly, genuine, happy, consistent, positive environment is provided'. In addition to the regular meetings with parents that take place to review children's achievements, a written daily diary is provided to keep them informed of their child's activities and routines. The staff also make themselves available to feed back to parents each day and children's individual learning journeys, aid communication about the care and progress of their children. The provider is

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the early years provision

methodical in her approach to paperwork and ensures that documentation which contributes to the children's health, safety and welfare is regularly reviewed and shared with parents. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children settle very well in the setting and receive a good level of care because the experienced qualified staff work very closely with individual children and their families. Children enjoy their time at the setting and good, warm and caring relationships between staff and children are evident. The staff have a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and provide a vast range of stimulating and interesting activities that take into account the children's varying ages and abilities. The daily routine ensures that children's needs are well met, although children are encouraged to follow their own ideas ensuring that there is a good balance between adult-led and child-initiated activities. The staff clearly demonstrate that they know the children well and plan a range of interesting activities taking into account each child's interests. Individual Educational Plans include clear targets set by staff and other professionals who are involved to

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and outcomes for children

ensure children succeed in making progress in their development. The staff regularly observe children as the play and record what they can do. They use these records effectively to monitor children's progress and to help plan the next steps in children's learning. As a consequence, children make good progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

From the time the children arrive at the setting they are eager to explore whatever is available to them. Older children enjoy engaging in role play and happily involve staff in their play. The children take the temperature of staff and wrap them in bandages as well as explaining to them that the injection will not hurt. Younger children have a lovely time outside in the well-equiped outdoor area, digging in the bark chipping, sitting on push along toys and attempting to complete floor puzzles. Older children relish in their enjoyment of racing games ready for their sports day. Children's social skills and ability to communicate with others are rapidly enhanced. For example, children eagerly join in group time and keenly talk about the weather, the month and past events, such as holidays. Children also learn simple signing as a different method of communication. Lots of opportunities are provided for children to participate in craft activities such as junk modelling, printing,

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and outcomes for children

painting, collage, cooking and play dough. Babies enjoy exploring different textures during their play, such as snow, jelly and water. Children concentrate well when listening to familiar stories and have access to a good variety of books to help encourage their early literacy skills. Visits to the local library enhance children's love of books. Good opportunities are provided for children to improve their early writing skills and well-presented displays and posters around the setting ensure that children see letters and words in print. Children are encouraged to develop their simple problem solving skills through daily routines, such as counting the days of the week, months of the year and when singing action rhymes. Older children are developing skills in the use of the computer, and programmable and musical toys cause great fun and laughter as the younger children watch to see what happens next. Children are valued and staff help them to feel good about

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and outcomes for children

themselves by frequently providing positive support, praise and encouragement, while managing their behaviour well. This helps build children's self-esteem. Children are learning to respect each other and through a variety of planned This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 activities, toys and resources they are becoming aware of other cultures. However, resources are limited with regards to helping raise children's awareness of people with disabilities.

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and outcomes for children

Children confidently separate from their parents and carers, demonstrating that they feel safe and secure to be left with the staff. Children learn about keeping themselves safe through the discussions and activities provided. They regularly join in fire evacuation practises to ensure that they know what to do in an emergency. They know they have to wear high visual jackets when on outings and are becoming aware of road safety. The staff promotes children's health by taking steps to prevent the spread of infection by keeping the premises clean, wearing gloves when changing nappies, regular sterilisation of feeding equipment and safe handling of food. Children follow good hygiene routines and know when to wash their hands. There are good arrangements in place to care for children who are ill and staff are trained in administering first aid. However, not all medication administered to children, such as a specific children's pain killer, is provided by the

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and outcomes for children

parents to ensure children's health is fully protected. Children's independence is encouraged as they help themselves to their own water bottles and serve themselves to the variety of healthy snacks including fresh and dried fruit. Food provided is coooked fresh daily and menus are prepared for parents to view. Visitors to the setting, such as a dentist, encourages children to take care of their teeth. Children explore a wealth of living things from plants to insects. They learn how things grow as they tend to the variety of herbs, fruit and vegetables that they have planted and on often reap the benefits by eating the end product, such as, tomatoes, lettuces, blueberries and strawberries. 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 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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