Little Owls Nursery Shepherds Lane

Shepherds Lane & Choto-Moni Childrens Centre Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 512563 Inspection date 08/07/2011 Inspector Helen Blackburn

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Setting address Shepherd Lane, Chapeltown, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 5AN Telephone number 0113 2484603 Email 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

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

Shepherds Lane Choto-Moni Children's Centre opened in 1990 and is one of a number of centres managed by Leeds City Council. The nursery operates from rooms within the children's centre, which is located in the Chapeltown/Harehills area of Leeds. There are schools, parks, shops and public transport links in the local area. Children have access to two fully enclosed outdoor areas. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm, all year round.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 50 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 88 children aged from three months to under five years on roll. The nursery supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children with English as an additional language. The nursery provides funded early education for two, three and four-year olds.

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Description of the setting

There are 19 members of staff employed at the nursery. Of these, all hold early years qualifications to at least level 2, with the majority being qualified to level 3. In addition, the nursery employs a teacher with early years professional status and the centre manager is qualified to degree level. In addition, one member of staff is currently working towards a degree. The nursery has completed Leeds Quality Assurance Gold Award and level 3 of the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard Award. The nursery is an integral part of the children's centre, which provides a range of services, including health, family support and adult training.

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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 and parents have strong bonds and secure relationships with practitioners and the effective key person arrangements ensure transitions within the nursery are minimal. The children are very happy and they approach the extensive range of activities with enthusiasm. Practitioners provide a safe environment that supports children in becoming independent, well-behaved individuals who have a positive attitude towards diversity and difference. Overall, most documentation, policies and procedures are informative and contribute to promoting the safe management of the setting. Practitioners' commitment towards promoting improvement is good and their comprehensive self-evaluation processes successfully bring about positive change.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve medication records so that they clearly show details of all medicines administered to children  improve how information is shared with parents regarding the procedure to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 be followed in the event of a child going missing and the safeguarding policy in regard to dealing with allegations of abuse against staff  improve the complaints procedure so that it is personalised and reflects the individual setting.

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the early years provision

There are good arrangements in place for safeguarding and promoting children's welfare. Practitioners fully understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children from harm because they all access safeguarding training on a regular basis. They have detailed information, policies and procedures regarding the possible signs of abuse, neglect and the procedures for reporting and monitoring concerns. In addition, they work very closely with relevant agencies, which means that children's welfare is paramount at all times. Overall, there is a good range of documentation, policies and procedures in place, which support the safe and efficient management of the setting. However, some documentation lacks clarity. For example, how practitioners record details of the medications administered to children is unclear. In addition, although there are complaint procedures in place, they generally refer to making complaints to Ofsted or the local authority and they

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the early years provision

lack detail as to how parents can raise concerns direct to the setting. Practitioners provide a safe environment for children to play. They effectively manage this by carrying out regular safety checks, risk assessments and through supervising children's play. Staff retention at the nursery is good and robust recruitment, vetting and induction procedures ensure all practitioners are suitable to work with children. This contributes to protecting children from harm. Through good organisation of resources, children can make safe and independent choices in their play. Practitioners work well together and, through effective deployment, they successfully ensure that they meet adult-to-child ratios across the setting to meet children's individual needs. In addition, they make good use of resources within the local community to extend children's experiences. For instance, children go on walks and enjoy taking part in events within the community, such as a football

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the early years provision

event organised by the children centre for the dads.

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the early years provision

The commitment towards promoting improvement and high standards of care and education for children is good. Comprehensive quality improvement processes, including self-evaluation, reflective practice, audits on children's progress and the curriculum, contribute to the nursery having a clear understanding of their strengths and areas for development. This contributes to them setting focused and targeted areas for improvement. In addition, practitioners have addressed all the recommendations made at the last inspection and this demonstrates their capacity to improve. For example, by extending activities and resources, children now have good opportunities to learn about sounds, letters, number and shape. The approach to self-evaluation is inclusive because practitioners welcome any feedback from parents, children and other professionals in the process. For example, following feedback from parents, their views were incorporated into the

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the early years provision

planning of the menus. Practitioners access a good range of training courses to extend their skills and experiences. This includes attending the compulsory training days as outlined by the employer and other training delivered by the early years This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 professional. This demonstrates their commitment towards promoting ongoing professional development.

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the early years provision

Practitioners build up strong bonds with the parents because the children remain with the same key person throughout their time in the nursery. This promotes continuity for the family. Through effective communication and information sharing with parents and others involved in children's care, they all work well together to ensure they meet children's individual needs. Overall, policies, procedures, notice boards and daily discussions provide parents with good quality information about their child's day and service. However, information on the procedures in the event of child going missing and safeguarding aspects relating to dealing with allegations of abuse against staff are not shared as effectively as other policies. Practitioners and parents regularly share information on children's achievements and progress so that they can work cohesively to promote children's learning. Practitioners work very well with other professionals and external agencies to

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the early years provision

ensure they provide the best learning opportunities for children who need additional support or help.

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and outcomes for children

Relationships between the practitioners and children are very good. Children are cared for in small groups of mixed ages, replicating a family environment. This practice means children remain with the same key person throughout their stay at the nursery. Therefore, transitions and moves between rooms are minimal and results in children building up strong bonds and attachments with practitioners. These trusting relationships contribute to children feeling safe and secure. The children are developing a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. For example, they take part in fire evacuation practices and practitioners remind them how to go down the slide in safe ways. Through everyday routines, children are developing a good understanding of the importance of effective personal hygiene practices. For example, they independently wash their hands at appropriate times throughout the day. The nursery meals and snacks are nutritious, which supports

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and outcomes for children

and encourages children to make healthy food choices. In addition, children grow and eat some of their own foods, such as beans, potatoes and radish. Opportunities for children to be active and to access fresh air are good. For example, children regularly play outdoors. They enjoy riding bikes, climbing, rolling large tyres, running up and down the grassy slope, building, constructing and exploring different medias, such as sand and water. This supports children in developing good physical skills, dexterity and coordination. In addition, through making use of community groups, such as Northern Ballet, children have excellent opportunities to explore how they can move their bodies in different ways through music and drama. These activities contribute to promoting children's physical development, imagination and creativity.

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and outcomes for children

Practitioners are actively involved in children's play and they effectively support them in making progress in their learning. Observation, planning and assessment are excellent and practitioners have a secure understanding of children's needs and abilities. Practitioners provide an extensive range of activities across all areas This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 of learning that fully incorporate children's likes and interests. This means children are extremely motivated, curious and enthusiastic learners. For example, children are very confident, they engage easily in conversations and they eagerly ask questions. Children take part in a wide range of activities that help them develop their literacy, reasoning and numeracy skills. For example, they count in everyday situations, they match and sort objects by colour and shape, they make marks in a number of ways, such as designing treasure maps, they create patterns when

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and outcomes for children

weaving and they solve simple problems when doing jigsaws or building and constructing with different materials. Children are creative and imaginative learners. For example, they express their ideas through art and they engage in a wide range of role play activities, such as playing at cafes, hunting for treasure and pretending to go on a bear hunt when exploring the bushes and willow dens outdoors.

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and outcomes for children

The children behave well and practitioners provide consistent boundaries and routines so that children know what they expect of them. Through play, children talk about being kind, sharing and taking turns. This results in children having good and cooperative relationships with their peers. The children's confidence and self-esteem is very good. This is because practitioners praise and value their contributions. Through activities, resources, discussion and encouraging parents and children to talk about their beliefs and cultures, diversity and difference is positively promoted. This also supports children in having a positive self-image and ensures all children's individuality is embraced within the nursery. Through activities, such as exploring the outdoor environment, talking about seasons and observing the lifecycle of butterflies, children are learning about nature and the world in which they live.

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and outcomes for children

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 1 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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