Little Gems of The Sea

Little Gems of The Sea Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY407920 Inspection date 28/07/2011 Inspector Karen Tervit

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Setting address Star of the Sea Primary School, Seatonville Road, WHITLEY BAY, Tyne and Wear, NE25 9EG Telephone number 07500 116 133 Email gemmamcentee@hotmail.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

Little Gems of the Sea was registered in 2010. It is a privately owned nursery located in a mobile building in the grounds of Star of the Sea Primary School in Monkseaton, North Tyneside. The nursery has use of the whole of the mobile building at the times they operate. They use the school grounds for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered by Ofsted on the early years register to care for 24 children in the early years range. There are currently 17 children on roll. The nursery opens Monday to Thursday 7.30am until 6pm and 8am until 5.30pm on a Friday. It is open for 50 weeks in the year. The setting is able to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Five staff, including the owner and manager, work with the children, four of whom have a level 3 qualification in childcare. The owner is currently completing her level 4 qualification. The nursery is a member 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are happy and settled in this welcoming, friendly nursery. Overall children make good progress in their learning in relation to their capabilities and starting points. Good relationships are in place with parents, which helps to ensure that children's needs are met. Systems for self-evaluation are developing effectively and the nursery is fully committed to the continual improvement of their practice. Consequently, the capacity to maintain continuous improvement is good

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop resources and activities to help children to begin to know about other people's cultures and beliefs  improve children's access to appropriate hand-drying facilities, for example, paper towels  further develop the layout of the nursery so that children can access a range of natural materials independantly.

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the early years provision

Children are well protected. Comprehensive policies underpin practice and clearly outline the procedure to follow to protect children. Rigorous recruitment and vetting procedures are adhered to, ensuring the suitability of all adults who work with children. Suitable systems for induction, staff supervision and appraisals are in place to help ensure staff development. Robust safeguarding procedures are in place and all staff have a secure understanding of their responsibility to liaise with This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 appropriate agencies if child-protection concerns arise. Staff complete daily, thorough checks on the environment and outings to ensure potential risks to children are minimised. Effective procedures are in place to gather and record information in order to meet all children's individual needs, such as children's personal details, routines, likes and dislikes. As a result, children are suitably

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the early years provision

supported to settle into the setting. Accidents and administered medication are clearly documented.

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the early years provision

Children's work is proudly displayed which helps to raise their self-esteem and ensure all are valued. However, displays, resources and activities to help raise children's awareness of difference and diversity are more limited. Staff are committed to providing an inclusive environment and offer good support to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure children receive the support they need. Staff have developed simple signing skills to help them communicate with the children and are constantly looking at ways to develop their practice.

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the early years provision

Effective systems for self-evaluation are in place. For example, the owner and manager work closely together, along with staff, to evaluate activities, and seek regular verbal and written feedback from parents to help them improve outcomes for children. The Ofsted self-evaluation form and support from the local authority advisor are used to good effect to help with driving and securing improvement. Since registration the nursery has developed the layout of the different areas and this continues to be ongoing as they try to address issues regarding lack of storage and access to natural materials.

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the early years provision

The nursery is a bright and welcoming environment for children and parents. Good verbal information is shared with parents at the beginning and end of each session and daily written diaries are consistently completed and shared with parents to enable them to be fully involved and contribute to children's care and learning. Parents spoken to at the inspection commented positively about the staff and said that children enjoy coming. Parents are encouraged to be very much involved in their children's learning and share their skills. For example, parents have led simple French sessions and play the guitar with the children. The nursery works hard to endeavour to build relationships with other early years settings that their children attend to ensure continuity in their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled in this warm and caring setting. Close relationships are evident between the staff and the children and the key person system works well. A good range of activities keep children engrossed and purposefully engaged. Staff value and place high importance on following children's interests, recognising that they become active learners when fully engaged and having fun. Staff use flexible systems for planning, and observations of children's play feed into these. Observations clearly match with the expectations of the early learning goals and identify next steps in children's learning. Detailed tracking sheets are in place for each child, along with a summary of where children are at in their learning which is This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 shared with parents,

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and outcomes for children

Staff are beginning to utilise the outdoor space well to extend children's learning and experiences. For example, children love the opportunity to play with sand outside. They have great fun pouring and digging. They develop good balancing and climbing skills on the large equipment and thoroughly enjoy playing basketball with the soft ball. Indoors, children show great interest in cleaning the tables after lunch, so staff follow through this activity by providing them with a bowl of water to bath their babies. Older children are beginning to write recognisable letters which are proudly displayed on the wall as part of their 'being healthy display'. Children confidently name different shapes, such as 'circle' and 'triangle', and enjoy writing and naming different numbers using the large chalks outdoors. They sit happily looking at books together in the book area and listen carefully at story time to favourite stories. They use their imagination well as they make meals in the

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and outcomes for children

home corner and pretend to be hairdressers. Children receive good opportunities to explore the local environment as they go for walks.

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and outcomes for children

Staff are consistent and fair when managing children's behaviour. Consequently, children are developing a good understanding of what is right and wrong. They are learning about keeping themselves safe through instruction and everyday practices. For example, they negotiate the steps to the outdoor area safely. Overall, children's good health is successfully promoted in all areas. They access a wide range of activities to promote their good health outdoors. They competently wash and dry their hands at appropriate times. Paper towels are available in the playroom. However, when children go to the toilet they do not have independent access to hand drying facilities other than a large shared towel. Although this is washed and changed regularly, it does not help to minimise the spread of infection. Snacks are nutritious and healthy. Children tuck into steamed vegetables and fresh fruit. They are able to have lunch prepared by the school or bring a

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and outcomes for children

healthy packed lunch. Staff work very closely with parents to ensure children receive a healthy and balanced diet. The immediate outdoor area is in the process of being developed further and plans are in place for children to grow a range of vegetables in addition to the ones they have already planted. 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 3 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 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 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 3 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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