Little Pioneers Nursery & Pre-School, John Radcliffe

The Co-Operative Childcare John Radcliffe Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY345412 Inspection date 22/08/2011 Inspector Gill Little

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Setting address John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Headington, OXFORD, OX3 9DU Telephone number 01865 762402 Email jr.nursery@imagine.coop 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

The Co-operative Childcare at the John Radcliffe opened in 2007. It is one of 29 provisions run by The Midcounties Co-operative Limited. It operates from premises on the ground floor of the West Wing in the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. It comprises of five playrooms with associated facilities, including cloakrooms, kitchens and sleeping areas. There are several enclosed outdoor play areas for the different age groups. The provision provides places for families employed by the hospital trust, the staff of the John Radcliffe Hospital and members of the public. The provision is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register to care for a maximum of 96 children under eight, of whom not more than 36 may be under 2 years at any one time. It is currently caring for 89 children on the Early Years Register. There are currently no children on roll on the Childcare Register. The provision supports children with

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Description of the setting

special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The provision operates on weekdays from 7am until 6pm all year. It is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four. Partnership arrangements are in place with other early years settings, including schools which children transfer to at the end of their time at the provision.

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Description of the setting

The provision employs 22 staff of whom 15 hold relevant qualifications. In addition, six staff are working towards a relevant qualification.

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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 make good progress towards the early learning goals in this safe, friendly and nurturing environment. There are a good range of activities, both indoors and outdoors, and all children play outside daily, although the time for this is more limited for the younger age groups. Staff show a clear understanding of children's individual needs and plan activities to reflect their interests. They strive to maintain strong partnerships with parents, other early years settings and outside agencies in order to enhance continuity and consistency for children. There is an effective focus within the provision on self-evaluation and staff show a positive commitment to continuous improvement. They have responded well to recommendations set at the last inspection.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  increase the time available for children in the younger age groups to access outdoor play.

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the early years provision

Staff have a clear understanding of safeguarding children procedures and regularly attend relevant training. They are familiar with possible symptoms of abuse and what to do if they have concerns. Rigorous recruitment procedures help to ensure that staff are suitable for their roles and have relevant qualifications and background checks. In addition, all staff hold first aid qualifications, ensuring that children are well cared for in the event of an accident. Robust risk assessments together with effective hygiene procedures result in a safe and clean environment. A wide range of policies and paperwork effectively support the efficient management of the provision.

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the early years provision

Each playroom is well resourced with an attractive range of good quality toys and activities which children can access easily. Children learn to take care of their environment by helping to tidy up and contributing to 'green' projects, such as switching off electrical items for a period of time or helping to tidy their local community. All age groups play outdoors on a daily basis and older children can access these areas freely for most of the day.

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the early years provision

Staff actively promote equality and diversity. Throughout the provision resources and visual aids reflect positive images of different cultures, disabilities and men and women in different roles. Close relationships with key children, together with routine monitoring of progress, effectively help staff to identify children who require additional support. Staff embrace the use of different languages and learn keywords in children's home languages to effectively support communication. At the same time a strong emphasis on English helps children with additional languages make good progress. Staff working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have a clear understanding of their individual requirements. They work closely with outside agencies to ensure that strategies are consistent and effective.

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the early years provision

Staff strive to maintain good relationships with parents. They keep them well informed about their children's progress and day-to-day events within the provision. They encourage parents to contribute their observations of children's progress at home by completing 'wow vouchers' to record significant achievements. They arrange a variety of social events to encourage parents to come into the nursery and spend time with their children and key persons. These include Mother's Day and Father's Day breakfasts and an end of year children's graduation, which are very popular events. Staff also encourage parents to share information about other early years settings which children attend and have introduced a communication book for this purpose. They work closely with schools which children transfer to, inviting teachers into the provision and providing them with children's progress records.

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the early years provision

Self-evaluation procedures take account of the views of staff, parents and children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Since the last inspection staff have improved practice to reflect children's interests, support children's understanding of healthy eating and provide increased opportunities to develop mark making skills. Staff are well supported in accessing further training to enhance their knowledge and understanding. Morale throughout the nursery is good and staff are enthusiastic, caring and friendly.

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and outcomes for children

Children throughout the nursery display a strong sense of belonging. Despite recent changes to the staffing structure they are very settled and have good relationships with their key persons and other staff. They show a positive approach to learning, engaging readily in the activities on offer. They develop a strong sense of fairness and good social skills as staff routinely reinforce the importance of sharing and being kind to each other. They also develop a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe as staff remind them about safety rules and why these are important. For example, they learn not to pull the basketball stand over as staff show them how to play with this safely and they learn not to stand on each other's feet as staff explain that they will get 'squashed'.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about good practices which lead to a healthy lifestyle. They enjoy healthy foods, such as melon, raspberries and kiwi at snack time, together with a pasta dish for lunch. They understand that these foods are good for them as staff routinely talk to them about healthy eating and they spend time with the cook and tending to their herbs and vegetables in their own allotment. Children develop good hygiene practices from an early age as even the youngest are taught to wipe or wash their hands carefully before eating. Older children relish the opportunity to freely play outdoors giving them plenty of time for fresh air and exercise. Children under the age of two are taken outside at least twice a day and also have outings in the local community. However, they do spend the majority of their time indoors which has some limitations for outdoor learning, fresh air and exercise.

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and outcomes for children

All children enjoy a good range of activities which cover all areas of learning. Books and mark making activities are available in each room as well as in some outdoor areas. Children enjoy snuggling up to staff to listen to a story and they develop early mark making and coordination skills by exploring shaving foam, paint and chalkboards as well as using crayons and paper. They watch keenly as staff draw pictures and write letters and words, which inspires them to copy and create their own marks. A range of equipment, such as post-it notes, diaries and clipboards help children to recognise that writing can be used for different purposes. Children with English as an additional language quickly develop a range of vocabulary as staff engage them in good quality interactions. Children develop problem-solving skills and learn about numbers as staff routinely talk to them about such concepts. They build towers from building blocks with lots of praise and

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and outcomes for children

encouragement from staff. They learn how cogs work and how jigsaw pieces fit together. They practise counting through everyday activities and through number songs, which staff sing with enthusiasm. They learn about the world around them This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 by accessing a wide range of materials. For example, babies and younger toddlers explore plastic bottles filled with a variety of objects and baskets filled with natural materials. They also help to look after their African snails and fish with support from staff. Older toddlers become engrossed in water play as they wash and shampoo their baby dolls and staff engage them in good quality discussions about how they wash their hair at home and the differences between curly and straight hair. Creativity is encouraged in all age groups and children are able to follow their own interests. An enthusiastic singing session in the older toddler age group

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and outcomes for children

encourages children to use musical instruments and to contribute their ideas of different animals, colours and sizes as part of the songs. In the pre-school age group, children are fascinated using brushes and water to paint on the ground and then decide to paint the windows. This inspires them to become 'window cleaners' and staff extend this play by providing sponges. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are able to fully integrate with such activities with positive and effective support from staff.

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and outcomes for children

Staff routinely observe children's progress and use these observations to plan further activities. Tracking sheets enable staff to check children's progress against the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance and to plan activities to fill any gaps. Care plans for every child detail their likes, dislikes, routines and preferences and these, together with ongoing information from home, help staff to reflect children's interests in the activities provided. 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 2 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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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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