Little Star Nursery

Little Star Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY425701 Inspection date 31/08/2011 Inspector Timothy Butcher

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Setting address Elm Hayes Surgery, Clandown Road, Paulton, BRISTOL, BS39 7SF Telephone number 01761 413155 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

Little Star Nursery opened and was registered in 2011 and operates from the Community Room in Elm Hayes Surgery, Paulton, Bristol. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm all of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of nine children in the early years age group may attend the nursery at any one time. There are three members of staff who work directly with the children and all hold a level 3 qualification. Two members of staff are working towards a level 5 qualification. There are currently nine children on roll all under two years.

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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

Babies and young children are happy, settle very easily and thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery. They make good progress in their learning and development overall because activities are usually planned well to match their individual learning needs and assessment processes are secure in general, although there is some variation. Children considerably benefit from the good quality interactions with the skilled and committed staff team. Secure relationships with parents and carers ensure the individual needs of children are very closely met and there is good continuity of care for children. Children enjoy a safe environment in which to play and their welfare is successfully promoted. There is a clear commitment to the continuous improvement of the provision and this leads to improved outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the use of outside areas to enable children further opportunities to freely explore, use their senses and be physically active and exuberant across all areas of learning  develop the use of observational assessment to gain further consistency when identifying children's next steps in development and use this information to inform the planning of appropriate play and learning experiences  increase children's easy access to a good range of resources to support their independence and ability to exercise choice. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The staff have a clear awareness of safeguarding issues and know how to protect children because there are secure procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child. All staff working with children have been suitably checked. The nursery carries out thorough risk assessments of the premises and potential hazards to children are successfully minimised. Comprehensive policies and procedures ensure the smooth and safe running of the nursery. Babies and young children demonstrate they feel safe in their surroundings.

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the early years provision

The nursery competently promotes equality and diversity as levels of engagement with parents and carers are well established and this results in a good knowledge of each child's background and clear identification of their care needs. Day-to-day information about the care arrangements is shared through discussion with staff and this provides good continuity of care for children. Children's progress is regularly shared. The nursery has gone to good lengths to involve parents in their children's learning within the nursery such as through an open day messy play session. Information from home is effectively shared through the use of 'Wow' statements completed by parents. The nursery has begun to appropriately establish wider partnerships with other providers in readiness should children attend more than one setting.

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the early years provision

Equipment and resources are of general high quality and used well to achieve the planned goals in learning and development. Resources although adequate are not always sufficient in number to offer children extensive choice or easy access during self-initiated play. The quality of the provision when children use the outside area is variable and this sometimes limits their enjoyment. A plan is in place to develop additional open ended, natural resources for children when outdoors.

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the early years provision

A committed staff team works well together to drive improvements in outcomes for children. Evaluative processes provide an accurate diagnosis of the strengths and weaknesses of the setting. Actions taken are well targeted and carefully planned to bring about continuous improvement to the early years provision. The nursery is taking suitable steps to ensure resources and the environment is sustainable.

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and outcomes for children

Babies and young children make good progress towards the early learning goals in most areas of learning. The staff team has a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of child development. The overall system for the observation, assessment and planning for children's progress is secure and based on children's interests. Well presented individual learning diaries and developmental summaries record children's individual progress well. The information gained from the assessment process is not always used consistently and this sometimes limits the good progress that children make. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Babies and young children strongly benefit from the warm interactions and sensitive support of the staff. Children show a strong sense of security and belonging within the setting. Babies settle well and respond very positively to the

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and outcomes for children

adults around them with smiles and happy gestures. They confidently explore their surroundings, excitedly crawling and reaching as they test their skills. Attentive and alert staff are on hand to encourage their safe play. Well organised routines help all children to begin to form secure attachments. For example, the personal care of children is met well through the key worker system and children are kept content and amused when having their nappies changed by their key worker. Children's health, physical care and dietary requirements are well met.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy and achieve because the learning environment is made attractive and they thoroughly enjoy the experiences provided for them. For example, learning diaries show children enjoying the feel of a wide range of different textures such as gloop and spaghetti. They experience the feel of paint on their feet and hands. Children are encouraged to explore with all their senses, for example, a child cosily sits and tries hard to coordinate their arm movements to hit a bowl with a brush from the treasure basket. They listen carefully to the sound they make and giggle with pleasure as the member of staff touches the brush against their skin. Children make good progress in their language and communication skills because the setting closely tracks children's progress in this area. Staff keep up high levels of interaction with children to promote responses from them. Children are encouraged to communicate through words, facial

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and outcomes for children

expressions and gesture. Babies thoroughly enjoy the close physical contact and as a result are confident and show pleasure when exploring the environment around them, demonstrating the beginnings of a positive disposition towards learning. Many resources, although not all, are low-level for children to self-select.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in their physical development because they move freely within the nursery room. The learning environment is well organised and free from hazards. Children go outside each day to get fresh air and to be active. In general, while a good range of resources is often made available to children when outside, it does not always provide rich experiences for children across each area of learning. This currently limits their enjoyment and learning. 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 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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