The Tree House Children's Centre

The Tree House Children's Centre Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY422483 Inspection date 11/08/2011 Inspector Sharon Waterfall

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Setting address Gregory Croft House, Fen Road, East Kirkby, SPILSBY, Lincolnshire, PE23 4DB Telephone number 07500 709579 Email jane@thetreehousechildrenscentre.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

The Tree House Children's Centre is a committee run day nursery and out of school club and was registered in 2011. It operates from a former school building in East Kirkby, near Spilsby, Lincolnshire. The nursery serves the local area, has strong links with various local schools and is accessible to all children. Each room has its own fully enclosed outside play area and in addition a large play ground and field for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The Tree House Children's Centre opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 5.30pm. Out of school sessions operate term time from 3.15pm until 5.30pm and in school holidays from 8am until 5.30pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 56 children may attend the Tree House Children's Centre at any one time. No more than 12 may be under two years. There are currently 16 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The Tree House Children's Centre also offers care to children aged over five years to 14 years. The nursery provides funded early education for three and four year olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

The Tree House Children's Centre employs four members of child care staff who hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and at level 3 or above. It 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 outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Individualised planning for each child ensures that children's welfare and learning are promoted with great success. Their starting points are used to help them progress towards meeting their full potential. Children are extremely safe and secure, they are strongly motivated to learn and thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery. Highly effective working partnerships with parents, local schools and other providers are a significant factor in meeting children's needs. Reflective practice is at the core of the nursery and ensures plans for improvement are targeted at the overall ethos of the setting and meets the needs of those attending.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 improve the regular cycles of planning and review for adult-led, play based activities This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff are exceptionally vigilant regarding children's safety and put into place comprehensive procedures to ensure their welfare is protected. Risk assessments are completed thoroughly to ensure any risks to children are minimised. The management seek advice and guidance from specialist services with regard to the outdoor area and activities to ensure children's safety. Rigorous recruitment is in place to ensure staff's suitability to work with children. Most staff have attended safeguarding children training and all have a secure understanding of safeguarding issues. Staff are clear of their responsibilities to protect children and ensure procedures are correctly followed if required. The group has a robust written safeguarding policy, a designated member of staff for safeguarding plus local safeguarding contact details to refer to, should they have concerns about a child.

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the early years provision

The highly dedicated and competent management and staff work as an effective team and this is a key strength at the nursery. They are motivated and enthusiastic and work tirelessly to support the children well and to ensure the smooth running of the nursery. Staff are involved in all aspects of self-evaluation ensuring there is a consistent vision for future improvements. The committee are very experienced within early years, education and management fields. They are, therefore, able to actively support the manager and staff in achieving excellent outcomes for children. Regular meetings and a strong emphasis on training encourages all staff to reflect on practice and evaluate the provision. The nursery fosters staff's professional development exceptionally well providing training opportunities for many staff through work based qualifications, training events and in-house training sessions. Consequently, staff use their own initiative, are open to

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the early years provision

new ideas and embrace change, resulting in inclusive practice that is responsive to the needs of the children.

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the early years provision

The nursery is strongly committed to equality and diversity, highly competent and caring staff work cooperatively to care for the children and to support their individual learning and development needs. Inclusive practice is actively promoted and each child's individuality is embraced and valued. Close liaison is developed with other childcare or health professionals, if required, to promote a consistent and well informed approach. Staff and resources are deployed effectively so that children make independent choices based on their own interests. Exemplary documentation is in place to support children's welfare and signed, written consents are in place to ensure they are cared for according to their parent's wishes. Clear, written policies are comprehensive and work well in practice. All records are securely kept and accurately maintained.

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the early years provision

Parents state that they feel there is a strong partnership between the staff and themselves. They feel they are respected as the primary care giver and that their opinions and knowledge of their child is sought. The information is acted upon to support an excellent consistency of care for the children. A fantastic range of information is made available to parents to ensure they are always up to date with their child' progress and events at the setting. A specific parent's room is in place This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 that enables parents to wait in comfort for their children, they can access refreshments, policies and procedures, talk to staff and have a wealth of childcare information to use as a resource should they wish to do so. In addition, parents receive information about their children through daily activity sheets, discussion, learning files and frequent newsletters. A social networking site has been used to

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the early years provision

give parents humorous but informative snippets of daily activities at the setting each day, it is interactive with some parents adding their own comments. Partnerships with local schools, other settings and advisory teams are just as strong and help children in their transitions and to adopt consistent childcare practices.

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and outcomes for children

Children are extremely happy and relaxed at the nursery, they are confident and assured in the light, airy environment which has been very well adapted for their safety, choice and comfort. They form positive and trusting relationships with staff and one another and interaction is predominantly fun and spontaneous. Children are developing positive self-esteem and are very confident communicators, freely approaching and talking to staff and visitors. Staff get to know the children very well and are sensitive to their needs, for example, relationships are extremely warm and caring with constant attention being given to young babies. Children's independence is fostered throughout the nursery as they take part in activities that give them a thorough sense of belonging, such as, preparing snacks, growing their own foods and planning their own activities.

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and outcomes for children

The nursery promotes a healthy lifestyle to children as part of its ethos and does so extremely well. The vast outdoor space is used as an outdoor classroom and children freely flow inside and out, even in the baby room. The outdoor area is highly stimulating offering children a range of activities that are so different from what they can achieve indoors. This provides an extra dimension and facilitates an enjoyment of learning for all children in a diverse format, with both active and quiet activities available in all weathers. Fresh air and exercise are guaranteed continuously as children go about the business of play. Wellington boots are almost a uniform item at the nursery and children know to change them before they come inside. The spread of infection is minimised in the baby room as it is requested that outdoor shoes are removed before walking on carpet areas. A high emphasis is placed on healthy eating and foods are cooked in the nursery daily and

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and outcomes for children

at times from vegetables and herbs grown in the gardens. The children find out about where food comes from, how it grows and are encouraged to taste their harvest through child-friendly menu's such as, potato wedges and vegetable soup.

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and outcomes for children

As the nursery has not been running long, planning and assessment systems are constantly reviewed as staff try to devise one that supports their very creative and problem solving curriculum. Children's spontaneous achievements are recorded and staff use these to plan their next steps immediately, so learning is always very current and based on children's interests and helps them to extend what they can do. Links to the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) are secure and demonstrate This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 how well the children are progressing. Planning is flexible and staff are knowledgeable of the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage), many activities are child-led and older children enjoy the ownership in their learning that this gives them.

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and outcomes for children

Problem solving activities are often of a very practical nature within this nursery and give children real life skills as they work through the scenarios. For example, children want to move the grass cuttings from the field into the wicker wigwams and begin to do so by hand. A staff member suggests there maybe other ways of doing so and the children eventually use a wheelbarrow with great success. The children work out which pots are the best to collect the rainwater that cascades off the awning roof and thoroughly enjoy working out which is the best consistency for the mud pies they make. The children have use of real equipment such as tools and use them to take apart a range of electrical items such as keyboards and old television sets. They are able to explore the many different parts that make up the whole thing and learn about how things work. When asked what they will do with the parts older children stated that they 'could make something else'

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and outcomes for children

demonstrating that the activities are very open ended and often lead to new learning. Mark making skills are used for meaning as children draw what the weather is like each day at their circle time, enjoy chalking on the pavements and use empty pea pods to create new shapes and designs. A wind-up gramophone enables the children to learn about different forms of power and how technology has changed and moved on through history. They also listen to different music as they hear brass bands being played on vinyl records. There is a 'book of the week' which is read to the children repeatedly, this ensures that when the book goes back onto the book shelf the children are familiar with the story and can use their knowledge to 'read' for themselves. Babies also have opportunities to explore their environment using everyday equipment such as crawling through large cardboard boxes instead of plastic tunnels.

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and outcomes for children

Staff promote a caring and respectful environment and consequently children's behaviour is extremely good. They all adopt a positive, respectful approach and have realistic expectations, helping children make a positive contribution to life. Children are all encouraged to think about personal safety topics as they use tools and play outside. Children learn about difference through resources and posters around the setting that depict children from around the world taking part in recognisable activities. The staff have assessed children's play opportunities and have given regard to developing opportunities for boys within certain play areas. All children are fully included and the wide range of activities and individualised planning ensures all children progress extremely well towards the early learning goals. 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 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 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 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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