Little Ducklings Day Nursery

Little Ducklings Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY426979 Inspection date 31/08/2011 Inspector Anne Faithfull

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Setting address Campbell Road, Woodley, READING, RG5 3NA

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Telephone number 01189272822 Email nursery@littleducklingsdaycare.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. 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

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

Little Ducklings Day Nursery registered in 1995 and was taken over by the present owners in 2006. The owners re-registered in 2011, when they became a limited company. The nursery operates from its own premises that are adjacent to Southlake Infant and Primary School in Woodley, Berkshire. There is a secure enclosed garden for children's outside play. Children come from local surrounding areas and attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is open five days a week from 8am to 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 48 children under eight years may attend the nursery at any one time, all may be in the early year's age group. There are currently 60 children on roll; of these, 15 children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery employs nine staff and eight, including the manager, hold relevant childcare qualifications; one staff member is currently working towards a suitable qualification.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are happy, settled and enjoy their time at the nursery. Staff recognise the uniqueness of each child and ensure they all feel valued and included. Overall, children are making sound progress in their early learning and development. Staff are aware children learn through play and provide an appropriate range of activities and experiences. There are a range of policies and procedures to promote children's welfare; however, not all staff consistently follow these to ensure all areas of the nursery and resources used are clean and safe. Systems are in place to evaluate and monitor the nursery; currently these do not include the views of the staff, children and parents to help identify areas that require further development to improve the outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 promote children's independence skills in everyday routines especially meal times and hygiene routines  make sure all staff consistently follow the safety and hygiene policies and procedures in place to ensure the cleanliness and safety of furniture, equipment and the environment  develop the systems for self-evaluation further to identify the nurseries This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 strengths and areas for development, for example, in relation to seeking the views of staff, children and parents.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded, as staff are aware of the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child in their care. There are suitable systems in place to ensure that staff are suitably qualified and appropriately vetted. Staff participate in an appraisal system, which helps to identify and highlight any future training needs and their ongoing suitability to work with children. A range of risk assessments are in place and include a daily safety check to be completed in all rooms. However, not all staff consistently follow the procedure in place to complete these checklists, to ensure the rooms are clean and any hazards identified and minimized before the children arrive. Staff demonstrate a sound understanding of emergency procedures. The emergency evacuation procedure is practised with the children on a regular basis, to ensure they are all aware of the steps to take.

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the early years provision

A range of suitable resources and equipment is available for most children to independently access when they require. However, some resources and equipment in the rooms used by babies and younger children are not cleaned on a regular basis or suitably displayed to appeal to young children.

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the early years provision

Equality and diversity is suitably promoted within the nursery. Resources promoting diversity are accessible to the children, for example, books and dressing up clothes that reflect different cultures. All staff respect and value each child's uniqueness and each child has the opportunity to participate in the activities and experiences provided. Systems are in place to support children who have English as an additional language or with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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the early years provision

Staff develop a positive partnership with parents. They are kept informed of events taking place in the nursery via a notice board in the entrance and the nursery newsletter. A daily dairy and verbal feedback from staff keeps parents informed on how their child has spent their day and gives them an opportunity to share any information or concerns. Parents make positive comments about the nursery. These include how happy their children are at the nursery and the information they receive regarding their child's development. Partnerships with other settings are developing, for example, teachers from the nearby school come into the nursery to visit the children. This helps to ensure children's transition to school is a smooth and positive experience. The manager and staff welcome support and guidance from the local authority early years advisor, to help them improve the outcomes for children. The owner and manager have systems in place to evaluate and

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the early years provision

monitor the nursery. However, they do not seek the views of staff, children and parents so they can contribute to identifying strengths and areas for improvement to ensure the continuous development of the nursery. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy to come into the nursery and readily leave their parents. They have developed secure relationships with the staff and each other. Staff respond and recognise children's spontaneity; for example, when a child enthusiastically points to a cat outside in the garden all the other children and staff go to the window to take a look. Staff use this opportunity to extend children's learning by talking and asking them questions about the cat. Staff are aware of how children learn and develop through play. They use their childcare knowledge to provide children with a range of appropriate activities and experiences, which ensure they make progress in their learning and development. Each child has their own key person and learning journal file. Regular observations are undertaken and staff effectively link these to the areas of learning covered and use them to identify the child's next step in their learning. The journals contain lots of photographs and

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and outcomes for children

examples of children's work. They are readily shared with parents to help keep them informed of their child's progress.

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and outcomes for children

Children are beginning to develop skills for the future as they use a range of electronic toys and computers. Older children help plant and grow a range of fruit and vegetables, such as lettuce and tomatoes. They help to pick and take them into the nursery, so all the children in their room can taste the items they have grown. All children enjoy participating in a range of creative activities, for instance, play dough and paint. Some items of children's work, such as tissue paper bumble bees and pictures made from various materials, are displayed. This helps children develop a sense of belonging. Children enjoy listening to stories. They look at books on their own or sit down with a member of staff, who reads the story to them. Staff extend and support children's understanding by asking appropriate questions about the story, such as name and point to the animals. Older children use their imagination well as they participate in a range of role play situations.

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and outcomes for children

They make cups of tea or pretend they are going to bed when staff put a large duvet out for them to use. Staff encourage children to count in a variety of ways, for example, during everyday routines or playing board games where they begin to recognise and count the numbers on the dice.

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and outcomes for children

Babies are beginning to explore. Staff ensure there is free floor space to enable them to crawl and walk around the room. Staff encourage babies to begin to make sounds. They sit on the floor with them and use facial gestures, smiles and sounds to encourage the babies to respond and copy their gestures. Most children are confident. They readily approach visitors and talk to them, for example, they talk about the pyjamas they are wearing and tell the visitors the names of the other children in the group. Children behave well and respond to the praise and encouragement given by members of staff. All children are beginning to learn to share and take turns and some help staff to tidy away the resources. Children are beginning to learn about the lives of others and different cultures. They celebrate a range of special events, such as birthdays. Children dress up in different costumes and wear items of jewellery that parents have bought in to help all children

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and outcomes for children

celebrate a specific festival from their culture. Children who are moving onto school readily participate in a pyjama day with the rest of the children in their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 group, to celebrate their time spent at the nursery. Staff readily talk to them about their time in the nursery and how much they will miss them but look forward to seeing them in the school playground. Outings in the local community, such as walking to a nearby park, enable the children to become familiar with their local environment.

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with a range of freshly prepared home made food, which is nutritious and appealing. Effective procedures are in place to identify any child with allergies or specific food requirements. However, older children's independence at snack and meal times is not encouraged as staff put most of the food on their plates. Staff ensure babies are fed in a secure and comforting way and there are suitable nappy changing procedures in place. Older children are beginning to be aware of the hygiene routines in place and readily wash their hands before snack and meals. However, younger children are not encouraged to begin to wash their hands independently; they cannot access the soap and paper towels when using the child height basin in their room. Sleeping babies and toddlers are regularly checked and older children can rest and relax when they require. Children's physical skills are encouraged. They join in stretch and grow sessions and play in

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and outcomes for children

the garden on a range of outdoor equipment. Children are beginning to be aware of their own safety through gentle reminders from staff; for instance, not to throw the shredded paper they are playing with as it may go in their eyes. 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 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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