Twinkle Cottage Day Nursery

Twinkle Cottage Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY427294 Inspection date 22/09/2011 Inspector Lynn Reeves

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Setting address 115 Fratton Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 5AJ

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Telephone number 07825270352 Email lorraine.gahagan@ntlworld.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

Twinkle Cottage Day Nursery Limited registered in 2011 and operates from a converted detached property in the Fratton area of Portsmouth in Hampshire. Children have access to several base rooms and a fully enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is one of two provisions owned by the same organisation. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of Childcare Register to care for a maximum of 48 children in the early years age group. Currently there are 36 children on roll, of these 15 are in receipt of educational funding. Opening times are 7.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday 51 weeks of the year. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language. There are five members of staff and the owner who work directly with the children, all of whom hold a relevant child care 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 are making good progress in their learning and development and enjoy a variety of experiences within the well-organised environment. Staff plan activities that are fun and interesting across most areas, however, resources covering all areas of learning are still being developed. The nursery has good partnerships with parents of children who attend, which ensures that staff are able to identify children's individual needs. Most policies and procedures are implemented effectively. Systems are being developed to evaluate the nursery's own practice which demonstrates that they have a good capacity to improve for the benefit of the children.

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further?

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

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further?

 extend opportunities for children to investigate natural objects to help them to make sense of the world and fully promote their physical development to travel around, under, over and to balance  promote the procedures for children to consistently adopt healthy habits, with particular regard to hand washing.

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Safeguarding children is prioritised. Recruitment procedures are robust and ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Staff have a clear understanding of safeguarding children; they have a good understanding of child protection issues and ensure children are well supervised at all times. A good range of policies and procedures is implemented. Documentation and records are completed to ensure children's health and safety needs are well met. Any accidents or administration of medication is appropriately recorded and staff are aware of any health or dietary issues children may have. The nursery has CCTV monitors and good procedures to ensure all visitors to the site sign in and out. Thorough risk assessments are in place to keep children safe.

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the early years provision

All staff are qualified and continually attend training to update their skills and knowledge. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the early learning goals; this ensures the children progress well in all areas of their learning. The nursery welcomes all children and is able to provide support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language. Effective multi-agency working, the sharing of information with parents and the uptake of training opportunities helps to ensure good outcomes for all children. Staff evaluate what works well and are continually monitoring and identifying areas for improvement.

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the early years provision

The nursery is light, bright, colourful and welcoming to both children and their parents. Examples of children's artwork and creations are displayed, developing their sense of belonging and achievement. Equality and diversity are promoted well. Children are provided with an inclusive environment and learn about valuing each other's differences. Staff organise the learning environment effectively and ensure that children can move freely and gain easy access to the good range of interesting resources. The children have access to the resources and materials within their own base rooms that are suitable for their age and stage of development. These are stored at a low level and labelled to encourage the children to make their own choices. However, there are limited natural resources and outdoor play equipment. These have been identified as something the nursery can develop further, to ensure activities and learning experiences fully support all

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the early years provision

children's interests and the next steps in their learning.

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the early years provision

The setting communicates well with all parents, enabling them to work together in partnership. Staff spend time getting to know the children and their families before they start attending and they discuss and record the children's welfare requirements in detail. Records include information about the children's favourite things, sleep routines, dietary requirements and any medical, cultural or religious needs. Parents are provided with information displayed on a notice board, through consultation, questionnaires and regular newsletters. The key workers make themselves available to talk to parents and further information is shared via home link books. There are systems in place to share information with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage; this helps to ensure the children's care, play and learning in one setting complements another. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children play and learn in an exciting and stimulating environment. Children are confident and purposeful in their play. Staff provide good support and interaction during activities and are developing a good working knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Younger children are becoming confident and good staff support helps them settle. The babies enjoy the block painting activity, dipping their hands in the paint and making marks. They are starting to develop very good early learning skills as they mimic the staff washing the paint off the table tops and attempt to put on their own socks. They carefully negotiate the steps on the small slide, laughing and giggling as they slide down the chute. Staff give the babies lots of hugs and cuddles and continually praise them for their efforts and achievements.

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and outcomes for children

All the children particularly enjoy playing outside where they run around playing hide and seek games, dig in the sandpit and kick footballs. During creative play, they are able to experiment with the texture of dough and enjoy other art and craft activities. Children enjoy listening to stories, pointing to some of the characters as the staff member turns the pages and often predicting what might happen next. They are developing recognition of familiar words as they self register and enjoy using the pens, pencils, crayons and chalks to make marks. They thoroughly enjoy making different noises with the musical instruments; they bang drums, blow flutes and shake maracas. Children sit well during circle time and actively take part in singing songs and acting out the actions to their favourite nursery rhymes, such as, 'Incy Wincy Spider' and 'Wind the Bobbin'.

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and outcomes for children

Children are beginning to count and solve problems, which successfully supports their early mathematical learning. They develop their physical skills as they run around the garden, although there is lack of ride on toys or equipment to fully promote children's larger muscle control. Children use their imaginations well as they play in the role-play area; they enjoy dressing up and pushing the dolls around in prams. Children are beginning to investigate and to look at similarities as they play with small plastic bugs; looking at them through magnifying glasses to see how many legs or spots they may have. However, there are no natural resources on display to encourage children to look at every-day objects or to use their senses. Children's social skills are developing well and are promoted by staff, who regularly praise the children for their achievements.

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and outcomes for children

Staff spend time observing the children at play and record what they can do. They collate the information to identify the children's individual next steps. They plan a wide range of activities and experiences to ensure that children continue to make consistent progress this successfully promotes learning and development. Children behave extremely well and are polite and kind to both their peers and adults. Children are beginning to value themselves and respect differences in others as they talk about how other children live or learn about festivals celebrated in other countries. Children with additional needs, or who have English as an additional This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 language are identified and well supported both within the setting and by calling upon external professional help.

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and outcomes for children

Children are aided in keeping themselves safe and healthy. Most children have free flow access to the outdoor area, though this is optional and they can stay inside if they wish to. The babies are carried outdoors several times a day to benefit from fresh air and physical development. The children practise fire drills and staff regularly model behaviour, for example, demonstrating what might happen if they leave their chair out instead of tucking it under the table. Staff generally implement effective hygiene procedures across most of the nursery to help prevent the possible spread of infection. For example, each child who needs a rest has individual, clearly labelled bedding. Staff also wear disposable gloves and aprons and ensure the whole nappy changing area is clean. However, in the pre-school room, the children were not all reminded to wash their hands before eating their snacks. Healthy eating is actively encouraged and parents are requested to provide

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and outcomes for children

their children with healthy lunch boxes. The nursery provides a cooked tea and the children have many opportunities to try different types of fresh fruit and vegetables at snack times. Lunch boxes sent in from home have their contents checked and appropriately stored in the fridge. All staff are fully aware of children's dietary needs. Children enjoy their time at the nursery, building warm and friendly relationships with one another as well as the adults around them. They are able to direct their own learning, experimenting and solving problems as they use the resources and interact with their surroundings. 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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