West Silvertown School

Bright Beginnings Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 126993 Inspection date 26/09/2011 Inspector Claire Parnell

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Setting address Dering Way, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 2JJ

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Telephone number 01322 629641 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

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

Bright Beginnings opened in 2004, having moved from other rooms within the college site. It is set in the grounds of the North West Kent College, in Gravesend. The nursery is owned by the college. The nursery offers full day care on weekdays from 8.15am until 6pm and serves students attending the college and the public, and is open all year round. An after school club runs from 3.15pm until 6pm during term times and a holiday play scheme runs from 8.15am until 6pm attended by children up to 11 years old. The nursery is registered for 66 children under the age of eight years and is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. There are 122 children on roll. The nursery provides free early education to three- and four-year-olds. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. The

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Description of the setting

holiday play scheme was not observed during this inspection.

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Description of the setting

Fifteen staff work directly with the children and all are qualified to National Vocational Qualification at level 3 or above. The nursery is a Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA) associated group and receives support and training from the local authority.

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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

The nursery promotes most of the children's unique welfare and development needs the majority of the time. Children are progressing well within the Early Years Foundation Stage due to the staff's knowledge of promoting all areas of learning for all ages and stages of development. The nursery works in close partnerships with the parents and other agencies. Parents are encouraged to feel part of their child's time at the nursery. The nursery liaises well with other agencies through the college and local authority to promote continuity of care for children. The nursery has good intentions and continuously improves the provision for children and their families, and the impact of changes is evident in most areas in which it is needed.

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further?

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

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further?

 maintain the systems for observing, assessing and planning for children's individual development throughout the time they attend  develop further the systems for monitoring the impact of new procedures and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their effect on outcomes for children  manage the use of temporary staff to provide more consistent experiences for children in the toddler room

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded well. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to check the suitability of staff working with the children. All staff attend up- to-date training and have clear knowledge of procedures to follow to report any concerns that may arise. A thorough risk assessment is carried out regularly by management as well as daily checks by all staff to provide a safe and secure environment for children both indoors and outdoors. All relevant documentation is recorded such as attendance, accidents and medication to promote children's welfare at all times. A designated health and safety officer monitors documentation, such as, accident records to make changes within the environment in order to keep children safe.

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the early years provision

The nursery as a whole is fully committed to driving improvement. Regular staff meetings are used to share new practices and vision for the future. Action plans are drawn up by all staff to identify strengths and areas for improvement. On some occasions, some identified areas for improvement are not actively monitored to provide more effective outcomes for children. The nursery has taken into consideration all the recommendations from the last inspection and has met the majority of them. The nursery also acts upon advice from the School Improvement Partnership and uses additional inspections and visits to enhance outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

The nursery has a wealth of resources, activities and equipment accessible to children both indoors and outdoors. All the resources highly promote the areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff actively share new skills and knowledge gained through training and encourage new practices throughout the nursery. Overall staff deployment is very effective within the nursery, but has recently been a challenge within the toddler room, where the use of temporary staff has made it more difficult to provide consistent experiences for children.

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the early years provision

Equality and diversity is promoted well in the nursery. Staff are fully aware of children's backgrounds and celebrate these by valuing their home languages through posters and displays. Children learn to converse in different languages due to staff's knowledge and expertise. Resources positively reflect today's diverse society, helping children to reflect other people's differences positively through their play. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well.

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the early years provision

The nursery has close professional relationships and works well with parents and carers of the children attending. They spend time talking to them, reassuring new parents as their children settle and inform them about their day when they are collected. Parents have access to a wealth of displayed and electronic information, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 helping them to gain insight into their children's experiences at the nursery. They are invited to a few evenings where they are presented with information about specific aspects of care and development, for example, forestry schools and the unique story system for recording and sharing information about their child's development. The nursery has also established good liaison with other professional agencies. There are good communication systems to provide consistent approaches to children and their family's needs and to support children's welfare.

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the early years provision

There are strong links with other settings to share good practices and information to enhance outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff provide a varied, stimulating and exciting range of experiences for all children. Regular staff know the children well, creating a warm and friendly environment for the children to thrive in. Children show intrigue and interest in most activities and make choices of resources stored in appropriately accessible shelves and cupboards. Most children are happy and settled, although at the time of the inspection a large number of children were settling in to the due to their parents starting courses at the college. Staff actively reassure children who are settling through hugs and cuddles and use information gained from parents about their particular care needs and routines. For example, a settling baby likes to snuggle up with a fluffy dressing gown and is quickly soothed when she becomes anxious and upset.

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and outcomes for children

Some children self-register, finding their name on the board and then settle into the activities provided for them. Children work well on their own and learn to cooperate with their peers through role play games in their 'den'. Others prefer to play on their own making choices to explore the mark making resources and experimenting with coloured crayons. Children experiment with making marks, from using tools to develop their dexterity skills such as scooping cereal, to writing their name and using their written names for a purpose. Children thoroughly enjoy books. Younger children spend long periods of time turning pages and pointing to the pictures as the story is read to them by staff. Older children talk about the stories that they are familiar with and use the pictures as prompts to re-tell the story to staff. Young children experiment with technological toys, testing out the buttons and repeating sequences to make lights flash and noises sound. Babies

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and outcomes for children

explore malleable materials such as shredded paper, putting their hands in first and then climbing into the box pushing their feet into the masses of ribbons of paper. All these activities and experiences help to support children skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

A successful and effective planning, assessment and observational system is in place in the nursery that clearly identifies and tracks individual children's progress and targets their future development. However, this system is not always This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 implemented for the few children who remain at the nursery during the school holidays, although staff continue to have a good understanding of their developmental needs.

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and outcomes for children

Children have a good understanding of keeping themselves safe in the nursery. They understand the rules and boundaries of each room and adhere to safety instructions such as waiting outside the door so that staff can count them back in to ensure they are all present. Children demonstrate an understanding of acceptable behaviour and manners which results in safe play by asking adults to move their chairs so that they can get through, using polite and well-mannered language. Children help each other to tidy up and remind each other where activities belong. Children ask for help, knowing that they cannot reach the high shelves to put puzzles away.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health and well-being is promoted well in the nursery. From an early age children learn about good hygiene practices, washing their hands before eating and after nappy changes. Older children relish the hand washing routines, learning to get the soap themselves, push the taps and use the hand dryer. They receive good explanations from staff about the importance of drying their hands properly. Children have access to fresh drinking water, as well as milk and fruit at snack times. A permanent cook provides freshly prepared meals for all the children, taking into careful consideration the children's dietary requirements for allergies, religious requirements and intolerances. 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 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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