Happy Days Nursery St Minver

Happy Days Nursery & Pirates Club, St Minver Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY342450 Inspection date 14/11/2011 Inspector Ruth Thrasher

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Setting address St. Minver School, Rock Road, St. Minver, WADEBRIDGE, Cornwall, PL27 6QD Telephone number 01637 882160 Email sarahkarkeek@happydaysnurseries.com Type of setting Childcare - Non-Domestic 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

Happy Days Nursery and Pirates Club St Minver is one of a chain of nurseries run by Happy Days Southwest Ltd. It opened in 2006 and operates from a purpose- built building in the grounds of St Minver School in the village of St Minver, near Wadebridge in Cornwall. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area and use of the adjacent school playing field. There are separate rooms for babies and children over two years. The building is single storey with ramp access to the front. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks 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 30 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 52 children aged from birth to under eight years on roll, and 39 of these are in the early years age group. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The

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Description of the setting

Pirates Club provides out of school care in the nursery for children under eight years who attend St Minver School. There are five members of staff, all of whom hold early years qualifications to at least Level 3 and two are qualified to Level 4. The manager and another member of staff are qualified in Montessori education. The nursery provides funded early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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

Children make excellent progress in their learning and development due to the dedication and professionalism of a very strong staff team. Key strengths of the nursery are the highly effective partnership with parents and carers and strong links with the local primary school. Thorough self-evaluation of practice enables staff to identify areas for development and demonstrates an exceptional capacity to continue to improve. The environment indoors and out is mostly very well planned and equipped with high-quality equipment to support children's learning. The staff's detailed knowledge of the individual children ensures that the nursery is very effective in meeting children's individual needs.

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further?

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

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further?

 enhance the outdoor area to further increase opportunities for children to freely explore and use their senses across all areas of learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

There are extremely robust systems in place to ensure the safety of children in the nursery. Comprehensive vetting and thorough induction procedures ensure that adults working with children are suitable and remain suitable. All staff complete regular training in safeguarding and are very aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse and the procedures to follow should they have concerns. Health and safety has the utmost priority and thorough safety checks are completed at the beginning and end of every day. Very detailed risk assessments are completed for all parts of the premises, outings, activities and resources. Any potential hazards are immediately addressed, for example the decking has recently been painted with non-slip paint. Staff are passionate about their work and committed to providing the highest quality experiences for children. They attend regular training to enhance their skills and knowledge. The nursery makes very effective use of self-evaluation to reflect

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the early years provision

on practice and identify priorities for improvement. For example, they have changed the organisation of the age groups to provide more continuity for the children as they progress through the nursery. Written self-evaluation is a working document and staff regularly update this and include their priorities for improvement. All children make excellent progress because the activities are sensitively planned to meet their individual needs. Very effective support is provided to ensure that children settle well in the nursery and any additional care needs are supported. Staff have exceptional knowledge of each child's background and needs. They make sure that cultural diversity is valued and recognised and obtain additional resources to support this. All staff have trained in sign language and use this to support communication with the children. The nursery has recently purchased new high quality equipment and resources to

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the early years provision

support children's learning, including a range of Montessori equipment. The layout of the rooms has been changed to improve the areas of continuous provision, including more areas for open-ended play. Staff regularly review the children's use of the different areas to ensure their learning is effectively supported. For example, they kept the home corner as a vegetable shop because the children were enthusiastically extending their role play into 'home deliveries'. Parents and carers speak very highly of the quality and commitment of the staff. They have many opportunities to be fully involved in their children's learning and contribute observations from home to help identify their child's next steps. Parents and carers receive regular information about their child's progress as well as the policies and procedures of the nursery. Their views are regularly sought on the running of the nursery. Well-planned open days are held at weekends when staff

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the early years provision

share activities with parents, such as how to make treasure baskets. There is excellent support for transition to school and highly effective links with reception teachers. Children join in some activities with the school, such as outings and 'Wake and shake' sessions. Highly effective partnerships with external agencies ensure that children receive effective support for any specific needs. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children thoroughly enjoy their time in the nursery, feel extremely safe and grow in confidence and self-esteem. Their behaviour is exemplary as they respond to the positive encouragement of staff. Staff use observations of the children extremely effectively to ensure that appropriate activities are planned to meet their individual learning needs and interests. All staff are aware of each child's next steps and are therefore able to support them very effectively. Children's achievements are celebrated and staff use this information to make sure that activities are suitably challenging so that children make excellent progress. Babies are very well supported in a small group where they receive lots of individual attention and feel happy and secure. Staff have excellent knowledge of how children learn and develop and provide developmentally appropriate activities to reflect children's individual learning styles. Children throughout the nursery

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and outcomes for children

choose from a range of high quality resources and initiate their own learning. For example, books in the baby room are stored in boxes with rails so babies can pull themselves up and select a book. Children confidently access the equipment in the 'Practical life' area and use it independently. One child went straight to this area on arrival and set up the equipment for an activity transferring objects, developing fine motor skills and concentration. Children have many opportunities outdoors to extend their learning. They get very excited when they watch a tractor in the neighbouring field, which develops their knowledge of the world around them. The outdoor play area is mainly decking but there are planters and areas where children dig and grow things. Plans are in place to develop some aspects and the accessibility of the outdoor areas to further enhance this aspect of the provision. There is excellent support for children to develop skills for the future. They use the

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and outcomes for children

computer independently and play with technology toys. Staff use well targeted, open-ended questions to encourage children to solve problems and confidently use mathematical language. Children develop a very good understanding of how numbers relate to objects and were able to predict how many bears would be on the next page of the story. Babies receive lots of support to develop language skills. Staff sing songs and nursery rhymes to them whilst they explore the sounds of musical instruments. Older children learn to link sounds and letters as they listen for the letter sound for their name. Staff plan exciting ways to extend children's learning. For example, children made perfume out of rose petals and used a variety of small tools. They learn to play safely through guidance from staff in routine activities. They take care of younger or less able children and look after their environment by putting things away.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn to keep their bodies healthy through exercise and diet. Waterproof suits are provided so they can enjoy fresh air whatever the weather. Children learn to appreciate diversity in society and their own culture, for example by learning a few words in the Cornish language. 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 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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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