Happy Hours Private Day Nursery

Happy Hours Private Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY277855 Inspection date 14/11/2011 Inspector Jane Wyncoll

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Setting address Moresby Woods, Low Moresby, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 6RS Telephone number 01946 591 000 Email 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. 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

Happy Hours Private Day Nursery, Moresby Woods has been registered since February 2004 and is a limited company. It is situated in a rural location near to the village of Moresby and serves families in the surrounding area. Children are cared for in two connecting nursery buildings. An enclosed outdoor area is used as well as a large open wooded area. The nursery is open from 7.30am to 5.45pm on Mondays to Fridays for 49 weeks of the year.

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Description of the setting

The nursery may care for up to 64 children in the early years age group, of these no more than 15 may be under two years at any one time. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 72 children on roll who attend for a variety of sessions. Funded nursery education places are at present provided for 17 children. The nursery also provides for children up to eight years during school holidays.

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Description of the setting

The nursery currently supports children with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities and supports children who speak English as an additional language. The company employs eleven childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate Level 2, 3 or 4 childcare qualifications. The owner holds Early Years Professional Status. The nursery is a member of Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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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 cared for in a welcoming and inclusive setting where their overall needs are appropriately met and a range of suitable learning opportunities indoors and outdoors is provided. Children make steady progress and observations of their learning are made, but these are not used effectively to inform planning. Children are generally kept safe and secure, although risk assessments do not cover all outdoor areas and activities. The nursery builds strong partnerships with other professionals to support individual children with specific medical or learning needs. Partnerships with parents are generally positive and supportive, although they have few opportunities to contribute to their children's learning and development records. Staff engage in completing a self-evaluation form to identify their areas for improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve risk assessments to ensure they cover everything with which children may come into contact, including the woods and all parts of the outdoor area This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  involve parents in contributing to children's learning and development records as part of the on-going observation and assessment process  ensure that all planning starts with observing children in order to understand and consider their current interests, development and learning  provide storage which ensures resources are accessible for all children to access independently including those under three years.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded because required policies and procedures are in place and followed appropriately. Effective vetting and recruitment procedures ensure staff are suitable. Staff have current training in safeguarding and paediatric first aid so they know what to do if they have concerns about a child and how to deal with minor injuries and accidents. Children's records and registers are carefully kept. Most aspects of the provision are assessed to make sure they are safe and secure. However, some outdoor areas that children access do not have comprehensive risk assessments to make sure hazards are kept to a minimum. Consequently, children's safety is not fully protected when using some areas in the outdoor environment.

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the early years provision

The nursery has a sufficient range of equipment and resources which are deployed appropriately in the different age group rooms. Staff have a sound knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and provide opportunities for both adult-led activities and children's free play. However, storage of resources does not always facilitate independent access to equipment for the younger children. There is continuity of adults in each room and key persons develop supportive relationships with their children. Care is taken to support children in their transitions between rooms. The management of the nursery show they have the capacity to implement improvements. They consult staff in the self-evaluation process and undertake staff appraisals regularly to identify training requirements and improvements to practice. They utilise the support of the local authority in helping them to develop their practice. For example, advice is sought in making and monitoring recent

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the early years provision

improvements to the pre-school environment.

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the early years provision

There are strong partnerships between the nursery and other professionals who work together to provide for the medical and learning needs of particular children, in close consultation with their parents. All parents are welcomed into the setting and know who their child's key person is so they can discuss any issues or difficulties. A daily diary provides information about their children's routines and welfare and nursery open days offer a chance to discuss their progress. However, parents do not have the opportunity to view or contribute to their child's records on a regular basis. Therefore, they do not share fully in their children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

The setting values each individual child and has clear policies to ensure equal opportunities. They know how to adapt activities to meet children's individual needs. Children are supported to respect each other's differences in their play and families are involved in sharing their cultures and festivals with all the children. For This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 example, parents share their cultural foods, clothes and decorations with the children.

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and outcomes for children

Children make steady progress towards the early learning goals through a range of appropriate activities. They develop their imaginations and have opportunities to talk about their families which supports their social development. For example, children create family boxes around a photo they have brought from home. They are developing sound physical skills using tools and implements appropriately as they stick collage decorations on the box. In the pre-school room children develop skills to support reading and writing as they identify words that begin with different letter sounds and draw and paint freely. Children develop mathematical concepts as adults talk with them about the number of pieces of chalk they have chosen. Babies and toddlers show they are learning to be curious as they open bags and press buttons. They begin to talk or learn new words because adults share books and pictures with them. Staff observe children's learning and development

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and outcomes for children

regularly and identify possible next steps for them to take. However, as these are not currently used to inform the planning of activities, learning opportunities do not always match individual children's interests or stages of development. Consequently, children may not make as much progress as they possibly could.

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and outcomes for children

Children show a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. This is because they take part in a wide range of physical activity including being outdoors regularly and participating in soft play sessions. Healthy meals and snacks are provided and children learn good personal hygiene as they talk about why they wash their hands before eating and brush their teeth after meals. Adults help children learn about keeping safe as they support them in using real tools in the pre-school room. They remind children to be careful as they climb stairs and not to run as they go down the hill outside. Children in the nursery generally behave well and adults are quick to support children to resolve conflicts when they occur, in line with their behaviour policy. Children take part in fire drills and visits from the local police and fire service. So they develop an understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing skills for the future as they participate in fundraising activities for nursery and local charities. Children develop independence. For example, they are provided with opportunities to be a 'room helper' and hand out the snacks to their friends. Pre-school children use appropriate programmes to draw or complete puzzles on the computer which develops their understanding of technology. 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 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 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 2 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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