Building Blocks

Building Blocks Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 306356 Inspection date 01/12/2011 Inspector Chrissie Pittman

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Setting address Grayson, 67 Prenton Road West, Prenton, CH42 9PZ

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Telephone number 0151 609 1049 Email buildingblocks@hotmail.co.uk 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

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

Building Blocks was registered in 1997 and is privately owned and managed. The nursery operates from a converted detached property in the Prenton area of the Wirral peninsular. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and occupies the whole of the ground floor and the enclosed back garden. The setting is fully accessible to all children and their parents and serves the local area.

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Description of the setting

It is registered to care for a maxmimum of 40 children in the early years age group at any one time. There are currently 49 children on roll. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. The setting is open five days a week from 7.30am until 6.30pm all year round, with the exception of Bank Holidays. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are a team of nine staff, including the manager, who work with children, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications or are working towards these. One member of staff has a foundation degree and has Early Years Professional Status. The setting is supported by the early years local authority team and an advisory teacher.

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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 in this homely environment because staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. A wide range of activities, most of which are informed by observations of children's progress, are thoughtfully prepared to encourage children to develop new skills. Good relationships between providers and other agencies are developing well to ensure individual children's needs are met, while efficient safeguarding systems promote their welfare. The owners have a clear vision for the nursery and use self-evaluation as a tool to identify areas for further development. They have successfully developed close relationships with children, and partnership work with parents is a strength of the nursery, ensuring all children's welfare is effectively promoted.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure observations across the six areas of learning support continuous assessment of children's progress across the full range of their capabilities. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff are well trained in safeguarding procedures and have effective systems in place to manage any concerns they may have about children in their care. Comprehensive policies such as child protection, risk assessments and arrival and departure procedures, are in place to fully safeguard children. Staff are appropriately vetted to ensure they are safe and suitable to work with young children. This means that children are confident to confide in adults and behave in ways that are safe for themselves and others. Very good procedures on safeguarding enable staff to effectively promote children's well-being, including parents completing personal documentation regarding allergies. Staff carry out effective risk assessments, and emergency evacuation plans are practised regularly so that children know what to do in an emergency.

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the early years provision

Staff are knowledgeable about the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this skilfully to support children in their learning. The environment is very well organised and accessible to the children. For example, the division of the age- related rooms into learning zones with activities reflecting the six areas of learning means that children are able to make good progress in moving around freely and self-selecting easily reachable resources. Managers and staff are very reflective and are continually looking for ways to improve the provision by setting ambitious targets. They have addressed previous actions and recommendations promptly and positively. For example, they have improved the monitoring of planning substantially and there is now a good balance between different activities. Nursery education has also been improved through the staff piloting the 'Every Child a Talker' initiative to encourage early language development.

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the early years provision

Partnership working is good. Staff value the role of parents by listening to their comments and wishes. For example, parents wanting to take their child's learning journey home to show grandparents. Good quality information is shared with parents through termly meetings to discuss children's starting points and subsequent progress. Parents are very supportive of the staff in their verbal comments. Partnership work with others is also good as staff develop working relationships with other health professionals and local early years settings to ensure continuity of care so that transitions are managed efficiently. Staff actively promote equality and diversity by effectively supporting children's language, communication and social skills so all can participate and communicate equally. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make very good progress. This is because systems allow for the identification of a child's needs for

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and outcomes for children

Planning and assessment has been reviewed and successfully implemented, ensuring that arrangements meet the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Parents see their child's key person to discuss This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their child's progress regularly. The continuous provision successfully covers the six areas of learning and daily plans reflect children's interests and individual learning needs. Staff have a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage through their qualifications and subsequent training. This enables them to support children's learning and development effectively. Children's individual profiles appropriately include their starting points, assessment and the 'Development Matters' framework. Although profiles have some observations informing the next steps in learning, this has not been fully developed to demonstrate whether

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and outcomes for children

children are achieving to the best of their capability in every area of learning. Overall, children are making good progress given their individual starting points

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and outcomes for children

They enjoy learning about diversity and inclusion through routines and discussions and by celebrating various cultural events. This is because the staff use resources and activities effectively to promote an understanding of diversity. All children are happy, confident and secure as they enjoy their time at the setting. Most are inquisitive learners as they enthusiastically explore all play areas. These areas, both inside and out, are well organised so as to develop children's learning. Well- stocked treasure baskets enable babies to enjoy exploring natural materials and experience feeling textures. Staff have positive relationships with the children because they respond to their needs, interact effectively with them and promote sustained thinking well. For example, by encouraging children to harvest pears and make pear crumble or imaginatively supporting them to be 'puppets' wearing hats and socks as gloves.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop an early appreciation of books and stories as the book corner is welcoming and well resourced. Children enjoy sharing stories with each other. Staff provide a rich environment for communication, language and literacy through early reading initiatives, mark making activities, stories and descriptive conversations with the children. As a result, children are very confident talkers and use good descriptive language. For example, they talk about how they grow things in the garden and the different fruit they like to eat.

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and outcomes for children

Children's behaviour is very good as staff are effective in creating an environment that values consideration of others. Consequently, all children behave well and feel valued. Staff successfully combine traditional activities with contemporary play, for example, children enjoy playing in the dark den and listening to traditional stories. Parents join in by bringing in their child's achievements to be recognised. The outdoor garden area provides an exciting environment for children to play with paint or experiment with water activities. Children are confident in their physical and technological skills as they use a range of outdoor play equipment with ease.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health and safety is good as staff ensure that children know about their own personal hygiene and how to be safe in the setting. Being healthy and staying safe are promoted well through daily routines, such as hand washing before snacks. Nappy changing procedures effectively safeguard both children and staff. Managers ensure cross-infection is minimised. Children who have an accident or are unwell are competently supported by the well-trained staff. Children demonstrate good social skills and independence. For example, at snack time they set their own places, pour their own drinks and clear up their plates afterwards. Snacks are healthy and nutritious. Children know fruit is good for them, and there This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 is constant access to fresh drinking water to ensure that they remain hydrated at all times. Overall, children's health and well-being are very effectively promoted.

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and outcomes for children

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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