Shepherd Lodge Day Nursery

Shepherd Lodge Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 309455 Inspection date 01/12/2011 Inspector Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones

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Setting address 166 St. Annes Road East, LYTHAM ST. ANNES, Lancashire, FY8 3HP Telephone number 01253 729 009 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

Shepherd Lodge Day Nursery is one of a group of three privately owned nurseries and offers care for children aged under five years. The nursery is set in a large Victorian detached house close to Lytham St Annes in Lancashire.

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Description of the setting

Care is provided in four small units, a baby unit for children aged under one year, that has a separate sleep room, a toddler unit for children aged one year to two years, a separate unit for children aged two to three years that has a separate art room and a pre-school unit that operates in a separate building. There are two enclosed outdoor play areas, one of which has some fixed equipment.

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Description of the setting

The nursery opens each weekday throughout the year from 8am until 5.30pm. There are 18 childcare staff and separate ancillary staff. All but one childcare staff have appropriate qualifications and the remainder is currently working towards this. The pre-school leader has teacher status, two staff have early years practitioner status (EYPS), one has a foundation degree and other staff are working towards higher level qualifications.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 50 children from birth to five years. Currently, there are 97 children on roll, of these 24 receive funding for nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are systems in place to support children who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilies. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA). The nursery is supported by 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

Children are actively welcomed and are cared for in the stimulating, inclusive and homely environment of the nursery. Outstanding safeguarding ensures that children's safety and well-being are effectively promoted. Staff generally plan for a wide range of activities that meet the children's needs, ensuring that they make good progress. Partnerships with parents and carers are excellent; they are included in all aspects of the nursery, including contribution to the self-evaluation process. Liaison with external agencies is extremely strong, providing a high level of support for all children attending the nursery. The management team has a clear vision and ambition for the improvement of the setting, which is having a positive impact on outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that a balance of child-initiated and adult-led play-based activities are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 planned for children  develop observation and assessment to identify learning priorities and to plan relevant and motivating learning experiences for each child.

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the early years provision

Children are very effectively safeguarded because staff have an excellent knowledge and understanding of safeguarding within the setting. Children's safety and well-being is rigorously monitored. Staff are well trained in safeguarding and are confident in the action that they would follow if concerned about any child attending the nursery. Recruitment and induction processes are excellent and ensure the suitability of staff working with the children. Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) documentation is now completed online, ensuring a timely response to applications. Daily risk assessments of the provision and the thorough annual updating of risk assessments and policies and procedures ensure that hazards are swiftly identified and swift action is taken to keep children safe. Children's records, policies, procedures and associated documentation are rigorously maintained and regularly updated. Children's individual needs are fully supported through the very

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the early years provision

excellent liaison with a wide range of external agencies which makes the nursery a fully inclusive provision for the children that attend.

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the early years provision

The owner and the management team have an ambitious vision for sustained improvement. The manager is relatively new to her post but the changes that have been implemented under her guidance have already begun to show a positive impact on the outcomes for children. Self-evaluation within the nursery is comprehensive and the nursery sets itself challenging targets for continuous improvement. Commitment to continuous improvement is evident and the nursery has completed the Local Authority Quality Assurance Award. Staff are well qualified and undertake continuous professional development, such as, Early Years Practitioner Status and degree level courses to improve effectiveness and outcomes for children. As a result, staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Action plans for future improvements are ambitious but realistic.

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the early years provision

The nursery environment is friendly and welcoming with exceptional security arrangements for entry to the nursery. The rooms are bright and airy and are maintained in good decorative order. All children are welcomed into the nursery and the provision promotes a positive image of the diversity of society. Resources and practices promote inclusivity. Partnerships with parents and carers are outstanding. They receive comprehensive information about the nursery and work with the staff to identify starting points when their child joins the setting. Regular parents' evenings ensure that they are kept fully informed about their child's learning and development. Effective two-way communication ensures that parents are fully informed of their child's progress. They are actively encouraged to contribute towards their child's learning and regularly complete questionnaires, providing feedback on the quality of the curriculum for children and the overall

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the early years provision

provision. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy attending the nursery and are making consistently good progress across all areas of learning, because staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. A range of stimulating activities are provided for the children and all children enjoy participating in these. For example, babies thoroughly enjoy playing with the natural objects in the treasure baskets. Older children are enthusiastic in following the dinosaur trail, counting the dinosaur prints until they reach the dinosaur eggs. Planning is generally good but does not always provide a balance of adult-led and child- initiated activities. Activities and themes are based on children's individual learning needs, interests and often to their next steps of learning. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and English as an additional language, have equal access to all resources and activities because the nursery

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and outcomes for children

provides fully inclusive care. Children who have an individual need are well supported by staff to help them to reach their full potential. Children progress to their next steps for learning as their development is linked to observation and assessment. However, many observations and assessments do not fully identify the next steps for children's learning, which limits planning. Children's learning journeys include observations and photographs of children at work and play. There are missed opportunities in some files to support observations with examples of children's work.

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and outcomes for children

Independence skills are effectively developed as the older children use the bathroom and put on their coats and gloves ready for outdoor play. Younger children are suitably supported by staff to develop skills, such as, pouring cups of water from the jug provided. There is no set snack-time, children self-select drinks and fruit at a time when they would like. Turn taking and resource sharing, such as print making with the paints, is encouraged by staff and children do this very effectively. Mark-making is much enjoyed by the children and they use a range of materials, such as, drawing on tree bark and over 'bubble wrap' to develop their writing skills. Skills of concentration and perseverance are well-developed through activities, such as, completion of a large floor jigsaw. Recognition of names is developed through self-registration. This has been developed by staff, introducing numbers to self-registration so that children also know how many children are at

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and outcomes for children

Children self-select resources and activities and particularly enjoy free-flow play. However, there are missed opportunities for younger children to access the art room and have to wait to go there as a large group. Staff support language development well and they involve themselves in activities when invited by children. They ask relevant questions to support and develop children's vocabulary with words, such as, paleontologist and gallimimus. The excellent and well-utilised outdoor areas encourage children to develop physical skills by using the range of climbing and balancing equipment that is available. They enjoy using the 'den' and the wooded area to develop skills of imagination. Outdoor campfires enable them to effectively and learn about fire as they toast their marshmallows. They do this safely and with great care. Children learn about the weather and the seasons as This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

they explore their immediate and wider environment. They learn about sustainability through planting and growing a range of plants in the outdoor area. Visits to the supermarket are well planned and children take their lists to purchase items for the nursery chef. They also visit the greengrocer to select and buy a range of vegetables which they consequently make into soup to have for lunch. The children are competent and confident in their use of the computer and interactive whiteboard and develop their skills using information and communication technology (ICT) in a range of contexts.

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and outcomes for children

Children feel and are kept safe within the setting, they are aware of the areas of the nursery that are accessible to them. Their health is effectively promoted. Behaviour is exemplary because staff are vigilant in modeling good manners and behaviour themselves. Food provided is healthy, nutritious and freshly cooked. The children regularly evaluate the menu and have made suggestions, such as, the fish pie being less fishy. The chef has responded to this by reducing the amount of strongly flavoured fish in the recipe. 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 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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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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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