Victoria Day Nursery

Victoria Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 302874 Inspection date 07/02/2012 Inspector Abigail Cunningham

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Setting address 9 Victoria Crescent West, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S75 2AE Telephone number 01226 247444 Email sheilavdn@aol.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. 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

Victoria Day Nursery is privately owned and managed. It registered in 2000 and operates from two playrooms within a purpose built building. It is situated in the Pogmoor area of Barnsley, close to the town centre. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 42 children may attend the nursery at anyone time. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm, all year round. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 48 children on roll. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. The provision currently supports a number of children with disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 11 staff, all hold recognised early year's qualifications. The manager holds Early Years Professional Status and the deputy manager holds an Early Years Degree and is working towards gaining Early Years Professional Status. One member of staff is also working towards a Foundation Degree. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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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

The setting is highly committed to working in partnership with others and takes a lead role in establishing effective working relationships with parents and other professionals. The welfare of the children is promoted exceptionally well and is significantly enhanced by the settings policies, procedures and practice, which are implemented with a high level of consistency. Very proactive systems are in place, which lead to continued improvement. The children are making exemplary progress in their learning and development and the provision for developing their skills for the future is excellent.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide a comfortable seat for staff who spend a great deal of time cuddling and feeding babies.

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the early years provision

Positive steps are taken to safeguard children, for example, the staff team recently updated their safeguarding training. Effective procedures are in place for identifying any child at risk of harm and recording concerns. For instance, any This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 concerns are recorded and passed onto the safeguarding officer. Risk assessments for the premises and outings are regularly undertaken and reviewed and all potential hazards have been identified and minimised to ensure children's safety. The system for managing access to the premises is very good. This is because the risk of unauthorised persons being able to gain entry is minimised because key pads are in place and all visitors have to sign in and out in the entrance.

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the early years provision

The management team communicates high expectations to staff about securing improvement. As a result, they are very focused on helping all children to achieve as well as they can. Self-evaluation takes into account the views of parents, staff and other interested partners. For example, the pre-school room has recently been re-furbished and the menu was adapted after listening to the views of parents. Future improvements are well placed to bring positive outcomes for children. For instance, these include building even better links with other childcare providers and continuing to take part in 'the perfect practitioner programme'.

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the early years provision

The setting takes positive steps to ensure resources and the environment are sustainable. For instance, they help the children use the recycle bins and provide lots of used products to incorporate into their art work, such as catalogues. The environment is warm and welcoming. Activities are very inviting and babies and young children explore their surroundings with great interest. A good range of age- appropriate toys, furniture and equipment is in place, which mostly meets the children's individual needs, such as wooden toys. However, a comfortable seat is not available for staff who spend a great deal of time cuddling and feeding babies.

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the early years provision

The staff team have created an extremely inclusive environment in which to care for the children. They are fully aware of the children's backgrounds, individual needs and starting points. Practitioners are very experienced in working with children who have disabilities. They are all provided with opportunities to update their skills and knowledge on a regular basis by attending training courses, such as British sign language and labelling. There are very effective and well-established channels of communications between all partners involved with individual children, which successfully promotes their learning, development and welfare. For example, regular meetings are held with parents, other professionals and individual education plans are fully implemented. The staff hand deliver transition reports to local primary schools and accompany children on visits, in order to positively promote the transition from nursery to school. The nursery is also taking part in

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the early years provision

the local authority quality improvement programme, which involves sharing information, good practice and ideas with other settings in the local area.

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the early years provision

The nursery manager has recently received an award presented by the Barnsley Parent and Carer Forum in recognition of 'going above and beyond'. This award was given after the setting was nominated by a parent for going beyond the call of duty to meet the individual needs of her child. The parents are extremely well informed about all aspects of their children's achievement, well-being and development. For instance, regular parents meetings are held, to share information about each child's progress and current interests. Parents also receive information via daily sheets, notice boards and verbal feedback from the staff. This highly inclusive system of communication ensures that there are consistent and productive partnerships with parents. As a result, children make positive progress This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 across all areas of learning.

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the early years provision

All children are valued and engage in a wide range of activities and experiences, which helps them to value diversity. For example, one of the parents came into the nursery to do Indian dancing with the children. The children very much enjoy being taken out into the local community, for example, to visit the park and library. They recently had fun making flags and going along to meet Prince Charles. Therefore, the children are developing a very positive attitude to others and an excellent understanding about the wider world and local community.

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and outcomes for children

The children receive a very good range of healthy and wholesome meals. These are made on site by the nursery cook, such as chicken casserole and mashed potatoes. The children successfully develop their self-help skills as they are encouraged to serve their own lunch. Babies and young children are extremely content and settled because their individual health, physical and dietary needs are met to an exceptional standard. As a result, they enjoy their food very much; they settle down quickly for a sleep and have formed close attachments to staff.

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and outcomes for children

The children have innovative opportunities to engage in a wide range of physical activities. For instance, the pre-school children choose when they would like to play outside and have access to waterproof suites and can play out in all weathers. The children set their own challenges and manage their body to create intended movements, such as digging in the mud with the spades. More-able children enjoy the challenge of walking along balancing beams.

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and outcomes for children

During settling in visits, parents support the staff in identifying their child's starting points on entry to the nursery. They also keep the nursery staff fully informed about their child's achievements and current interests. As a result, the children are provided with an excellent and interesting range of activities, which are primarily based on their current interests, such as camping. Assessment and monitoring through high quality observations is rigorous and the information gained, is used very effectively to identify the next steps in learning and guide planning. Tracking systems clearly demonstrate how the children are making rapid progress in their learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very interested in technology and know how to use the mouse, to interact with age appropriate software. The children grow, harvest and eat herbs and vegetables. They are also given opportunities to observe and handle creatures such as snails and tarantulas. As a result, the children are developing an excellent knowledge of the natural world. Children know how to use various tools and equipment, for example, the pre-school children enjoy cutting with scissors, mixing paints and the babies enjoy making marks with chunky pencils.

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and outcomes for children

The staff are extremely good role models and give the children much positive praise and attention. As a result, the children's behaviour is exemplary, for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 instance, they share, take turns, use good manners without being promoted to do so and enjoy helping to tidy away the toys. Children are keen to participate in activities and are proud of their achievements, for example, the pre-school children keenly show that they can use sign language.

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and outcomes for children

Babies and young children delight in singing songs such as 'row, row, row your boat' and 'twinkle, twinkle, little star'. Young children listen attentively to stories and take turns in conversations. For example, while listening to 'mud walk', the children were able to correctly name the different animals and the various sounds that each one makes. More able children can link sound to letters and recognise and write their own name. They can name and recognise shapes, colours and numbers. Children can confidently count from 1-20 and backwards from 10-0. They enjoy solving simple mathematical problems, for instance, while setting the table for lunch. All of these activities develop children's skills and contribute to children's future economic well-being. 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 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 2 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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