Raddenstile Childcare Ltd T/a The Dolphin Pre School and Nursery

The Dolphin Pre School and Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY424607 Inspection date 04/01/2012 Inspector Julie Neal

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Setting address 5 Raddenstile Lane, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 2JH

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Telephone number 01395 272418 Email mel@dolphinnursery.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

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

The Dolphin Pre-School and Nursery registered in 2011. It is privately owned and is situated in Exmouth, Devon. The nursery is situated over two floors, and there is a large outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register, and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 52 children under eight years of age may attend at any one time. Of these, no more than 44 may be in the early years age range. There are currently 89 children in the early years age group attending at different times. The nursery receives early education funding for three and four-year-old children.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6.15pm all year round. There are 13 members of staff working with children, 11 of which have appropriate early years qualifications.

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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's individual needs are met well overall. Children make good progress towards the early learning goals because staff use their observations well to plan for each child's future development. Good relationships with parents enable staff to remain well informed about each child's needs. The setting has developed effective systems of self-evaluation that are used well to plan for future improvement. As a result, the setting demonstrates the capacity to make and sustain improvements that promote good quality outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop records of learning and development and provide parents with regular opportunities to contribute to these  improve children's access to resources that support learning about information technology.

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the early years provision

Excellent systems and procedures that help to safeguard children are implemented extremely well in the setting. As a result, children are kept safe and secure and are protected from harm. Recruitment procedures are extremely robust in order to make sure that those employed are suitable to work with children. All staff This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 complete safeguarding training. Their understanding of issues that may raise concerns about children's welfare is excellent. Good induction processes for new staff focus very well on safeguarding responsibilities. Risk assessment in the setting is of extremely high quality. Staff carry out extensive daily health and safety checks in order to provide children with a safe environment in which to play and learn. All records that support children's welfare are well maintained and policies and procedures that help to safeguard children are reviewed regularly.

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the early years provision

Staff are deployed well within the setting so that children benefit from good adult ratios throughout the day. This allows children greater flexibility and choice, for example, to play indoors or outside.

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the early years provision

Strong leadership and management in the setting has resulted in an enthusiastic staff team who work very well together to support children's individual needs. Staff training and development is promoted well in order to equip staff with skills to support individuals and groups of children. For example, staff have attended training to support the inclusion of children who are less socially confident. This has influenced how they plan to promote inclusion for all children. Processes of self-evaluation are good overall and result in action plans that focus well on improving outcomes for children. Observations from staff and feedback from parents are used effectively to make changes that benefit children. For example, following observations of children's use of the environment, an additional cloakroom was installed nearer to where younger children are based. This has enabled children who are beginning to understand their bodily needs to develop

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the early years provision

greater confidence in managing personal hygiene independently. Overall, children enjoy a well organised environment where they have access to a good variety of resources that support learning. For example, the good arrangement of toy boxes in the baby room encourages children under two years to safely explore and investigate the contents.

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the early years provision

Staff develop very good relationships with parents and carers. As a result, systems of sharing information to support individual needs are overall, good. Processes of keeping parents informed about their children include a secure on-line facility for accessing information, and hardcopy daily diaries. Both of these are used very well by parents to share information to make staff aware of changes to children's routines at home. There are currently no children attending the setting who also attend other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, the setting is aware of the benefits to children of partnership working and have considered how they will make links with other providers where it is appropriate to do so.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare, learning and development are promoted well overall. There is a strong emphasis on teaching children to understand how to conduct themselves safely and with consideration for each other. As a result, children demonstrate extremely good safety awareness, and an excellent understanding of how their actions can impact on each other. For example, older children having fun playing a variety of very energetic ball games are joined by younger friends. The older group This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 immediately modify their game so that younger children can join in without being overwhelmed. For instance, rolling the ball to each other instead of throwing, to give young children the opportunity to catch it successfully. Children use tools such as hammers and nails in construction projects and understand how to handle these safely and with control. Children make their own risk assessments and inform staff

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and outcomes for children

when they feel something is unsafe. For example, a child brings a toy that has been damaged and informs staff that it has a rough edge and 'someone might hurt themselves'. Children show their awareness of potential everyday hazards as they play. For example, children using the play kitchen to bake cakes remind each other that the dish in the oven will be very hot and to use a towel to remove it. During this activity, children also remind each other to wash their hands before handling play food. This shows that children are developing an understanding of the importance of good hygiene routines.

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and outcomes for children

Children of all ages show that they feel extremely safe and secure in the setting, and they demonstrate very high levels of self-esteem. Babies and very young children are extremely content. Excellent settling-in procedures help them to rapidly establish relationships with adults involved in their individual care. As a result, children confidently seek out staff for a cuddle when they feel tired or in need of comfort. This shows children feel secure and that their needs will be met. Children's behaviour is excellent. Children learn to take responsibility appropriate to their individual ages and abilities. For example, after playing with toys, very young children pass items to staff to put in the box. This also promotes children's developing communication skills as they identify the toy and are encouraged to repeat its name. Everyday tasks are used very well to encourage children to work together. For instance, two children are given responsibility to make sure different

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and outcomes for children

types of building bricks are put away in the correct boxes. The children take their responsibility seriously and work together very well to complete their task.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress towards the early learning goals, relative to their starting points. Overall, children's progress is monitored well. Staff use their good observations most effectively to plan for each child's individual development. Extremely good communication between staff results in all being aware of individual children's learning objectives and how to promote these. Systems of recording children's progress towards the early learning goals are generally effective and overall, reflect the progress children make. However, parents are not consistently involved in developing and reviewing their children's individual learning plans. Children are eager and confident learners who enjoy a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. For example, staff plan so that children have regular one-to-one time with adults to focus on specific learning objectives. Such as, looking at a book together to encourage children to tell a story

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and outcomes for children

in their own words. Children are actively encouraged to share their ideas for activities, and staff develop these well to extend children's learning. For example, children transformed an area of the premises into a shop. Resources were used well to equip the shop with food, clothes and a variety of items for sale. Staff developed this idea with children, using the computer to go online to compare different types of food stores and markets within their own and other cultures and communities. Children use the computer well for specific projects. However, the range of resources that encourage children's understanding of everyday This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 technology is limited in some parts of the setting. 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 3 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 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 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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