Allexton Day Nursery

Allexton Day Nursery Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY347961 Inspection date 22/02/2012 Inspector Alex Brouder

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Setting address West End SureStart Children's Centre, Catesby Street, Leicester, LE3 5PB Telephone number 0116 2252230 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

Allexton Day Nursery Ltd was registered in 2007 and is run by a limited company. It operates from the West End Sure Start Children's Centre in Leicester where they have sole use of three rooms, with limited access to other areas dependent upon use by other groups. The setting also provides creche facilities for children aged under 8 years. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register to care for a maximum of 30 children at any one time. It is open each weekday from 8am until 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. There are currently 75 children aged from birth to five years on roll. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 17 members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. It is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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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 and uniqueness are acknowledged and supported, leading to children making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The highly motivated and skilled staff team work extremely well with parents to ensure that they have an excellent awareness of each child's individuality. As a result, children develop strong relationships with each other, their peers and staff, and are highly motivated in their play. Effective organisation of the environment and resources within it, ensures children are cared for in a nurturing setting where their safety and security is assured. Overall, documentation required to support children's health, care and well-being is in place. Robust procedures for monitoring practice and supporting staff in attending a range of training ensure that the capacity for continuous improvement is very strong.

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further?

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

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further?

 explore further the systems used for observation and evaluation of planning so they can be applied more consistently to inform the next steps for individual children  develop the procedures for inducting staff into the setting to ensure that records are in place to show how and when this was completed, including evacuation procedures and health and safety issues. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff have an excellent understanding of safeguarding issues and all have received training in this area. Consequently, children are very well safeguarded and protected from harm. Staff recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse and speak knowledgably of the action to take should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. In addition, vetting procedures ensure that any person working or having contact with children is suitable, and excellent staff-to-child ratios and supervision are maintained, supporting children's well-being. However, the current induction procedure lacks clarity as to how and when staff were informed of the policies and procedures, which may lead to gaps in their knowledge of these. All documentation required to support and maintain children's welfare and well-being is in place and stored confidentially. Robust risk assessments for the premises and any outings children participate in are in place and reviewed, ensuring that all areas children

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the early years provision

The provision is very well led and managed, and the staff team work cohesively to ensure that the needs of all children and their families are understood and met to the best of their ability. All staff take an active part in reflecting on improving practice to continually improve the service they offer and the outcomes for children. All recommendations raised at the last inspection have been addressed, leading to improved outcomes for children. Resources and activities are used well to enable children to make independent choices in their play and learning; consequently, children are continually engaged in play. Tracking of children's development is effective overall, and has identified the need to enhance skills in language and communication. The nursery is already involved in a project to this end and staff training is ongoing. Equality of opportunity and promoting diversity are at the core of what the nursery strives to achieve. Children's cultural needs are

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the early years provision

recognised and celebrated to enable them to gain a sense of their own identity. For example, recently the nursery celebrated 'doughnut day', which is a Polish tradition. In addition, some staff speak more than one language, supporting the needs of children who have English as an additional language. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well supported as staff work closely with outside agencies and attend additional training before children attend, enabling them to offer support from the start of the placement.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents and carers are excellent and staff take time to get to know the children and their families before they begin at the setting, enabling children to settle quickly and for parents to feel confident in leaving them. In addition, some children receive home visits before they attend, which the staff comment has enabled them to more effectively identify children's needs. Regular formal and informal feedback ensures that parents are kept up to date with their child's progress as well as their general well-being. Parents are given ideas on how to support their child's learning at home; for example, taking story sacks home, and they speak highly of the supportive staff team, commenting that their children settle quickly and that all staff are helpful and have helped their children to develop. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children's health is promoted well. They develop an awareness of their own bodies as they engage in outdoor play each day, with most children having free access to the outdoors at all times, promoting their health and well-being. Their physical skills develop well as they have opportunities to climb, walk, run and explore, and extend their abilities as they ride bikes, skilfully manoeuvring these in all areas, and as younger children pull themselves up to standing and use push-along toys to develop their mobility. All children wash their hands before snacks, after messy play and when they have used the toilet, limiting the risk of cross-infection. All foods offered to children are cooked on site and comprise of a balance of all food groups. Children have access to water at all times to maintain their hydration, and older children pour their own drinks to support their independence. Children's safety is very well supported through regular fire drills and walks in the locality,

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and outcomes for children

introducing them to how to cross roads safely. Children's awareness of their own safety is very good as they handle and use a range of indoor and outdoor equipment safely and with ease.

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and outcomes for children

Children make very good progress in their learning and development due to staff's good knowledge, understanding and implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage, along with good organisation of areas that enable children to initiate their own ideas freely and easily. Key workers know the children very well and take time to speak with parents before children begin, enabling them to offer an environment tailored to their needs and individuality. Regular photographs and observations support children's learning and development, and overall next steps are planned using this information. However, systems of observation and evaluation of planning could be developed further so they can be applied more consistently to inform individual children's next steps. Children have many opportunities to instigate their own play and ideas, and most children readily enjoy messy play, exploring their senses as they do so. For example, they play with jelly

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and outcomes for children

crystals and shaving foam, mixing them together, sniffing the mixture and squelching it between their fingers. Children create freely with a range of materials and resources, such as, paper, pencils, paints, soil, shaving foam and glue. Their work is displayed around the setting, promoting their sense of belonging.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy books and have easy access to these in all areas of the setting, viewing them with staff or unsupported. In addition, the pre-school children 'read' the books they have made with staff linking to various trips and activities, such as horse riding, strawberry picking and planting in the garden, further supporting their communication skills. Children's whose language is not yet secure are able to communicate their needs to staff through the use of various picture clues, and a visual timetable ensures they know and understand the routines of the day. Children enjoy songs and rhymes, and staff actively support this, dressing up, acting out songs and encouraging the children to join in with them. Children behave very well, receive high levels of attention and are engaged in interesting activities. Consequently, they respect their peers and adults, play happily and understand the rules for working together.

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children begin to problem solve in all they do; for example, as they work out how to press the right switch to 'pop up' the animals, place the appropriate piece into the puzzle and stack the blocks. They have very good access to a range of technology and battery operated toys, such as a computer, cause and effect toys and musical toys, and all age groups handle and use these well. The setting's attention to sustainability is developing as they have a recycle bin in the pre-school area which they encourage the children to use, explaining what can be recycled and why this is important. Excellent opportunities for children to learn about the needs of others and the wider world are promoted through toys and resources which depict diversity and promote inclusion. Children begin to explore shape and number as they handle and use a range of shape sorters and construction toys,

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and outcomes for children

and sort items into size and quantity, such as coloured pencils and animals. Counting is encouraged in all that children do, such as how many chairs are at the table, how many pieces of fruit they can have and how many children are standing on the ledge. Children's imagination is good and they engage in a range of role play, such as the 'hospital', using dressing up clothes and doctors sets to support this. 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 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 1 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 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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