Safe Haven Day Nursery

Safe Haven Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 253270 Inspection date 05/03/2012 Inspector Bernadette Cooley

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Setting address 61a High Street, Mansfield Woodhouse, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG19 8BB Telephone number 01623 480554 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

Safe Haven Day Nursery is a privately owned nursery. It opened in 2000 and operates from a converted barn in the centre of Mansfield Woodhouse in Nottinghamshire. The nursery has a ground floor and a first floor. There are three areas within the nursery where children are cared for in groups according to their age and level of ability. There is a large pre-school room situated on the ground floor together with bathroom facilities. On the first floor are rooms for babies and toddlers up to two years, as well as dining room and kitchen facilities. There is a large outdoor play area which is separated into two areas to provide for different age groups.

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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 44 children at any one time. There are currently 85 children on roll who are within the early years age range. Children attending come from the local and surrounding areas. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm. It is open all year round, closing only for Bank Holidays and for one week over the Christmas period. The nursery employs 12 members of staff, all of whom hold a relevant early years qualification, together with five support staff.

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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

This is a very strong setting. The active and purposeful curriculum is delivered by dedicated, warm and caring staff who are sensitive to children's individual needs and who work very well as a team. Children enjoy their time at the setting as robust relationships have been established and partnerships with parents and carers are excellent. Comprehensive planning and assessment strategies are in place which ensures that children make excellent progress towards the early learning goals. The manager and staff have a shared vision and drive towards high standards in all areas. Evaluation procedures correctly identify priorities for development, including further development of the outside area, which indicates a strong capacity to improve.

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further?

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

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further?

 enhance the outside area to cover all the areas of learning  extend self-evaluation procedures to fully involve all users of the setting. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are well-protected because staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures. They are aware of the possible signs of abuse and know what to do if they have concerns about a child, also all adults are suitably vetted. Children are further protected as the staff team keep the premises very secure and supervise the children closely. The nursery has suitable recruitment procedures in place and staff qualification requirements are exceeded. Detailed risk assessments are carried out to provide a very safe environment. Robust documentation, procedures and detailed record-keeping promotes the safety and welfare of the children and ensures the efficient management of the provision.

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the early years provision

Children are happy and settled in the nursery. This is because their needs are met through strong relationships with familiar staff and well-established routines. This enables children to feel secure and valued. All staff are very knowledgeable about how young children learn and they work well as a team. Good quality resources are available to enable activities to be planned to meet children's individual learning needs. Staff are consistent in their practice and have high quality interactions with the children, asking open-ended questions to encourage their communication and critical thinking skills. As a result, children use their time purposefully and make excellent progress towards the early learning goals. Children are warmly welcomed and are valued for their uniqueness as committed staff ensure they are fully included in the life of the setting. Equality and diversity is routinely celebrated throughout the nursery and a range of resources are being

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are excellent and this is a strength of the setting. Staff ensure parents are extremely well informed of the activities their children enjoy and how this supports their progress, through in-depth feedback at the end of each day. This is further enhanced through regular parent's evenings and comprehensive written information and assessments of children's progress. A regular newsletter helps to keep parents informed and suggestions are made about how learning can be extended at home. This is exemplary practice. Parents are invited to contribute to development ideas for the nursery through questionnaires and a suggestions box is available. Links with local schools are excellent and support for children through the transition process is particularly effective as all staff are mindful of children's additional needs at this time. The transition arrangements, which the management team has worked hard to

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the early years provision

establish, fully ensure outstanding continuity and support for all children.

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the early years provision

The management team has a clear vision and is highly motivated to continue to seek further improvement. Good evaluation systems are in place to identify priorities and regular staff appraisals are in place. Views of parents are also regularly sought. However, not all of those involved in the setting currently have opportunities to contribute to this evaluation for this practice to be truly embedded. The provision has a strong capacity to improve which will enhance outcomes for children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children thoroughly enjoy their time in this setting and individual starting points are identified through observations. Effective systems support this process, such as, information from parents and the use of large white boards to note observations and track children. These are then analysed and next steps are identified to inform planning. This means children make excellent progress towards the early learning goals. Activities are planned on a daily basis taking account of children's interests and regular topics are also planned to support children's learning. There is a good balance of child-initiated play and adult-led activities which cover all the areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop excellent early literacy skills because the staff ensure they have lots of high quality experiences. For example, children routinely have access to good quality books and in small group time are enthusiastic about listening to, and retelling familiar stories. They laugh with enjoyment and delight as they turn the pages and lift the flaps guessing what comes next. Staff use finger puppets to good effect to keep young children focused and make this experience enjoyable. Excellent learning experiences are provided for babies in the warm, homely baby room. For example, materials are provided which promote sensory exploration and toddlers are encouraged to explore their immediate environment. Babies communication is fostered through high quality interactions with staff who use singing, tone of voice, and eye contact to good effect. Children develop skills for the future as they are constantly supervised yet are given good opportunities to

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and outcomes for children

explore, use tools and make discoveries for themselves through a range of sensory activities. Children explore shapes and identify them in the environment and opportunities for counting arise from planned activities and spontaneous play. Information and communication technology skills are developed as children use the computer and a range of other toys which require them to have an input to make them work. As a result, children are confident, active learners and are developing important social skills such as sharing and taking turns.

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and outcomes for children

Children are excellently supported to develop their understanding of good health. Home cooked, nutritious meals are prepared on site and children sit at attractively presented tables to eat their meals and snacks. Staff use this time to teach children about the importance of a healthy diet for their well-being. Outside play is given a high priority and children access a range of climbing and balancing equipment which develops their physical skills. Staff talk about the benefits of fresh air and activity with them and are enthusiastic about further developing this area to cover all the areas of learning and become an 'outside classroom'.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave extremely well and are kind and considerate to their peers. The staff have very good strategies in place for managing behaviour, which are appropriate to the children's ages and stages of development. Staff are excellent role models and consistently praise the children for behaving well, ensuring children know exactly what it is they did so they can repeat 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 1 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 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 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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