Little Owls Nursery Middleton Laurel Bank

Middleton Children's Centre Daycare Under 3's Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 512410 Inspection date 21/03/2012 Inspector Linda Shore

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Setting address Laurel Bank Site, 100 Middleton Park Avenue, Leeds, LS10 4HY Telephone number 0113 2714706 Email maureen.brett@leeds.gov.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.

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as 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

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

Middleton Children's Centre Daycare Under 3's is owned by Leeds City Council and was registered in 2011. It operates from a purpose-built single storey building in Middleton, on the outskirts of Leeds. The nursery serves the local area and has strong links with the school. The nursery is accessible to all children and there are three fully enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 40 children may attend the nursery at any one time all of whom may be on the Early Years Register. There are currently 41 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery provides funded early education for two year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 11 members of child care staff, including a qualified teacher. One staff member is qualified to level 2, all other members of staff hold relevant level 3 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 are making good progress in their learning and development as staff have an effective understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children's safety is of high importance and they are safeguarded well. Self-evaluation is developing well and targets for improvement are well thought out and the setting has a good capacity to maintain continuous improvement. Partnership with parents and others are excellent and have a positive impact on outcomes for children. The required documentation is in place and policies and procedures are implemented effectively to improve children's health and well-being.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure risk assessments cover anything with which a child may come into contact.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded well. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the possible signs of abuse and know the correct reporting procedures to follow if This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 they have any concerns about a child. Robust recruitment procedures are followed and all staff have been appropriately vetted. Very good risk assessments are in place. Daily checks of the nursery ensure hazards are effectively minimised and children play in a mostly safe and secure environment, However, on the day of the inspection not everything with which a child may come into contact was included in the checks.

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the early years provision

Effective methods for self-evaluation and monitoring of children's progress are in place. Target setting is ambitious and achievable and staff are encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge by increasing their qualifications or attending training on a variety of topics, for example safeguarding, and speech and language support. The vision of the nursery is shared and staff are committed to their own professional development and to providing high quality care that meets children's individual needs. Resources are deployed extremely well, providing children with an environment in which they have choice and independence in the activities they select. The outdoor environment provides children with an excellent variety of play and learning opportunities in all weathers. Children with special educational needs or who speak English as an additional language are well supported by staff who gain all the necessary information to meet their individual needs.

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the early years provision

Excellent partnership working with other professionals, such as, speech therapists, health visitors and family outreach support ensures that a coherent approach to children's individual needs is fostered and they are all given opportunities to reach their full potential. Comprehensive information is provided for parents, through sharing of learning journeys, noticeboards and daily discussions. Partnership with them is highly effective and they have excellent opportunities to be involved in their children's learning and development. For example, parents of all children accessing two year funded placements attend a series of workshops on positive parenting and ways to support children's learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the children's individual needs. They provide a stimulating environment where all children are excited and motivated to learn. Astute observations of children help staff to find out what children can do and these observations are consistently used to plan for children's individual next steps in learning. Children are keen to learn and freely move around selecting activities which interest them. Children develop their imagination well, with a wide range of role play opportunities indoors and out. They have lots of opportunities to be creative. They enjoy painting, playing in sand, water and making collages. Young children develop a sense of self and make relationships as they spontaneously cuddle their friends. Older children learn to take responsibility for managing their own needs, accessing toilets and drinks as required and they are very independent. Communication is fostered extremely well by staff who talk

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and outcomes for children

to children clearly and at their level. They ask open ended questions to promote children's thinking and imagination, and are highly skilled at knowing when to intervene to support a children's learning. Children enjoy books; babies cuddle in for stories and older children recognise letters, displayed at their height. Children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 have lots of opportunities to learn about the wider world, through artwork, celebration and books, both fact and fiction. Children's physical development is well promoted. They competently dance, jump and ride and run. Children develop problem solving skills as they count through daily activities and consolidate concepts such as one to one correlation through adult support.

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and outcomes for children

Children have good opportunities to learn about being healthy. They enjoy a well- balanced diet which is cooked fresh on the premises each day and healthy snacks including fruit, vegetables and cheese are available to them throughout the day. They learn the importance of good hygiene as staff talk to them as they wash before meals and after toileting and messy play. They have regular access to outdoor play in a stimulating environment, which makes excellent use of everyday items such as tyres, crates, pots and pans.

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and outcomes for children

Children feel very safe due to a highly effective key person system. Children settle very well and develop secure relationships, confidently approaching staff for a hug, which demonstrates that they are happy as they smile at familiar adults. Children are exceptionally familiar and comfortable in the environment, moving freely and confidently between activities and know their environment very well. Behaviour is excellent as children learn boundaries and consideration for others through highly effective behaviour management, for example, staff deal with children's conflicts appropriately as they explain how their actions may affect others. Children are taught respect for each other and themselves and as a result are developing their own sense of self-esteem very well. 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 2 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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