Little Seahorse Nursery/Hi Tide Kidz Club

Little Seahorse Nursery/Hi Tide Kidz Club Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY337656 Inspection date 02/04/2012 Inspector Jayne Pascoe

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Setting address St Ives Children's Centre, The Burrows, St. Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1DJ Telephone number 01736 794222 Email littleseahorseschildcare@yahoo.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.

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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

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

Little Seahorses Nursery and Hi Tide Kidz Club opened in 2006 to serve the local area of St Ives, Cornwall. It is sited on, and forms part of, the St Ives Children's Centre, which is situated at the rear of St Ives Leisure Centre. It is run by a husband and wife partnership, trading as Little Seahorses Childcare. The centre comprises a day care nursery, crche and out of school care facilities. A maximum of 66 children may attend at any one time, of these 56 may be in the early years age group.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is open from 8am to 6pm all year round, excluding bank holidays. The out of school club is open each weekday from 7.45am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm during term time only, excluding bank holidays and from 8.30am until 5.30pm during school holidays. The crche facility supports parents and carers attending a variety of courses run on site or drop-in support groups for parents, carers and their families. All services operate from purpose-built premises with their own secure outdoor play areas. There are currently 101 children aged from three months up to eight years on roll of whom 71 are in the early years age group. Of these, 31 receive funding for nursery education. Some children also attend other early years settings. The provision supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

A general manager is responsible for the operation of the centre. There are two managers and 11 staff who work with the children in the nursery, out of school club and the crche. All the staff hold early years or play work qualifications. There are six members of staff who are qualified to level 6, three of whom have achieved Early Years Professional Status; two staff are qualified to level 4, six are qualified to level 3 and two to level 2. A part-time children's centre teacher provides support and advice.

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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

Staff demonstrate an excellent knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Overall, the nursery environment is exceptionally welcoming and well resourced. Staff know children and their families extremely well. Strong partnerships with parents, other providers and agencies successfully promotes shared care, learning and development. Highly skilled practitioners use an excellent range of resources and activities to enable children to make outstanding levels of progress. Staff demonstrate a very strong desire to provide high quality childcare in a safe environment. Extremely effective systems are in place to monitor and evaluate practice. As a result, they are rapidly moving forward and continuously promoting positive outcomes for children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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further?

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

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further?

 enhancing further the nursery environment, for example through improvements to the flooring and completion of the outdoor sensory area, to provide a rich and varied environment that supports children's learning and development

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the early years provision

Children's safety at the nursery is a very high priority. Staff implement extremely effective risk assessment procedures to identify and minimise hazards to help keep children safe. Exceptionally well-qualified staff work very well together as a team to provide a high quality service. All staff members obtain suitability checks and paediatric first aid training and the manager is a first aid instructor. Staff demonstrate an excellent understanding of child protection procedures. The premises are secure and staff are vigilant. They enhance children's health, safety and well-being through the robust and highly consistent implementation of policies, procedures and practice.

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the early years provision

Leaders and managers make exceptionally good use of current resources, recent research and training opportunities, to meet the needs of the children. They maintain excellent links with local agencies and receive ongoing support from the local authority. Staff use extremely good systems for self-evaluation to identify appropriate areas for future improvement. For example, the recently introduced 'studio sessions' for pre-school children already offer pottery, yoga, screen- printing, creative use of a projector, numeracy and literacy sessions. Visits from local professionals extends activities even further. Staff have been highly successful in making improvements since the previous inspection and are committed to continually raising standards.

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the early years provision

Overall, the nursery offers a very welcoming, attractive and exceptionally well- resourced environment, which fully reflects the children's backgrounds and the wider community. However, play dough engrained in the carpet detracts from the appearance of the pre-school room. A high quality range of toys and resources are easily accessible to all children. Distinct zones provide children with places for tabletop and floor play and comfortable seating alongside the books. The outdoor area provides exciting opportunities for exploration and investigation. There are excellent resources available to support the development of children's physical skills and imaginative role-play. The nursery has recently invested in the development of a separate 'sensory garden'. Staff explain the aim is to offer quiet areas for reflection with an abundance of scented and textured plants. The proposal of additional resources such as wind chimes, 'fossil' style stepping-stones

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and comfortable areas for group discussion is aimed at enabling children to develop their observational skills, relax and socialise with their friends.

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the early years provision

Staff are highly successful in the promotion of equality and diversity. An excellent range of resources and visual aids enable children to develop a positive awareness of the range of people in the local community and the wider world. Children learn about their own and other cultures and beliefs through adult-led activities. Staff identify and respect children's uniqueness. Children who speak English as an additional language are able to share and celebrate this with others. Words in their home language, placed alongside equivalent English words help support the use of a range of languages. Children with specific needs are fully included and an excellent range of additional resources and equipment are available to ensure that all children are fully included.

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the early years provision

Staff have established highly effective partnerships between parents, external agencies and other providers. Excellent links with local schools ensure that children benefit from a smooth transition into school life. Parents express satisfaction at the high quality of provision and the exceptionally good levels of support that they and their children receive. A comprehensive range of written policies and procedures, contracts and consents are in place. In addition, newsletters, an exceptionally well- resourced notice board and daily verbal information sharing enhance this practice further. Staff use excellent assessment systems to successfully involve parents in their child's learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Children and babies have formed exceptionally strong and positive relationships with others. They are extremely well behaved, polite, kind and helpful. Children benefit from a very good balance of both male and female role models. They demonstrate an exceptionally strong sense of belonging, make independent choices and are very confident. Children and babies communicate exceptionally well through signing, facial expression, body language and rapidly developing language skills. They select favourite books from the wide range displayed in the cosy book corner to enjoy alone or with their friends. Children self-register as they arrive and are beginning to recognise their name and understand that print carries meaning. Staff display children's written work prominently on the play room walls for all to admire.

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and outcomes for children

Staff interact exceptionally well to extend children's learning. Children roll a range of toy vehicles down a drainpipe, observing which one is faster or slower. They extend this activity by making their own vehicles using connecting shapes and again are exceptionally well supported by adults, who extend their vocabulary by subtly introducing new words. Children problem-solve as they competently build and construct. They count during daily routine activities and are beginning to recognise associated numerals. They complete increasingly complex puzzles and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 are developing their numeracy skills through real life-experiences when they sort and match socks. Children also weigh and measure during cooking activities.

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and outcomes for children

Children celebrate Easter by making paper flowers and decorating eggs for their Easter egg hunt. They are highly creative and imaginative in their use of craft materials to achieve excellent results. Children are learning about the local community and wider world. They have recently explored the history of St Ives during which they created a wonderful display of old photographs to share with parents, some of whom recognise their relatives. Children have free use of an excellent range of resources and visual aids, which depict positive images of people's differences. Their future skills are developing rapidly through use of age appropriate, enjoyable and educational computer programmes. Children also use a microscope to examine small objects, plants and insects.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate excellent physical skills as they mould and shape play dough using a range of appropriate tools. They benefit from free access to the outdoors and all weather protective clothing is available if required. They plant and grow their own fruit and vegetables. An indoor sensory room includes lavender scent, fairy lights, textured materials, a cosy den and exploratory toys. Children follow excellent health and hygiene routines. They enjoy a healthy snack of crackers and fresh fruit and help themselves to water whenever they are thirsty. The nursery is actively involved in a healthy eating initiative and provides support for parents in promoting health eating habits.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate an excellent awareness of how to keep themselves safe as they move carefully indoors and out. They tidy away toys after use and practise regular fire drills. They have developed a very good understanding of fire safety through a recent project where they engaged in role-play as fire fighters and learnt the emergency services telephone number. Children are making a positive contribution as they fund raise for the local judo club. They visit the library, post office, lifeboat station and enjoy early years sessions at a local pottery. 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 1 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 1 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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