Little Footsteps Nursery

Little Footsteps Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY436525 Inspection date 12/04/2012 Inspector Carol-Anne Shaw

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Setting address 30 Columbus Ravine, SCARBOROUGH, North Yorkshire, YO12 7JT Telephone number 01723360719 Email littlefootstepsnursery@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 Footsteps Nursery was re-registered in 2011. It is a limited company and is trading as Little Footsteps Nursery which is privately owned and managed. It operates from two adjacent properties in the centre of Scarborough. The nursery serves the local and wider area. The nursery and the out of school provision use the ground and first floors of both properties. There is a fully enclosed rear area available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round except for bank holidays and Christmas. Sessions are from 8am until 5.45pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of the sessions. The out of school club is open 8am until 9am and 3pm until 5.45pm in term time and the holiday club 8am until 5.45pm.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 60 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 110 children attending of whom 93 are within the early years age group. The nursery also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery provides funded places for children who meet the criteria.

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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

The well organised child friendly environment, the range of excellent activities and the many outdoor activities are highly effective in promoting children's welfare and learning. The nursery successfully promotes children's good health and children have an outstanding understanding of safety. Children's individual needs are met through the fully effective information sharing with parents and other professionals. The management team implement mainly effective strategies and systems, the staff team engage in reflective practice and ongoing professional development. The recommendations from the last inspection have been implemented. The self evaluation is in the process of being updated.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve further the assessment and planning, ensuring there is consistency in the standard of recording and regularly review this approach. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Priority is given to safeguarding children, the staff team have a good knowledge of working within the child protection legislation to ensure that children are protected. There are effective recruitment and vetting procedures in place to ensure that all staff are suitable to work in the nursery. Children are protected from harm through the completion of effective risk assessments identifying and minimising potential dangers on the premises and for the many outings. Their safety is further enhanced as all visitors to the building are carefully screened and asked to sign in and out using the visitor's book. Staffing levels exceed the minimum requirements to ensure that children's safety and welfare is fully promoted at all times. Close partnership working with other professionals also supports children and families.

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the early years provision

The manager and the staff team promote children's welfare and help them to make overall good progress in their learning and development. They are effective in supporting children to make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development and in progressing children's understanding in problem solving, reasoning and numeracy. The nursery is fully inclusive and has a special educational needs coordinator, who has established effective links with external agencies to ensure that any children with learning difficulties or disabilities receives the required individual support tailored to their needs. There is highly effective communication with parents, carers and others to support each child's progress by exchanging information and supporting children's care, learning and development needs. Partnerships with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage are excellent and improving, the nursery shares learning records as children

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the early years provision

transfer to school, this supports progression in children's learning. The staff promote children's developing awareness and understanding of people's differences by providing opportunities for them to explore and celebrate their own and other cultures and beliefs. Children freely access activities that support their understanding of the diversity of people living in the local and wider community. Comprehensive and confidential written records, promote children's welfare in line with requirements. All staff complete paediatric first aid training to enable them to care appropriately for children in the event of accidents or illnesses. Registers are maintained for children and staff to ensure that everyone can be safely accounted for at all times.

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the early years provision

All of the staff team hold recognised early years qualifications, they remain committed to professional development by attending additional training to ensure further improvements to the children's learning environment. The nursery is effectively organised allowing children to access the outside play area as staff deployment responds to the flow and movement of children between indoor and outdoors. Confident children move around the premises, in varied activities supporting their learning and development. There is a good range of quality resources available, they are very effectively organised to provide a fully enabling learning environment. Children freely access resources, allowing them to problem solve and experiment in all areas of learning. They make choices following their individual interests, both indoors and outside. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Self evaluation is identifying the setting's strengths and areas for further development to enable the owner, manager and staff to support continuous improvements for the benefit of children. The Forest school and Beach school gives excellent access to the outdoors and improvement is shown in the learning outcomes for all children who access. Consequently, those in charge of the setting are able to demonstrate how they have made ongoing improvements to the provision to support children's learning and safety since the last inspection. They have implemented new monitoring systems to be more effective in showing how children are progressing and what they are accomplishing. However, the overviews of children's learning do not show in detail the rapid progression some children are making. The monitoring of children's learning is used to target areas for further development, and used to inform their continuing development plan.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are excellent; the systems in place ensure that they are well informed about what is happening in the nursery. They receive informative information prior to their children staring the nursery. The staff team help parents and carers to support their children's learning, through completing a diary, observations and discussing children's learning and targeted next steps. In discussion with a number of parents, they all expressed how well the staff team support their childs learning and development and say how much the children enjoy attending the nursery. Parents use the nursery staff for advice in any childcare problems. There are close links with the Children's Centre to support the welfare of children.

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and outcomes for children

The qualified staff team plan and deliver a range of interesting and stimulating activities based on the six areas of learning. The Forest School and Beach school give children outstanding opportunities to learn about the natural world and develop their understanding of keeping safe. Children enjoy their time playing in a safe and secure environment with staff and their peers. Good questioning skills make children think about how they are doing things. Overall children are making good progress towards their early learning goals, taking into account their starting points. The staff's continuous approach to observations and assessments enable them to inform the planning cycle for individual children's possible next steps of learning. The observations are systematic in covering all areas of learning equally; however, they are completed to varying standards.

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and outcomes for children

The fully enabling environment provides all children with many interesting activities to support and help them to make sense of the world around them. The interaction with staff and daily routines help children to become confident and build self- esteem. Through everyday activities and clear boundaries children learn to feel exceptionally safe, for example, they know not to run indoors and learn from a young age how to use a wide range of equipment in a safe way. The activities are organised so all children can participate at their level of understanding and ability ensuring the setting is fully inclusive. Children demonstrate good behaviour learning to share and take turns and support the younger children in their play. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children engage in an outstanding range and variety of outdoor activities to help their understanding of keeping healthy with fresh air and lots of physical activities

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and outcomes for children

contributing to their health. They learn why they need to clean their teeth from a visit to the dentist. At snack time the children eat healthy options of fruit and drink milk or water, promoting healthy eating. Meal times are social occasions where the children sit together at small tables and eat well. The nursery provides a good range of healthy meals cooked on site from fresh ingredients. On the day of the inspection the children enjoyed cottage pie with vegetables followed by fresh fruit salad. All children enjoy their food and become very independent in feeding themselves, younger children's food is prepared to the meet their development stage.

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and outcomes for children

The nursery is effectively organised in all sections. In the baby section there is good space for children to move about learning to walk and play independently. They freely access a wide range of natural resources. The staff team are good at promoting a holistic approach so children experience many activities supporting all round development. Younger children eat rest and sleep to their own routines. They are growing in confidence in their own area and enjoy meeting up with the other children when they are ready.

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and outcomes for children

Lots of work is done to promote children's personal and social development, they use the emotion doll to understand their feelings; they work to develop their social skills and learn to play, share and build friendships. There are many worthwhile play activities that enable them to explore numbers and shapes in their play. Communication and literacy skills are developing through talking about their ideas while joining in role play activities in the home area, sharing books and listening to stories supported by puppets. They sing songs and enjoy action rhymes. Children link language with pictures. Effective systems are in place to develop their awareness of language through learning to recognising their names and writing for a purpose. Children's creative development is fostered through lots of painting, drawing and model making. 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 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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