Little Flowers Day Nursery

Little Flowers Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Unique reference number EY438678 Inspection date 30/04/2012 Inspector Debbie Newbury

p.1

Setting address 9 St. Georges Road East, ALDERSHOT, Hampshire, GU12 4JQ Telephone number 01252 341 819 Email jodyredh@aol.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. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

p.1

you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.3

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).

p.3

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

p.3

Description of the setting

Little Flowers Day Nursery initially opened in 1998, re-registered in 2011 and its new owners took over in March 2012. The nursery is situated in a residential area just outside the town centre of Aldershot in Hampshire. There are seven separate areas for children arranged over two floors, with a kitchen and toilets. There is an enclosed outside play area. Children attend from the local and surrounding areas. The nursery opens five days a week, all year round, excluding bank holidays. Sessions run from 8am to 6pm.

p.4

Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 60 children in the early years age range may attend the nursery at any one time, of these not more than 15 may be under two years. The nursery welcomes children with special education needs and/or disabilities and children with English as an additional language. Funding is received for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. There are currently 54 children on roll. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

p.4

Description of the setting

There are six full-time and four part-time members of staff who work with the children. The manager is qualified to level 4 and six other staff members are qualified in early years care and education to level 3. One member of staff is currently working towards a level 3 qualification. The nursery also employs a cook and receives support from a teacher/mentor from the local authority.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Little Flowers offers a warm, homely environment for children's care and early education. Staff meet children's individual welfare needs well. They help them make overall good progress in their learning and in gaining many skills for the future in a predominantly enabling setting. Partnership working is a key strength of the provision and views of the nursery users are embraced. The nursery team demonstrates a strong capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

p.4

further?

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

p.4

further?

 create a stimulating environment that offers a range of activities that will encourage children's interest and curiosity further, with particular reference to the babies' 'classroom'  provide greater opportunities for children to explore calculation and build This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 further on their independence and self-care skills, for example by pouring their own drinks and helping with simple domestic tasks

p.4

the early years provision

Staff have a secure understanding of safeguarding issues and the action they must take if they have any concerns. There are robust recruitment and vetting procedures in place and all staff have completed checks to assess their suitability to care for children. The premises are secure and staff make good use of risk assessment, ongoing checks of the environment and relevant safety features to minimise potential hazards. Required documentation and other records relating to day-care activities are well maintained.

p.5

the early years provision

Little Flowers has recently been taken over by new owners. They are very enthusiastic and keen to develop the nursery. In the short time they have been responsible for the provision they have implemented several positive changes. It is very clear that there is an ongoing process of self-evaluation and reflective practice in place to drive improvement. This takes account of the views of management, staff, parents, children and external advisors. The measures being taken and those planned are likely to bring many benefits to children and improve outcomes across all areas of learning. For instance, plans are in place to develop the outside play area.

p.5

the early years provision

The nursery premises are clean, comfortable and attractively decorated. Upstairs rooms include a sensory room, information and communication technology (ICT) suite and library and opportunities for soft play. All children utilise these facilities. This means everyone benefits from a change of scenery. Downstairs, babies and older children have their own base-rooms. These are well presented, with lots of good quality resources. Play materials in these rooms are arranged to be easily accessible, which encourages children to make their own decisions about what they do. An additional ground floor room, known as 'the classroom', is also used by the babies. However, this room is not so well presented in terms of the provision of resources. This does not maximise learning opportunities.

p.5

the early years provision

Children are welcomed and valued as individuals. The nursery benefits from a rich diversity of culture and language amongst the families using it. Staff are working hard to encourage parents to provide key words in home languages and to share knowledge about any specific festivals they celebrate at home. The aim of this is to broaden the range of experiences children have to help them learn about the world in which they live. Children explore resources that reflect positive images of social diversity and they are introduced to different festivities throughout the year. Family displays in each room provide a positive link with home and enable children to learn about one another's families.

p.5

the early years provision

Parents are well informed about the nursery and their children. This is achieved through newsletters, policies and procedures and the display of information on notice-boards. Parents are warmly welcomed and staff spend time chatting to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 them about their children. They are invited to attend meetings with their child's key person at regular intervals throughout the year. These meetings provide formal opportunities to view learning and development records and discuss their child's progress and the next steps in their learning. Parents indicate, in written testimonials how pleased they are with the nursery and the care their children receive. They comment that 'staff are extremely friendly and very helpful' and that their children are excited about attending. The importance of working in partnership with other early years settings children attend is fully recognised.

p.5

the early years provision

There are effective measures taken to share relevant information with others involved in children's care. This promotes consistency of care and supports children's ongoing learning and development.

p.6

and outcomes for children

There is a very happy atmosphere at the nursery. This is characterised by self- assured babies and confident children who are very secure in their surroundings. Relationships between children and staff are good and older children have formed clear friendships with others. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and sensitively intervene to remind them about the need to use good manners. Children are mostly very good at sharing and taking turns with popular resources and do this unprompted. Staff provide support for those children who are learning this skill. Children receive lots of praise, which fosters their self-esteem effectively.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Each child is supported by a key person who is responsible for monitoring their achievements and progress. Babies and children make good progress in most aspects of their learning and gain skills for the future. Babies are looked after by kind and caring staff. They snuggle in contentedly as they are given cuddles. Some babies show interest in others and giggle delightedly as they watch what they are doing. They show interest in mirrors and look intently at themselves in these. Staff offer different sensory experiences, such as painting, sticking and exploring sand and cornflour. An easily operated torch arouses the interest of one young child, who remains fascinated by the beam of light which appears when the torch is pointed towards a wall. Babies are encouraged to explore movement as staff place them on their tummies or hold their hands so they can stand up. Older children are confident communicators, chatting freely amongst themselves. The letter of the

p.6

and outcomes for children

week and some well-presented, interesting activities and games help children learn letters and sounds. They enjoy songs and action rhymes, and explore rhythm and sequencing through simple clapping games. The provision of some new building blocks appeals to several children and they explore these in different ways. Some children enjoy building them into a tower and then see if they can take individual bricks out without the tower toppling down. Others choose to explore shape and space as they investigate how they can fit these into a defined space. Role play with the new shop resources is very popular with children and they remain engrossed in this. The presence of a member of staff who models language associated with shopping extends their play effectively. Children enjoy being This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 outside and manoeuvre the wheeled toys available to them carefully, with a good

p.6

and outcomes for children

sense of spatial awareness. They explore size as they fill containers with sand and look intently through magnifying glasses to see how things look bigger. Children confidently incorporate mathematical language into their conversations with others as they play. Staff make use of some incidental opportunities that arise to further children's use of number. However, they do not exploit other possibilities. For instance, they do not encourage children to explore problem-solving and simple calculation by helping with simple domestic tasks, such as laying the table for meals. Staff also pour drinks for children, which limits opportunities for them to build on their independence and self-help skills.

p.7

and outcomes for children

Children's health and safety are promoted well. Staff follow good practice to promote good standards of hygiene and minimise the spread of infection. Older children understand the need to wash their hands and they manage this independently. Meals are prepared on site and have regard for children's individual dietary requirements. Children enjoy their food; it looks and smells appetising and is provided in sufficient quantity so they can eat as much as they need for their individual requirements. Staff work with parents in respect of food for babies and to achieve the required consistency. They follow the individual sleep and feeding routines of babies, which promotes continuity of care. Staff offer a free-flow approach to outdoor play for older children. This enables them to make their own decisions as to whether they play indoors or outdoors. Staff make sure that babies also benefit from fresh air as they too go out into the garden. All children have

p.7

and outcomes for children

regular opportunities to go on outings to a local park and visit a nearby duck pond. Staff supervise children carefully. They remain aware of what children are doing and intervene as necessary to guide them away from potentially unsafe practices. They offer reasons for their actions and also seek the children's input into possible consequences of their behaviour. This approach aids children's understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.7

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

p.8

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

p.8

children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

p.8

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 2 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

p.8

Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

p.8

Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 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 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

p.8

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

p.8