The Beeches Day Nursery

The Beeches Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 254428 Inspection date 14/05/2012 Inspector Kath Harding

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Setting address Beechdale Lifelong Learning Centre, Stephenson Square, WALSALL, West Midlands, WS2 7DX Telephone number 01922 620524 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.

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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

The Beeches Day Nursery was registered in 2000. It operates from a separate nursery unit within the Beechdale Lifelong Learning Centre, Beechdale, Walsall. The nursery serves the local area and has strong links with the school and the children's centre. The setting is accessible to all children and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The setting opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 36 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 51 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery also offers care to children aged over five years to eight years. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The nursery receives support from the local authority. The nursery is part of the Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative and has achieved status as an Investor in People.

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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 make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff are keen to provide an environment where each child is respected and valued as a unique person and their individual needs are consistently met. Partnerships with parents and others are good and staff ensure they are kept well informed and involved in children's achievements, well-being and development. Staff have a positive attitude to improvement and work hard to ensure this results in better outcomes for children. They have good systems in place to evaluate practice in most areas.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 obtain prior written permission for each and every medicine from parents before any medication is given (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) (also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register). 14/05/2012

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  maintain the learning journey for all children to ensure progression towards the early learning goals.

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the early years provision

The safeguarding of children is robust and the procedures are understood by staff who are fully vetted and their suitability ensured through good selection processes. New staff complete a thorough induction process to ensure they are suitable. Staff are aware of their roles in relation to safeguarding children and the correct procedures to follow in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidelines. Staff attend regular training in this area to keep their knowledge up-to-date. An overall risk assessment takes place to minimise hazards to children and staff. Daily written risk assessments are conducted prior to the children arriving to ensure the premises are safe and suitable for use. These include checks on equipment, some activities and areas used by the children. Most required documentation is in place. Staff obtain information from parents about each and every medication to be administered but do not obtain written parental permission to administer it, so

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the early years provision

potentially compromising children's good health.

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the early years provision

Staff work well to provide an enjoyable experience for the children who attend. They have a good understanding of issues relating to equality and diversity, which helps them to provide a service that ensures all children and their families are included. The nursery caters for children's individual needs and preferences, for example, when a parent requests an alternative food at lunch time this is catered for. Resources are used effectively to support children's learning as they can independently access these from the low-level shelving units in the rooms. The rooms are well-resourced and children's artwork and informative posters are displayed making the environment welcoming and child-friendly.

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the early years provision

Staff have a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and implement this effectively. Each child has a profile folder which contains observations, some children's artwork, photographs and a tracker assessment so staff can plan for individual children's next steps in their learning and development. However, the frequency of these observations are not consistent throughout the nursery.

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the early years provision

Staff maintain good relationships with parents and carers, providing them with information about the setting through notice boards, informative leaflets and parents meetings. They have good face to face relationships with parents that come into the nursery. Parents complete an 'All about Me' form prior to their child starting in the setting, so staff can provide consistency of care. Children can take library books home from the nursery and 'Lola the teddy' to share with the family so aiding partnership working. Staff have canvassed parental opinions about the service provided. Some of the comments include: 'Staff are amazing they are absolutely amazing, I cannot fault what they have done with my child. My child has settled quickly and staff keep me well informed on how he has been and little milestones achieved'. 'My child has been in the nursery for 18 months. Staff are friendly and very flexible. If I raise any concerns they are properly addressed'. As

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the early years provision

a result of completed parental questionnaires the nursery has altered their session This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 times, so they do not coincide with school times. Staff involve the parents in looking at the menu of the week and ask for their feedback.

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the early years provision

Staff are keen to review and improve practice to enhance children's experiences and maximise their learning and development. They prioritise areas for improvement and have been working on the planning for the outdoor area and communication between staff.

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and outcomes for children

Children particularly enjoy their time spent in the outdoor area. They are happy and form strong relationships with each other and with staff. They behave well and good manners are encouraged with staff role modelling respectful interactions with children and each other.

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and outcomes for children

Children adopt good personal hygiene routines as they are encouraged to wash their hands regularly to re-enforce healthy practices. They use individual paper towels to reduce the risk of cross infection. They are able to clean their teeth to encourage good oral health care. They are encouraged to adopt a good relationship with food as they are offered healthy choices at snack and meal times. Staff talk about the amount of food to eat to encourage the children to develop a healthy approach to portion size. Children get plenty of fresh air and exercise. During child-initiated times they can freely access the adjacent outdoor area. In the outdoor area they can play with a wide range of activities to develop their physical skills, such as balls, a basket ball net, wobble boards, hoops, trees, tricycles and a parachute. Children learn how to keep themselves safe as staff teach children to take measurable risks and explore the environment. Staff

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and outcomes for children

supervise activities to ensure children's safety, such as when climbing the trees. Staff talk to children about how to use tools safely and the importance of sun cream and wearing sun hats during the warm weather. Staff talk with children about road safety; particularly in relation to the car park at the front of the building.

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and outcomes for children

In the baby room babies have fun as they hide under the covers and pretend to talk on the toy telephone. They explore in the water with the natural objects and re-enact familiar routines as they try and wash their faces. They find the hard board books and turn the pages. They play imaginatively in the role play area as they pretend to cook. As two babies want the same toy, staff intervene and find two toys that are the same. Staff talk through what the babies are doing, so encouraging babies language development. Babies mark make on the paper with the pencils and chalks. They bounce in the car and push the walker around the indoor area, so helping to develop their physical skills.

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and outcomes for children

Children arrive in the toddler room and are warmly greeted by staff. As staff read stories they do this in a lively way to encourage children's interest in books and ask questions about the pictures, so involving all children in the stories. Children explore in the soapy water with the ducks, cars and fish. They have fun as they squirt the water from the fish. They explore and play in the flour and water with This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the brushes and mix it together. Staff extend this activity by encouraging the children to see what happens as the mixture drips. As children wait for their dinner they sing familiar rhymes. Staff help children to count and learn about number as they count out the dishes and the cutlery. Staff encourage children's independence as they support children to serve their own dinner. Children enjoy racing the cars down the ramps and going shopping with the baskets.

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and outcomes for children

In the pre-school area children confidently unravel the mats, so they can sit outside. They have great fun as they build with the cardboard boxes and balance on these and energetically jump off onto the grass. Children find a piece of cardboard and pretend they too have a laptop outdoors. They behave well as they are beginning to show a good sense of responsibility as they tidy up the cushions as it starts to rain. As they roll and prod the oily play dough they talk about what it feels like and how it smells. One child thinks it smells like pancakes. Children have planted flowers, broad beans and tomatoes. They tend these and look after the fish, so learning to care for living things. They learn about life cycles as they watch the frog spawn with interest.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop their knowledge of their local area as they go for walks to the shops, the library and the residents garden. They have access to a good range of toys and resources that help them to learn about diversity. They look at different festivals, such as Chinese New Year. They eat Chinese food with chopsticks, make a big dragon, look at Chinese writing and make oriental dresses in order to gain an awareness of the wider world. They take part in sponsored events, so learning about helping others. 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 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

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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 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

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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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Records to be kept). 14/05/2012

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Records to be kept). 14/05/2012

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