Step By Step NurseryOfsted inspection, 30 May 2012

Step By Step Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 402846 Inspection date 30/05/2012 Inspector Maria Lumley

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Setting address 1 Bridge Avenue, Hammersmith, London, W6 9JA

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Telephone number 020 8748 1319 Email stepbystepnursery@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. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

Step By Step Nursery is one of two nurseries run by Nelson Child Care Limited. It registered in 2001 and operates from three rooms in a house in Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. All children share access to a secure, enclosed, outdoor, play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 50 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 30 children may attend above the age of one year. There are currently 31 children on roll, who are all in the early years age group. Children come from the local and wider community. The nursery employs seven staff, who all hold early years qualifications.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The nursery offers a warm and friendly environment where children feel safe and make steady progress in their learning. Staff work suitably with parents and others to gather information to soundly meet children's individual care and learning needs. Children are beginning to gain a satisfactory understanding about some aspects of health concerning food and hygiene. There are some systems to monitor and evaluate the provision so that children make sufficient progress in learning and begin to develop their self-esteem. However, these are not always used robustly in identifying areas that require developing to improve outcomes for children. Some systems enable staff to make suitable continuous improvement, such as training and support from the local authority.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop children's awareness of a range of healthy practices with regard to hygiene and improve children's understanding of healthy eating through staff sharing the healthy eating policy with parents  enable all children to develop a positive self-image, for example, by consistent use of photographs  develop a culture of reflective practice and review self-evaluation to identify priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff have a secure understanding of their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. They have all attended relevant training, and comprehensive policies and procedures support their practice in this area. Recruitment and staff induction procedures mean that vetted, qualified staff care for children. A strong priority is given to the safety of children and the security of the premises. The use of an intercom system means that staff can determine and monitor who enters the nursery. Detailed, regular, risk assessments and daily checks mean that the premises are safe and hazards are minimised.

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the early years provision

The manager and staff are beginning to use the Ofsted self-evaluation form to review the quality of provision for children. For example, the manager is keen to involve more fathers in nursery life. There is a range of policies and procedures to support staff in the running of the nursery. However, the systems to evaluate the whole of the nursery provision are not always robust. For example, staff are inconsistent in their approach to implementing policies. This results in children receiving mixed messages about healthy eating and their learning. The manager has written review and development plans and recently introduced the 'Every Child a Talker' scheme to support children speaking English as an additional language. Local authority advisors have supported staff in this area. Staff are introducing 'Keep Language Alive', reinforcing that children will learn English at the setting but that they should also maintain and value their home language and heritage. The

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the early years provision

manager has recently reviewed the systems for observations and planning as there were inconsistencies in the quality of information recorded in children's learning journals. The nursery closes for a week each summer, during which time staff attend training to develop their skills and knowledge.

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the early years provision

In general, the nursery is equipped with suitable resources and staff are generally deployed appropriately to support children's play. However, on occasions activities are not well resourced or supervised to maintain children's interest which has not been identified as a weakness during the self-evaluation process. The outdoor play area has recently been landscaped creating defined areas for physical play, planting, construction, role play and quiet play.

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the early years provision

Parents feel that the staff are welcoming and engage with them helpfully. They are kept informed of their children's activities as staff take time to chat to them at the end of each session. Staff offer parents opportunities to go through children's learning journals with key workers at consultation meetings. Newsletters and displays enable parents to learn about changes in the nursery. The setting has established suitable partnerships with other professionals. For example, the nursery's special educational needs coordinator values guidance from speech and language therapists when drawing up individual education plans for children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy when they arrive and confidently approach staff for morning hugs. They are familiar with the daily routine and hang up their coats and bags. Some hooks have children's names and photographs, supporting their sense of belonging and helping them to recognise their names. However, staff have not implemented this practice for every child. Each child has a learning journal and, again, some of these lack children's photographs and names. As a result, not all children have the same opportunities to develop a positive self-image.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop sound skills for the future as they use everyday technology, including an 'oven', in the role-play area. Children become familiar with technology as they use the computer mouse to select 'paints' to create pictures. Pre-school children ably set up a game on the smart board and transfer figures into the 'delivery van'. They control the volume of the game, saying, 'It's too loud.' Children suitably develop language through conversation and play; for example, a child picks up a phone and says, 'Hello mummy. How are you?' Children identify their named water bottles, being helped to recognise some of the letters. Children enjoy group stories which staff read with animation at a pace to allow all children to contribute. Numeracy skills are developing as children count during activities and routines. They discuss 'one more or less' as they stack cubes and use mathematical language, such as short and tall, in their play. Children begin to learn

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and outcomes for children

about the wider world as they celebrate festivals, such as Chinese New Year and Diwali through role play, dressing up and craft activities,

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and outcomes for children

At times, staff do not robustly support children's understanding of healthy practices. For example, some children who arrive later do not wash before snack time. The nursery offers nutritious breakfast foods, such as cereal and toast. However, staff do not effectively support parents to send in healthy food and this gives children mixed messages about healthy eating. Children benefit from making healthy food choices, eating sliced apple, pineapple, raisins and bread sticks although children touch various foods before making their final choice. Children are actively learning how to keep themselves safe. Staff take time to explain safety routines so that children recognise the need to walk slowly on stairs to prevent accidents occurring. Children regularly practise evacuation procedures so they are familiar with how to behave in an emergency.

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and outcomes for children

Children's behaviour is satisfactory. Sometimes, they are considerate towards others, at other times, they snatch toys and upset their playmates. Staff generally intervene and ask children to alter their behaviour, reinforcing kindness. For example, a child joins the play dough activity and takes the dough from another child. Staff remove the child, tell them that this was not kind and offer some other dough, which resolves the incident. Children generally help tidy away for lunch. Most children cooperate to help put toys in boxes and trays and staff thank them for their help. 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 3 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 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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