Gingerbread 2 Nursery

Gingerbread 2 Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY440555 Inspection date 25/06/2012 Inspector Janice Hughes

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Setting address Launde House, Harborough Road, Oadby, LEICESTER, LE2 4LE Telephone number 01162711970 Email shobhna@gingerbreadnursery.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

Gingerbread 2 nursery is run by a committee lead charity which is a limited company and opened in 2011. It operates from refurbished premises in Oadby, Leicester. There is a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery operates between the hours of 7.45am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday throughout the year only closing bank holidays.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The nursery is registered for 84 children under eight years; of these, not more than 84 may be in the early years age group, and of these, not more than 14 may be under two years at any one time. There are currently 108 children aged from eight months to three years on roll. The nursery currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

Twelve staff are employed at the setting; of whom, 10 work directly with the children and of these, five hold a recognised childcare qualification. A cook and administrative staff are also employed at the setting. The nursery is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance and receives support from the local authority.

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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 are happy, confident and settled in this friendly nursery. Strong relationships are formed with children, between staff and with other professionals. The environment provides an inclusive practice that is very well organised which helps children to make good progress in their learning and development. Documentation is good and there are mainly good procedures to ensure the health and safety of children. The nursery has started to monitor their practice and is committed to making improvements. They are not using self-evaluation to effectively inform future improvements to support the outcomes for children. An excellent two-way partnership with parents is in place.

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further?

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

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further?

 use self-evaluation to identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children  develop existing procedures for hand washing to promote good heath to prevent the spread of infection. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded through very good supervision and effective policies and procedures. Detailed recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that adults working with the children are suitable to do so. Comprehensive risk assessments are carried out in all areas and any necessary actions or equipment are put in place to minimise risks to children. The experienced management ensures that the environment is very safe, secure and well maintained, promoting children's safety at all times. All the required documentation is thoroughly organised to ensure that the setting delivers effective quality care and education. These measures ensure children are kept safe.

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the early years provision

Regular staff meetings provide valuable opportunities for staff to share good practice and to identify their training needs, which are prioritised by management. Some systems to identify areas for improvement are in place, for example, questionnaire responses from parents have a positive impact and result in the menus of the nursery being changed. The nursery has recently started to develop a system to monitor and evaluate the provision. However, as they have not used this to target and prioritise areas for improvement it is, therefore, not fully effective.

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the early years provision

The management continually strives to ensure that the setting provides an inclusive service where all children and parents are made welcome. For example, the special needs coordinator works closely with the child's key person, parents and other professionals when concerns are raised with regards to a child having specific needs. Staff are effectively deployed to support children during all activities to ensure they effectively supported. Very good procedures regarding the administration of medication protect children's welfare when they are ill. Accident and incident procedures are well managed, ensuring children's safe care at all times. Accurate records are maintained and regularly reviewed to ensure that safety measures comply with current regulations and guidelines.

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the early years provision

Parents are provided with excellent high quality information about the early years provision through written information and the parent information pack. Extremely good systems are in place to include parents in children's learning and development. When children start an initial discussion and assessment takes place to obtain information about their child's interests and abilities in order to determine their 'starting points'. This promotes a two-way parental involvement and enables the inclusion of all who attend the nursery. The systems in place to liaise with the children's other early years providers are effective. For example, they have regular visits to the local primary school and pass on a written summary of each child's progress. The also liaise with other settings through network meetings and share information when attending training courses. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

All children thrive in this delightful child-centred environment. The bright and welcoming areas are well used to provide a resourceful balance of adult-led, freely chosen and child-led activities. Very good quality planning and observational procedures ensure children receive an enjoyable and challenging experience across all areas of learning. Children are progressing well towards the early learning goals. This is because staff have a good understanding of how children learn and know when to get involved, listen or pose carefully framed questions to encourage children to talk about what they are doing. For example, children talk about the different cakes they are making as they play in the Gingerbread bakery. They tell staff the ingredients they will need and mix the ingredients altogether to make chocolate cake. Staff ensure that the environment is stimulating and attractive to all children so that the can learn independently. Resources are placed at a level

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and outcomes for children

where children can help themselves and make decisions about their play.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in the physical area of learning and learn the importance of taking regular exercise on sit-and-ride toys and the outside equipment. The free-flow provision enables children to access fresh air throughout the day. Staff plan activities and talk to children about the effect of exercise on the body helping children learn about well-being. Healthy snacks, such as fresh fruit and vegetables and access drinking water throughout the day, introduce children to a healthy lifestyle. Children's welfare, learning and development are well supported in all areas of the nursery. Detailed procedures are in place to ensure children benefit from a clean and in the main hygienic environment. However, some of the younger children sometimes do not wash their hands before lunch. This puts the children's health at risk as there is the possibility of cross- contamination. Children develop a good understanding of safety issues and take

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and outcomes for children

part in frequent fire drills. This ensures they learn to conduct themselves calmly and safely in an emergency situation. Outings are used very well to promote an understanding of road safety. Children use tools and utensils competently in activities because they learn to manage these responsibly. For example, using knives to spread while making sandwiches.

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and outcomes for children

Behaviour is well managed in the nursery. Children are encouraged to make choices and decisions in their play. Staff are consistent and fair when encouraging children to share and take turns and children work together very well. Children are involved in discussions and activities about special events in their own lives and gain an awareness of beliefs and cultures outside their immediate experience. They play with a broad range of toys and resources that reflect positive images of diversity and explore a range of festivals around the calendar year. For example, children learn how to make Chinese noodles.

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and outcomes for children

Children love listening to stories; they suggest what might happen next and repeat some of the words from the story. They enjoy mark making and some children are writing their names accurately. Younger children develop their language skills as they are encouraged to chat during play and participate in singing nursery rhymes. Children are frequently supported to count and, as a result, they count by rote This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 with confidence. They have opportunities to develop their early mathematical skills as they recognise and draw shapes, such as squares and circles, play games and participate in planned activities. For example, the children play a dice game, they sort cotton reels by colour and recognise numbers, in this activity children are critically thinking and being active learners. Children learn well for the future as they practise their use of technology by skilfully using the interactive board as well

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and outcomes for children

as the computer. 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: Met

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