Little Elms Daycare Sydenham

Little Elms Daycare Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY440075 Inspection date 02/07/2012 Inspector Chris Hodge

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Setting address 246 Perry Hill, LONDON, SE6 4HD

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Telephone number 02086584282 Email sydenham@littleelmsdaycare.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

Little Elms Daycare Nursery and Pre-School registered in January 2012. It operates from a purpose built building in Sydenham in the London Borough of Lewisham and is one of four family run nurseries owned by a private provider. The baby room and toddler room are on the ground floor and the pre-school room is on the first floor. There is an enclosed outdoor play area shared by all children.

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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 to care for 38 children aged under eight years; all of whom may be in the early years age group. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am until 6pm, 52 weeks of the year, apart from bank holidays. Children currently attend aged from three months to school age, on a full time, part time or sessional basis. There are currently 106 children on roll. The nursery is in the process of applying for funding to provide free nursery education places. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who are learning to speak English as an additional language are supported within the setting.

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Description of the setting

A team of ten childcare staff work with the children, including the manager, who holds a degree and Early Years Professional Status. All staff are qualified to National Vocational Qualification levels 2 or 3 or are working towards a qualification. The nursery also employs a cook, cleaner and maintenance man.

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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 and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging in this safe, welcoming and inclusive nursery environment. The unique needs of the children are promoted well and staff are committed to meeting children's learning and welfare needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as a second language are well supported within the nursery. As a result, children make good overall progress towards the early learning goals in relation to their starting points. The provider, manager and staff team are all committed to maintaining continuous improvement. They achieve this through on going reflective practice and self- evaluation, parents' views and training.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide children with greater opportunities for free flow/outdoor play by This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 extending the outdoor play area  extend the resources in the baby room to include more opportunities for physical play and provide appropriate furniture for staff to use when feeding and nursing young babies.

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the early years provision

The nursery has effective procedures in place to ensure that all staff are knowledgeable about their role and responsibility to safeguard children. Comprehensive risk assessments and daily safety checks help to keep the nursery environment safe and accidents minimised. Robust recruitments procedures ensure that all staff are suitable to care for children and have appropriate background checks. Six staff currently hold a valid first aid certificate, ensuring that there is a qualified first aider on the premises at all times. The nursery has very good security systems in place to prevent unwanted visitors gaining access to the premises and prevent children from leaving unnoticed. All required documentation is in place and is well maintained. Comprehensive policies and procedures are used effectively to promote the welfare of children and underpin the good practice within the nursery.

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the early years provision

The nursery welcomes all children and families and has effective settling in procedures in place. Equality and diversity are actively promoted through the positive images displayed and in the celebration of different festivals. Staff have a good knowledge of children's backgrounds, which enables them to meet their individual needs. Children who are learning English as a second language and children with special educational needs and/ or disabilities are well supported within the nursery. The Special Needs Coordinator (SENCO) works closely with parents, children's key persons and other professionals such as speech and language therapists.

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the early years provision

Effective partnerships with other settings and parents ensure children's needs are consistently met. For example, younger babies follow their individual routines for eating, sleeping and playing. Parents are provided with good information about all aspects of the nursery and their children's progress, for example, through a prospectus, parent pack, information boards, daily contact sheets, parent meetings and parent mail. Several parents say they are very happy with their children's care and progress and the information provided.

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the early years provision

The nursery premises are warm and welcoming. All three group rooms are set out attractively with a broad range of good quality, age appropriate play resources that cover the six areas of learning. Low level storage units enable children to choose what they want to play with and to follow their own interests. Although children are provided with child sized furniture, there are no comfortable chairs in the baby room for staff to sit on when bottle feeding and nursing young babies. The environment is rich in pictures, symbols, photos and children's art work, giving children a sense of their importance and value. The outdoor play area is also well resourced. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The enthusiastic staff team are supported well in their continuous professional development by the management who have a clear vision for the nursery. They demonstrate a strong commitment to providing good quality care and to

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the early years provision

continually improve outcomes for children. The nursery continuously monitors the effectiveness of the provision, taking into account parent's views. Self-evaluation is used effectively to identify clear priorities for further improvement. For example, there are plans in place to extend the outside play area to provide children with more opportunities for outdoor play.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good overall progress towards the early learning goals because staff observe them closely, monitor their progress and plan effectively for the next steps in their learning. Daily contact sheets invite parents to be involved in their children's learning at home. Learning journals containing observations, progress reports, photographs and children's work are regularly shared with parents Planning includes a good balance of adult led and child initiated activities and takes into account children's interests, capabilities and starting points. The outside play space, although well resourced, is currently quite limited in area, so does not permit free flow play. However, each room has planned time for outdoor play throughout the day.

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and outcomes for children

Children arrive happily at the nursery, confidently separate from parents and form close relationships with their key persons. They enjoy their time at the nursery, engage well in activities and have fun learning and socialising, thus demonstrating a strong sense of belonging. Children's independence skills are developing well as they have good opportunities to self-select resources and make choices about their play. Children throughout the nursery experience a wide range of creative activities. They have good opportunities for mark making from an early age, both indoors and outdoors. For example, children have great fun using brushes and water for mark making on the garden walls and exploring with sand. Lots of evidence of emergent writing can be seen on children's work in the pre-school room.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy singing familiar songs, looking at books and listening to stories read to them by adults. Older children are confident at linking sounds, recognising their own names and using language to communicate with adults and their peers. Practitioners are confident in using a range of visual aids to support children who are less able to communicate. Children enjoy playing number games and confidently use computer programmes for matching and sorting. Planting activities in the garden and topics such as mini beasts encourage children's awareness of nature. Babies and younger children have great fun exploring with cause and effect toys and various sensory resources.

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and outcomes for children

The nursery premises are clean and well maintained. Children are encouraged to adopt healthy lifestyles and learn about staying safe. Children learn the importance This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 of good personal hygiene routines such as washing their hands after going to the toilet and before meal times. Children enjoy playing outside in the fresh air on a daily basis. Staff encourage them to be active and to understand the benefits of physical activity. Children enjoy taking part in running and hopping races, riding on bikes and scooters, climbing, balancing and playing with balls and hoops. Indoors, babies have space to crawl around in. However, there are limited resources available for toddlers who like to climb and to be physically active. Provision is made for children to rest during the day when required.

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and outcomes for children

The nursery promotes healthy eating and seeks advice about menus from a nutritionist. Meals are cooked freshly each day by a qualified chef at the Crofton site and then delivered to the nursery kitchen in special containers, to ensure food is maintained at the correct temperature. The nursery has good procedures in place to ensure children's special dietary requirements needs are met. At meal times, children are encouraged to help serve themselves and pour out their own drinks. Drinking water is available throughout the day and children enjoy fresh fruit snacks.

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and outcomes for children

Adults act as good role models, form close relationships with children and consistently praise and encourage their achievements. As a result children are happy and generally well behaved as they learn to share, take turns and form friendships. The nursery provides a good learning environment which supports all children in developing the skills they need for the next stage of their development. 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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