The Old School Day Nursery - Tommies Childcare

Flutterbies Astley Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY441851 Inspection date 02/08/2012 Inspector Jan Burnet

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Setting address The Old School, Church Row, Astley Village, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV10 7QD Telephone number 01676542266 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. 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

Flutterbies Astley is owned by Tommies Childcare Ltd and was registered in January 2012. The nursery operates from a converted school hall in Astley near Nuneaton in Warwickshire and serves children from local and surrounding areas. All children share access to a fully enclosed outdoor play area at the front of the building. There is a low step at the entrance. Operational times are all year round, Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 6pm.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Registration is for a maximum of 28 children under eight years at any one time and all may be in the early years age group. There are currently 34 children on roll and all are in the early years age group.

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Description of the setting

A team of six staff members care for the children and all hold early years qualifications ranging from level 2 to level 5.

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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

Staff demonstrate a sound knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework and Guidance. They meet children's care needs appropriately. Also staff are generally aware of how to address children's learning needs at their different stages of development. Health and safety systems are effective. Information provided for and obtained from parents is good. Staff ensure that all children are valued and included and information obtained from parents helps them to identify and address children's differences. The provider and manager are aware of the strengths and areas for improvement of the provision and they are using this awareness to review and improve practice.

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further?

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

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further?

 make sure that differentiation in mixed age groups is given a greater priority and ensure that children are more consistently engaged in activities that interest them and challenge them  provide more opportunities for all children to develop creative skills  ensure that children of all ages have greater opportunities to access the outdoor learning environment. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children play in a warm and welcoming environment. Systems to ensure children's safety are sound and a written risk assessment identifies potential hazards and the action taken to protect children from harm. Procedures for recruitment and selection are robust and necessary checks for all staff are completed before they have unsupervised access to the children. Information on the Warwickshire Safeguarding Children Board is displayed in the nursery as is a clear safeguarding policy. Staff are aware of their responsibilities with regard to protecting children from abuse. Safeguarding training has been provided 'in-house' and external training provided by the local authority is planned. The nursery received a maximum award following a recent inspection by the local environmental health officer.

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the early years provision

Plans for the future are well targeted to bring about improvement to the provision and changes implemented since registration are beginning to improve outcomes for children. A thorough self-evaluation form has been submitted to Ofsted and action plans for each room have been drawn up. Priorities for improvement in the room for children aged under two years are to create family albums, improve displays, make sure that babies use the outdoor area daily and develop a sensory area. The plan for children aged two to four years includes adding different text to the environment, adding speech bubbles to displays that are written by children as well as staff, develop more role play boxes and develop golden rules. Support from local advisors is welcomed and valued and the nursery is linked to a local quality assurance scheme. Resources satisfactorily meet the needs of the children attending. Required documentation and records are kept up to date.

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the early years provision

The partnership with parents is good. Parents are happy with the information that was shared with them during the period of time when the ownership of the nursery changed and they share very positive views on the current provision. Information for parents, including a full range of policies and procedures is displayed, and newsletters are regularly provided. Parents' views are requested through the implementation of a questionnaire and they are asked to post suggestions into a box that is clearly visible in the entrance area. Parents are initially asked to complete 'All about me' booklets on their child and are invited to share learning information during parents' evenings. Admission detail obtained on children's individual needs is thorough. Also staff agree with parents about how they can work together to meet their child's needs. Children do not currently attend any other provision, but the staff are aware of the benefits of establishing

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the early years provision

and maintaining positive links to ensure continuity of care and learning for children.

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and outcomes for children

Sound systems are in place to make sure that children make progress in their learning. Staff record children's achievements, identify the areas of learning that This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 they have observed, and target next learning steps that are then included in a weekly activity plan. However, in practice staff do not consistently differentiate between the more able and less able or younger children within a group and as a result, they are not consistently engaged and challenged. Children's emotional security is addressed well and all of them are happy and settled. Friendships have formed amongst children aged two years and over and they play together cooperatively. Children gain an awareness of diversity because they play with toys and books that reflect positive images and learn about different cultures and traditions.

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and outcomes for children

Children aged under two years develop physical skills as they crawl, hold onto low- level storage units, pull themselves to standing and begin to take a few steps. The outdoor play area is used by different age groups at different times. However, the use of the area is not maximised for babies and potentially, this has an impact on their learning experiences. Babies develop manipulative skills as they play with a range of toys. They explore sound and texture as they play with brightly coloured toys and books. Posting and stacking toys encourage babies to gain an awareness of size and shape. Some opportunities are provided for babies to explore paint, sand and water. Older babies are beginning to repeat situations familiar to them in their play, for example, they rock baby dolls in their arms. However, their pretend play is not promoted with full effect by staff as role play resources available to the

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and outcomes for children

babies are limited. Children aged two years play together in the home corner in their playroom. They show imagination as they pretend that magnifying glasses are baby dolls' shoes. Children demonstrate good language development as they talk to the dolls and to each other. They use a soothing and reassuring tone as they talk to their dolls.

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and outcomes for children

The playroom for children aged from two to four years is organised in accordance with different areas of learning. Books and musical instruments, construction toys, puzzles, role play resources and crayons and paper are easily accessible. However, children's independence is not fully promoted as opportunities for them to access art and craft resources are limited to times when these are closely supervised. Older children make up their own songs as they play musical instruments and those aged four years sit at a table and make up their own game. They ask a staff member to make rows of vertical and horizontal dots on a piece of paper and they then create a game whereby they join dots and make squares into which they write the initial for their first name. Children then count the squares accurately to find out who has the most. They talk about how old they are and hold up fingers to represent their own age and the ages of family members.

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and outcomes for children

Children play in a safe environment and they learn how to keep themselves safe, for example, they regularly practise the fire drill. They learn how to protect their own health and benefit from a well-planned menu for meals and snacks. Equipment in the outside play area allows children to develop physical skills and confidence as they climb, slide and play on wheeled toys. 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 3 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 3 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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