Bright Horizons Kenton Day Nursery and Preschool

Kenton Day Nursery 9 The Ridgeway, Kenton, Harrow, Middlesex, HA3 0LJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/09/2012 22/10/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 The nursery offers a welcoming, safe and secure environment where children are generally well supported through a key person system.  Children's health and well-being is well promoted through daily fresh air and exercise during outdoor play, hygiene routines are instilled in children such as hand washing, and healthy and well-balanced snacks and meals that are freshly prepared on the premises meeting their individual requirements.  Children's personal, social and emotional development is well promoted through many daily routines and activities, to enable them to develop early independence and self- help skills.  Positive partnerships with parents are well fostered through daily verbal and written communication to help provide consistency of care for children.  Staff are prompt in identifying, supporting and seeking external agency support for children who may have additional needs.

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It is not yet good because

 Although rigorous self evaluation systems are in place, the manager has not set targeted action plans to bring about improvement in the areas identified for improvement.  The manager is not effectively monitoring staff knowledge and practice and as a result, some routines and planning are not fully established and do not effectively meet the needs of some children.  Systems for observations, assessment and planning are in place; however, there is inconsistency in some staff's knowledge and implementation of these, as a result children's progress is not always successfully monitored.  Staff are kind and caring as they supervise the children to keep them safe. However, some staff do not support children to talk, to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events.  The outdoor area is not used to its full potential. It is not organised and resourced as well as the indoor environment and does not fully promote the different areas of

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play and staff interaction, indoors and outside.  The inspector and manager completed joint observations of several activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with some staff from each room, parents and the operational manager from head office, and held discussions with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation including a representative sample of children's records, development plans and staff suitability records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector read reports from local authority advisers, head office and independent audit reports.

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Information about the setting

Kenton Day Nursery is one of a chain of private day nurseries owned by Asquith Nurseries Group. The nursery operates over two floors from four base rooms, in a purpose-built building. A baby unit, nursery room and pre-school room are based on the ground floor with the toddler room based on the first floor. All children share access to an outdoor play area. The nursery is located in a residential area in the Kenton area, within the London Borough of Brent.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery caters for up to 88 children. There are currently 64 children in the early years age group on roll, attending on a full and part-time basis. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm closing only for public holidays. The nursery support children with special needs and/or disabilities and also children for whom English is an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 17 staff. Of those staff, there is one Qualified Teacher status, 12 staff, including the manager holds Level 3 qualifications; two staff holds Level 2 qualifications and two staff are unqualified. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 ensure the manager implements effective systems to pro-actively monitor staff performance and revision of the educational programmes to ensure that they have sufficient depth and breadth and challenge, and reflect the needs, aptitudes and interests of all children.  ensure that all staff implement consistency in the observation, assessment and planning cycle; consider using indicators from the Development matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage document to support this.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 make sure all staff use key vocabulary linked to activities, use open ended questioning and make certain they regularly model its use in a range of contexts

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 use the existing self -evaluation processes to effectively set targeted action plans and priorities to bring about improvement in areas identified

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 provide activities, equipment and resources in the outdoor play area, to fully extend children's learning across all areas of learning

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who attend

Children are happy and settled as staff are aware of their individual needs and work well in partnership with parents to support those needs. Children are separated into groups according to their ages, enabling staff to provide activities appropriate to their age and stage of development. The nursery has a suitable range of resources, which are generally of good quality and in the main, appropriately presented to encourage children to use them.

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who attend

In the baby unit staff plan an environment full of stimulating resources and pro-active interaction invites babies to explore and investigate safely and securely. Soft, calm and soothing music is gently played in the background, creating a calm and happy atmosphere for the little ones. Babies enjoy playfulness in their cosy area. They respond in smiles with the caring and attentive staff that play peek-a-boo. They are held closely when settling down for their sleep, helping them feel secure, as they form firm relationships with their carers. In the toddlers unit, children enjoy looking at books for pleasure. Toddlers listen intently to stories read by staff; some stories, such as one about a caterpillar who eats a lot, help them to begin to learn concepts such as, big and tiny; colours, counting and naming fruits that the caterpillar eats through. Children show delight and eagerly anticipate what happens next as they turn the pages of the book. Staff use animated and expressive tones

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who attend

In the nursery room, children enjoy developing their social and problem solving skills, as a group of children take turns, share and construct wooden train tracks. Children experiment with different textures of sand, water and coloured rice with their fingers and get a sense of different properties. Children enjoy creating their own artistic representations, using coloured feathers, sequins and lollipop sticks. However, some staff miss many chances to model language well, in order to develop children's ability to express their ideas and use of new words. In addition, some children are not always fully engaged and supported in their chosen activities.

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who attend

Staff in the pre-school room use the letters and sound programme during key worker time, to introduce letters of the week and also encourage children to learn to form letters in a variety of ways. For example, some children use the smart board, while others use chalks, pencils, crayons or wet sand. Children ascribe meanings to marks that they see in different places, as picture word cards are used to prompt children to think and find words that sound with 'b'. The pre-school team are beginning to develop relationships with some of the local schools within the area to plan for the smooth transition of children who move onto school.

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who attend

Children from all rooms have suitable access to outdoor play. Older children enjoy playing together and form friendships as they learn to join in a game called 'duck, duck, goose'. They all sit in a circle, while one child goes around, tapping peers on their heads, saying 'duck, duck' until the one child who is tapped 'goose' has to chase them back to their place. As a result, children learn to develop their personal, social and emotional skills, as they experience a range of emotions from anticipation to excitement of being chased around with the relief of not being caught; they enjoy the fresh air and exercise as they are physically active and learn to listen to instructions, in order to develop their attention and comprehension skills. However, the organisation of the outdoor area does not successfully provide a full range of activities to promote children's all-round learning and development. This impacts on the progress of children who learn best outdoors.

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who attend

Throughout the year children in the nursery take part in various festivals and parents participate, making them enjoyable events.

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who attend

Staff possess a developing awareness and understanding of the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff collect details about children's starting points from parents, such as children's likes, dislikes, as well as the use of key words in children's home languages. However, there are inconsistencies in some staff knowledge and awareness of using this information in order to support some children's needs. New systems for observations, assessments and planning are in place and are developing. However, not all staff fully use these effectively and as a result, children's progress is not fully tracked to plan for their next steps in learning. Systems are firmly in place to support those children who require additional help. For example, prompt referrals are made to external agencies, in conjunction with parents, to make certain correct strategies are developed to support the concerns identified.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children display a sense of belonging and security within the setting. A key person system is in place to support children to build relationships with their special member of staff, in order to promote their emotional security. This is further supported and reinforced through photographic displays of them engaged in various activities. Staff are affectionate and caring towards the children. They spend time gathering information from all parents when children first start at the nursery, enabling them to follow home routines. For example, for the younger babies to follow their sleeping and feeding patterns to meet their individual needs.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff follow suitable procedures, preventing the spread of infection, in order to promote the well-being of children. For example, staff wear disposable gloves when changing nappies and use anti-bacterial spray on the changing mat, after each use. Older children show their understanding of good hygiene practices, by washing their hands before snack and meal times. Children enjoy fresh and dried fruit for snacks, such as bananas and raisins. All children have their own individual place mats with their picture, name and any foods not allowed, to make certain their individual needs are well met.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Records, policies and procedures are firmly in place to support children's health and well- being. Fresh, healthy and nutritious meals that take account of children's individual dietary needs are served. Meal times are calm and enjoyable occasions. Staff support babies and toddlers as they encourage them to hold their own forks or spoons, in order to develop their emerging self-help skills, and are at hand to support, as necessary. Although staff sit with the children around small tables, some staff miss chances to use this time to build vocabulary that reflects the experiences of the children. Older children learn to serve their own meals from dishes on the table, pour their own water and begin to learn using cutlery, in order to promote their self-help and independence skills. Children enjoy outdoor play, gaining fresh air and exercise. They run, climb and jump on the play apparatus, showing developing agility.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children behave well. Older children show their understanding of routines, as they help in tidying up as one of the first steps in learning to take some responsibility for maintaining a safe play and learning environment. Older children also take safe risks, as they use a rounded knife to chop their banana, at snack time. Younger children show they feel safe and secure, as they play and interact with staff during their daily routines.

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provision

Effective safeguarding systems help to safeguard children's welfare. For example, criminal records checks are completed on all staff working with children as part of recruitment procedures. Staff are clear of the procedure to follow if they have concerns about the welfare of a child and they regularly attend safeguarding training. The staff identify potential dangers, as part of their risk assessments, and takes steps to eliminate those, helping children to keep themselves safe. The organisation of the environment is generally conducive to learning, safe and well cared for. Children have the opportunity to play outdoors as part of the daily routine. Babies, toddlers and older children confidently access their child-friendly environment, independently helping themselves to resources. Consequently, children have successful opportunities to make choices about their play, initiate their own ideas and gain independence skills.

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provision

The staff team are well deployed and they generally interact well with children during play and respond to individual needs. This is further supported by the successful key person system that means most children feel secure in their environment.

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provision

Self-evaluation involves the staff and parents of the nursery. In addition, further internal organisational and external auditing systems are carried out for monitoring progress, which clearly highlight some of the strengths of the nursery and the areas to improve. However, the manager has not set targeted action to address weakness, in order to effectively drive improvement. There are systems in place to appraise staff and identify areas for professional development. Staff take part in regular training throughout the year, to improve their skills and knowledge. However, lack of effective monitoring of some staff's performance, means there is inconsistency in the knowledge and practice of the Early Years Foundation Stage, to fully meet the needs of some children.

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provision

The staff have positive relationships with parents/carers. Effective two-way information ensures that staff are aware of children's needs and parents and carers are kept well informed about their children's achievement, well-being and development. Communication is through regular face to face contact, written information and parents' evenings, where parents get the opportunity to find out what their child does. Daily diaries are used for the younger children, to help maintain an effective home-nursery link. This provides reassurance and actively involves parents in the care of their children. This effective liaison with parents and carers contributes to children's achievement, well-being and development. Parents also have access to the setting's website where they can obtain further information. Feedback from parents via discussions and questionnaires describe the management and staff as friendly and approachable and most parents state that they

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provision

are well informed and involved in the care and learning of their children at the nursery. Partnerships with other professionals involved in children's care and other settings children attend are strong and help to ensure consistency of care for the children.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY286324 Local authority Brent Inspection number 884986 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 88 Number of children on roll 64 Name of provider Asquith Court Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 22/10/2008 Telephone number 020 8909 9850

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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