Ladybird Childcare Ltd

Ladybird Childcare The Scout and Guide Hut, School Street, Hazel Grove, STOCKPORT, Cheshire, SK7 4RA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/09/2012 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The owner-managers bring a depth of childcare knowledge and passion for quality childcare to the provision. They are committed to their own and their staffs professional development and continued improvement of the quality of teaching and learning.  The homely, calm environment successfully combines a bright well-resourced group day care provision with individual care, where staff have a detailed knowledge of children's individual needs.  Parents are extremely happy, they and their children have been very well supported both in the settling in period and with on-going issues and ideas to extend children's learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some story times cater for too large an age range and number of children to ensure all remain fully engaged throughout the session.  Systems to capture children's starting points when children start to attend do not capture all areas of development which limits staff's ability to fully monitor children's early progress.

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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 compulsory part 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 activities in the main playroom and the outside play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the owner-managers at appropriate times throughout the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation, the settings improvement action plans and a selection of policies and staff and children's records.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Ladybird Childcare is owned by a limited company and was registered in 2012. It operates from the Scout and Guide Hut in Hazel Grove, Stockport. The pre-school serves the local area and has strong links with the local schools.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during term time and for some sessions in the school holidays. Sessions are from 7.30am until 5.30pm. The pre-school also offers care to children aged over five years. It receives funding for the provision of free early education. The setting supports children who have English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school has seven members of staff which includes the two owners who are also the managers. The owners both hold a level 5 qualification, one of the other staff members holds a level 4 qualification and two further staff members have a level 2 qualification. The two unqualified staff are currently working towards a qualification and three of the qualified staff are working towards further qualifications. The pre-school receives support from the local authority.

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

 support children to listen to stories with increasing attention and recall in small groups by reviewing the size and age range of children grouped together at group story time

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

 capture children's starting points in all development areas early in their attendance to further enhance planning and monitoring of children's progress.

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who attend

The pre-school staff promote children's learning and development well. They have a very child-centred philosophy which puts the children at the heart of what they do. The small staff group get to know the children's interests and use short observations to collect information on individual children's learning styles and activities which will sustain their interest. Next steps in children's learning are identified and immediately implemented because of the flexible planning of activities. These observations are used to inform the tracking sheets which measure children's progress across all learning areas on a termly basis and are used to draw up a narrative record of children's progress for the two-year- old progress check. Currently, the pre-school collects information from parents on a range of care needs and some areas of development when children start to attend but does not undertake an overview of children's starting points in all areas of learning as soon as they

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who attend

start to attend. This means it is more difficult for them to measure children's progress in all areas of learning made during their first term of attendance.

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who attend

The children are making good progress in their communication language and literacy skills with all children developing into confident communicators. Staff support children's development in spoken English by ensuring there are good links with children's first language where this isn't English, and they also use sign language regularly to help less verbal children. Staff use puppets to make group story times interactive and children learn the key skills of listening to instructions, respecting and listening to the contributions of their friends and sharing their ideas in the wider group. However, the expansion in the number of younger children attending means some large group story sessions are less effective in sustaining those younger children's attention. Children grow in their ability for sustained thought because staff support children to think of solutions for themselves. For example, children think about how to keep their sleeves dry at the water table rather than

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who attend

being told to roll their sleeves up by an adult. Letter sounds are introduced as they recognise the starting sound of their name and draw out the shape of the letter in sand, foam or in the air.

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who attend

Children have the advantage of being able to access either inside or outside environments during large parts of the day. They can enjoy outdoor activities, such as, playing with falling leaves and finding bugs which they examine with magnifying glasses. They create their own obstacle courses out of objects, such as, bakers' trays, which tests their balancing skills. Numbers, shape and colour are introduced as part of daily activities and they count the number of children who are lined up for hand washing before snack time or discuss the colours of the play dough. Staff introduce children to other cultures through activities based around cultural festivals and national events. They also draw on the expert knowledge of parents to ensure their teaching is accurate with parents coming in to help make culturally specific food with the children. Children's imagination is well supported, both inside and outside, with home play areas and small world play. Clear plans are in

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who attend

place to ensure children of all ages will make good progress in developing skills for the future and the move to school when the time comes.

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

The processes to help children settle into the setting are highly effective. Parents praise the extensive efforts of staff which help them and their children feel comfortable and confident. Children quickly build strong relationships with staff and other children and are ready to explore and learn. Staff understand that events at home will have an effect on children's confidence and how settled they are. They link in with parents to support children through everyday family events, such as, the arrival of a new sibling, by providing activities in the settling period or for parents to undertake at home which reinforce the positive aspects of the events. Children's behaviour is very good; staff help children think about other people's feelings and they learn to negotiate and cooperate with their play mates. The atmosphere is warm and serene.

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

Children's dietary needs are met in conjunction with parents who supply packed lunches. Snack time foods and drinks are supplied by the pre-school and encourage children to try a healthy range of refreshments. Staff skilfully make use of opportunities to introduce children to new words such as 'crunchy' when children describe the bread sticks. The layout of the setting allows children to make choices for themselves and grow in their independence as they start to manage their own self-care, for example, using the toilets or unpacking their lunch. Hygiene practices are generally good and introduced to children, through every day routines. Children are shown how to keep themselves safe through discussions which carefully support them to think through how to manage risk.

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provision

The children benefit from a setting which has a strong management structure headed by its two owner/managers. They are committed to providing a high quality service and are passionate about the importance of professional development and good in-house training and supervision of staff. Appropriate recruitment procedures and induction processes ensure staff's suitability is established when they are employed. On-going appraisals are undertaken to help drive improvement and identify training requirements. Children are also safeguarded through clear policies and procedures which ensure staff can identify child protection concerns and take appropriate action to protect children. The building and grounds are secure which ensures that children cannot leave unaccompanied and helps staff manage the entry of parents and visitors. Staff have a clear understanding of risks and risk assessments for the building and grounds are completed and any concerns are

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provision

recorded and addressed. Staff are aware of the need to check the rooms are ready to accept children following their use by other groups.

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provision

Required policies and procedures are in place to help with the safe and smooth management of the setting. The owner/managers are fully committed to driving improvement in the setting. Since opening they had used action plans to ensure identified improvements are acted upon. Going forward they are using the Early Years Foundation Stage evaluation criteria to guide their assessments of the setting's performance and to set targets. The setting also draws on the expertise of the local authority advisor and local childcare lecturers. Staff are fully involved in the planning of changes which means they are committed to future developments. The group has a strong capacity for further improvement.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and carers are very strong. A range of communication methods are used, verbal exchanges are supplemented with newsletters, notice board displays and daily diaries. Policies are shared with parents who are aware of how to access their child's development files. Not all parents collect their children from the setting so to bridge this gap in communication, open surgeries and drop in sessions are arranged where parents can call in, telephone, email or text the staff who are available and ready to reply. Partnerships in the wider context are used to develop the quality of education. The setting links with other professionals to help children with additional needs. The group is committed to their role in ensuring all children, regardless of ability, can access their provision. They realise the importance of early intervention for children with additional needs ensuring that services are in place to support a child when they transfer to school.

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provision

The pre-school is proactive in developing links with the other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage where children attend more than one setting and have made efforts to develop links with the school nurseries the children often move on to. This helps provide continuity in children's provision and the smooth transition to primary school when the time comes.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY443558 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 786775

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 11 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider Ladybird Childcare Limited Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07910301022

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Type of provision

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. 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

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Type of provision

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.

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Type of provision

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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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