Milestones Day Nursery

Milestones Day Nursery Milestones Day Nursery, Tongue Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 4QE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/09/2012 09/02/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Strong partnerships with parents are evident, therefore children's care needs are met and they make good progress with their learning and development.  Links with other providers and professionals are good. Consequently individual needs are well supported and a continuity of care is valued by all.  Children and babies are happy, active learners who are keen to explore their environment. They show growing independence which enables them to follow their own interests and gain new skills.  An effective key person system ensures that strong attachments are formed with all babies and young children. Staff are very familiar with children's needs and routines which helps to make even the youngest of children feel secure and confident.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The self-evaluation process is yet to be fully developed in order to fully capture opinions from a range of parents, staff and others.  The outside spaces need further developments in order to offer stimulating experiences for children and babies to extend their learning and skills.

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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 activities in the three main room and the outside spaces.  The inspector held meetings with the owner and manager of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of practitioners working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation form and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and information included in the self-evaluation form.

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Information about the setting

Milestones Day Nursery registered in 1993 and had a change of ownership in 2003. It operates from three rooms in a single-storey building, situated in the Meanwood area on the outskirts of Leeds. All children have access to enclosed outdoor play areas. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm all year, except for bank holidays and a week between Christmas and New Year. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and both the complusory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 72 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age group. Children attend from surrounding areas. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with English as a second language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 21 members of staff. The majority of staff including the manager hold recognised early years qualifications to level two, three and four. The owner has Early Years Professional status.

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

 review and further develop opportunities for children to play and extend their learning in the outdoor environment

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

 extend systems for self-evaluation by including the views of others to inform the setting's priorities and are used to set challenging targets for improvement.

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who attend

Children show great curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. They are enticed by interesting activities where they are able to explore and follow their own interests. This is because staff have a good understanding of the children in their care and recognise fully that children learn through play. Teaching techniques support children well and consequently most children make good progress in learning and development.

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who attend

Children's early writing skills are encouraged by a variety of activities. For example toddlers enjoy making marks on large pieces of paper firmly secured on table tops. The environment is rich in text throughout the nursery and this means that children are beginning to understand that written words carry meaning. Staff encourage older children to recognise letters and sounds when labelling their work and this further enhances their understanding of the written word.

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who attend

Secure planning and monitoring across the seven areas of learning ensures all aspects are sufficiently included. Children and babies benefit from opportunities to play outside and staff are keen to ensure this happens daily and in all weathers. However, the outside areas are less well developed and do not offer truly inspirational spaces for children and babies to extend their learning and physical skills. Children readily approach staff and are confident in communicating their needs. For example, children who are non-verbal happily use gestures in order to express themselves and demonstrate their preferences. Babies are eager to practise their first utterances and are delighted when responsive staff echo their babbling. This means that babies are encouraged to develop their communication skills and good self-esteem is promoted. Toddlers delight in telling staff about their play with the trains, they are able to express

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who attend

their dismay when it is broken and make appropriate train noises.

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who attend

A particular strength with the nursery is the close working with parents especially at the initial stages when babies are first starting. Good settling in procedures including assessing starting points and establishing care needs means that babies and children usually settle quickly and become secure in their new surroundings. Staff ensure parents are aware of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how this supports their children's learning and development. Regular parents evening, newsletters and daily informal contact ensures that parents are well informed about their children and how to support their learning at home.

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who attend

Children and babies generally make good progress in the well-resourced environment. Staff are secure in the knowledge of their children's targets and this is reflected in the organisation of the planning. This is especially well organised in the toddler room. Most staff demonstrate effective skills to question and challenge children's thinking. They use a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities to engage children's interest and consequently children and babies are busy, active and enjoying their time at the nursery.

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

An effective key person system together with careful planning for the deployment of staff means that all children form secure emotional attachments. This is especially important to ensure that babies begin to develop independence and that older children are able to develop skills for future learning. All children demonstrate high levels of confidence and self-esteem; they move freely around the nursery, cooperate with peers and are keen to share their activities with staff and adults. They are keen to help tidy away toys at the end of the session and this shows they are displaying a good awareness of responsibility and behaviour within the nursery. At transition time children and babies are well-supported because staff understand that this is a stressful time and careful planning is vital to ensure a positive experience for all.

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

Babies settle well because staff have a thorough understanding of their needs and routines. Strong partnerships with parents means that there is a continuity of care helping to further promote secure attachments and enhance good emotional development. A wide range of stimulating resources helps to foster babies' curiosity, for example mobiles made from everyday objects, treasure baskets, press-button toys and sand. The environment is spacious and enables babies to practice physical skills such as crawling, bottom shuffling and walking. Staff interact very positively offering plenty of praise, encouragement, cuddles and simple games, such as tickling. Children begin to develop good self-care routines because staff offer sensitive support, such as toilet training and hand washing. Children make healthy choices at meal times and are eager to enjoy their fruit snack during the afternoons. Careful planning and

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

preparation to meet individual dietary needs means that all children enjoy healthy foods and are learning this contributes well to a healthy lifestyle.

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

Children's understanding of safety is demonstrated by the way they move around the nursery giving consideration for others and their own safety. For example, they wait patiently by the door before going outside taking care in the wet weather. Their understanding of keeping themselves safe is further enhanced by staff who are good role models and frequently explain the reasons why certain actions are important. For example, tidying toys from the floor and moving chairs carefully.

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provision

Management of the nursery have a clear vision of areas for development and areas of strength. Accurate identification of priorities through a process of self-evaluation provides an improvement plan to enhance the quality of the provision. However, robust strategies to include the views of everyone involved in the nursery are still being developed and implemented. Robust recruitment procedures including background checks, interviews and trial periods are in place. These together with supervision and appraisal systems ensure that staff are suitable for their roles and have the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge. This is turn has a high impact on the quality of teaching and care offered to children and babies in the nursery.

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provision

There are methods in place to observe, assess and monitor children's progress. Generally these are effective and identify children's next steps to promote good learning and development, through staffs understanding of the curriculum. Strong partnerships with a wide range of professionals are evident at the nursery and this has a positive impact on the learning, development and welfare of individual children. Parents questioned were very positive about the nursery, staff and strategies employed to keep them informed. They felt their children had made good progress and valued the strong partnership in the care of their children.

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provision

Staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and know how to recognise, record and report concerns they may have about a child in their care. Regular training and opportunities to further develop staff skill are incorporated into staff meetings and supervision. Staff strive to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all children and babies. Every child is valued and their positive development is fostered by stimulating experiences which promotes future learning and skills.

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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 EY273848 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 850311

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 56 Number of children on roll 72 Name of provider Childcare Strategies Ltd Date of previous inspection 09/02/2010 Telephone number 0113 2957677

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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.

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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

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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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