Little Ducklings

Little Ducklings Murdoch House, Hemingfield Road, Barnsley, S73 0LY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/09/2012 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

 Children are active learners and they make good progress in their learning and development.  Practitioners help children to gain a good understanding of healthy lifestyles, through a healthy diet and physical exercise.  The management team encourages all staff, parents and children to contribute their ideas in the self-evaluation process.  The environment is welcoming and well resourced to enable children to be independent and engage in self-chosen challenges.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The key person or 'buddy', who knows the children well and is able to communicate with parents on a daily basis, is not always available for children in the baby room.  Information obtained from parents does not always give a full picture of children's development to help form their starting points.

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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 the activities, indoors and outdoors, throughout the day in all care rooms

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the management team, members of staff and children at appropriate times of the day

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's profiles, planning documentation, self-evaluation form, parents' questionnaires, staff training files and some policies and procedures  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken with on the day

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Information about the setting

Little Ducklings is a private nursery which opened in 2012. It is situated in a large converted property in the Wombwell area of Barnsley. There is a secure outdoor play area. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm all year round, excluding Bank Holidays. It also offers holiday playcare. The nursery is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 67 children on roll in the early years age range. The setting receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four, and supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are 16 members of staff employed to work with the children, all of whom are qualified to at least level 2, with some staff qualified to levels 3, 5 and 6. The nursery also employs ancillary staff. It receives support from the local authority.

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

 improve deployment of staff in the baby room to ensure that the key person is paired with a 'buddy' who knows each baby and family and can step in where necessary

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

 extend the information obtained from parents at the start of placement to gain a clearer indication of the starting points for children's learning and development.

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who attend

The nursery environment is well organised, with good quality resources that are readily accessible to support children's learning in all areas. A good balance of adult-led and child- initiated activities result in children being motivated, active learners. They engage in self- chosen challenges within all areas of continuous provision and they are working comfortably within the typical range of development. Children are involved in the planning of their own activities through the planning board, which enables them to select activities from photographic prompts. Practitioners facilitate children's learning well, enhancing play through skilled questioning and following children's individual interests and ideas. For example, children express their interest in dinosaurs, and practitioners encourage them to name different dinosaurs, to move like dinosaurs and to go on a dinosaur hunt, followed by a story about dinosaurs.

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who attend

Babies enjoy exploring different textures, such as 'gloop', feathers and crinkly paper, with practitioners on hand to enhance their sensory experiences. Older children experiment outdoors with jelly, enjoying the properties of this and learning new words to describe how it feels. Practitioners encourage parents to contribute information about their child and they add to their children's development records as they wish to, which helps inform practitioners' further planning. Initial written information from parents focuses on children's routines and preferences, rather than what their children can do which provides an incomplete picture. Although, practitioners sometimes discuss this information during the settling-in process.

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who attend

Children's abilities in the prime areas of learning ensure they are developing key skills. For example, they demonstrate high levels of independence in self-care. Children learn what foods are good for them and they grow vegetables to enjoy at snack time. Babies are given support to become independent in feeding themselves and they are encouraged to recognise when they feel tired or hungry. Older children enjoy serving themselves lunch, making healthy choices about what they eat and how much they would like. They clearly express their preferences to practitioners, such as whether they need a rest or a drink. Children's language is developing well and they have many opportunities to communicate with practitioners and peers.

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who attend

Practitioners interact well, using lots of conversation to develop children's vocabulary, and they allow children plenty of time to think about what they want to say. They encourage children to express their ideas while skilfully ensuring all children have the same chances to speak and listen. For example, at story time, practitioners ask children to wait to tell their news so that others can hear the story. Children are learning how to use simple signing as a form of communication and to reinforce spoken language. Practitioners demonstrate good knowledge of the language needs of children who are learning English and they emphasise and repeat new words while checking children's understanding in one-to-one activities.

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

Children are happy and enjoy their time at the nursery. They behave well and enjoy positive relationships with practitioners overall, with plenty of opportunities for individual attention. Practitioners are motivated in their work with the children and they spend time observing and assessing their needs. However, while there are high levels of staff in the baby room, individual children do not always have their key person present and some babies have their needs met by several different practitioners, which may potentially result in feelings of insecurity. Older children have a secure relationship with their key person, who understands their needs and liaises well with parents to achieve consistency of care.

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

Children develop an understanding of how to keep themselves safe and how to manage risks in their environment. For example, babies enthusiastically free-flow indoors and outside to explore, supported by practitioners who facilitate their growing independence. Older children engage in their outdoor environment to promote their physical development and well-being and they talk about ways of playing safely. For example, they arrange blocks of wood and make a low balancing beam, discussing with practitioners whether it is strong enough so they do not fall. Gentle reminders are given to help children understand how to stay safe, such as why they need to sit properly on their chairs or blow their soup if it is too hot. Planned activities help children learn skills in staying safe, such as a visit from a road crossing patrol officer.

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

Children are learning the boundaries for acceptable behaviour and there are rules in place that older children know and understand. Praise and encouragement given to children is meaningful, such as for 'good listening' and 'good sitting', and this reinforces expected behaviour. Older children use good manners with each other, often unprompted. Practitioners are effective role models for desirable behaviour, such as sharing toys, with explanations given so that children understand the feelings of others.

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provision

The management team and all practitioners have a clear understanding of how to protect the children in their care. For example, safeguarding procedures are known by all staff at induction and there is a clear reporting procedure for passing on any concerns about a child's welfare, with staff confident to take any necessary action to protect a child. Risk assessments are carried out to ensure that the premises are secure and safe, and practitioners are vigilant about monitoring visitors to the setting.

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provision

The management team is committed to providing high quality, inclusive care and learning for children. Systems for monitoring practice and the quality of the children's experiences are in place. For example, practitioners are developing further planning for outdoor play. The nursery manager is involved in all aspects of the children's care and oversees the work of the staff team, modelling good practice and providing support and guidance where appropriate. Practitioners are deployed according to their skills and experience and additional staff are deployed, such as the nursery cook and cleaning staff, so that practitioners' time is spent directly with the children. Ongoing training opportunities, identified through staff appraisal are facilitated. In-house training enables all staff to build upon their knowledge. Self-evaluation involves all staff and this is visited at regular staff meetings to ensure all staff have opportunities to contribute to the process with their

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provision

views and ideas for improvement. Parents' views are sought through the completion of questionnaires and they express high levels of satisfaction with all aspects of the service.

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provision

Parents are given good information through the welcome pack, regular newsletters and face-to-face meetings with practitioners. There is a good rapport between practitioners and parents, who say they feel they can approach staff with any concerns or ideas. Parents say that they feel welcome and included at all times and they are confident in their choice of childcare.

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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 EY442316 Local authority Barnsley Inspection number 786974

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 64 Number of children on roll 67 Name of provider Little Ducklings Child Care Barnsley Limited Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01226 755 789

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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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