Eager Beavers Nursery Group

Eager Beavers Nursery Group St Johns Ambulance Hall, Park Road, Street, Somerset, BA16 0JN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/10/2012 09/02/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 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

 Children are very happy and settled. They have warm relationships with the staff and one another and show they feel safe and secure.  Staff know the children and their families very well, which effectively supports children's well-being.  Children with identified additional needs are very well supported.  Parents speak very highly of the setting. They praise the friendly and approachable staff team. They particularly comment on how well their child has progressed and how happy they are to attend.

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It is not yet good because

 Information obtained from parents when their child starts at the setting is inconsistent and not sufficiently detailed or updated. This makes it difficult to determine children's starting points and for parents to be involved in their child's learning.  Observation and assessment records are not consistently completed and the next steps for each child are not revisited so the evidence for each child's progress is variable.  The educational programme for mathematics and expressive arts and design lack challenge for the older, more able children.  Self-evaluation processes are not robust enough to identify key priorities for future improvement.

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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 had a discussion with the manager on arrival.  The inspector observed interactions and activities in the two rooms and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of children's assessments, planning and other documentation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Eager Beavers Nursery Group registered in 1993. It is a private group, which operates from the St. John Ambulance Hall in Street, Somerset. The group provides care in two adjoining rooms. There is a kitchen, toilet facilities and a cloakroom area. An enclosed car park is used for outside play.

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Information about the setting

The group is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. They open from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions run from 9.15am to 12.15pm, with an optional lunch session until 1.10pm. There are currently 30 children on roll, aged from two to five years.

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Information about the setting

The group receives funding for the provision of free early education for three- and four- year-old children. The group supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are nine members of staff who work with the children, of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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must:

 develop the systems for planning and assessment to promote children's progress by a) improving the assessment on entry to enable planning for children's progress from the start; b) involving parents more in the assessment system; c) re-visiting identified next steps to clearly demonstrate how each child is progressing across the seven areas of learning.

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

 develop the systems for planning and assessment to promote children's progress by a) improving the assessment on entry to enable planning for children's progress from the start; b) involving parents more in the assessment system; c) re-visiting identified next steps to clearly demonstrate how each child is progressing across the seven areas of learning.

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

 improve the educational programme for expressive arts and design by a) maintaining a challenging environment with stimulating resources which are accessible and open ended; b) provide unusual or interesting materials and resources such as textured wall coverings, raffia, string, translucent paper or water based glues with added colour to allow children to explore freely using their senses

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

 improve systems for self-evaluation by a) devising a rigorous system to identify key priorities for improvement; b) seeking the views of all staff, parents and children to identify areas for improvement

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who attend

Overall, children enjoy a suitable range of experiences at the nursery. They are happy and settled, and arrive excitedly ready to explore their environment. Staff gather some information from parents about their child's interests when they first join the nursery and then use ongoing discussions to share information about their child's activities. Although staff make observations on the children, they are not completed consistently. The key person has begun to identify appropriate next steps in learning; however, these are not reviewed in order to clearly promote children's progress. Currently, parents are not fully involved in this process in order for them to support their child's learning at home and in the nursery.

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who attend

Children's emotional security is addressed well and all of them have formed strong attachments to their key person and other staff. Strong friendships have formed amongst the children 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 that are relevant to the children attending.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy role play, they look after the soft animals that visit the vet when they are unwell, they push their baby around in a buggy, make lists and count the coins in the cash register. Staff engage children in conversation; they talk about the leaves that have been collected and the patterns they make when they rub them with a crayon. They use spontaneous experiences to encourage children to count and identify colours. However, staff miss opportunities to extend children's understanding of number further. For example, when children count the flowers in the puzzle with ease, staff do not challenge children further, such as through simple addition and subtraction. Children's independence is not fully promoted as opportunities for them to access art and craft resources are limited. Some adult-led creative activities are too over directed, not allowing children to explore and create freely.

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who attend

Children's speech and language skills are developing well, staff constantly interact with the children and are intuitive and recognise the meanings behind children's gestures and attempts at communication. For example, when a child is saying his friend is missing, the member of staff repeats his friend's name back to him so that he hears it correctly. Children demonstrate good listening skills as they listen to their favourite story. They squeal excitedly and cuddle up with their friends as the member of staff closes the curtains and effectively uses her voice to keep the children in suspense when reading the story. Children know that print carries meaning and handle books carefully as they retell the story to their friends later. Children are suitably prepared for school, for example, they self-register on arrival by finding their name card; they are beginning to link letters to sounds and staff support them well to develop their social skills.

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who attend

Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. The manager, who is the special needs coordinator, liaises effectively with parents and any other professional who is involved with the childcare, to provide appropriate support.

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

Children play and learn in a warm and welcoming environment in which they feel safe. Staff are warm and responsive to children, which helps them to make secure emotional attachments with their key person and other staff. All staff are consistent in their approach, so that children develop knowledge of what is expected and display positive behaviour. They share well, take turns and help to tidy away equipment. Staff regularly praise and use positive language, which promotes children's self-esteem and confidence.

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

Children routinely practise the evacuation procedures, which teaches them how to keep safe in the event of a fire. They respond positively to the gentle reminders from staff to play safely, for example to walk, rather than run, when inside. Children show sufficient levels of self-confidence within the nursery. For example, they independently get a tissue, blow their noses, and put it in the bin. This also supports their health and well-being. Children are able to access many resources for them selves, which promotes their independence in making choices.

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

Children have opportunities to develop their understanding about healthy eating. They discuss the food they eat at snack and meal times and talk about washing the germs away when using the bathroom. Children regularly play outside, which supports their physical well-being.

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provision

The manager and her staff have a sound understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the welfare and the learning and development requirements. The manager has recently updated the policies and procedures in relation to the revised framework, to include all the necessary information, which are shared with staff and parents. Staff demonstrate a suitable knowledge and understanding of safeguarding policies and procedures and are aware of their role and responsibility to report any concerns they may have. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures check that all adults working with children are suitable to do so. Staff make the environment is safe and secure by carrying out daily safety checks on the premises and equipment.

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provision

The manager monitors the performance of her staff and they are encouraged to attend courses and training to enhance their practice. Staff are becoming familiar with the changes to the learning and development requirements and are in the process of implementing changes to their recording of children's progress. However, the quality of the assessments and monitoring does not consistently identify where children are making progress and promote their next steps. Although similar weaknesses were recognised at the previous inspection, the nursery has moved forward in other areas. This includes improving their understanding of safeguarding procedures and sharing information with other settings that children attend. The manager has started to evaluate her service and identified some areas for improvement. However, this evaluation was completed some time ago and has not been revisited or updated to accurately reflect the nursery today.

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provision

The current system does not include the views of the staff, parents or children.

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provision

Parents spoken to on the day of inspection were very happy with how their child was progressing and really appreciate the warm and caring staff. Many of the parents said that they feel as if they are leaving their child with 'family'. Parents have daily discussions with staff at drop off and collection time, to talk about their child. However, staff are not fully exploring strategies that encourage parents to play a full and active role in their child's learning. For example, there is limited sharing of their child's starting points or their child's achievements at home. Consequently, children's learning potential is reduced. Links with other providers are continually developing, with the sharing and exchanging of information to aid children's continuity of care. Effective links have been established with the local primary schools to aid a smooth transition for the children from the nursery to school

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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 143016 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 814043 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 30 Name of provider Annette Stacey Date of previous inspection 09/02/2010 Telephone number 07970620247 (Mobile)

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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: 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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