Skallywags Day Nursery

Skallywags Day Nursery 1 Conigree Lane, Abbots Road, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 5TF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/10/2012 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

 All children make good progress in their learning and development relative to their starting points. Staff create a stimulating and varied learning environment for promoting children's all round development.  The team of skilled staff well supports children through play that includes many opportunities for decision making. Staff successfully plan individualised learning programmes for children speaking English as an additional language.  The promotion of children's personal and emotional development throughout the nursery is reflected in the warm, caring relationships that clearly exist for children. As a result, they feel secure and are happy.  The provision strongly meets all requirements for children's safeguarding and welfare. Staff are attentive to children to consistently meet all of their care needs.  The strong links made with parents successfully involve them in two-way sharing about children's progress.

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This provision is good

 Particularly effective self-evaluation that values the views of children, parents, staff and supporting bodies, leads to in-depth plans of action securely covering many areas of development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always plan all routines to fully support children's growing independence so they learn to do things for themselves, for example, at meal times.

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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 play rooms and the outside learning environment. The inspector completed a joint observation of play in the garden with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with one of the owners and the manager of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at planning documents and some of the children's assessment records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked a sample of documentation, including evidence of suitability of staff working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plans.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included in the nursery's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

Skallywags Day Nursery re-registered in 2012 and is run as a limited company. It operates from six rooms of a detached house in a residential area in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Children have access to an enclosed garden and a covered area for outdoor play all year round. The nursery opens each weekday from 8am to 5.30pm, except for bank holidays and a week at Christmas.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 40 children aged from three months to under eight years on roll, some in part-time places. The nursery currently supports a number of children speaking English as an additional language. It is in receipt of funding for free early years education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Information about the setting

Of the six members of staff, five hold appropriate early years qualifications. There is one member of staff working towards a qualification. The manager holds a level 4 qualification in childcare and management. One of the owners is a registered paramedic and the other is a registered paediatric children's nurse with a degree in children's nursing.

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

 enhance opportunities for children's growing independence as they learn to do things for themselves, for example, in daily lunch routines.

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who attend

Insert report text here Staff have a strong impact on children's learning and development so that they enjoy their play and make good progress. They make good use of ongoing observations, beginning with accurate assessments of children's starting points and capabilities. They effectively evaluate children's play to plan for their interests and are well aware of children's next steps to effectively adapt their teaching. They take good account of how often children attend and review goals regularly in consultation with parents. This is to focus on children's current learning needs, particularly for those speaking English as an additional language. Senior staff have a good knowledge and understanding of procedures for the two-year-old progress check. They intend to incorporate this into the monitoring of progress for toddlers in preparation for their transition into the pre-school.

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who attend

The educational programmes for all seven areas of learning effectively support children to reach expected levels of development. Young children achieve good personal, social and emotional development. Babies participate in group activities, such as circle time, and explore their surroundings alongside others in the garden. Toddlers spend significant parts of their day with older children, for example, at meal times. All children enjoy the challenges to develop physically and receive plenty of stimulation from the attentive staff to extend their communication and language skills. Babies and toddlers respond to a wealth of dialogue from the staff about their play and begin to join in enthusiastically in action rhymes. Pre-schoolers eagerly engage in extended conversations and are well challenged to learn, for example, about rhyming words, such as 'guessed' and 'impressed'.

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who attend

Babies and children gain good levels of literacy as they become engrossed in picture books, while older ones 'read' books to themselves and others. They thoroughly enjoy making marks using different media, including chalking outdoors. They dip their hands in shaving foam and paint to make prints and use tools and materials, such as glitter, to create 'firework' pictures. All children effectively develop mathematical ideas in play and routines. They compare different shapes and sizes, for example, as they create train tracks and build models. Pre-school children accurately count those present, recognise the corresponding figure and set out the correct number of chairs. Children have ample opportunities to gain good understanding of their environment as they explore the woodland area of the garden and engage in craftwork for special occasions, such as the local 'mop fair'.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate high expectations as they enthuse, engage and motivate children. A key strength of the nursery is the quality of the teaching techniques employed so that any gaps in children's learning are closing. Staff well extend children's learning through their chosen play and offer frequent open questions and comments to support children to further develop their thinking. They well encourage younger and older children to choose their own toys and activities for the group. As a result, all children acquire the skills and capacity to develop, concentrate and learn effectively. They receive good support to be ready for the next stages in their learning, including their eventual move to full-time education.

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

Insert report text here The nursery's care practices well support babies and children to feel emotionally secure. These effectively help them to be physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. Attentive key persons support their children's care needs and are well aware of their play preferences and learning requirements. As a result, support and conversations are personalised and all children form close bonds and secure emotional attachments with their carers. Children seek staff out for reassurance and additional resources whenever needed. They are confident within known routines and have a positive approach to new experiences. As a result, the atmosphere remains purposeful and older children enjoy many responsibilities. For example, they are well encouraged to fetch their own tools and materials and willingly tidy equipment away before moving for meals. Staff successfully promote children's self-esteem and motivation, acknowledging their

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

kindness and helpful actions. Pre-schoolers help to select and set out the named snack mats required for that day. Though their independence is not fully promoted in the serving and clearing away at lunchtimes.

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

Children make good relationships with the adults and relate well to each other. Throughout their time at the nursery, many form increasingly strong friendships. Children respond well to the clear boundaries that they help to set, for example, as they hear gentle reminders to say 'please' and 'thank you'. As they are eager to be involved in adult- led activities and are often occupied in self-chosen play, their behaviour is good. Staff set a positive example by being considerate and thoughtful for others.

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

Children feel safe and effectively learn about potential hazards. Carefully thought out practices enable them to be aware of safety and to take appropriate risks. Babies respond well to being taught to negotiate the stairs safely and older children take calculated risks as they run safely in the garden and to look out for each other. Children effectively learn about healthy lifestyles. Staff encourage children to develop a good understanding of the importance of physical exercise. Children choose to go out into the fresh air and are keen to play outdoors in all weathers. They energetically climb on tyres and the rope net on the 'pirate ship'. They well benefit from involvement in planning healthy foods for their snacks, including pineapple. They learn to manage their own hygiene and personal needs and hear clear explanations about these.

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provision

Insert report text here The management and staff work well as a team and all play their part in fulfilling their responsibilities to effectively meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements at all times. They have a good understanding of how to keep children safe through completing child protection training, including how to respond to any concern about a child. Staff review detailed, written risk assessment through daily checks, including those concerning security. The nursery effectively maintains all required documentation, including the record of staff suitability. The high adult to child ratio enables staff to focus well on children all the time. This means that they effectively promote safe practices and a culture of safety as staff consistently implement all required policies and procedures.

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provision

The management has good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. They effectively monitor the planning and delivery of the educational programmes so that all groups of children make good progress. This includes those from different linguistic backgrounds who need extra support to close gaps in their learning. Parents welcome the good provision for their children. They appreciate the clear, individualised, two-way communication about their children and different aspects of the nursery's organisation. They choose the nursery because it is 'like home from home' and praise the individual skills of staff, especially their close relationships with the children. Staff well understand the importance of securing strong partnerships with other settings children attend. They are proactive in establishing communication links to share details about children's care and learning. Staff invite teaching staff to visit and have good links

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provision

The committed owner-providers work closely with staff to evaluate the provision and they complete the regulator's self-evaluation form in good, focused detail. They actively seek advice and ideas for good practice, for example, from the local authority adviser and by visiting other settings. Using feedback from children and parents' views, for example, from a recent survey, they accurately assess what they offer to children and their families. They comprehensively plan many areas for development. These include completion of the adoption of revised Early Years Foundation Stage documents for assessment and planning, and continuing to gain the views of parents on their children's learning. Particularly good attention is given to well understood employment and vetting procedures. Regular appraisal and supervision effectively support staff development. The management and staff have worked hard to refresh and refurbish the newly acquired premises. As a result,

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provision

the wide range of good quality resources and the attractive, stimulating, learning environment successfully support children's all round development.

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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 EY446722 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 799583 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 40 Name of provider Skallywags (Tewkesbury) Limited Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07962352082 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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