West Park Kindergarten

West Park Kindergarten West Park Drive, Stanley Park, Blackpool, FY3 9EQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/10/2012 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children settle quickly and enjoy their time at the nursery. Staff take great care in getting to know children and their family to ensure that they meet their individual needs.  Recent changes within the leadership and management structure have helped to create a positive ethos within the setting. Leaders and managers have adopted an enthusiastic and committed approach to their role and have begun to identify areas for improvement and further development.  Children are learning to be strong and independent as staff are supportive of the development good self-help skills, which means their personal, social and emotional development is good.

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It is not yet good because

 The teaching of language development is not always promoted through appropriate questioning and clear and consistent speaking to develop children's vocabulary.  Planning is not implemented consistently and is not effectively based on individual next steps in learning to ensure sufficient challenge for all children.

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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 baby room, main group rooms and outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the manager and registered person and spoke with the staff at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of practitioners working in the setting and a range of other records, policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

West Park Kindergarten was registered in 2012 and is under new management. It is located in the Ladies Pavilion at Blackpool Cricket Club on the western edge of Stanley Park, Blackpool. Children have access to the whole of the building, except the staff room and kitchen. There is a fully enclosed outdoor play area within the perimeter of the pavilion and the cricket field is accessible, under the constant supervision of the nursery staff.

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Information about the setting

The kindergarten is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year excluding bank holidays. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. There are currently 35 children on roll, some in part-time places. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The registered provider employs six staff, including the manager, who holds a Foundation Degree in childcare. All other staff have level 3 in childcare. The setting provides training placements for students. The provision is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association. Advice, support and training are gained from the local authority.

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must:

 develop the programme of communication and language by; modelling sentences, adding words to what children can say and provide activities, which help children to learn to distinguish differences in sounds, word patterns and rhythms.

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

 ensure the observations and assessments of children's learning are used effectively to plan suitably challenging activities

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

 monitor the effectiveness of the planning to ensure that children's next steps are considered in all areas of learning and development.

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who attend

Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment and staff welcome all children and their parents into the setting. Managers have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the seven areas of learning. They have recently reviewed and introduced systems to observe, assess and plan for individual children. However, not all staff are confident in how to use these effectively to help them to support children's development and learning. Most children's learning journeys contain a range of information, including photographs and comprehensive observations on their learning and development. These support the learning charts that track children's development through the age bands, so staff can ensure that they are making progress. However, these are not consistent for all children and some lack the necessary detail. As a consequence, staff are unable to clearly identify the next steps for each child, in order to plan a good range of

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who attend

challenging and purposeful play and learning opportunities that meet their individual needs. For example, a planned activity to produce art work for a display on number was not beneficial to all the children's learning styles and interests. Consequently, for a number of children, this learning opportunity was not meaningful.

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who attend

The organisation of each session and the presentation of toys and resources enable children to make choices about what they would like to play with and how they spend their time. They benefit from daily opportunities to access fresh air and physical activity. For example, children independently make attempts to put on wetsuits and wellington boots to access the outdoors in wet weather. Young children are taken out in prams in inclement weather to ensure that they benefit from fresh air each day. Some consideration is made to the planning of the environment and managers and staff ensure that children have opportunities to access toys and resources across all areas of learning. Staff respond to children's personal interests, however, some children are not always sufficiently challenged and on occasion, their individual learning needs for language and communication are missed. This is because new and inexperienced staff members do not

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who attend

always use appropriate methods to develop communication skills through speech for children aged two years. For example, by not modelling full sentences themselves when children do not have the range of vocabulary to respond. Very young children's early communication is skilfully encouraged by staff. A very young child begins to babble while exploring treasure baskets. A staff member acknowledges the babble and repeats the noise, encouraging the child to communicate further with other gurgles.

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who attend

Children explore and learn about the natural world through appropriate activities. Young children feel different textures in the treasure baskets, while older children stop in muddy puddles as they go on hunts around the field. Children have good access to a broad range of books, which they can access independently from the book corner. In addition, they participate in group story time on a regular basis where they actively get involved with the story, pointing out pictures and guessing what comes next. Children are encouraged to make marks, they enjoy writing and drawing pictures using a range of materials, including pens, crayons and chalks. Children make patterns in foam and staff encourage them to make different patterns and shapes with their fingers. Problem solving and counting activities are accessible within the setting and staff make use of spontaneous opportunities to promote children's learning through activities. For example, children build a train on the

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who attend

track and together, they count from one to 10 as they attach the carriages. Children's progress is good in their personal, social and emotional development because staff support them well in this aspect, for example, they enable children to be independent at mealtimes, which are sociable occasions.

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

Staff promote a calm and caring atmosphere where children develop positive relationships with them and their peers. Many children are new to the setting and the staff's warm, sensitive approach has helped them to settle quickly, feeling safe and secure. For example, a young child, new to the setting, sat on a staff member's knee, observing what is going on before feeling ready to engage in play. Children are confident to approach staff when wanting comfort or support or when they just want to be near to someone during play. For example, young children regularly crawl up to staff and sit on their knee for a cuddle before returning to play and older children will snuggle on the sofa with staff to read and look at books together.

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

Children are provided with good opportunities to develop their independence and self-help skills as they are effectively supported to pour their own drinks, put on their own shoes and use a knife and fork. Realistic rules and the consistent management of unwanted behaviour throughout the setting means that children begin to understand what is expected of them. For example, children are encouraged to share and take turns with popular toys and equipment. Therefore, children play and learn in an environment that is calm and orderly. Children's self-esteem and confidence are promoted because there is an emphasis on celebrating their achievements and positive behaviour.

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

Children's health is well promoted and they are encouraged to implement healthy practices. For example, washing hands before eating and being encouraged to make healthy choices at snack time. Staff are aware of children's individual health or dietary needs and maintain clear records, policies and procedures to ensure that these are addressed appropriately. At present it is not fully utilised to support children's all round development, as there is not enough equipment and activities to promote all the prime and specific areas of learning. However, children do make good use of the area and have fun in the fresh air. Children are encouraged to be physically active through easy access to the outdoor play area, exploring the wider area and action songs indoors.

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provision

The registered provider and manager have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities with regard to the safeguarding and welfare, and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. A range of appropriate policies and procedures are in place and systems to ensure the safe recruitment of suitable and qualified adults are implemented. Ongoing strategies for performance management of staff are developing and inconsistencies in effective teaching are being addressed. Managers are seeking training and have implemented a mentoring programme to improve practice and the quality of teaching, especially within communication and language. The management team are aware that not all staff are effectively planning for children's individual next steps in learning as this is a new system, which all members have not completed the training on. In addition, there is a programme for the professional

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provision

development of staff to expand the knowledge and skills, including undertaking foundation degrees.

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provision

Relationships with parents are good. An appropriate key person system means that children and their parents build very positive relationships. Parents have been kept fully informed of recent changes in staff and the impact that this may have had. Consequently, staff gain an accurate understanding of children's individual care and learning needs. Parents provide feedback on their satisfaction and provide positive comments about the ways in which they are kept informed and how well their children have settled at the setting. They are provided with a range of useful information on notice boards, the website, electronic newsletters and have access to the policies and procedures. In addition, staff provide daily written and verbal updates on what the children have been doing each session. Managers and staff have begun to forge positive relationships with other providers and professionals, in order to support children's transitions.

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provision

Recent changes and the new management team have begun to have a positive impact as strengths and areas for improvement have been clearly identified through a detailed action plan. A strategy for the effective implementation of a self-evaluation system has been prepared and opportunities for all staff, parents and children to feed into this has been considered. Consequently, the capacity for continuous improvement is progressing.

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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 EY446224 Local authority Blackpool Inspection number 793472

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider Debra Easter Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01253 393299

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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. 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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