Little Poppets Day Nursery

Little Poppets Day Nursery 101 Fulbridge Road, PETERBOROUGH, Cambridgeshire, PE1 3LD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/11/2012 17/03/2011

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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

 Educational programmes cover the seven areas of learning well and offer children a broad range of exciting, stimulating experiences, such as road safety in which each area of learning is covered. Planning is differentiated to cater for children's individual interests and needs.  Parents contribute to initial assessments of children's starting points on entry and they are kept well-informed about their children's progress. Providing consistency of learning and development between home and the setting.  A well-established key person system helps children form secure attachments and promotes their well-being and independence. Children develop confidence and self- esteem as they complete small tasks and are praised by practitioners.  The manager has a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and is committed to continuous improvement. Plans for improvement are targeted, realistic and aimed at providing children with an

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Resources for children who speak English as an additional language are limited.  The system of self-evaluation does not yet take account of parents or children's views providing limited opportunities for them to contribute to improvements within the setting.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main playroom, the sunflower room and outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation of a road safety and mark making activity with the owner/manager in the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the owner/manager of the provision and spoke to children's key persons as appropriate during observations.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day as well as information included in the settings own parent questionnaires, survey and self-evaluation form.

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Information about the setting

Little Poppets Day Nursery was registered in 1995. It operates from converted premises in a residential area of Peterborough. The nursery has the use of two rooms and children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is open each weekday from 8.30am until 5.30pm, 51 weeks of the year.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 26 children on roll in the early years age range, who attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery 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 nursery employs six part-time staff. The manager and two deputy managers are qualified to National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 4. The remaining three staff hold NVQ Level 3 qualifications. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. The nursery is working towards a local quality assurance scheme called Ensuring Quality in Peterborough.

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

 ensure that all children feel welcomed and valued by increasing signage in children's first language and developing resources to celebrate their culture

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

 develop the effectiveness of self-evaluation by including contributions from parents, carers and other stakeholders to set realistic targets for improvement.

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who attend

Children at Little Poppets Day Nursery make good progress in their learning and development. The nursery team have all completed training in the revised Early Years Foundation Stage and are confident in their ability to deliver high quality learning for the children who attend. Educational programmes cover the prime and specific areas of learning thoroughly and offer children an exciting range of activities. For example, children use a range of resources to support their growing understanding of 'people who help us'. They dress up as nurses and enjoy visits from a nurse and policeman. They use role play and small world play to explore what being in hospital is like. Children's individual interests inform planning and practitioners skilfully adapt learning to ensure they remain engaged and motivated. Children's progress is carefully monitored and assessed ensuring they make good progress towards the early learning goals.

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who attend

Assessment of children's learning and development on entry is a thorough three-stage process. An 'All About Me' booklet is completed by parents, this provides practitioners with information about children's care needs and learning to date. A 'My Week' sheet provides the practitioners with valuable details about what a child eats at home, their routine and the home learning environment. A third sheet details what the children enjoy playing with at home, enabling the setting to provide resources and activities suited to their interests. These comprehensive details provide practitioners with children's starting points and enable them to plan for the child's learning and meet their welfare needs well. Key persons are responsible for tracking children's progress, deciding on possible lines of development and making sure there are no gaps in learning. As practitioners know all the children in this small nursery well, they all carry out observations of all children. Their

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who attend

findings inform planning which is written up weekly by the manager. A balance of adult- led and child-initiated activities are provided, and are revised daily to accommodate changes in children's interests. For example, children playing outside join a road safety role play activity. They use chalk to design a road and zebra crossing carefully joining the dotted lines the practitioner marks out for them. They use musical instruments to represent 'stop' and 'go' on traffic lights so that they know when they can proceed and when to stop on their sit and ride vehicles. They note the chalk dust that they have on their hands and make handprints with the chalk dust on the path. They then paint further patterns with water and use a selection of broad brushes to experiment with 'zigzag' and 'swirly' marks. This leads to exploration of the natural world as they discover a spider they name 'Bertie' and find the best home for him in the nursery garden. This demonstrates the

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who attend

extent to which children direct and decide upon the direction of their play.

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who attend

Practitioners have commenced the progress check at age two. They ensure that parents are involved and agree the summary of information before sending them onto the child's Health Visitor. Ongoing assessments are made of children's progress and parental contributions are included. For example, through sending home children's records of achievement, with a form explaining a child's next steps and suggestions for how to support this in the home learning environment. A 'Links from Home' information board also provides parents with Early Years Foundation Stage information and enables them to contribute to their children's learning.

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who attend

Practitioners have high expectations of all children based on their secure knowledge of each child's individual abilities, needs and patterns of attendance. They plan for children's next steps accurately and use the three characteristics of effective learning to inform their decision-making. They work closely with the children providing sensitive, appropriate support. For example, they use open-ended questions and ask children to recall past events to support their language development. As a result, children progress well towards the early learning goals. Those children who speak English as an additional language benefit from the input of dedicated practitioners who learn key words in their home language including; colours, numbers and basic vocabulary that are on display. However, signage is not yet in place to encourage recognition of other wording and symbols. Children with additional needs receive good quality care and dedicated support.

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who attend

Practitioners work hard to ensure all children make good progress in their learning and development. For example, a practitioner gently guides a young child as together they work out how to open a latch on a puzzle and a new child is reassured and comforted with quiet explanations to help him settle. They strive to ensure that children are happy, engrossed in activities and keen to learn. Children acquire competent communication and language skills as practitioners interact with them throughout the day. They offer them a broad range of opportunities to speak and listen. Children use new vocabulary, such as 'shimmer' and 'sparkle' as they paint their firework pictures and they learn to use loud and quiet voices as they sing 'hop little bunnies'. Children develop confidence and self-esteem as they complete the 'job' they have selected at self-registration. They develop good behaviour skills as adults encourage them and act as excellent role models. Positive

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who attend

relationships exist between adults and children and children learn to respect one another through activities and celebrating festivals. They manage their feelings well through sensitive explanation and support. Children are active learners, dancing and completing actions to familiar rhymes. They enjoy free-flow play and love to use the many and varied opportunities in the garden. For example, the secret garden, hoops and balance board, growing areas and a willow tunnel. Children's sustained progress in the seven areas of learning ensures they are well prepared for the next steps in their learning, including school.

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

Care practices at this small, homely nursery are highly effective. Children display a calm and happy demeanour and show through their behaviour they feel secure. They experience good quality care, which successfully meets their needs. The established nursery team and a well-embedded key person system ensure that all children form appropriate bonds and secure emotional attachments with their carers. Practitioners know them well and encourage their growing confidence and independence. They use knowledge gained through experience and training to develop children's ability to explore and investigate their surroundings.

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

Children enter the nursery happily, separating easily from parents and carers, often eating breakfast if needed. Children pick out their name and a job they would like to do that day, such as calling children through for dinner. They comply effortlessly with behavioural expectations and practitioners provide caring, sensitive support for children if they need help. Children show care and concern for each other as they reach out to comfort a child crying at lunchtime, gently stroke another child's hair, or carefully straighten a bow on a friend's dress. They cooperate well as they share construction resources and bring connectors to help each other build a truck. Children are offered numerous opportunities to develop independence, for example, as they help give out drinks and fruit at snack time. They put on their own outdoor shoes and coats, manage personal hygiene routines well and take charge of the traffic lights in their road safety activity. They learn about risk

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

in age-appropriate ways. For example, a child rocking on a chair is provided with another, heavier one as a practitioner reminds him to sit using all four legs so he does not hurt himself. Children enjoy visits from a paramedic and policeman who tell them how to keep themselves safe and healthy. Children's imagination is fostered well as they dress as princesses, are given wonderful, rich vocabulary to support their storytelling and develop scenarios during small world play. Children play in a stimulating, well-resourced, safe and welcoming environment. Risk assessments ensure indoor and outdoor areas are hazard free. Pictorial books further support children's understanding of safe practices and help them remember what they need to do to stay safe.

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

Practitioners provide activities to support children to develop an understanding of why it is important to have a healthy diet and undertake regular exercise. Children grow a range of vegetables, such as potatoes, tomatoes and runner beans. They cook and eat them, exploring new tastes and textures and relate this to shiny eyes, strong bones and smooth skin. They enjoy pasta in a fresh tomato and herb sauce for lunch and learn that pasta gives them energy. They grow strawberries and begin to understand how rain affects them. They replant the strawberries and compost the ones that have rotted. During dancing and physical activities they learn that exercise makes our hearts beat faster and makes us feel hot. Throughout their time at the nursery, high quality interaction between practitioners and all children in the nursery fosters the development of strong bonds which means children feel cherished and well-cared for.

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provision

The manager of this nursery cares passionately about the children who attend. Her effective leadership qualities and ability to manage the nursery well are commented on positively by her staff team, who enjoy working in this small nursery. She successfully implements the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage providing her staff team with clear leadership and management. The manager has ensured the entire staff team have attended local authority training on the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. A continuous programme of professional development provides children with well-informed, motivated and professional practitioners who offer them a broad range of interesting experiences.

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provision

Delivery of the educational programmes is monitored and overseen by the manager. Regular team meetings enable her to provide feedback and invite practitioners to share issues and concerns. This results in high-quality, consistent practice throughout the nursery, including a comprehensive induction programme. Practitioners receive regular supervision meetings and annual appraisals. Children are also kept safe through the routine risk assessments carried out daily. The external security gates, camera and door entry system further ensure their safety. All practitioners have received safeguarding training which has recently been updated. Practitioners demonstrate a clear understanding of the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child in their care. Children's behaviour demonstrates that they feel happy, safe and secure in their environment. Children go to practitioners for reassurance, for example, to tell them they

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provision

have a sore finger and when they receive an age-appropriate explanation this sets their mind at rest.

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provision

Partnership working supports children to make smooth transitions. For example, children moving up to school receive visits from the school reception teacher and visit the school in preparation. Summary reports are sent to school and Early Years Foundation Stage providers to offer consistency in children's care, learning and development. Support for children with additional needs is good and the setting work hard to secure funding for specialist equipment to ensure they can offer the child the care they need. They liaise effectively with other professionals to ensure the child makes the best possible progress.

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provision

Self-evaluation effectively informs priorities and the manager sets herself and her team challenging, but realistic targets. These focus on improving the experience children have during their time at the nursery. However, the manager does not yet include comments from parents or children, which would enhance the process. There is a cohesive approach by this small team of nursery professionals to provide children with a nurturing, home from home experience.

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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 256781 Local authority Peterborough Inspection number 889868

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 15 Number of children on roll 26 Name of provider Sarah Louise Raucci Date of previous inspection 17/03/2011 Telephone number 01733 562430

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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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