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Early years · Early years inspection (CIF)

Tiny Adventures Ltd

Inspected 13 Nov 2012 · published 8 Dec 2012 · URN EY361364

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Summary

Good

What we read, and from where

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  • Inspection datesingle source

    13 Nov 2012

  • Overall effectiveness verified

    Good

  • Postcode verified

    SK11 8JR

  • Name on report verified

    Tiny Adventures Ltd

  • URN verified

    EY361364

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of the report

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  • OverallGood

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+40Positivemore positive than 8% of reports of this type graded Good
OutstandingGoodMetRINot metInadequate

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Praisestronghighly effectiveenjoywell supportedvery wellgood progressclearmake good progress
Criticisminadequateconcernsnot metconcernrequires improvementnot effective

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FindingsAbout the inspectionWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings257w+79
  • What needs to improve1920w+30

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

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Pages
10
Words of findings
2,107
longer than usual (typical 703)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 45, typical 50
Average sentence
22 words
Next steps
8
typical 2
Hedged sentences
4%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 8%What needs to improve 60%About the inspection 32%

Full report text

Tiny Adventures Ltd Park Lane, MACCLESFIELD, Cheshire, SK11 8JR

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/11/2012 22/11/2011

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is good

 A stimulating and well-resourced environment ensures that children access a range of experiences both inside and in the extensive outside areas.  Communication with parents is highly effective as the nursery uses a range of ways to exchange information. Parents feel included in their child's learning and staff gain a greater insight into children's interests at home.  Children with additional needs and English as an additional language are well supported. Additional resources and advice are accessed to support staff in providing the most appropriate activities.  Proactive systems for performance management of staff and the encouragement of professional development through training by the manager, along with a strong commitment to reflective practice by all staff, means self-evaluation is based on a secure knowledge of how the setting is operating and improvements can be well- focused.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Some story times for younger children cater for too large a number of children to ensure all remain fully engaged throughout the session.  Information gained to inform children's starting points when children begin at the setting focuses on care rather than the areas of development and this causes a minor delay in assessment of children's abilities.

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the three main playrooms and a one-to-one session in the staff room and in the outside learning environment.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the setting and her business partner.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation, the settings self-evaluation system and a selection of policies and children's records.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector checked the suitability checks for practitioners working with the children.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and emails sent in to the setting.

p.2

Information about the setting

Tiny Adventures nursery was registered in 2007. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is managed by Tiny Adventures Ltd. The nursery operates from three playrooms within a purpose-built mobile unit in the grounds of Macclesfield Collage campus, in Macclesfield, Cheshire. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. The setting is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round. The nursery is able to offer limited holiday club provision for children who have recently left the nursery to go to school in the area. Children have access to secure enclosed outdoor play areas.

p.3

Information about the setting

There are currently 76 children attending who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery employs 14 members of child care staff and one apprentice working towards a qualification. Eleven staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, two at level 2 and one is unqualified but currently working towards a qualification. Two other staff members are working towards their Foundation Degrees and two are working towards their level 3 qualification. The nursery also has support staff who undertake cooking, cleaning and administration duties.

p.3

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

 support younger children to listen to stories with increasing attention and recall at group story times by reviewing the number of children in the group

p.3

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

 capture children's starting points in all development areas early in their attendance or find ways to transfer information about children's achievements when they move rooms to further enhance planning and monitoring of children's progress right from the start of their attendance.

p.3

who attend

The nursery promotes children's learning and development well. Parents praise the staff for seeing their child as an individual and staff take time to assign a key person to the child to ensure children and parents have the opportunity to work closely with someone they are very comfortable with. Staff use monthly long observations and more regular short observations to collect information on children's interests and abilities. These are used to identify next steps in children's learning and any areas of concern which need help from external agencies. Next steps in children's learning are implemented through planning of activities which addresses individual children's requirements. These observations are used to inform the tracking sheets which measure children's progress across all learning areas on a termly basis and plans are in place to use them to draw up a narrative record of children's progress for the two year old progress check. Currently, the

p.4

who attend

nursery collects information from parents on a range of care needs and some areas of development when children start to attend but does not undertake an overview of children's starting points in all areas of learning as soon as they start to attend. There is currently no system in place to pass on a summary of children's attainment when they move rooms to provide a starting point for the new group room staff members. This means it is more difficult for them to measure children's progress in all areas of learning made during their first term of attendance or when they first move care rooms.

p.4

who attend

The children are making good progress in their communication language and literacy skills with all children developing into confident communicators in line with their abilities. Babies enjoy sing song conversations with staff and delight in their ability to join in with song actions as their hands become stars in the sky. Staff support children's development in spoken English by ensuring there are good links with children's first language where this is not English. They also use bi-lingual staff to assess children's comprehension in their first language as part of the assessment of their abilities. Children with additional needs are supported to communicate through one-to-one sessions and the use of sign language to give them another way to express themselves.

p.4

who attend

A mixture of large group story times and small group work is used in the toddler and pre- school rooms. Staff sometimes use puppets to make group story times interactive and children learn the key skills of listening to instructions, respecting and listening to the contributions of their friends and sharing their ideas in the wider group. However, the large group story sessions used in the toddler room to prepare the children for the large group times in the pre-school room are less effective in sustaining younger children's attention and supporting their active learning than the small group sessions. Children grow in their ability for sustained thought because staff support children to think of solutions for themselves. For example, children think about how to cool down their meal or how to build a tower as tall as their friend. Letter sounds are introduced and the pre-school room staff work in conjunction with the reception class teachers about the amount of phonic

p.4

who attend

Younger children have the advantage of being able to access either inside or outside spaces because the environment and routine supports free-flow play. Older children regularly access the extensive outdoor space. They can enjoy outdoor activities, such as, playing with falling leaves, growing vegetables, digging in soil and navigating around a maze. They create their own obstacle courses out of balancing beams and use objects such as bakers' trays to gain height when building a tower which tests their balancing skills. Numbers, shape and colour are introduced as part of daily activities and older children use balancing scales to experience weight and enjoy targeted group work which helps them sort objects into groups. Staff introduce children to other cultures through activities based around cultural festivals and national events, for example, they discuss why there are fireworks on November 5th or the importance of poppies on Remembrance

p.4

who attend

Day. They also draw on the expert knowledge of parents to ensure their teaching is accurate with parents coming in to help explain festivals to the children and share culturally specific foods. Children's imagination is well supported, both inside and outside. The toddler home play area has been increased in size because it is particularly popular and children use the bikes and cars outside to 'visit the pub for an orange juice' or build the blocks into a castle. Clear plans are in place to ensure children of all ages make good progress in developing skills for the future and the move to school when the time comes.

p.5

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

The processes to help children settle into the setting are effective. Children quickly build strong relationships with staff and other children in their group room and are ready to explore and learn. The nursery has changed the organisations of the group rooms to allow babies not to be moved on too quickly to the toddler room which ensures they remain settled and grow in confidence. Staff understand that events at home will have an effect on children's confidence and how settled they are. They support children through everyday family events such as the arrival of a new sibling by providing activities and resources such as additional home play equipment. Children's behaviour is very good, staff help children think about other people's feeling and they learn to negotiate and cooperate with their play mates. Positive behaviour is actively encouraged through the use of visual symbols such as stickers for younger children and a behaviour rocket for older children.

p.5

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

Children's dietary needs are met through the provision of freshly prepared meals which comply with the requirements of the local authorities healthy eating award. Older children's self-care skills are encouraged as they serve themselves second helping of their meal or pour glasses of water and all children including those in the baby room have the opportunity to make choices at snack time. The layout of the rooms allows children to make choices for themselves. Staff encourage children in the toddler room and pre-school room to think about what activities they would like to do and toddlers room children confidently select games from the games cupboard. Babies also have opportunities to make choices as they crawl between areas and engage with staff members. Good hygiene practices are introduced to children, through every day routines. Staff encourage children and adults to have inside shoes to reduce the soiling of carpets and rugs and cleaning

p.5

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

routines ensure hard surfaces are kept hygienic. Children are shown how to keep themselves safe through discussions which carefully support them to think through how to manage risk. Activities such as crossing the campus roads are undertaken to encourage children to develop road safety skills.

p.5

provision

The children benefit from a setting which has a strong management structure. A commitment to providing a high quality service and the importance of professional development, good in-house training and supervision of staff is evident. Appropriate recruitment procedures and induction processes ensure that the suitability of staff is established and reviewed when they are employed. Annual appraisals and interim short supervision meetings are undertaken with staff. In addition the manager has recently established structured room observation sessions, these are starting to help drive improvement by identifying training requirements and improvements to room organisation. Children are also safeguarded through clear policies and procedures which ensure staff can identify child protection concerns and take appropriate action to protect children. The building and grounds are secure which ensures that children cannot leave

p.6

provision

unaccompanied and helps staff manage the entry of parents and visitors. Staff have a clear understanding of risks and health and safety concerns are promptly addressed.

p.6

provision

Required policies and procedures are in place to help with the safe and smooth management of the setting. Recommendations made at the previous inspection have all been comprehensively addressed. For example, the setting has developed a culture of reflective practice which involves all members of staff, parents and children. Their self- evaluation is based on regular exchanges with the whole staff team which means everyone understands their part in suggesting improvements and implementing changes. The setting also draws on the expertise of the local authority advisor and exchanges best practice with other early years settings and professional organisations. The group highlights further improvement effectively.

p.6

provision

Partnerships with parents and carers are very strong. A range of communication methods are used, verbal exchanges are supplemented with newsletters and notice board displays which really show that parents ideas both about improvements to the setting and their child's development are valued. Careful consideration has been given to using communication methods that are convenient to parents and the nursery has introduced a password protected social networking web page for parents and uses email to update them on special moments in their child's day. Policies are shared with parents who are aware of how to access their child's development files both during parents' evenings and at other times. Partnerships in the wider context are used to develop the quality of education. The setting links with other professionals to help children with additional needs. The group is committed to their role in ensuring all children, regardless of ability, can

p.6

provision

access their provision. They realise the importance of early intervention for children with additional needs ensuring that services are in place to support a child when they transfer to school. The nursery has developed its links with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage where children attend more than one setting and has been successful in developing links with the schools and nurseries the children often move on to. This helps provide continuity in children's provision and the smooth transition to primary school when the time comes.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

Setting details

Unique reference number EY361364 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 888949

p.8

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 53 Number of children on roll 76 Name of provider Tiny Adventures Ltd Date of previous inspection 22/11/2011 Telephone number 01625 614 195

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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,

p.9

Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.10

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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