Teapots Day Nursery

Teapots Day Nursery Elite Court, Main Street, Broughton Astley, LEICESTERSHIRE, LE9 6RE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/12/2012 15/09/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The thoughtfully planned playrooms create enabling environments for all ages of children to promote independence and to engage children in purposeful play. Children benefit from a wide range of play materials to support their learning and development.  Children are motivated and keen to learn in this inclusive and welcoming setting. They show high levels of curiosity and imagination and demonstrate positive relationships with their peers and staff.  The key person system is firmly embedded and children feel very safe and secure. Partnerships with parents, carers and other professionals are strong, and as a result, children make good progress in their learning and development given their starting points.  There is a strong commitment to improve the nursery provision through setting ambitious targets and action plans.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The staff's ability to formally assess children's learning is not consistently used to inform planning. This may occasionally result in learning experiences that do not have sufficient challenge and are not fully matched to children's needs.

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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 three main playrooms. A shared observation of an activity was completed with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, provider, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's 'learning journeys', planning documentation, and a selection of policies and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents through their comments, questionnaires and references.

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Information about the setting

Teapots Day Nursery is a privately owned nursery. It opened in 2000 and is situated in the village of Broughton Astley in Leicestershire. It occupies a one story building and has seven dedicated playrooms with a large indoor soft playroom. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery also provides a before and after school club for children up to the age of eight. Children attending come from the immediate and surrounding villages. The nursery is easily accessible for all, including wheelchair users.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 110 children aged from 12 weeks to eight years on roll. Of these, 98 are within the early years age range. The nursery employs 21 members of childcare staff. Of these, 18 hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Closing only for Christmas week and all main bank holidays. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.15pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year- old children.

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

 undertake more regular assessments of all children and along with the observations analyse all the information to then plan more effectively for all children's next steps in learning and incorporate these into planning more challenging activities.

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who attend

Staff have a positive impact on children's learning and development so that children make good progress. They are aware of children's starting points and capabilities, taking into account the length of time children have been at the nursery and how often they attend. Staff are observant and responsive to opportunities to join in play, which stimulates children's interest. For example, staff use appropriate questions to extend children's ideas when playing with the pasta and lentils, counting the number of scoops it takes to fill the container and encouraging the children to listen as it falls. Consequently, children persist at activities they enjoy. The nursery offers children an inviting and interesting environment in which to play and learn imaginatively. The provision provides a broad range of toys and activities, which supports children's learning across all seven areas. Children benefit from interesting experiences that they are eager to share and talk about.

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who attend

Children have access to a lovely outdoor area that provides many opportunities for extending their learning. For example, they have their own growing area where they grow and tend their own vegetables. A 'Hobbit House' provides opportunities for children to use their imagination and develop their social skills as they play with their friends. Children also have the use of a large soft play area where they can extend their physical skills through climbing, jumping and balancing. They also have regular access to an 'Eco Centre' where they learn about and care for a small range of animals. This first-hand experience of living things is wonderful for the children.

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who attend

The educational programmes help all children to reach the expected levels in all areas of development. This is because staff provide a good balance of free play and adult-led activities. Consequently, children develop a strong exploratory and independent approach during their play. Staff make good use of regular staff meetings and informal discussions to evaluate the success of activities. There is a high emphasis on developing children's personal, social and emotional skills and this is apparent in the strong relationships children have with each other and members of staff. Children's 'learning journals' include useful observations about their progress, photographs and planning for their next steps in learning and development. However, staff do not consistently use the assessments of children's overall development to identify and plan as well as possible for their next steps in learning. This means that children are not making such rapid progress in all areas of

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who attend

learning through activities which challenge all of them. Good systems are in place to obtain children's starting points from parents when they first join the nursery. Relevant information is gained from parents and staff complete a 'My first week' record to gather lots of information about the child. This then is used by the staff to assess the child and to plan relevant activities to support the child in moving on in their development.

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who attend

Staff work very well with parents and keep them informed about their children's achievements and progress. Parents are given a six monthly progress report with information about how their child is developing, their next steps in learning and how they can support these next steps at home. They are also very involved with their child's transition to the next room or to school. An effective key person system is in place which enables all children to form appropriate bonds and attachments. This is very evident in the baby room where the staff know their children very well. These young children are very settled and happy, they cuddle into the staff as they give them their bottles, they put out their arms when being picked up. They get excited and make lots of happy sounds.

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

The nursery staff's excellent care practices support children to feel emotionally secure and effectively help children to be healthy. Staff consistently implement well-established procedures so that key persons welcome and support families and share information about children. As a result, all babies and children form very close bonds and secure emotional attachments to the caring staff. Children confidently seek staff out for reassurance when needed. They have a very positive approach to new experiences, as well as organised routines that build confidence.

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

Children concentrate and persevere very well as they enjoy their activities, including those that they develop for themselves and those led by adults. Children respond well to the clear boundaries set for them. Very young children hear gentle reminders to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Older ones are very well mannered and their behaviour is excellent, as the staff share consistent expectations and set very good examples themselves. Children enthusiastically take on responsibilities, for example, tidying away equipment before lunch. The staff support children to become independent and achieve for themselves, freely accessing the bathroom and washing their hands. Children learn from an early age about appropriate hygiene procedures. For example, a baby who has just finished painting has their hands wiped by the staff member, but the staff member is talking to them about why they are having their hands wiped.

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

Meal times are an important part of the day where children enjoy positive interaction with each other and staff. They help with the setting of the tables and serve their own meals and staff encourage the children to pour their own drinks. The children then clear their plates away. This all helps to promote their independence and their readiness for school. The nursery provides a wide range of nutritional snacks and meals and drinks are freely available. All foods are purchased locally from the village. This helps to keep children well- nourished and hydrated. Children are very aware of the robust hygiene routines, for example, one child tells another child not to eat a carrot that they have picked up off the floor as 'it is dirty'. All children rest and sleep according to their individual routines and have regular opportunities to take part in physical activities, both indoors and out.

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

Children have numerous opportunities to learn about other cultures and beliefs as the staff provides a wide range of activities and experiences, for example they have linked up with an orphanage in Vietnam for children to learn about the wider world. They have sent clothes and the children have been sent photographs of the children in Vietnam wearing these clothes. The nursery also sponsor's an elephant with a wildlife charity. Key persons prepare children very well for settling into the next age group in the nursery. Staff also effectively support individuals to transfer to school and invite reception teachers to visit.

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provision

The management and staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements and these are well met throughout the provision. The nursery has robust recruitment procedures in place for protecting children, and staff have a secure understanding of how to respond if there is a concern about a child. Staff know and follow clear policies and procedures and implement these consistently. The nursery strives to engage all parents and works effectively in partnership with them. Key persons take time each day to keep parents well informed about their children's achievements and progress and, for babies, this is backed up with daily care sheets. The staff's positive interaction supports parents to talk about children's experiences at home and the information is included in the 'learning journeys' to further involve parents in their children's learning.

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provision

Leadership and management are good because there is a growing overview of the curriculum through monitoring of the educational programmes. The nursery offers a broad range of experiences to help children make progress in their learning and development. The basis of the teaching is very good and the staff team have a secure understanding of each area of learning and how children learn through play. The manager monitors the levels of planning and observations in each room to make sure these are compatible, consistent and display an accurate understanding of all children's skills, abilities and progress. However, the monitoring of the assessments of children's overall development is not so well established.

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provision

The manager ensures they have rigorous and effective systems for self-evaluation that inform the nursery's priorities and are used to set challenging targets for improvement. All staff and parents are very involved in their self-evaluation process. The one recommendation raised at the last inspection has been addressed. The vision of both the provider and manager for this nursery is very strong. The manager has developed an active development plan from the recent local authority 'Quality Review' and their own evaluations. The nursery also seeks children's feedback in innovative ways. For example, comments on their favourite foods, or why they enjoy coming to the nursery.

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provision

The manager spends considerable time in the nursery rooms so that she can monitor the performance of each member of staff. As a result, there are systems in place for monitoring and supporting each staff member's training and professional development. An effective appraisal system is in place to address staff training and professional development needs. Staff are very keen on participating in training to further build on their knowledge and understanding of early years practice. This has a positive impact of improving the children's well-being. The nursery provides a thorough induction programme to all new staff so that they know what their duties and responsibilities are in terms of the staff team. The manager develops quizzes with the staff to ensure they fully understand the policies and procedures and any training they have undertaken.

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provision

There are effective systems in place to work in partnership with parents and carers. Staff value parent's contributions regarding their children's progress. Parents receive feedback at the end of each session and meet with their child's key person on a regular basis to discuss progress. Parents report that they 'are very pleased and happy with how their child has settled', 'child loves coming to nursery' and 'staff are wonderful from the kitchen staff to the nursery nurses'. Partnerships with others who share care of the children also contribute effectively to children's transitions 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 223277 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 891163

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 90 Number of children on roll 110 Name of provider Private Educare Limited Date of previous inspection 15/09/2011 Telephone number 01455 286688

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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.

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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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