Bright Stars Nursery

Bright Stars Thorntree Community Centre, Birkhall Road, MIDDLESBROUGH, Cleveland, TS3 9JW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/01/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are very happy and motivated to learn. A good range of resources are in place; these are easily accessible to all children who have uninterrupted time to play and explore.  Purposeful and regular information is shared with parents, ensuring they are fully informed of their child's progress and the activities they are involved in. Links with other providers and agencies are strong. This means all children are fully included and have a positive attitude towards learning.  Very good systems are in place for transition to local schools and nurseries. This means children are well prepared for the next stages in their learning.  Comprehensive systems are in place to monitor children's development; this ensures they make very good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff skilfully use observations of children's progress and interests to plan for their further learning and development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities for children to fully develop their physical skills are at times limited, as occasions to tackle a range of levels and surfaces, such as hilly ground and grass, are not always available.  Opportunities for children to develop their early writing skills in the outdoor area are not available at all times of the year.

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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.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, staff and a parent at appropriate times throughout the observations.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journals, planning documentation, the setting's action plans, policies and procedures, children's records and other relevant documentation.

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Information about the setting

Bright Stars was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in a Children's Centre in the Thorntree area of Middlesbrough, and is managed by Middlesbrough Borough Council. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from the Thorntree Community Centre, and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs six members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 9am until 4pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 28 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 with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 improve opportunities for children to tackle a range of levels and surfaces, including hilly ground and grass, to further develop children's physical skills

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

 improve opportunities for children to make marks in the outdoor area at all times of the year.

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who attend

Children are very happy and content in a welcoming and child-friendly environment that helps them to feel at home and secure. Staff work closely with parents when children first attend to establish children's starting points and care routines. All children have a learning journey record, which identifies how observations are assessed to highlight the next steps in their learning. Observations are clearly linked to the development bands and are used to plan for children's individual learning needs. Systems to track children's progress towards the early learning goals are in place. These clearly show how children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. Children have lots of fun. They have a positive attitude towards learning and participating in activities and experiences both indoors and out.

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who attend

Pre-school children enjoy making marks with a variety of resources; for example, they use a wide range of crayons, pencils and felt-tips to draw their own pictures. Children enjoy experimenting with paint, using rollers and brushes to mix colours and make marks. Older children give meanings to their marks, such as 'This is me as a princess'. However, resources to make marks in the outdoor area are limited during the winter months. Staff provide lots of relevant and specific praise which helps to develop children's confidence and self-esteem. All children are eager to join in with planned, adult-led activities. They quickly follow instructions, such as choosing and putting on an apron with long sleeves. Children enjoy experimenting with quantities and measures as they fill and empty a range of containers in the water play. Staff give children opportunities to make choices about the colour and scent of the water. They talk to children about the possible colours and scents,

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who attend

and children agree on 'pink' and 'strawberry'. Staff use appropriate questions to promote children's thinking and learning. They encourage children to predict what they might do next by describing what they are doing. Children confidently talk about big, medium and small and relate sizes to their favourite stories. For example, they refer to the large container as 'daddy container' and say the small container is like 'baby bear'.

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who attend

Children enjoy joining in and acting out their favourite number rhymes, and staff encourage them to count the 'speckled frogs'. They correct their mistakes and model counting to five. This helps to promote children's understanding of number names and provides opportunities for them to count in their play. Staff successfully participate with the children's chosen activities and skilfully scaffold their learning through talk and discussions. For example, children enjoy looking at the books they have chosen from the local library. Staff encourage them to name the different characters and give them time to work out how to lift the flaps. They repeat new vocabulary and give children time to respond. Staff offer meaningful praise as children repeat new words, and the children are keen and eager to learn. This is instrumental in developing the children's communication and language skills, and encourages their thirst for learning.

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who attend

The progress check for two-year-olds has been completed for all relevant children. Parents, other agencies and health visitors have been fully involved in the process, and any concerns have been shared and acted on. Parents are also given information about activities they can do at home to ensure continuity in children's learning.

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

Staff give the highest priority to the safety of children and effectively support children's growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy. For example, they have all completed relevant first aid training and attended child protection training. All children are involved in regular fire evacuation drills, which develops their awareness of safe procedures to follow in the event of an emergency.

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

Children understand why it is important to wash their hands before they eat in order to prevent germs spreading and becoming poorly. They independently and confidently follow hand-washing routines after messy play and quickly dispose of paper towels appropriately. A poster displayed on the wall above the sinks helps the youngest children follow correct procedures for washing hands. Children have daily opportunities to be active; for example, they have access to the well-equipped garden, where a wide variety of bikes, scooters and climbing equipment are freely available. However, opportunities to regularly tackle a range of levels and surfaces, such as hilly ground and grass are currently limited.

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

Staff offer a stimulating and interesting learning environment. All resources are easily accessible to children and they have uninterrupted time to play and explore. The setting helps prepare all children for the transition to the setting, and very good systems are in place for transition to local schools and nurseries. For example, staff run a six week 'Getting ready for nursery' programme. They work closely with children, parents and other providers to fully support children's transitions, helping them to prepare for the next stage in their learning. Children display very good behaviour, courtesy and consideration for others. Staff provide lots of praise and encouragement, which promotes and supports children's achievements very well.

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provision

The provider has a good understanding of their responsibility to ensure that the setting meets the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All staff have completed relevant checks to ensure they are safe to have contact with children. They all have a good understanding of procedures to follow if they have any concerns about children in their care. A wide and relevant range of written policies and procedures are in place. These are successfully implemented and shared with parents.

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provision

Systems for self-evaluation are in place. Staff work closely with the local authority's Early Years Educator to devise action plans to ensure continuous improvement of the service they provide. They also seek comments from parents and children to help them consistently promote outcomes for children. Regular appraisal systems for all staff are also in place; these are used to highlight training and development needs, ensuring continuing professional development. Staff have a good understanding of the educational programmes. Well-organised and purposeful systems are in place to monitor children's learning and development, which fully support children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals. For example, daily evaluation of activities and observations of children's interests and progress ensures future planning is relevant to children's individual learning needs. This means activities and resources continue to

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provision

challenge children's progress across all areas of learning.

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provision

Learning journals and in-depth daily discussions provide parents with a wide range of information regarding children's care and learning needs. Parents comment that 'It is a happy little nursery', 'Staff are fantastic', 'My child absolutely loves coming here', 'Really good nursery, 10 out of 10 and no problems'. They also state that they love looking at and sharing the learning journey regularly, and that they can comment on it. They say staff give them time to talk about what their children have done at home, and they feel staff very much support their child's development. Links with other providers and agencies are strong. For example, staff work closely with a wide range of agencies to ensure all children are fully included and their individual needs 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 EY448837 Local authority Middlesbrough Inspection number 806521

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Middlesbrough Borough Council Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01642 232809

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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

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’.

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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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