Happy Smiles

Happy Smiles Leadgate County Infant School, West Street, CONSETT, County Durham, DH8 7PN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/01/2013 26/04/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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's personal, social and emotional development is given high priority. Children are happy and confidently explore their environment, moving freely within the room and the outdoors.  Staff support children's learning particularly well, including those who speak English as an additional language, through being calm, patient and offering ample open comments and questions.  Relationships with parents are strong and parents are kept well informed. Leadership effectively involves staff in purposeful ways and improves provision through ongoing professional development.  Staff meet safeguarding and welfare requirements well for each child. Robust and rigorous policies and procedures are implemented, which ensure that children are protected.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Resources that promote information and communication technology are not always available for children to use, which limits their understanding of this area.  Children are developing independence in play. However, opportunities are missed to extend this learning and develop these skills at mealtimes.

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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 all areas of the setting, including the main play room and baby area.  The inspector talked with staff, children and parents.  The inspector held discussion with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of policies, procedures, records and developmental files.

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Information about the setting

Happy Smiles was registered in 2007 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in one large room within Leadgate County Infant School in the Leadgate area of Consett. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 11 members of child care staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.45am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 60 children attending who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-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.

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

 extend the range of resources and activities to support children's understanding of technology

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

 enhance opportunities for older children to develop independence at mealtimes.

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who attend

Children have great fun and participate in a wide range of activities that cover all areas of learning, help them make progress and reach the expected levels of development. Staff base all activities on children's interests, such as using sand in the role play area to make cakes. They link other experiences to children's current stages of development. However, there are few resources regularly accessible to develop children's skills with information and communication technology. Staff consistently observe children and use this information to identify and plan for their next steps in learning. Staff within the group have an indepth knowledge and understanding of children and are able to discuss their progress. This is accurately reflected in children's 'learning journeys' to ensure that assessments are precise and sharply focussed. Staff encourage parental involvement in children's learning and development. They ask parents to record information at the time of

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who attend

entry on 'The Child and Family' profile, which gives staff a very clear pictures of children's starting points in their learning so that their next steps can be accurately identified and planned for. Parents receive verbal feedback at the end of the session and can view their child's 'learning journey' at any time. Staff offer more formal meetings throughout the year, and operate an open-door policy. Consequently, parents are well informed about their child's progress and are able to support their child's learning at home.

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who attend

Children benefit from enthusiastic staff interaction which motivates them to learn. For example, they keenly wrap up in coats and hats to play outside. This supports their physical development and also their understanding of their bodies as children talk with staff about getting cold and warm and how the weather has changed. Children develop good communication and mathematical skills as they talk about what is happening using vocabulary, such as fast and slow as they look at how cars move on the carpet and other surfaces. Children's language is developed as staff engage freely with them, they comment about what is going on and ask lots of open-ended questions. Staff ensure that children have time to answer and reflect on what is said. Children's understanding and respect for books and reading is fostered extremely well within the setting. Staff who are highly skilled at story telling engage all children well, using a range of props and puppets.

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who attend

Consequently, children are keen to sit and listen both at story time and spontaneously throughout the session. Children develop good self-care skills and independence; they are able to put aprons on for painting and attempt to put their coats on for outdoor play. Overall, they are developing a good range of skills to support their future learning.

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

Children are settled, secure and develop strong bonds with their key person and the friendly, caring staff team. Secure settling-in arrangements mean children are able to separate from parents or carers confidently. They become increasingly independent in their personal care needs. They understand the need for hand washing before snack and confidently use the soap, water and paper towels to make sure that their hands are clean. Staff are consistent in their high expectations with regards to children's behaviour, as they provide positive role models and create a calm environment. Children learn to share, take turns and consider the needs of others as they play, which helps them to build relationships. They consider the feelings of others as they talk about what makes them happy and sad, and how others feel. Children receive lots of praise and encouragement, which makes them feel proud of their achievements and encourages them to have a go.

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

Children's work is attractively displayed; they talk about their pictures, which develops a sense of pride and high self-esteem. Through playing with resources that positively reflect differences, they learn to respect and value diversity and consider the needs of individuals.

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

The group has exceptionally strong links with the school and is an integral part of both the school and the children's centre. They are able to access toys and resources and join together for activities. Staff make sure that other providers are kept very well informed about children's progress to ensure shared goals. This helps ease children's transition into mainstream school. Staff are vigilant about safety at all times. Risk assessments are completed and safety monitored throughout the session. Children are encouraged to participate in risk assessing areas within the group. For example, they talk about getting spillages of sand swept up to avoid slipping; this raises their awareness of how to keep themselves safe. The environment is very well maintained and positive practices are followed to support children's good health. Children enjoy healthy meals snacks and drinks during the day. These are served to children in a social setting. However, opportunities

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

are missed to extend and enhance children independence through serving themselves. Indoor and outdoor play areas are used well to support children's learning and benefit children's health. Children explore all areas confidently, accessing toys of their choice from the very wide range available. There are quiet areas for rest and easily accessible toilet facilities, which enable children to become increasingly independent in managing their personal care needs.

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provision

Leadership is good and management is effective because the provision has a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. There is an accurate overview of the curriculum through very close monitoring of the educational programmes and of the levels of delivery by individual staff. This means that the group offers a broad range of experiences to help children make good progress towards the early learning goals. The basis of the teaching is good, as staff and management have a secure understanding of each area of learning and how children learn. Children's learning journeys are regularly monitored at one-to-one sessions to ensure that they accurately reflect the child's learning and progress. All this information is then gathered and analysed by the manager to identify trends in year groups and/or additional support, as a result, children receive supportive intervention to close any gaps

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provision

The leadership and management team have an excellent understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, including arrangements for safeguarding and suitability. They implement these consistently to create an environment that is welcoming, safe and stimulating. There are clear procedures in place for safeguarding and designated persons have appropriate qualifications. All staff are fully aware of how to respond to any concern about a child. Staff implement all required policies and procedures well. Written risk assessments are detailed and frequently reviewed so that staff keep children safe, indoors, outdoors and on outings. All required documentation is effectively maintained, including the record of staff suitability. Management understands and carries out effective employment and vetting procedures in line with the safer recruitment guidance. The

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provision

provider conscientiously monitors and manages staff's performance and their professional development through regular appraisals and one-to-one sessions. New staff are well supervised throughout their induction periods so that they successfully learn to adopt the settings robust standards of teaching.

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provision

All staff are encouraged to attend relevant early years courses and best practice meetings, which are then cascaded to staff when back in the setting. Staff have completed a wealth of training since the last inspection. Self-evaluation is an integral part of the group and an ongoing document. This clearly identifies progress since the last update and sets clear, realistic, yet challenging targets for the year ahead. Each child has free access to their learning journey and their key person sits with them and talks about the photographs or pictures that they have created to find out how they felt about a particular activity, event or situation. Staff focus their planning and teaching on children's requirements and interests. Parents have a good platform to express their views through meetings, letters and through staff being available every day. Consequently, strong partnerships are developed with parents. The setting establishes effective arrangements for information

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provision

sharing and partnership working with other providers and schools. The group has also established good links with external agencies. As a result, there are good procedures to identify all children's needs and help them to make progress.

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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 EY347260 Local authority Durham Inspection number 870818

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 63 Name of provider Leadgate Child Centre Ltd Date of previous inspection 26/04/2010 Telephone number 01207 583583

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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. 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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