Chickywicks Day Nursery

Chickywicks Day Nursery St. Johns United Reformed Church, Hallowell Road, NORTHWOOD, Middlesex, HA6 1DN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/10/2012 14/04/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children's health and well-being are well promoted. They have daily fresh air and exercise during outdoor play, hygiene routines are instilled in children such as hand washing, and healthy and well-balanced snacks and meals that meet their individual requirements are freshly prepared on the premises.  Children's personal, social and emotional development is well promoted through many daily routines and activities, to enable them to develop early independence and self- help skills.  Staff are kind and caring and children show they are happy, secure and settled as they play in safe surroundings. They have freedom to move as they want, while being kept safe by watchful staff.  Positive partnerships with parents are well fostered through daily verbal communication, to promote continuity of care for children.

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It is not yet good because

 Systems for observations, assessment and planning are in place; however these are very much in their infancy and do not fully support children to make good progress.  New management and newly appointed staff are in their transitional phase of establishing themselves in the nursery and as result, some routines and planning are not fully established and do not effectively meet the needs of all children.  Self evaluation is very much in the early stages and therefore areas for improvement are not effectively identified or targeted to bring about improvement.

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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 children's play and staff interaction, indoors and outside.  The inspector and manager completed two joint observations of activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with some staff from each room, parents and held discussions with the manager and provider.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation including a representative sample of children's records, development plans, parental questionnaires and staff suitability records.

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Information about the setting

Chickywicks Day Nursery registered in 2008 and operates from Tara Hall next to John's United Reform Church in Northwood, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm, for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register and may cater for up to 31 children. Children are grouped into two rooms; the toddler room and pre-school room. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/ or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two, three and four-year-olds. There are currently 31children in the early years age group on roll.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs eight members of staff including a cook. The manager holds an Early Years Practice certificate and is in the process of completing an Early Years Foundation degree. All other members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 Deploy staff effectively during daily routines and activities to support all children's all round development and emotional well-being  Complete regular and precise assessments of children's skills, knowledge and understanding and use these to effectively plan suitably challenging activities in line with their age and stage of development

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

 develop and build on systems of reflective practice and self-evaluation to identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development, to help improve the quality of provision for all children.

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who attend

Overall, children participate in a suitable variety of activities. Children develop their personal, social and emotional skills, as they learn to play alongside their peers and take turns. Children demonstrate that they are happy, settled and secure in the setting. They are gaining some good skills to help them in their future learning. In the pre-school room, children develop their imagination when playing in the role play area. For example, children pretend to cook and make cups of tea. Staff generally support and extend children's play experiences further and use some open-ended questioning to encourage their critical thinking skills, as well as helping children to take turns.

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who attend

Children interact well with their peers and with staff. During some activities, as well as leading and encouraging child-led activities staff support children's development and learning by being an active listener and joining in when appropriate. For example, during a sand play activity staff spend time supporting and extending some children's communication as they fill their buckets with sand. Children learn to count, use numbers through nursery rhymes such as 'one, two, three, once I caught a fish alive' and also begin to group objects in pairs, beginning to recognise when they have the same number. Children gain a suitable awareness of others, through using resources and celebrating some different cultural festivals such as Harvest Festival and Black History month. In addition, staff use children's home languages and visual prompts, alongside English to further promote children's sense of belonging and security, in addition to their

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who attend

Children enjoy mark marking with paint and shaving foam as they make patterns on the table. Older children develop their emerging writing skills as they draw around shapes and attempt to write their names on their work as staff model how. Children have access to a cosy, attractively set out book area with comfortable seating and occasionally enjoy looking at books for pleasure. For example, a child came to the inspector, holding a doll and said the dolly was not feeling well and she was going to read her a book, showing that she could have some quiet time with a book when she chose to do so.

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who attend

In the toddler room, children enjoy action rhyme time as they clap hands, smile and join in with songs such as the 'wheels on the bus' and 'old MacDonald farm'. Toddlers enjoy completing simple animal puzzles and looking at books with staff, pointing to pictures of animals and making sounds, beginning to make connections in their learning. Staff spend time with the toddlers on the floor, following children's lead and supporting them as they explore their environment. Toddlers push and press buttons on programmable toys working out why and how things happen.

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who attend

Staff possess a developing awareness and understanding of the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. Generally, suitable systems for observation, assessment and planning are in place. Starting points are collected and held in individual profiles for recording the progress of each child. Staff are beginning to observe what children do, however they do not fully analyse the observations to plan for children's next steps in learning. In addition, staff do not fully include parents contributions, as part of their children's ongoing learning and assessment. This impacts on the effectiveness of planning and means that activities are more general than specific for each child's developmental needs. As a result, children are not always suitably challenged and some older children wander around without purposeful activity or interaction. In the pre-school room, during circle time, children are grouped altogether, not taking into account their age and stage of development meaning

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who attend

some of the younger children also lose interest and are not engaged.

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

Children are cared for in a warm and welcoming environment. The key person system is in place and is developing, as newly appointed staff settle into their roles and meet the basic needs of the children. Children develop social skills as they enjoy being in each other's company and demonstrate this by playing cooperatively together. Staff regularly praise children and use positive language, which promotes children's self-esteem and confidence. Children behave well, take turns and contribute to the welfare of others, as they help to tidy away. Staff use golden rules to reinforce 'good listening' and 'kind hands' in both the toddler room and preschool room. Children learn about keeping safe. For example, children respond positively to the gentle reminders from staff to play safely. Children learn how to keep safe in the event of a fire, as they routinely practise the evacuation procedures.

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

Children begin to develop a healthy life style through many activities at the nursery. They enjoy freshly prepared, healthy and nutritious meals and snacks that support their individual dietary needs. Records, policies and procedures are firmly in place to support children's health and well-being. Children develop their self help skills as they feed themselves. Children have good access to fresh drinking water which they can help themselves to when they are thirsty. In the toddler room, staff provide appropriate support and spend time supporting play experiences helping to build relationships with their key workers. However, the organisation of lunch times impacts on children receiving continuity of care, as staff take their lunch breaks at the same time and children are left in the care of less familiar adults. In addition, children do not always get quality attention and support when sitting as a large group and the atmosphere is not always sociable and

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

Children learn the importance of hygiene as an integral part of routines promoting their understanding of keeping healthy. Toddlers and pre-school room children learn the importance of washing hands, through appropriate hygiene routines. Nappy routines are in place and meet children's individual needs, with staff following appropriate procedures to prevent cross-infection. Younger children have naps and older children have quiet rest time after lunch, promoting their health and well-being. Younger children have their own individual sleep mats and own special comforters as they go for their rest, promoting their sense of security.

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

Children learn to be active and engage in energetic play as they play in the outdoor area, gaining fresh air and exercise. Children jump and bounce in an enclosed trampoline; scoot and ride their tricycles pedalling, and pushing to go fast; and use slides to climb and come down, having fun. Staff engage children in circle games as they laugh and join into the actions of the 'hokey cokey' learning to find their left and right parts of the body and 'here we go round the mulberry bush' where they comb their hair or brush their teeth, reinforcing everyday routines, enabling all children to join in.

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provision

There has been a change in management and a more recent turnover in staff since the last inspection. The current manager and most of the staff are very much in the early stages of establishing themselves and getting to know the children in the setting. The manager has begun to seek the views of parents through questionnaires, develop links with the local early years team and has introduced staff meetings, in order to evaluate what is working and what requires improvement. As a result, some areas for improvement have yet to fully transpire in practice. For example, routines in the pre-school room are very general and do not fully take into account the appropriate level of support in children's learning for some of the younger children or challenge some of the older children sufficiently.

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provision

The manager demonstrates through discussion, her understanding of the responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements and acknowledges the monitoring, planning and delivery of the educational programmes; the consistencies of assessment; and the monitoring of children's progress, are in the early stages and developing. Links have been initiated with the local early years team, in order to help support, develop and extend on practices, to improve outcomes for children. Although systems to appraise staff and identify areas for professional development are in the early stages, the manager demonstrates a sound commitment to develop these further. Records, polices and procedures are in place for the safe and efficient management of the setting. Generally, resources are suitable, fit for purpose and able to support children's learning and development. The environment is conducive to learning and safe.

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provision

Recruitment and vetting procedures are sound and help to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Security is thorough as visitors who visit the nursery, sign in and out. In addition, visitors and volunteers wear badges to identify who they are from the staff, to ensure that any unvetted visitors are not left unsupervised with children, in order to safeguard children.

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provision

Risk assessments are completed, covering all areas of the setting. Hazards are identified and action is taken, in order to reduce any risks to children. For example, room temperature charts are in place, to monitor that children can play and explore in a comfortable environment that is not too warm or too cold. The nursery is organised into different areas of learning, encouraging young children to become independent, by self-selecting resources. Toddlers have suitable access to low level furniture, toys and resources to develop their choice and freedom to explore. For example, comfortable seating at meal times for the younger children gives them stability and supports their developing coordination.

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provision

The manager is able to explain sufficiently well how links will be formed with others, as required, to support children's learning and development. For example, in relation to children with special educational needs and or disabilities, she would seek assistance from other professional agencies to make sure they make equal progress in their learning and development. In addition, the nursery has links with the local school and encourages teachers to visit the children, prior to transferring to school, in order to promote continuity of care and learning. Positive relationships are established with parents. Daily verbal communication and weekly newsletters keep parents well informed about all aspects of the nursery routine and children's learning. However, parents are not yet supported and encouraged to share, contribute and update information, to become fully involved in their child's continuous learning and assessment of their progress. Parents speak positively of the nursery, they

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provision

say that their children enjoy coming and that staff are caring.

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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 EY381842 Local authority Hillingdon Inspection number 888964

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 31 Number of children on roll 31 Name of provider Chickywicks Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 14/04/2009 Telephone number 01923 215257

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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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