Derwent Stepping Stones @ St James

Childcare at St James's Centre Malcolm Street, Normanton, DERBY, Derbyshire DE23 8LU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/01/2013 16/03/2010

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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

 Teaching is rooted in a robust knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All staff have a good awareness of how young children learn and provide a wide range of stimulating activities that engage children.  Children are excited, motivated and eager to learn. They join in enthusiastically, showing high levels of independence, curiosity and creativity.  The setting effectively provides a warm, welcoming environment which is safe and secure. Safeguarding is prioritised successfully, with risks to children effectively minimised.  Children for whom English is an additional language are successfully supported. Their home languages are respected and used effectively to help them learn English. Consequently, they make good progress in developing their communication skills.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The setting has not fully developed the outdoor area to give children many opportunities for investigating the natural world.  Children do not regularly visit different parts of the local community to develop their understanding of where they live.

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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 compulsory part 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 two main play rooms and checked the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision and had discussions with other staff members about their roles and responsibilities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation information and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and in information included in written documents.

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Information about the setting

Childcare at St James's Centre registered in 2009. It is a satellite provision of Derwent Stepping Stones, Derby. It is registered on the Early Years register and the compulsory part of the Childcare register. It operates from rooms within the St James's Centre, Derby. The setting is open Monday to Thursday from 9.15am to 12.30pm and 1.15pm to 4.15pm and on Friday from 9.15am to 12.30pm during term time. The setting primarily offers care to parents who are students at Derby College.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 65 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age range. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are 10 members of staff, eight of whom hold early years qualifications. The other two members of staff are working towards a recognised qualification. The setting provides childcare funded places through various funding schemes.

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

 make full use of outdoor areas to give opportunities for investigations of the natural world, for example, provide chimes, streamers and bubbles to investigate the effects of the wind

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

 provide opportunities for children to visit different parts of the local community to develop their understanding of where they live.

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who attend

Children are fully engaged in all activities and eager to learn and take part. Staff build on their enthusiasm as they play alongside them, extending and developing their play with a flexible and willing approach. For instance, during outside play, staff ask children what they want to do and help them make shakers out of empty pots and dried rice. They ask them what they sound like as they shake them and encourage them to move imaginatively to the noise. Children respond positively, talking about the sound of rain falling and bouncing up and down to the noise they make as they shake their pots. The outside area is generally well resourced, encouraging children to develop a range of skills as they play. Early writing skills are promoted as they use chalks on the paving slabs or on chalk boards, drawing faces or making marks to their own design and satisfaction. They correctly identify the colours of the chalks they use and count them out. Books are also

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who attend

enjoyed outside, with staff sitting on a large blanket with young children and babies, reading with expression. However, there are fewer opportunities for children to explore the natural world, in particular, the changes in weather. They enjoy running around as the wind picks up and laugh as it lifts the blanket up, but do not have the opportunity to investigate the impact it has on other resources or equipment such as chimes or bubbles.

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who attend

Staff work well together to provide a safe and engaging setting where children are confident to explore and acquire skills for future learning. In the pre-school room, staff are deployed effectively, enabling older ones to explore both indoor and outdoor environments. There are a wide range of activities on offer and children enjoy water play where they learn about size and volume as they fill containers. They develop their creative skills as they paint, glue and stick pictures and get fully involved in story telling as they make props or creative displays to go with favourite tales. Children wave their home-made wands around during a story about a witch, and count the teeth on a picture they have made of another favourite character. Babies are taken outside with staff and given ample opportunity to crawl about in the fresh air, before going in to play with the treasure baskets or make sounds on the pots and pans in the kitchen area. Their personal needs

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who attend

are promptly met, with nappy changes, milk feeds and opportunities for sleep provided on an individual basis.

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who attend

Secure planning and monitoring ensures all of the seven areas of learning are successfully included in the activities on offer and most aspects within the educational programmes are covered. However, the setting provides few opportunities for children to take part in activities outside the setting. Children occasionally go on walks to collect leaves and other items for collages, but do not visit local shops, faith buildings or get to know about the area in which they live. This prevents them from being a full part of their local community. The key person ensures that all activities are tailored to meet the individual next steps for their key children and their progress is regularly recorded and reviewed. This ensures all children are making good progress and that any concerns are promptly followed up. Children's starting points on entry to the setting include parents' views about what their children can do and as a result, staff have a secure baseline in place from which to

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who attend

measure children's progress. Those with English as an additional language receive additional support in their communication skills and are also making strides towards obtaining their individual goals. Staff work in partnerships with parents and other professionals to identify realistic yet challenging targets. Parents are invited to attend reviews and are encouraged to contribute to staff's understanding of how their child is progressing. Parents are also provided with ideas to extend their children's learning at home. For instance, they are given the recipe and instructions for 'dough disco', where they can use music to encourage children to kneed and shape dough in time to the beat. This fun activity enables children to develop physical skills in a creative way.

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who attend

Learning through play ensures that all children are fully engaged and key skills for future learning are swiftly developed. Activities such as circle time help children develop their concentration and confidence to speak out in a group, enabling them to be ready for their next stages of learning. They confidently clap along as they recite the days of the week and take it in turns to say hello as they pass the ball to each other. Supported by the professional and enthusiastic staff, and an individualised approach towards care and learning, children have the opportunity to really thrive.

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

Children are helped to make the transition from home to nursery as a result of an effective key person system and settling-in process. Parents are able to stay with their child for their first session, giving them the opportunity to speak with their child's key person and share their understanding of what their child can do. After five sessions, staff complete an assessment to determine how to support children further. This enables them to identify children's likes and dislikes and assess the child's character. As a result, children build strong relationships as staff are extremely attentive, providing genuine warmth and affection to every child. This enables children to feel safe and secure, giving them the confidence to develop their independence and explore the environment. Consequently, children are happy to engage in play and develop skills for future learning as they are relaxed and comfortable at the nursery. Babies show strong attachments as they seek out

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

staff for comfort, snuggling in for cuddles and bottle feeds. Older children engage staff in their play, confidently asking them to come to the home corner and engage in make- believe play. They show a sense of belonging in the setting as they independently select favourite toys and come to the cafeteria style snack table when they are hungry. This also helps them develop their self-help skills.

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

Each child's personality, likes and dislikes, are fully respected and catered for. Where children have additional needs, staff work with parents and other professionals to ensure that they are fully included and supported to achieve their full potential. Support is also provided for parents who have English as an additional language. In particular, staff help them when it is time for children to move into the school system. They assist with finding an appropriate school and explain the transition process to them. This helps parents prepare their children for the move. As a result, all children, including those with English as an additional language, are ready for the next stage in their education.

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provision

The setting is led by a strong leadership team who have made considerable progress since the last inspection. There is a clear vision for the future of the nursery and effective monitoring and reviewing ensures that the setting is continually moving forward. Self- evaluation is used to successfully identify the strengths and weaknesses in practice and to identify ways to improve outcomes for children. For example, following a review of the revised Early Years Foundation Stage, managers recognised the need to develop staff understanding of effective teaching and learning characteristics. They provided training on putting this into practice and altered staff supervision forms to include reference to their performance in this area. As a result, staff are now encouraged to reflect on their own practice and identify how they meet these characteristics. Their performance is also observed by managers and feedback given to help them improve their existing skills.

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provision

Children benefit as the quality of teaching continually rises, enabling them to become active learners.

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provision

There are rigorous systems to observe, assess and monitor each child's development. Staff make pertinent observations across all areas of learning and identify children's individual next steps, which are promptly put onto the plans for future activities. This ensures children's emerging needs are followed up in a timely fashion. Staff also record children's self-initiated play, and use this to ensure that their interests are used as a basis for future learning. They make displays based on children's suggestions and develop new resources to extend children's play. For instance, making props so that children can act out parts of a favourite story. Consequently, children enjoy a good level of challenging activities that stimulate and engage them. Progress towards the early learning goals is reviewed and overseen by management to ensure that any concerns are promptly identified and followed up. Parents are encouraged to be part of the review process with their comments

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provision

requested and included on the progress reports. The setting recognises the important role parents have in their children's learning and care and makes every effort to engage. Key policies are explained fully and translated into other languages if required. The setting is also committed to partnership working and staff work alongside other professionals as necessary to ensure all children receive support in line with their unique needs.

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provision

Children's safety is of paramount importance. All staff understand the signs and symptoms that may indicate abuse and know how to report any concerns. All staff receive training in this area and a full written policy is in place to support effective practice. The provider takes responsibility for any safeguarding issues and ensures that any incidents are monitored and followed up appropriately. The environment is fully risk assessed and all external doors are secure, with access being restricted by locks. Children move around their base rooms safely, enjoying the freedom to select from the wide range of resources that are easily accessible to them. Babies and toddlers have ample space to crawl and climb on soft furnishings, supported by the attentive and vigilant staff while older children develop their independence as they move around freely, choosing to play indoors or outdoors. Consequently, children of all ages and abilities display confidence in their

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provision

surroundings and are eager to learn and play in this welcoming provision.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY396374 Local authority Derby, City of Inspection number 821929

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 65 Name of provider Derwent Stepping Stones Nursery and Community Training Centre Date of previous inspection 16/03/2010 Telephone number 01332 372245 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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