Union Grove Community NurseryOfsted inspection, 5 Feb 2013

Union Grove Community Nursery Community Resource Centre, 110 Union Road, LONDON, SW8 2SH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/02/2013 06/12/2012

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early years provision

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

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children have warm, secure relationships with staff, which supports their readiness to learn and well-being.  Children are offered a variety of activities that interest and engage them in learning.  Staff have good links with staff at the local school who visit the children to enable them to settle well at school.  Children learn to understand and accept difference by exploring each other's background and by taking part in cultural traditions, such as African dance.

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It is not yet good because

 Staffing arrangements do not always ensure requirements are met.  Planning and assessment information is used inconsistently and results in children's needs not being met precisely.  Older children have fewer opportunities to take small responsibilities.  The outdoor learning environment does not provide sufficient interest or challenge, particularly in relation to older children.

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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 interaction between staff and children.  The inspector tracked the progress of several children.  The inspector had a discussion with the manager, deputy and nominated person.  The inspector examined planning and assessment records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents and took their views into consideration during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Union Grove Community Nursery registered in 2007 on the Early Years Register. The nursery is one of two provisions managed by a voluntary management committee. This nursery is known as site two, as both run under the same name. It operates from the first floor of a community health centre in the London Borough of Lambeth and is accessed via internal stairs and lifts. The nursery has sole use of a self-contained unit with open-plan large playrooms with direct access to an enclosed balcony for outside play. They also have use of the centre's garden. The nursery has a kitchen, bathrooms, office and a meeting room. The nursery gets funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm, all year. There are currently 33 children aged eight months to four years on roll. The nursery supports a number of children learning English as an additional language. There are 18 members of

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Information about the setting

staff who all hold relevant early years qualifications; one staff member is a qualified teacher. The manager and deputy are responsible for both nurseries. They both hold a level six qualification in early years. They are supported by a full time administrator/ finance officer.

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must:

 ensure that staffing arrangements enable appropriate staff to child ratios at all times so that children's needs are fully met.  ensure that planning and assessment are linked so that children's individual needs are met fully and consistently.

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

 develop the outdoor learning environment to provide further interest and challenge to children.

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

 provide more opportunities for older children to take responsibility for small tasks, such as by serving others.

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who attend

Overall, children make sound progress in their learning because staff plan a variety of interesting experiences for the children based on their interests and on the areas of learning. However, plans do not always meet the needs of children fully because there are inconsistencies in the way assessment information is used to inform planning.

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who attend

Children's progress is regularly assessed through observations and samples of work. In some instances, observations are used to inform each child's next steps for learning and this in directly linked to planning. However, this practice is not consistent, which means that children's learning and development requirements are not met precisely. Staff have implemented progress checks for children aged two to three years of age successfully and identify children's abilities in different areas of learning. The provision for babies is creative and interesting. Babies enjoy making marks using colourful chalk and bright glitter in black trays. They make cheery vocalisations and learn names of body parts as staff sing action songs. Staff follow babies' lead as they play 'peek-a-boo' inside the pop-up tent. Babies explore texture and form as they use a range of natural resources. Toddlers build designs from construction sets, supported by staff.

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who attend

They enjoy experimenting with colours and shapes as they draw on whiteboards. Children have sufficient opportunities to select resources for themselves and this is balanced by adult-led activities.

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who attend

Staff help older children to count pasta shapes as they thread them onto string. They support children to learn letter names and sounds as they play computer games. Children practise writing their names from individual name cards, guided by staff. They enjoy looking browsing through books and listening to stories. All of these experiences help children to learn skills that are useful at school. Staff support children who learn English as an additional language by learning key words in a child's home language. They use a range of visual resources to support learning sufficiently.

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who attend

Overall, children develop sufficient physical skills in the outdoor area by climbing over tyres and using a small range of open-ended resources. However, the area lacks challenge and interest, particularly for older children. Younger children have a climbing frame, tents, tunnels, shakers and other large and small equipment which they enjoy using. Children also have access to the centre's garden where they use fixed large apparatus.

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who attend

Parents are informed of their child's progress through daily interaction with their child's key person. Parents' of babies are given daily feedback sheets to indicate sleep, feeding and other care patterns along with activities undertaken by their child. They have easy access to their child's development records and contribute to their learning by sharing observations. This helps to inform planning and support children's learning.

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

Children are content and have warm relationships with staff because staff know them well and plan around their interests. Children settle happily because they learn the nursery routine readily through use of a visual timetable.

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

Children have a growing awareness of how to keep themselves safe. For example, staff explain how to use equipment safely. They guide toddlers as they use the climbing frame to prevent accidents. Older children have developing self-care skills and wash their hands appropriately. Staff help younger children to use the bathroom. Children make healthy selections from a range of fresh fruit snacks and enjoy a varied and nutritious menu. However, children are not always encouraged to take responsibility for small tasks, such as helping to prepare tables and give out snacks. Staff cater for any special dietary needs. Children are encouraged to develop healthy lifestyles by taking fresh air and exercise daily in the outdoor area. Staff have good links with local schools who visit the setting to get to know any children who are due to start. This helps to build familiarity with school staff and supports children

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

to settle in their new class. Children who move to new group rooms within the setting are given time to settle through pre-visits, where they get used to new environments and routines.

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

Staff have a fair and consistent approach to managing children's behaviour. They aim to understand the cause of misbehaviour and resolve any issues. Staff talk to parents so that they are involved in the process and to ensure consistency. Staff talk to children gently and explain why certain behaviour is not acceptable, and use distraction techniques for younger children. Overall, children behave well.

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

Children learn about different cultures and ways of life by learning about the backgrounds of staff and other children at the setting. For example, a parent of a child visits the setting to teach children an African dance. Use of multicultural resources support children's understanding further.

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provision

Overall, children are safeguarded sufficiently. Staff know procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child and are aware of emergency evacuation procedures. Risk assessments are carried out regularly to keep children protected from harm. However, the inspection was brought forward, following a concern about staffing ratios. The inspection found that ratios are not met early in morning, as there was an insufficient number of staff caring for babies. This was rectified immediately as a member of staff from the nursery's bank staff, located in the adjoining nursery, was contacted by the setting to provide cover. Although cover is readily available, the daily practice of deploying bank staff to meet required ratios does not indicate secure staff planning or consistency of care. Staff undergo appropriate vetting to assess suitability for their roles to work with children.

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provision

The nominated person and the manager are clear about the distinct responsibilities of their roles, in particular, that the nominated person is responsible for ensuring that the setting is compliant with requirements of the Early Years Foundation framework. Managers have regular meetings to review the curriculum and assessment of children. This helps to keep them informed of any quality issues and to identify any children who are underachieving. Appropriate support is put in place to close gaps in achievement.

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provision

Staff meet with managers to ascertain their training needs and attend a variety of courses. For example, they attended a behaviour management course, which led to a more consistent approach and wider strategies to deal with challenging behaviour. Supervision has recently been implemented and issues of underperformance are identified, and support offered as appropriate.

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provision

Parents have sufficient opportunities to contribute to their child's learning. For example, they share information on children's starting points and interests when they first arrive. In addition, they exchange observations of their child with staff so that staff can plan accordingly. Parents are kept informed of their child's progress through daily interaction with staff, and have easy access to development folders. Parents spoken to at the time of inspection were satisfied with the provision and appreciated the approachability of staff. Staff have established effective links with community health professionals at the local children's centre for advice and information to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as required.

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provision

Management give sufficient consideration to the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. They have identified priorities for development, such as improvement to the outdoor area to promote children's learning and development. This demonstrates that the provider has sufficient capacity to improve future outcomes for children.

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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 EY361828 Local authority Lambeth Inspection number 900878 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 33 Name of provider Union Grove Community Day Nursery Date of previous inspection 06/12/2012 Telephone number 02076 223 194

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Setting details

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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