Gingerbread Corner

Gingerbread Corner Grenaby Avenue, CROYDON, CR0 2EG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/02/2013 07/12/2010

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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 arrive happy and keen to start their day. This is because they feel secure, due to the positive relationships throughout the provision.  Children are confident to make decisions about their play as they are able to make choices from the good range of resources available to them.  Babies and toddlers are cared for in a well-organised and stimulating room, which caters for their need to be close to their key people.

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It is not yet good because

 Managers do not effectively oversee all of the educational programmes, nor have they effectively monitored all staff practice. This means that they have not identified some key weaknesses.  Staff do not always consistently support children who are learning English as an additional language.  Some staff do not have a consistent approach to supporting children's understanding of the importance for good health.

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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 inspectors looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors observed activities across all age groups, including the out-of-school provision and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The lead inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children and the self-evaluation form and improvement plans.

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Inspection activities

 The lead inspector looked at a variety of records including children's records, risk assessments and safety records.

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Inspection activities

 The lead inspector held meetings with the management team and carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Gingerbread Corner first opened in 1976 and is a registered charity run by a voluntary Management Committee. The Centre operates from a purpose built two storey building in the London borough of Croydon. The ground floor consists of four playrooms, a soft play area and a sensory room. The first floor consists of six rooms, a hall and an indoor play area with climbing apparatus, ball pools and soft play. There are also meeting rooms, offices, toilets and kitchen facilities throughout. All children have access to secure enclosed outdoor play areas. The nursery provision opens Monday to Friday 7.45am to 6.30pm all year. The Centre also runs an out of school provision consisting of a breakfast club from 7.45am-8.30am, an afterschool club from 3pm to 6.30pm and a holiday provision from 7.45am to 6.30pm. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the

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Information about the setting

Childcare Register. There are currently 150 children on roll 88 of whom are in the early years age range. The setting employs 30 members of staff, who work directly with the children, 21 of whom hold an early years qualification including. The nursery provision receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two three and four. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and currently has children who speak English as an additional language on roll.

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must:

 provide opportunities for all children whose home language is not English, to use their home language in play and learning by a) finding out and using greetings and key words from all children's home language; b) displaying lists of words from children's home language and c) sharing rhymes, books and stories from many cultures consistently throughout all age groups.  develop the educational programmes for physical development by a) teaching all children to manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs successfully with particular regards to hand washing; b) placing water containers where children can find them easily and get a drink when they need one and c) supporting children with limited communication skills to get a drink when they need one.

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

 improve the systems for self-evaluation and the supervision of staff in order to foster a consistent culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement across the entire staff team.

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

 improve the accuracy and consistency of observations and assessments in order to provide educational programmes with suitable levels of challenge for all children and share identified next steps with all parents to support continuity in all children's progress.

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who attend

The nursery managers have developed systems for staff to observe children at play, record their achievements and devise plans for the next steps in their learning. Most staff use these systems efficiently, but others do not, resulting in children making no better than satisfactory progress overall. Not all staff have a consistent approach to gathering information about children's starting points or regularly share information with parents about their children's learning and development. These inconsistencies mean that the educational programmes do not have sufficient depth and breadth across the areas of learning nor do they always provide consistent and challenging experiences that meet the needs of all children. However, staff working with children between the ages of two and three years have developed systems for undertaking the two-year-old progress check. They have gathered relevant information in preparation to produce assessments to share

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who attend

with parents. Staff who work with babies and toddlers have a good approach to providing experiences that help babies to develop and learn effectively. They set out the environment to enable babies to crawl, explore and investigate the many exciting resources that are within easy reach. Staff plan interesting activities that give babies the opportunity to develop physical skills, while exploring their creativity and using their senses. For example, babies enjoy sensory experiences such as squeezing paint between their fingers and toes, as they play in large tubs of body paint. Babies make good progress in their language and communication skills as staff sing with them and communicate sensitively, always mindful to be at their level and talk calmly. As a result, babies babble, gurgle, and know how to communicate their needs through gesture and sounds. Staff have a flexible approach to supporting babies' and toddlers' enthusiasm for learning. For example, while sitting down

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who attend

preparing to eat, staff sing action songs to babies and toddlers, one child jumps up to dance and copy the actions while staff cheer him on and encourage him. This flexible approach creates a highly positive atmosphere where babies and toddlers feel valued and motivated to express their feelings as they learn through play. Children in the pre-school rooms choose from a suitable range of toys and equipment that enable them to develop valuable skills to prepare them for school. For example, they enjoy painting, drawing and writing to foster their early literacy skills. They enjoy singing songs and using puzzles and games, which foster their mathematical development. Children have regular opportunities to develop a love of books. Staff are very skillful at reading stories to motivate children to remember or anticipate what will happen next, this captures their imagination. Staff make the most of opportunities to pause and ask children

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who attend

to think about sound in words and think of rhyming words. Children join in enthusiastically and become engrossed in the positive learning experience. Two of the pre-school rooms display many signs, word and pictures to develop children's interest in print, letters, words and numbers. However another of the pre-school rooms lacks suitable displays at child level. Furthermore, although most staff provide support to children who are learning English as an additional language, others have a less consistent approach. Therefore, children are not always fully supported in the acquisition of communication and language skills The out of school provision runs from very well resourced playrooms. Children are able to help themselves to suitable toys and equipment that enable them to develop skills to support their learning at school. For example, they enjoy colouring, drawing and writing to foster their early literacy skills. Children enjoy developing their creative skills in the well

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who attend

resourced art room. They make shakers and staff encourage them to think about the types of materials they will need and how they will design their shakers. This positive approach helps children to develop their own ideas and ways of doing things. Children benefit from using the well resourced outdoor area where they can explore, play and get fresh air after a busy day at school.

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

Overall, children are relaxed and feel comfortable with the adults who care for them. Most children are happy, confident and outgoing and respond well to the environment. When children start at the provision, the management allocates staff to help children settle and become familiar with their new surroundings. Staff working with babies keep daily records of their routines, health and progress and share this information daily to parents. They are very attentive to babies' needs and support them with lots of physical reassurance, cuddles and gentle communication. They give babies lots of time and space to explore and encourage their emerging physical skills as they learn to crawl and walk around the soft, cosy and well-resourced baby-room. Babies laugh and gurgle with delight as they communicate their needs through gesture and sounds. Toddlers are also very enthusiastic as they play and explore the many

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

exciting activities on offer. Staff help toddlers to become independent and encourage them to develop new skills. For example, they teach them how to dress and put on their clothes independently and feed themselves during mealtimes. As a result, toddlers become very confident and successfully manage many of their own self-care needs. Most staff help children to learn about healthy lifestyles, by talking to them about the importance of washing hands and keeping clean. However staff in some rooms do not make water available for children to help themselves to, nor do they ensure that all children wash their hands before eating. This inconsistent approach does not reinforce the importance of why children need to carry out these routines and the effect on their health and well-being. Staff use gentle and positive strategies to gain children's attention and calm the rooms down when children become a little noisy or boisterous. Their encouraging attitude has a

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

positive effect on the children, who are very well behaved. For example, children share toys positively and are very aware of peoples' feelings and needs. Furthermore, they greet each other, welcome others to join in with play and share resources in a very kind and considerate manner. Children in all age groups learn to take care of their surroundings as staff motivate them through praise and encouragement.

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provision

The registered providers devise clear and well organised policies and procedures. They ensure that the staff team adheres to these in order to maintain a clean, safe and smoke- free environment. Staff ensure that accidents are dealt with suitably and any broken or unsuitable toys are removed to minimise hazards. Staff are also clear about the procedure to follow should they have any concerns about the protection of a child in their care. Although the registered provider and management team have a satisfactory understanding of the learning and development requirements, they have not been successful in ensuring that all requirements are met throughout the provision. For example they have not effectively monitored the observations and assessment arrangements across all age groups. This weakness in the self-evaluation processes has impacted on the quality of the provision across the setting as inconsistencies have occurred and weaknesses have not

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provision

always been identified. Relationships between parents and staff are relaxed and very well established. Parents comment on how they value the caring staff and how much their children enjoy attending the provision. Parents are fully aware of policies and procedures as managers communicate through newsletters and an informative website. The registered providers provide clear information regarding the complaints procedures and display details about how to contact Ofsted, should parents wish to raise concerns about the provision. The nursery team have developed strong partnerships with other professionals and agencies. They seek additional support for children when needed and some local primary schools visit the nursery to ease transition to a school environment. This process effectively helps to support partnership working and continuity for children and their families.

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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 124925 Local authority Croydon Inspection number 901654

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 166 Number of children on roll 150 Name of provider Gingerbread Corner Date of previous inspection 07/12/2010 Telephone number 01942 446 437 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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