5 Steps Community Nursery

5 Steps Community Nursery 15 Lambourne Grove, Rotherhithe, LONDON, SE16 2RR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/02/2013 18/04/2011

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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

 The nursery team forms strong partnerships with parents and outside agencies to provide continuity in children's learning and care.  Children behave well, are self-confident and form positive relationships with staff and each other.  The nursery environment is warm and welcoming and staff are friendly. Consequently, children are generally happy and busy throughout the day.

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It is not yet good because

 Arrangements for evaluating the nursery and the supervision of staff are ineffective. This means that the provider has not identified weaknesses in practice.  Staff do not consistently support children's language and communication skills and literacy development to ensure that all children make clear and consistent progress.  There are occasions during the morning routine when staff are not well deployed to attend to babies' needs.

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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 looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.  The inspector took account of views of parents spoken to during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities across all age groups and the interaction between children and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision and had discussions with staff.

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Information about the setting

5 Steps Community Nursery is managed by a committee. It has been running for 25 years and re-registered in 2007. The nursery is accommodated in a purpose built building with three group rooms that provide direct access to a semi-covered outdoor play area. The nursery is located in the Rotherhithe area in the London borough of Lewisham. It is open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday for 48 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 34 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two, three- and four-year- olds. The nursery currently supports children who are learning English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are 10 members of staff employed all of whom have appropriate early years qualifications.

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must:

 foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement by introducing a process of rigorous self-evaluation and staff supervision to identify areas of weakness and promote the continuous development and improvement of the provision  deploy staff to ensure children's needs are met at all times with particular regard to the morning routine for babies  develop the educational programme for literacy by providing an inviting book area for children to sit and enjoy access to books and creating an environment rich in print with words written clearly so that children can learn about words appropriately

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

 strengthen the educational programme for communication and language by consistently recognising and equally valuing all languages spoken by parents, staff and children and giving children more time to talk and think through their response to questions and express their ideas and understanding.

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who attend

Children make sound progress throughout their time at the nursery. Staff observe them at play, make notes and take photographs to record their achievements. They use this information to plan for the next steps in their learning. Staff also engage parents to inform them of their child's progress, in order to support continuity in children's learning. Staff working with children aged between two and three, review their progress, and provide parents with a clear written summary of their child's development in the prime areas of learning. This progress check identifies children's achievements, and any areas where the child's progress is less than expected.

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who attend

Most staff provide opportunities for children whose home language is not English, to use their home language in play and learning by finding out and using key words from their home language and displaying lists of words from children's home language. However management has not ensured that the staff team have a consistent approach for all families, resulting in occasional failures to value a child's home language. Staff also have an inconsistent approach to supporting young children's emerging language and communication skills throughout the daily routine. For example, although they sing and chat to children throughout the day, staff occasionally use incorrect grammar when talking to children. Furthermore, they ask children questions but do not give children time to think and reply so do not encourage them to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences.

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who attend

Children in all age groups enjoy making marks. For example, babies create finger paintings and toddlers enjoy drawing and painting. Older children create recognisable symbols and letters and some learn to write their name. Staff display many signs, words and pictures around the nursery to develop children's interest in print, letters and words. However, some of the print is not legible and some posters and signs are torn. Staff provide age appropriate books for babies to help themselves to. Toddlers enjoy looking at books in an attractive and cosy book area, but children in the pre-school room do not have a book area where children and adults can enjoy books together. Therefore, staff have an inconsistent approach in supporting literacy within the environment.

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who attend

Children enjoy number songs, rhymes, and counting out everyday objects. Staff encourage children as they play by joining in and offering lots of praise and encouragement. For example, they work together to sort toys into colour groups. As a result of this support, children feel enthusiastic and develop mathematical skills that will help them prepare for school.

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who attend

Staff support children's imagination by providing a satisfactory range of role play and small world toys. Children explore and use an appropriate range of media and materials to support their creativity. They enthusiastically create collage and paintings. Staff display children's work around the nursery to place value on their creations.

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who attend

Staff working across all age groups join in with children's play and the positive interactions help children develop the skills they need for the next step in their learning. However, inconsistencies across the nursery mean that the educational programmes do not have depth and breadth across the seven areas of learning, nor do they provide consistent and challenging experiences that meet the needs of all children.

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

The staff team greet children by name and warmly welcome parents when they arrive in the morning. Each child has a designated member of staff who is responsible for monitoring their progress and helping them to settle. The key person system results in children feeling relaxed, as they feel comfortable with the adults who care for them. However, staff in the baby room are not always suitably deployed during the early morning, resulting in them not being able to attend to their needs in a timely manner.

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

Children enjoy a wide variety of food, which is provided for them throughout the day. All meals are healthy and a full-time cook ensures these are freshly prepared. Staff support children's physical development by providing a good range of outdoor resources which are easily accessible for children to develop their skills at climbing and balancing. They also organise a variety of activities to enable young children to enjoy sensory experiences, such as, making marks in damp sand, paste or paint.

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

The staff team provides a suitable balance of support, while also enabling children to try things out for themselves. Overall, children use a range of resources that are suitable for their age and stage in development. Older children are confident to make their own choices from the range of resources, which are stored at their level for easy access. Consequently, children become independent and older children develop a range of self- help skills enabling them to manage their own personal needs.

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

Staff provide good levels of support for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work closely with the specialist providers, such as educational psychologists and speech therapists to provide children and families with support and help children to catch up in their learning. This good aspect of the provision supports continuity in children's learning and care.

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

Staff are positive role models to the children and children behave very well. Staff organise games to help children to learn to share and take turns. Staff also arrange games and songs to help new children to learn the names of the adults and children around them. This good practice helps children to develop a sense of belonging and develop self- confidence.

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provision

The staff team have a sound understanding of local safeguarding procedures and know how to identify and report any concerns that they may have about children in their care. Management organise training and regular discussions help to keep staff up to date in changes in regulations and requirements. Staff supervision meetings take place to support staff and identify some training needs. However, the process is in its early stages and is not yet effective. For example, management do not notice inconsistencies regarding support for children learning English as an additional language or inconsistencies in the support for children's language and communication skills.

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provision

Although the manager has systems in place for the evaluation of the provision, they are out of date and are not a true reflection on the current quality of the provision. This oversight means that management do not fully identify areas for improvement such as the standard of displays across the provision or the lack of books for children in the pre-school room. However, the manager and staff team are keen to implement improvements and have worked hard to develop the observation, assessment and planning throughout the age groups. This demonstrates that the manager and provider have a suitable understanding of the learning and development requirements with some areas for improvement.

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provision

Management place a great deal of importance on positive relationships with parents. Parents know their children's key person well and they work together to support children's progress. Conversations with parents show that they appreciate the positive support and caring approach of the staff team. Staff also work closely with outside professionals to seek support for children who need it. They transfer information about children's progress to schools, to support continuity in their learning.

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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 EY340504 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 815229 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 34 Name of provider 5 Steps Community Nursery Date of previous inspection 18/04/2011 Telephone number 0207 237 2376

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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

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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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