Elm Lane Day NurseryOfsted inspection, 22 Feb 2013

Elm Lane Day Nursery 24 / 26 Church Street, DAGENHAM, Essex, RM10 9UR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/02/2013 14/05/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Management staff have not prepared sufficiently for their absence, as they have not ensured temporary staff are checked to ensure they are suitable to work with children.  Children's welfare is not promoted as there is not always a member of staff on duty who has the relevant first aid qualification.  Children's needs are not met as some children are left without adult interaction for long periods of time. As a result they make little progress in their learning and development.  Staff are not always fully aware of procedures included in written policies.  Older children do not always have opportunities to develop technology skills.  Parents are not always involved in opportunities to extend children's learning at home.  Systems to review staff performance are not always effective.

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It has the following strengths

 Some children form close bonds with special members of staff.  Most children are confident when selecting activities to play with.

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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 as they played.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation, including children's development profiles, planning documentation and policies.  The inspector spoke to members of staff.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the temporary manager.

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Information about the setting

Elm Lane Day Nursery opened in 2007 and operates from two large shop units that form part of a small shopping parade. The nursery is situated in a residential area in Dagenham in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The nursery serves the local community and is open each weekday between 7am to 6pm all year round. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery supports children learning English as an additional language and those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. There are currently 27 children aged from birth to five years on roll, some in part-time places. There are 10 members of staff, all of whom hold early years qualifications to at least level 2.

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must:

 implement effective systems to ensure that practitioners, and any person who is likely to have regular contact with children are suitable; obtain an enhanced criminal records disclosure in respect of every person who works directly with children.  ensure that at least one person who has a current paediatric first aid certificate is on the premises at all times when children are present.  ensure that every child's care is tailored to meet their individual needs by reviewing the deployment of key persons and other members of staff.  ensure that staff understand and implement the policy and procedure for administering medication.

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

 encourage children to develop skills in technology by providing a range of equipment to suit their needs

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

 provide opportunities for parents to be involved in planning for their children's learning

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

 review systems used to monitor staff performance so that staff are given support to develop their skills.

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who attend

Some children make good progress in their learning at this nursery. Some staff make effective observations of children and use the observations to plan for children's learning and development. However staff interactions with children are not consistent and some children do not receive adequate attention. The consequence of this lack of consistent care means that some children are left for long periods of time with no appropriate attention. They spend a lot of time on their own without their individual needs being met by any member of staff.

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who attend

Staff knowledge of how children learn is not consistent. Some staff demonstrate suitable knowledge of how children learn through the activities planned for them. For example, staff describe how collage activities help children develop concentration skills. However, staff do not consistently demonstrate knowledge about the seven areas of learning and the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Despite this lack of demonstrable knowledge by all staff, children can choose from a suitable range of activities. Many play well together and older children enjoy adding photographs to a display of their family members. Children are confident when choosing toys and older children help themselves to pencils and paper to use when drawing. There is evidence of some good teaching practice with small groups of children. Staff encourage children to discuss health issues as they use a computer programme to prompt discussions. Children

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who attend

and staff talk about situations when they might need a plaster if they have hurt themselves and what might make them better if they feel ill. However, staff do not give children opportunities to control the laptop themselves. Younger children develop their technology skills by pressing buttons on role play toys but older children do not develop these skills with more age appropriate equipment. Most children show confidence in communication and are developing their language skills. Staff occasionally use a couple of known words in the child's home language to help them feel included but these are not proactively used to help children's acquisition of English. Strategies to support children who find communication difficult are not explored fully. An inclusion worker does attend to give extra support to children with special educational needs to aid their progress.

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

Parents are aware that their child has one member of staff whose role it is to make observations on their child, but they are not always aware of who this person is. Parents suggest that this is due to there being many staff changes recently. When the key person is a long standing member of staff, children demonstrate that they have built close bonds and enjoy having a cuddle with their key person when she arrives. However, other children spend only short periods of time with their key person and are left alone. Therefore their emotional and welfare needs are not met adequately.

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

The nursery does not support children's health and safety adequately. There is not always a member of staff on duty who holds an appropriate first aid qualification as required. This situation is largely due to the absence of the manager and deputy manager and has resulted in a lack of appropriate procedures to ensure children's safety.

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

Behaviour is generally good. Staff remind children of nursery rules such as walking inside. Children learn some independence skills as they wash their hands before snack time and choose where to sit. They chat with staff members during this sociable time and try to guess what they might be having for lunch. They learn about healthy eating and have daily opportunities to enjoy fresh air and exercise, helping their physical development. Most children like to play outdoors.

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

Staff are making some attempt at supporting older children as they prepare for school. Staff plan activities involving letter recognition and writing names. However, parents are not involved in plans for children's learning and therefore there are missed opportunities for children to extend their learning at home.

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provision

While staff demonstrate knowledge of how to act if they have concerns about children in their care, the safeguarding of children is a concern at this nursery. Management staff have not prepared sufficiently for their planned absence from the nursery. Some staff are suitable to work with children; however some staff members and the temporary managers have not had the required checks to ensure that they are cleared to work with children. This is a breach of the safeguarding and welfare requirements.

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provision

The nursery building is secure. Entry to all adults is controlled and all visitors and parents sign the visitor's sheets, which are available in the foyer of the nursery. This means that there is always a record of visitors to the premises. The outside play space is also secure enabling children to enjoy outside play with a range of equipment. Knowledge about policies and procedures is weak in some instances. For example, staff knowledge of when and how to administer medication does not match the written policy. As a result children are not always given medication that would alleviate their discomfort, despite having parental consent to administer it. Records of medications when they are given are fully completed and staff understand this section of the policy and procedure.

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provision

The provider is developing methods to evaluate her practice. She has introduced questionnaires for parents and she acts on some comments made. For example she has installed a low hand rail at the top of the stairs so that children can climb stairs safely. However, some parents report that they have had no feedback on suggestions made on the questionnaires about their children's learning. The owner has developed a system to monitor staff performance. She makes effective checks on the observation and planning paperwork completed by staff and staff are made aware of when paperwork is not completed correctly. The owner also holds regular review meetings with individual staff members. She notes areas for development and reviews these areas at the next meeting. This process is not always successful, however, as some areas for development are noted repeatedly over long periods of time with no effective action having been taken.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 implement effective systems to ensure that any person caring for, or in regular contact with, children: is suitable to work with children which must include obtaining an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check and has skills and experience suitable for the work (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that at least one person who is caring for children has an appropriate first aid qualification (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  implement effective systems to ensure that any person caring for, or in regular contact with, children: is suitable to work with children which must include obtaining an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check and has skills and experience suitable for the work (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that at least one person who is caring for children has an appropriate first aid qualification (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)

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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 EY363213 Local authority Barking & Dagenham Inspection number 904120 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 27 Name of provider Grace Funke Akinnugba Date of previous inspection 14/05/2012 Telephone number 07944 453 341

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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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