King David Kindergarten

King David Kindergarten King David Foundation, 120 Childwall Road, LIVERPOOL, L15 6WU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/03/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children form strong and secure attachments to staff. The highly effective key person system and caring staff team ensures that children are warmly welcomed. As a result, children's emotional well-being is fostered extremely well and their individual needs are met.  Children's learning, particularly across the prime areas of learning, is effectively supported in fun ways. Teaching is rooted in staff's good knowledge of how children learn. All staff plan securely for children's individual progress in their learning.  Partnerships with parents are very good because effective communication and strategies to involve parents in their children's learning are well embedded.  Children remain safe and are protected from harm while at the setting. This is because managers and staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and policies.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff have not fully explored the opportunities presented at meal times for children to practise their self-help skills and further foster their early literacy skills, as well as they do at other times of the day.  There is scope to improve the way information from the progress check at age two, is shared with other relevant professionals, such as health visitors.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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 viewed all areas of the premises and equipment and observed activities in all of the playrooms and the outside play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and spoke to members of staff and children during activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's learning journals, planning documentation and operational files, consisting of policies, staff qualifications and suitability documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection and written comments by parents.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

King David Kindergarten is operated by a charitable organisation and was registered in 2011 and then registered again in 2012 to reflect a change in the legal status of the charity. The setting has evolved from a setting previously operated from different premises in the nearby vicinity. It now operates from within King David Campus in the Wavertree area of Liverpool. The kindergarten follows the Jewish ethos and is open to everyone within the community. Children have access to a fully self-contained part of the main campus building. It operates from three rooms and has a multi-sensory room. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. All areas are fully accessible. It is open 8am until 6pm Monday to Thursday, and 8am until 1.45pm on Fridays, term time only.

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Information about the setting

The kindergarten is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It supports children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about the setting

The kindergarten employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an early years degree, four hold a qualification at level 4, five hold a qualification at level 3 and one holds a qualification at level 2 and is working towards a level 3. The kindergarten receives support from the local authority.

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

 provide children with further opportunities to practise their self-help skills and further foster their early literacy skills at meal times; for example, by providing utensils and equipment for children to serve themselves and encouraging children to find their names when they sit down at the table

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

 include information gained from tracking children's progress in the progress check at age two, so that more accurate assessment is shared with health visitors.

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who attend

The manager and staff have a good knowledge of how children learn and develop. They provide an imaginative range of activities to support children of all ages to make good progress in their learning and development. Initial information is gathered from parents about the children during settling-in sessions. This information helps the children's key person to assess their starting points and to shape activities to meet the children's individual learning needs. Parents contribute to their children's learning journals and read information displayed on the parent's noticeboard about planned activities. They are also actively encouraged to attend the setting for 'stay and play' sessions, which enables them to take part in various activities with the children. All of these methods are highly effective in helping parents to be fully involved in their children's learning and development. Staff use 'Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage' to accurately assess and

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who attend

track children's progress and plan for the next steps in their learning. Evidence gathered from tracking children's progress demonstrates that they are making good progress given their starting points. Staff have a good understanding about the characteristics of learning and they use effective teaching methods to promote suitable challenges to extend the children's learning.

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who attend

All children, including those with English as an additional language, are well supported in acquiring good communication and language skills as they engage in conversations with the staff and their peers. Children enjoy regular phonic sessions and are beginning to recognise letters and sounds. These sessions help children to distinguish differences and similarities in sounds as they play word and rhyming games. During story times staff ask the children questions about the stories and encourage them to recall the words of their favourite book, taking on the role of each character in the story. They use props effectively to encourage the children's listening and attention skills. Children demonstrate their ability to maintain focus for periods of time, which is preparing them well for when they go to school. As the children sit in groups, they carefully listen to their names being called out before they sit at the table for their meals. Staff foster children's early literacy

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who attend

skills by displaying different examples of print in the setting and encouraging children to self-register in the morning. Children find their own names with their parents in the hallway and then post them into the letterbox in their playrooms to indicate their arrival. However, there is scope to further foster children's early literacy skills by encouraging children to recognise their names at meal times. Staff also serve the children's lunch for them, which lessens their opportunities to further practise the self-help skills involved in self-serving that they enjoy during snack times. Nevertheless, children, overall, are making good progress across all aspects their development.

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who attend

Children's mathematical skills are promoted as they are encouraged to count in many situations. The environment is rich in numerals displayed on the walls and various number games. For example, in the role play area children talk about how much the food they are selling in their cafe costs. They use words such as 'infinity', in context, explaining that it is the 'biggest number in the world'. Children confidently use a wide range of technology, such as computers and an interactive white board. These activities help children to understand how technology is used for many different purposes. Children enjoy experimenting with different malleable substances as they roll and scrunch up newspaper for printing with paint. Staff skilfully adapt activities to follow children's interests. For example, when using newspaper and paint to make prints, children say they want to stick the newspaper to the paper. Staff provide glue and ask children to describe what they are

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who attend

making; promoting children's language skills and their emerging creativity. When children begin to make kites out of their materials, staff note their interests and plan further activities which will extend and enhance children's learning. The staff encourage children to develop their senses, such as touch and smell and sight, as they explore the beautiful sensory room at the setting.

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who attend

Children have opportunities to explore the natural world in the outside play area. They enjoy digging in the mud for treasure and watching their frog spawn develop. The setting follows the Jewish ethos and children enjoy learning about the Jewish way of life as they celebrate all of the Jewish festivals. For example, they busily wash their dolls and talk about why it is important to get everything clean ready for Pesach, Jewish Passover. Children learn about different cultural traditions such as Chinese New Year. They have resources to represent children's diverse backgrounds, such as books and role play equipment. This ensures that children have opportunities to learn about differences between people and their diverse backgrounds. Children's physical development is highly promoted through a range of well-planned activities. Children enjoy free flow between indoors and out, thus ensuring that they have continuous opportunities to enjoy fresh air

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who attend

and exercise in the outdoor play area. They move freely and confidently in a range of ways, such as balancing and climbing on small rocky outcrops and pedalling their bikes and pushing prams, skilfully avoiding obstacles.

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

Children feel extremely secure at the setting because staff ensure that strong, trusting relationships are formed through a highly effective key person system. Parents are encouraged to share as much information as possible about their children during meetings with their child's key person. They are fully involved and informed about their children's learning from the very beginning. This ensures that firm relationships are established and the key person begins to get to know the child, family and home experiences from the very beginning. Staff are very sensitive to children's needs and understand that children feel more secure when in familiar environments. Staff create an environment that is as highly inclusive and extremely welcoming. For example, every child has their own tray in the entrance hall where they can keep their special belongings and parents are invited to bring in photographs for the children's 'family album'. This helps to support children's

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

initial transition into the setting. Parents are also encouraged to fill up and decorate shoe boxes at home with their children at the beginning of every term. This highly effective strategy means that children develop high self-esteem as they happily come into the setting with their boxes and excitedly chat about the special things they have brought in from home.

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

As children engage in their play, staff are highly skilled in offering support and praise for their achievements. This enables children to feel valued and gives them a sense of pride in their own achievements. This positive praise along with clear and consistent boundaries are understood by children who behave extremely well. For example, children tidy up promptly when requested to do so. Healthy eating practices are consistently promoted as a range of fresh fruit is available for children to access for snack and lunches are balanced and nutritious. As a result, children fully adopt healthy lifestyles. Children are confident to seek support from staff, who are extremely friendly and approachable. For example, at tidy up time, children readily go to staff and ask them to help take their coat off. Staff skilfully use this opportunity to promote children's independence, encouraging them to have a go at unfastening buttons and pulling down zips. This all ensures that children are

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

prepared and ready for their next stages in learning. Children are kept exceedingly safe within the setting as staff ensure that rigorous checks of the indoor and outside environments are conducted on a daily basis. Staff support children to develop their own awareness of safety by conducting regular fire drills and by talking to them about safety when outside in the garden. For example, children know that they should check that other children are not behind them when digging in the mud, so that they do not flick any into their friend's eyes. Children have access to an extremely vibrant and relaxed environment in which they become independent learners. For example, toys and equipment are stored at children's level and easily accessible. They happily access them, demonstrating their emerging independence. Children can relax when they need to in the beautifully presented sensory room as soothing music plays in the background.

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provision

Managers have a very good understanding of the importance of monitoring children's development. Assessments for the most part are precise and link closely to the seven areas of learning and development. Overall tracking of children's development takes place each term and information regarding children's progress is provided for parents. However, there is scope to provide further information for health visitors when completing the Progress check at age two. The current review does not include information about children's progress in relation to the developmental age bands of the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. Weekly review meetings between all staff ensure that children's interests and learning styles are noted. This means that children benefit through planning, which is specific to their needs. Performance management is monitored effectively by committee members and the manager. This ensures that all staff and students remain

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provision

motivated and highly skilled through having specific goals and objectives to meet.

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provision

Safeguarding is good because the manager ensures that all staff have attended training in child protection and first aid. Staff demonstrate their understanding of safeguarding procedures and are confident in how to link with other agencies, thus keeping children safe from harm. Robust recruitment and induction procedures entail vetting of staff and students, and ensure all are aware of their roles and responsibilities. This means children are kept safe and quality is maintained. Risk assessments of all areas are thorough and children are encouraged to manage their own risk. All policies and procedures are regularly updated and reviewed by the committee. Parents sign to say they have read and understood the policies meaning that children and families remain safe through effective management and practice.

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provision

Self-evaluation is good because the manager, staff and committee work closely together to ensure the setting makes continuous improvement. A clear improvement plan is in place which shows areas to develop and how they will help children's achievements. Children are effectively supported because the manager has established good, effective partnerships working with other professionals, for example the adjoining school. Partnerships with parents are very good because managers involve children and families from the very beginning. Managers provide information packs; invite parents into the setting regularly; hold regular monitoring reviews and take part in daily exchanges with parents and carers. This means that all parents and carers have opportunities to contribute and become involved in their children's learning. They speak very highly of the setting expressing their opinion that it is perfect for their children.

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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 action. 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 EY450849 Local authority Liverpool Inspection number 884294

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 80 Number of children on roll 63 Name of provider King David & Harold House Foundation Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 0151 2351586

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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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