Building Blocks Day Nursery (NW) LTD

Building Blocks Day Nursery Building Blocks Day Nursery, Plant Hill Road, MANCHESTER, M9 8LX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/03/2013 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff in the pre-school room listen to children well and extend their language and thinking effectively. As a result, children make good progress in their communication and language and are well prepared for school.  The staff know children very well and as a result, they meet their individual needs effectively.  Children behave well and are happy and settled. Consequently, they become confident learners.  The manager demonstrates a strong commitment to the professional development of staff to drive continuous improvement. Self-evaluation, action plans and targets for the future development of the setting are realistic and achievable.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope for the further development of the outdoor area in order to provide all children with more interesting, rich and challenging experiences.  There are few opportunities planned for the youngest children to access fresh air and the outdoor areas which does not fully support their very good physical health and well- being.  The planning of activities for children under one year are not fully in place to ensure they enjoy valuable play and learning experiences.

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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 observed activities children took part in.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the manager and childcare staff at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector carried out a joint observation of an activity with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a range of documentation, including risk assessments, safeguarding and complaints policies and procedures and children's learning journeys.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Building Blocks Day Nursery (NW) Limited was registered in 2012 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in converted premises in the Blackley area of Manchester, and is managed by a limited company. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from six playrooms located on the ground and first floor and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 19 members of child care staff. Of these, 15 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The manager and deputy both have a BA (Honours) degree in Professional Development. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round and is closed for all bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 120 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery

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Information about the setting

provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special needs and/or disabilities.

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

 improve the planning of challenging and enjoyable learning experiences for children under one year, by taking into account the individual needs, interests and stage of development of each child

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

 improve the physical health and well-being of young babies by considering ways to improve their access to fresh air and the outdoors

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

 extend the educational programmes in the outdoor area for all children so that they can enjoy rich varied and imaginative play experiences by providing stimulating resources which are accessible and open ended so that they can be used, moved and combined in a variety of ways.

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who attend

Observation, assessment and planning systems to meet the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are in place. The tracking of children's progress is routinely linked to the 'Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage' guidance. This clearly shows that all children are within their developmental age bands and are making good progress given their starting points and capabilities. The staff have a secure understanding of how children learn through their play. As a result, there is a strong focus on children acquiring and developing good communication and language skills. The use of small group times is effectively used for them to develop these skills. For example, in the pre-school room, children learn to take turns and use visual aids to act out a favourite nursery rhyme, such as 'Humpty Dumpty'. The staff are enthusiastic, make learning fun and use these sessions to help children to develop their thinking skills and

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who attend

make connections by asking them open ended questions. Consequently, the quality of teaching and learning is good. Children receive lots of verbal praise for their efforts which develops their confidence and self-esteem. As a result, children become confident learners and communicators. Staff in the over two years room are fully aware of the progress check at age two assessment. They are in the process of planning meetings with parents to formally discuss these and add parent's views about their child's learning and development. This has been discussed at the recent parent's meeting.

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who attend

The staff know their key children extremely well and have high expectations of what children can achieve. They successfully use the information from their observations of children's play to plan experiences and activities to meet children's individual development needs. All children are making good progress across all areas of learning, although the planning of activities for children under one year is not as rigorous in promoting further challenges based on their stage of development and interests. Children who have identified special needs and/or disabilities or English as an additional language are supported very well through individual education plans. Staff show a strong level of commitment to narrowing the gap for such children and ensure they progress well given their starting points and capabilities. This is achieved through individual support when needed.

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who attend

Parents are involved in their children's learning by contributing their observations of children's achievements to the 'Good news tree' or contributing to children's learning journeys. The staff build on these through individual planning and enhancing children's play and learning experiences. Children in the pre-school room benefit greatly from activities which support their school readiness, such as recognising letters, numbers and developing their independence skills. The pre-school room leader attends local network meetings with the local primary schools to share information. Children embark on joint visits with the pre-school room leader to the school they move onto. This successfully supports children's transitions.

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

Staff ensure that the daily routines incorporate that the majority of children have daily access to fresh air and exercise to promote healthy lifestyles and their all-round physical development. However, due to the recent reorganisation of both of the rooms for children aged under two years, younger babies have little access to fresh air or the outdoor area. This impacts on opportunities to promote their general good health and well-being. Children practise and refine their developing balance and coordination as they scramble up climbing nets, step in and out of hoops or use wheeled toys. They enthusiastically join in exercises, such as star jumps, and learn about the effect exercise has on their bodies. There is scope for all the outdoor areas to be more attractive and appealing in order to ignite children's interest and offer more challenge.

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

Lunch and snack time routines are well established where children sit with their key person. All children show good levels of knowledge and understanding of their own needs and develop good independence skills. For example, children in the two to three years room receive encouragement for attempting to fasten or unfasten their coats. While children in the one to two years room show skill and coordination as they enthusiastically wash their faces with face cloths. Children behave well and in ways that are safe for themselves and others and develop an understanding of dangers and learn how to stay safe. They move with care and control from the indoor to the outdoor environment and from the upstairs rooms to downstairs. Children's confidence in their ideas, thinking and achievements are fostered because staff use lots of verbal praise and model good behaviour and language. Children are encouraged to speak in 'quiet voices' and listen

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

The pre-school children's room provides good quality learning opportunities and experiences with accessible resources at children's height, enabling them to play and explore. However, the staff team recognise that the learning environment for younger children is not yet fully to the high standard of the pre-school room. Consequently, they are in the process of developing these areas by creating specific learning areas and cosy spaces to improve children's access to resources and to stimulate their interest in activities.

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

Staff are sensitive and caring towards the children, helping them to feel safe and secure, particularly during periods of transition, as children settle into nursery and progress from room to room. For example, they embark on short taster sessions with their key person to their new room. Children who are less confident or unsure of new situations are supported very well by attentive staff who give them reassurance. This is particularly evident for the youngest children when they are settling in.

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provision

The manager is enthusiastic and has a strong vision for the future. Since her return from maternity leave, she has put in place effective improvement plans by partnership working with an independent training provider. These successfully identify and prioritise areas for development. The vast majority of these have been successfully completed and have improved outcomes for all children. The manager demonstrates a high level of commitment to support staff training to ensure they are confident, capable and can develop their professional skills. She has a secure understanding of her role in monitoring and delivering all aspects of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is achieved through a programme of staff meetings, in-house training, peer observations and role modelling. The pre-school room leader is the language coordinator for the nursery. She supports staff in the younger children's rooms by modelling good

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provision

practice in order for them to develop children's language and extend their thinking. A management structure is in place to support staff in their day-to-day work with the children and at parent's request, this is clearly displayed in the entrance hall. The staff are enthusiastic and show commitment to improvement to ensure that all children enjoy valuable teaching and learning experiences. Targets for the future are realistic and achievable and include developing the outdoor area and continuing to improve the learning environment for children under three years of age.

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provision

Robust recruitment and selection procedures and a good range of policies and procedures are successfully and consistently implemented and underpin daily practice to meet the safeguarding and welfare needs of children. Children's safety is strongly promoted. The setting has a robust approach to establishing whether adults are suitable to work with children. The Disclosure and Barring Service Check is undertaken on students and parent/volunteers and completed every three years on all members of staff. In addition, at their annual appraisal staff, sign a form to indicate there have been no changes to their general health or any criminal convictions. This means their ongoing suitability is monitored. The manager and the staff team have a secure understanding of the Common Assessment Framework, their role in safeguarding children, and the reporting procedures in place to protect children and keep them safe from harm.

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provision

The nursery's engagement with parents is good. They are actively invited to contribute their ideas comments and observations if their child has a new interest or achievement and add these to the 'Good news tree'. A recent parent's evening was a resounding success. As a result, the staff team have received very positive feedback from parents about the evening and these are prominently displayed for all to see. Comments include, 'My child's key worker knows my child so well'. These support strong foundations for partnership working. There is a strong ethos for staff to support all children, especially those with special needs and/or disabilities. As a result, all staff have high aspirations for children's individual progress through effective partnership working with parents and other professionals. Parents comment extremely positively on the whole staff team, how they feel confident that their children are well cared for, and the good quality of the support

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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 EY452941 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 884680

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 100 Number of children on roll 120 Name of provider Building Blocks Day Nursery (NW) Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01617401053

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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

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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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