Little Scallywags Day Nursery

Little Scallywags Day Nursery 179 Alvechurch Road, BIRMINGHAM, B31 3PN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/03/2013 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

 Observations and assessment are used effectively to plan for the next steps in children's learning and development. Staff plan interesting activities which evolve from children's individual interests.  Staff provide support and consistency, enabling children to settle and be well prepared for transitions, both within the nursery and when children are moving to school.  Behaviour is managed well and there are clear and effective strategies in place to enable staff to work with parents to find solutions if behaviour is unacceptable.  Children are very well protected because all staff are aware of the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child in their care. There is an effective whistleblowing procedure in place which ensures that staff working with the children are the suitable to do so.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children's personal skills are not always fully supported at mealtimes as they do not learn how to use utensils correctly and staff do not always clear tables of food before the next course is served.  There is scope to improve children's learning and understanding of the wider world by providing resources and activities which reflect positive images of diversity and teach children about other cultures, customs and disabilities.

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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 children in all areas of the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's records, planning, assessment and other required documents.  The inspector held ongoing discussions with staff and children.  The inspector sought the views of parents.

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Information about the setting

Little Scallywags Day Nursery was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from five rooms on the ground and first floor of a converted house in Kings Norton, Birmingham. Accessibility to some areas may be difficult for some children. It is one of two nurseries which are privately owned by the provider. The nursery serves the local area. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff and a full-time cook. Of these, 10 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. Two members of staff are qualified to Early Years Professional Status and one has Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 73 children on roll, 54 of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds.

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

 provide children with opportunities to use appropriate utensils correctly when eating, and ensure that tables are cleared of leftover food and meals before children move to their next course

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

 provide children with resources and activities to help them to learn about the wider world and other cultures, customs and disabilities.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time and are happy and settled in this friendly nursery. They make good progress in their learning and development given their starting points and capabilities. They are supported in their learning by staff who understand how to plan and extend activities to enhance children's play experiences. Planning develops from children's personal preferences and interests. Children's development books clearly show, using observations and photographs, the progress that they make. Staff use these observations to identify children's next steps in their learning and plan activities to help children to achieve them. Children take ownership of these books as they choose which photographs they want to put into them. They ask to look at their books and lie on the floor with their chin cupped in their hands reminiscing with their friends about activities they took part in. Parents are fully involved in their child's learning. They are able to look at their child's

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who attend

development book at any time and there is a home link section for parents to share children's achievements at home and discuss with their child's key person the best way to support learning. Parents are also able to use 'wishing on a star' to ask staff to further support children's learning objectives from home, for example, learning to walk, counting and using scissors. Staff recognise children's individual learning needs and provide activities to support these. They have started to implement the progress check at age two to enable them to assess children's development and act on any areas if there are concerns.

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who attend

Children are supported by staff who understand the concept of child-initiated play and provide them with opportunities to develop their own learning styles and make choices in their play. They have a good understanding of the prime and specific areas of learning that children need to cover. They are able to adapt and develop activities to ensure that these are met and to enrich children's learning experiences. For example, following an activity which children enjoyed adding water to soil, staff provided an opportunity for them to add water to noodles. They compared dry and wet noodles, noticing the difference as they cooled and became sticky, and used expressive language to describe the texture of the noodles. Babies and younger children are supported to investigate and explore new textures and objects. They enjoy using play dough, squeezing it in their hands. They use treasure baskets and play happily with a variety of materials and natural objects, for

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who attend

example, loofahs, sponges and paintbrushes. Children enjoy listening and dancing to music. They take part in 'wake-up shakeup' sessions where they shake pom-poms and streamers, stamp their feet and make familiar actions to their favourite songs.

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who attend

Children's communication and language is supported throughout the nursery. Staff in the baby room reinforce the sounds that children make and spend time helping them to develop their basic communication skills. Older children's language is developing well. They chat happily together, both with staff and their peers, and share familiar and imaginary experiences with them. For example, they talk about going to the vets and making the animals better by giving them an injection. Every room has a teddy bear which goes home with the children and takes part in adventures with them. Parents are encouraged to write about the bear's adventures and children then spend time telling their friends what exciting things they have been doing. Children enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. They sit happily with staff, turning the pages and pointing and naming familiar objects and characters. Older children can recognise and write letters that are in

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who attend

their name; staff extend this as they play a game where children have to guess the different letters at the start of children's names.

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who attend

Staff have developed good working relationships with local schools that children will attend. They visit the schools to take photographs of staff and areas, such as the classroom, dining room, playground and cloakroom, to enable children to familiarise themselves with the building before they start. Each child then has the photographs in their own personal school book which they take with them when they leave. Children are supported when visiting their new school. This ensures that the transition from nursery to school is a positive experience.

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

A well-established and effective key person system helps to promote children's well-being and independence. Staff are supportive, which helps children to form secure emotional attachments. Children demonstrate their feelings of security as they happily interact with the staff and seek them out for a cuddle when they become tired. Transitions throughout the nursery are very well supported. This helps children to settle. Time is spent providing children with opportunities to familiarise themselves both with their new room and staff. Staff discuss the moves with parents and involve them by introducing them to new staff, telling them about the new room's routines and informing them how their child has settled. Older children learn to become independent in managing their own personal needs, such as visiting the toilet and putting on their own coat and shoes. This helps them to learn the necessary skills to prepare them for school. Children enjoy healthy meals and

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

snacks, such as cottage pie, fish and roast dinners with vegetables. However, although children are provided with appropriate utensils to encourage them to feed themselves, they are not always supported to use these correctly. Hygiene throughout the nursery is generally good. However, at mealtimes the tables are not always wiped or cleared between courses. As a result, there are times when children are eating pudding or fruit while the remains of their lunch or tea is still in front of them, sometimes on the table.

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

The premises are well resourced to provide children with an environment in which to learn and develop. However, resources and activities to teach children about the wider world, including other cultures, customs and disabilities, are limited. Ongoing risk assessments ensure that any potential hazards are identified and minimised. Staff are vigilant in assessing new risks and ensuring children's safety at all times, for example, while building work is being carried out to improve the facilities. Children learn about their own safety as staff incorporate gentle reminders of how to use resources safely while they are playing. For example, when making noodles they learn about hot water and know not to touch it. There are effective procedures in place to support and encourage positive behaviour and self-esteem. Staff recognise and act on 'trigger points' and work with parents to find solutions if behaviour becomes unacceptable. Children form good relationships both with

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

adults and their peers. They play alongside each other as they learn to share and take turns. Children learn to adopt healthy lifestyles as they regularly access outdoors. Babies go for walks in the fresh air to the nearby park. Older children enjoy using the digging areas and they plant bulbs and herbs which they care for by watering them. They use equipment to balance and climb, which helps to develop their large muscle skills.

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provision

All staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in protecting children in their care. They understand the signs and symptoms to be aware of and the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about a child. Any issues relating to staff conduct are immediately acted upon to ensure that all staff working with the children are suitable to do so. The senior management team have an excellent working knowledge of safeguarding procedures, which further ensures children's protection. Induction procedures are in place to help and support new staff and students. Appraisals are used to identify any areas for improvement and staff are encouraged to extend their knowledge and expertise by attending training. The manager and deputy are very hands-on and supportive of all staff. They encourage them to take on additional responsibilities within the nursery to develop their self-esteem.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are very good. Parents are valued and their views are sought and respected. Comments for improvements are welcomed and acted upon. A wealth of additional information is displayed in the entrance hall which informs parents how planning takes place. There are also explanations about home links, healthy eating within the nursery, safeguarding procedures and what to do if they have concerns about anyone in a position of trust. Parents are extremely happy with the nursery and comments received are positive. They say that the way that staff prepare children for school is brilliant, that staff support children to make friends and become confident, and that communication is good. They also say that staff are friendly and that children have very good relationships with them. Parents are pleased with the changes that have been made since the new owners took over and cannot believe how quickly such important changes

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provision

have been made. Partnerships with other professionals involved with the children help to ensure that children's individual needs are routinely met and supported.

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provision

The senior management team are clearly able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery. They have devised in-depth action plans to enable them to implement the necessary changes to sustain improvement. Several positive practice methods which are in place in the provider's other setting have been implemented to raise standards in this nursery. Managers are very supportive of staff and their caring and approachable manner ensures that staff feel able to talk openly about any issues or concerns. As a result, they feel valued and appreciated. Above all, children enjoy the time they spend in this nursery and the skills they learn help them to prepare for school readiness and lay firm foundations for the future.

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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 EY457121 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 908112 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 73 Name of provider Little Scallywags Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01214762541

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Setting details

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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