Humpty Dumpty's Day Nursery

Humpty Dumpty's Day Nursery Marlow House, Marlow Street, ROWLEY REGIS, West Midlands, B65 0AY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/02/2013 06/03/2012

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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

 Children's safety is not assured as the arrangements for the security of the building are not effective and leave children at risk of the entry of unauthorised persons.  Inconsistent hand washing routines and a lack of suitable requisites for hygiene, at times, does not minimise the risk of the spread of infection for children.  Information about children's starting points and personal care routines are not sought fully from initial discussions with parents hindering how their individual needs can be effectively met and planned for.  Observations and assessments do not accurately reflect the stages of some children's learning and development; also monitoring of the effectiveness of the setting is weak and does not bring about improvements for children and the quality of teaching.  The deployment of staff in the setting is not fully effective in ensuring that the needs of all children are met.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff have suitable knowledge of safeguarding procedures, which helps to protect children from possible abuse and neglect.  Children have easy access to a varied range of resources to promote their independent choice. They also enjoy listening to a wide variety of music from different cultures that promotes their awareness of the wider world.

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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 throughout the nursery in both indoor and outdoor spaces and undertook a safety check on the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the nursery owners, the manager and staff at appropriate times throughout the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children and interacted with them, at their request, during the course of the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation including children's records, learning and development information, staff records and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents through discussion and from written comments in children's developmental records.

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Information about the setting

Humpty Dumpty's Day Nursery was registered in 1997 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is one of two settings operating under private the ownership and is situated in converted premises in Rowley Regis, Sandwell, West Midlands. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from four main care rooms laid out over two floors. There is an additional sensory room on the first floor. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs nine members of child care staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications. The manager and deputy each hold a Foundation Degrees in early years studies. 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 47 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery 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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must:

 ensure that children are safe and secure on the premises at all times with particular regard to ensuring that unauthorised adults cannot enter the building unchecked

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must:

 promote children's good health by ensuring that appropriate steps are taken to prevent the spread of infection with particular regard to children's hand washing routines

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must:

 observe and assess each child's starting points across all areas of learning and development in relation to their age and stage of development and use this information to accurately identify their needs and plan for the next steps in their learning

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must:

 obtain sufficient information from parents about their children at the point of starting in the setting in order to ensure that children's individual needs are met. This is with particular regard to home languages, dietary needs and care routines

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must:

 ensure that management and accountability arrangements are clearly understood and that regular staff appraisals are carried out to effectively monitor and improve provision and practice.

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must:

 ensure that staffing arrangements are effective in meeting the needs of all children. This is with regard to the deployment of staff, particularly when working alone with a group of children.

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

 improve partnerships working with parents and other professionals, to ensure children benefit from continuity, get the help and support they need and that there is a shared understanding between all those involved with individual children

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

 improve self-evaluation by carefully monitoring the overall practice in order to raise expectations for children and drive forward improvement.

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who attend

The learning and development for some children is not effective because staff do not seek sufficient information from parents about their children's needs, abilities and backgrounds. In particular, there is very limited information available from some families where English is an additional language and staff are not always fully aware of a child's home language. Key words in those languages are not sought and this hinders how some children's needs are known and fully met. This also results in teaching that is inconsistent for some children as there is confusion with regard to when children's starting points are assessed.

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who attend

Some older, more able children are making progress. For example, they link letters and sound competently and can spell out their names and their friends names phonetically. They also write these names well, forming recognisable letters. A child notices when a letter 'e' looks more like the letter 'o' and rectifies it by adding 'the tail' to form the correct letter. A painting activity is enjoyed as children create their Valentine cards and some overwrite their names, following dotted guides. Some children hold detailed conversations and arrange their own activity. Two girls sort out their play for the morning, discussing between them what they are going to do and organising the game of dominoes. They match the colours and the dots accurately, taking turns and helping each other as they turn the pieces to match more accurately. A group of children work with their key person to activate appropriate tasks and games on the laptop, again learning to consider needs of

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who attend

others as they share the use of the equipment.

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who attend

However, the level of support in practice is not consistent through the setting. Insufficient consideration is given to meeting children's needs, particularly when staff work solely with a group of children, specifically when children become distressed or require additional support. Observation and assessment is not completed accurately to clearly identify when children's needs may change. For example, children's speech and language development is assessed using the established screening tool and there appears to be significant progress made between the two assessments. This level of progress is not clearly reflected in the developmental record and staff cannot clearly identify what has contributed to this improvement. When children move up through the setting, staff are not confident in assessing when a more flexible approach to a child's routine could support their emotional development. For example, where children struggle with transition to the

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who attend

next group, staff do not consider strategies such as opening the gate between the two care rooms. This would enable children to familiarise themselves with the change in routines - gradually, helping them to become more settled in the new environment. There are, however, suitable arrangements in place to aid children's transition to school. Staff from some of the feeder schools visit the setting to observe the children in preparation for the move and children's development is shared by the key persons.

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who attend

Staff cover all seven areas of learning and development over time through a range of activities that engage some of the children adequately. Parents speak about being informed of their children's progress through the daily diaries and particularly appreciate the verbal discussions held with their child's key person. The setting also supplies activity and story bags that parents can take away to support children's learning at home.

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

Children's safety and welfare are compromised in the setting. The security arrangements on the premises to monitor adults entering the premises are not effective and leave children at risk of unauthorised persons gaining access. Risk assessments are carried out to minimise hazards generally but staff have not taken account of this security risk fully.

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

The premises in general are warm and clean and heating is boosted during cold periods to ensure children are comfortable. New carpeting throughout the setting provides children with an environment where they can be comfy and settle to quieter activities. The care rooms are well resourced and children have opportunities to choose toys and activities for themselves due to careful presentation at appropriate levels. Innovative use of items, such as small crutches and the various musical instruments from around the world, help children to become aware of differences in society. Children also hone their physical skills as they play actively in the ball room, enjoying the opportunity to gambol and clamber over the soft play equipment with staff.

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

Some routines, such as nappy changing, are arranged effectively to reduce the risk of contamination. However, children's health is not promoted fully. Routines for self-care, such as hand washing before snacks, are not consistently followed. Delays in the delivery of some supplies, such as paper towels, results in staff using a terry towel for wiping children's hands and faces, raising the risk of the spread of infection. Meals provided for the children are cooked on site and the menus are varied, covering all food groups. However, insufficient regard is given to children who may decline the food, due to their dietary or emotional needs. Staff struggle to communicate effectively with some parents in order to make sure that children's basic likes and dislikes with food are fully known and met.

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

Children's physical development is promoted practically. They manage the stairs well, using the low-level rails as they access the outdoor play area. They talk about what they have played with when they come back in, eagerly telling visitors about their score at basketball and their use of the bikes and wheeled toys. They are supported in understanding about safety as staff remind them about holding the rails, walking around when indoors and helping to tidy away as activities change. Children are encouraged to behave positively and are supported in learning to share and take turns. However, the limited information about some children's backgrounds and needs means that staff are not always able to accurately consider why they may become upset. At such times, some children will seek out any adult for support, unsure of who to go to for emotional comfort. This impacts on the development of secure attachments and hinders how some children

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

develop a sense of belonging in the setting.

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provision

Management and accountability arrangements in the setting are not clear. There is confusion with regard to conducting staff appraisals and consequently inconsistencies in practice have not been fully identified or tackled to bring about targeted improvement. Self-evaluation is not effective in instilling a cohesive approach to improving practice and provision. Although staff are willing to implement improvements, the providers have not identified that some of the learning and development requirements and safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage are not fully met. The weak monitoring of children's progress means that some children are not achieving as well as they should, hindering the effective preparation for their future learning.

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provision

Staff have an adequate knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding procedures and know what they would do if they had any child protection concerns about a child. Staff undergo the required checks to assess their suitability to work with children and are reminded about their personal conduct having a bearing on their on-going suitability. While staffing ratios are generally met on site, the deployment of staff is not always effective in ensuring that children's needs are fully met. Minor accidents and injuries are managed efficiently by staff who hold appropriate first aid qualifications. Parents are fully informed of any such incidents, signing the records as acknowledgment. Parents generally speak well about the setting, relating how their children are happy coming to nursery and how pleased they are when they see their children's developing 'writing' in their Valentine cards. They comment on the flexible way the setting arranges their childcare needs to fit

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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:

 ensure that no one can enter the premises without the knowledge of a person who is caring for children on the premises (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment)  ensure that no one can enter the premises without the knowledge of a person who is caring for children on the premises (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment)

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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 255138 Local authority Sandwell Inspection number 902114

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 47 Name of provider Alison Forbes and Angela Gibbs Date of previous inspection 06/03/2012 Telephone number 0121 561 3902

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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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