Wind In The Willows Childcare (Sefton)

Wind In The Willows Childcare (Sefton) Ronald Ross Avenue, BOOTLE, Merseyside, L30 5RH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/04/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children make excellent progress in their learning as staff use their expert knowledge of child development to maintain consistently high and realistic expectations of children.  Children are highly motivated to play and learn as all staff are genuinely interested in them and skilfully join in play to extend children's learning. They plan stimulating first- hand experiences which children find highly enjoyable and suitably challenging.  A highly successful key person system means children are cared for by staff who know and understand their individual needs. Children display a very strong sense of belonging in the nursery as they play and explore with great confidence and independence.  Partnerships at all levels are excellent. Staff give very high priority to listening to parents and involving them in the provision for children's learning, development and care. Staff share information according to each family's needs and preference.

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This provision is outstanding

 A very strong programme of professional development means staff are very well qualified and fully trained in the nursery's policies. The staff team are highly motivated and work exceptionally well as a team to meet all children's individual needs.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the three main nursery areas and the outdoor areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the managers and the provider and conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and the provider's self-evaluation documentation and improvement plans.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers talked to on the day and in the nursery's documentation.

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Information about the setting

Wind In The Willows Childcare (Sefton) was registered in 2008. It re-opened as a limited company in 2012. It is one of seven privately-run nurseries operated by Wind In The Willows Childcare Limited. It operates from an open plan, purpose-built building in the Netherton area of Liverpool. The nursery serves the local area and has strong links with the local school and children's centre. The nursery is accessible to all children and there are two fully enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 24 members of childcare staff. Of these, 17 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, two at level 6, including one with Early Years Professional Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 100 children attending. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery receives support from the local authority. It has achieved the Investors in People Bronze status.

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

 consider how to continue to support children to enjoy the period in anticipation of mealtimes by planning for occasions for when there may be a short delay.

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who attend

Children's deep enthusiasm for play and learning is expertly supported by staff who have a genuine interest and comprehensive knowledge of each child. They use their expert knowledge of how children learn through play to adapt and tailor how they play with children which optimises teaching and learning opportunities. They fully recognise when and how to get involved in play to fully enhance children's experiences. Consequently, children are highly motivated to play and learn. Staff make regular accurate observations and assessments of children's learning which they use very effectively to plan for each child's learning needs. Comprehensive monitoring and tracking documentation is in place to ensure all staff understand children's learning and development needs. Consequently, staff work exceptionally well as a team to fully support each child to reach their goals. Staff work sensitively and highly effectively with external agencies, such as, speak and

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who attend

language services and physiotherapist services. They follow specialist individual plans to ensure children make the best possible progress. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, thrive and make rapid and significant progress in their learning and development given their starting points. This ensures all children are well prepared for their next stage in learning.

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who attend

Very high priority is given to involving parents in children's learning and development. Ways of sharing and involving parents are adapted to suit each child's and parent's needs. Staff observations on children's learning are translated into parents' home language ensuring all families are fully involved. Staff routinely record parents' comments in children's records. This ensures staff have a comprehensive understanding of children's current interests. This is an integral part of their planning for each child's learning especially when children are new to the nursery or changing rooms. The wide range of activities, both indoors and outdoors, is carefully monitored to ensure they are suitability challenging and fully used by children. Resources to promote children's communication skills are innovative and imaginative. Objects representing children's stories, rhymes and interests are collected in attractive story sacks or boxes. They are used for staff and

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who attend

children to share special moments of discovery together and are highly effective in developing children's communication skills. They include notes of how best to use them and are shared with parents to extend the fun and learning at home.

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who attend

Staff have an excellent understanding of the connections between different areas of learning and how to build the skills children need to learn. They introduce mathematics and problem solving into daily routines and activities. When planting out potatoes children learn about the natural world and where food comes from. Staff skilfully use these real life opportunities for children to decide how big or deep they need to dig the holes and how many they need to dig. Children are engrossed and deeply involved in their learning. Young children use what they have learned and bring their understanding of size naturally in their play. They stand tall as they describe the big imaginary bear chasing them.

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who attend

Relationships throughout the nursery are excellent. Children clearly see staff as a source of knowledge and are developing secure communication skills. For example, older children ask staff how to say words in French. Very young children delight in 'peek-a-boo' games with staff. Staff use playful voices and successfully gain and retain children's interest and attention. Play and learning is seamless as staff are highly skilled at weaving adult-led teaching into children's self-chosen play resulting in deep learning for children. During outdoor play, staff recognise when young two-year-old children show an interest in the paper and pens. They sensitively join in explaining why and how to weigh down the paper against gusts of wind. They listen and watch children drawing and wait before taking prompts from children's conversation to join in. They naturally extend and reinforce children's communication and numeracy skills as they talk together about the comparative

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who attend

size of the figures drawn and the different colours of the pencils.

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

A highly successful key person system with a very clear emphasis on children's enjoyment and well-being ensures all children form very secure emotional attachments. The system is monitored and adapted to ensure its effectiveness for each child. Staff are highly motived and enjoy regular individual and group activities with their key children. Exceptional partnership with parents means children's care needs are very well known and fully supported. Staff take time to welcome children arriving during the day. Older children copy and welcome their friends by name and invite them to join in their games displaying very confident social skills. Children feel secure in the nursery and the staff routinely share their knowledge of children's needs and stages in development as the children move between rooms. Together this results in children making a seamless transition onto the next stage at nursery or in approaching new experiences.

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

Staff teach children the nursery's routines and encourage children to share roles within the nursery. This results in all children displaying high level of self-esteem and confidence. For instance, as an older child independently goes to the bathroom they explain to younger children why they do not need to go with them. They explain why they need to stay in their area to stay safe displaying a clear understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. Younger children are given time and reassurance to share roles they choose to take. A very young child picks up a large tub of chalk to carry outside. Staff offer reassurance as they sensitively supervise as the child carries it safely outside, stopping to put it down and pick it back up as they need. They delight in reaching the outdoors displaying a keen sense of achievement and are ready to play with it.

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

The nursery's strong emphasis on partnerships and relationships is highly effective. Staff find out as much as possible to support children at the beginning and throughout their time at the nursery. They routinely work with parents and children who speak English as an additional language to find out key words and how to pronounce them correctly to offer reassurance to children.

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

Staff encourage children to play cooperatively from an early age encouraging children to understand the benefits of playing harmoniously. They expertly identify children in need of support and work closely with parents to manage children's behaviour. Older children display high level of self-control and independence as they play together. They initiate a game of 'What's the time Mr Wolf', negotiating roles themselves. They show great imagination as they roar 'dinner time' with their most scary voice before swapping roles and starting again. Younger children show great creativity as they spontaneously act out favourite stories. They imaginatively explore the 'dark cave' of the bushes enjoying the anticipation of finding an imaginary monster. They make full use of the outdoor space to run away before thrilling themselves by examining the 'cave' again to start all over again. All children are highly motivated to play and actively enjoy the fresh air and exercise.

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

Care practices are very effective in helping to develop children's personal skills. Older children independently remember to wash their hands. They competently use large spoons and tongs to help serve their meals. They show great confidence as they copy staff twirling their forks to pick up spaghetti. They learn about healthy eating as the nursery has a strong commitment to provide freshly cooked, locally sourced food of good quality. Staff fully understand health promotion programmes followed, such as 'Health, Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young' and 'Appetite for life' programmes. They share they expertise with children as they sit together enjoying relaxed and sociable mealtimes. Children happily sing nursery rhymes with staff while waiting for lunch to arrive and younger children wait patiently for their food to arrive when there is a slight delay. There is scope for staff to consider further strategies should this occur so children continue to

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

fully enjoy this part of the daily routine. Staff encourage children to feed themselves from an early age and give time for them to practise at each meal.

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provision

The provider and managers have an excellent understanding of, and commitment to meet, the safeguarding and welfare and the learning and development requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are very experienced and provide very strong leadership. They use knowledge and skills gained in higher level studies to support staff and maintain consistently high standards throughout the nursery. The provider holds Early Years Professional Status and is currently completing a qualification at level 7; the manager is just finishing a qualification at level 6 and is about to work towards achieving Early Teacher Status. They use their expertise effectively to support staff. Individual induction programmes, appraisals and supervisions are well established and highly effective. Staff access a wide range of training, both in-house and external. This is highly effective in fostering a culture of continuous improvement. All staff

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provision

are fully supported and mentored, especially new staff or staff taking on new role in the nursery. This results in highly effective team working throughout the nursery.

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provision

The provider has a full range of auditing and monitoring tools to accurately assess the quality of the provision. The quality of the educational programme and observations of children's learning are closely monitored. A highly effective monitoring system tracks all children's progress quarterly to quickly identify any groups of children who fall below their expected achievements. The information is used astutely to deploy resources and staff for maximum efficiency and seek external help if beneficial. Parents' views are routinely sought through discussions with staff and in regular questionnaires. Excellent partnerships with local school and parents, both before and after children start school, mean children and families are very well supported throughout the transition.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children are very secure. All staff know and understand the nursery's comprehensive safeguarding policies and procedures, including those on behaviour management, complaints procedures and risk assessments. The nursery works exceptionally well to support all children and families. They work closely with the local authority and health professionals to ensure all children and families are fully supported. Staffing ratios are closely monitored and increased as necessary to ensure each child receives high quality experiences in the nursery. A safeguarding audit is regularly completed to ensure high standards are consistently maintained. Rigorous recruitment procedures and meticulous records clearly demonstrate staff suitability. Staff turnover is monitored and scrutinised to identify any areas for development and ensure a high ratio of well-qualified staff.

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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 EY447151 Local authority Sefton Inspection number 880694

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 54 Number of children on roll 100 Name of provider Wind In The Willows Childcare Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01515211555

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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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