Alpha Day Nursery

Alpha Day Nursery 198 Woodside Green, South Norwood, London, SE25 5EW

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/04/2013 25/02/2010

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

p.1

This provision is satisfactory

 Caring relationships between staff, children and parents generally support children's progress.  Staff effectively record progress and set targets which ensure that children develop.  Staff support children to develop independence, manage their own hygiene and personal needs.  Children are kept safe in a secure setting, with clear policies safeguarding children that staff implement.

p.1

It is not yet good because

 The organisation of the day with restricted use of the outdoor area and fewer resources there to cover all areas of learning, does not fully meet the needs of all children.  At the beginning of the day, staffing arrangements mean that not all children have a familiar adult to talk and play with them and appropriate resources, which leads to them feeling bored and unsettled.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play and staff interactions in each room,and outside.  The inspector and the manager undertook a joint observation in the baby room.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.  The inspector spoke with children, members of staff and met with the manager.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation, including a sample of children's records, planning paperwork and some policies.

p.2

Information about the setting

Alpha Day Nursery opened in 2004 and is privately owned. It operates from a detached house located on a main road in South Norwood in the London borough of Croydon. Another nursery operated by the same provider is based in Thornton Heath. The nursery's opening hours are from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, for 49 weeks of the year. There are currently 52 children in the early years age range, from aged from six months to five years, on roll. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education places to children aged two, three and four years. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. Provision is made for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children The nursery employs 11 staff all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery also employs a cook. The registered provider also works at the nursery and has achieved Early Years Professional Status, as has another staff member.

p.3

must:

 review staffing arrangements to ensure that the needs of all children are better met all day, including the beginning and end of the day

p.3

must:

 extend the use of, and facilities available in, the outside area to better cover all areas of learning and the needs of children who learn best outside

p.3

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

 develop the key person system so that children have familiar adults available at the beginning and end of the day, such as by introducing a buddy system, in order to help them.

p.3

who attend

Children are busy and engaged for the majority of their time in this nursery. All children make appropriate progress towards the early learning goals. When children start, parents share information about what their child does at home. Staff keep records of the children and check that the children they work with are making progress. This review is effective in highlighting gaps in children's learning. To move children forward, staff set targets for children to achieve and they share these with parents, at staff meetings and through other conversations, so all involved take a united approach. Parents report that they feel involved in their child's learning. Staff in the toddler room complete the two-year-old progress checks, and these are shared with parents. Most children are working at the expected level for their age.

p.3

who attend

While children are in their main rooms, staff use their knowledge of the children's skills and interests to plan interesting activities. These activities are based on their interests at home, and in the nursery, as well as what they need to learn next. Staff also carefully plan which resources will be available to ensure all required areas are covered in the child's main room. A child in the pre-school room spent 45 minutes investigating and exploring in the sand and water. The staff member had planned this for her, and for some of the time played alongside side the child. The staff member knew that the child was using her imagination and developing her physical skills, and talked about how she would take this learning forward.

p.4

who attend

The older children care for a fish and plants. They talk excitedly about the electronic equipment that they have at home, and the games that they like to play. Babies have a range of interesting toys on the floor, which encourages them to crawl to find out what else they can play with. In the toddler room, children enjoy using crayons and pens, and there are books for the children to look at. Staff members read books with toddlers, and they are excited to find out what will happen on the next page. The small groups in which this is done supports the children's interest in books. All these experiences help children learn across a range topics that capture their interest, so they are motivated to play.

p.4

who attend

Management do not deploy staff well at the beginning of the day, however. At such times, older children are in broader age groups and not based in their own room but in the baby room. This arrangement means they have access to only a few unsuitable resources; consequently, they stand still rather than play with the toys offered, so their time is wasted.. Later, the same children happily engage with their friends in the pre-school room, playing a computer game and talking excitedly about 'catching the dragon'.

p.4

who attend

The nursery has a large outdoor space, which the children use daily, which means they have opportunities for fresh air and to move around. Children have limited time in the outside area, however. This routine does not give children time to develop their motivation, and engagement. The limited time and resources outside mean that not all areas of learning are covered well, and more experienced children are not stretched. For example children develop physical skills running, digging and using wheeled toys, but there are limited opportunities for using their imaginations and being creative. This issue was raised as a part of a recommendation in the last inspection and has not been fully met, so is raised as a action at this inspection.

p.4

who attend

Children with special educational needs and/or disability are included in activities with other children of their age. Some children at the early stages of language development do not communicate with the other children in their group. Children move rooms depending on their age, rather than their stage of development, and therefore some children are not able to communicate and play with the children in their room. Staff are aware of this and are seeking further advice.

p.4

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

Children and babies are confident and form strong bonds with their key person. Parents know who their child's key person is through conversations with staff and from displays. This system helps in developing children's well-being and independence during most periods of the day, and to generally settle quickly when starting in the nursery. However, when children are all together at the beginning of the day, they do not always have access to their key person, or another familiar adult, as the nursery does not operate a 'buddy' key person system. This means that some young children do not have their special adults available to settle them when they are dropped off at the beginning of the day. Children behave well most of the time. At the beginning of the day, when less staff are available to meet their needs, some children's behaviour suffers. At this time, some babies find it more difficult to share toys. The same babies later in the day when there are more adults, and

p.5

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

no older children present, play happily alongside one another.

p.5

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

Staff show children appropriate behaviour by modelling it themselves and explaining rules. For example, when children are taken outside, staff remind them of how to behave to keep safe on the way out, and while outside. This explanation gives children a clear understanding of what is expected of them, and they learn how to keep themselves and others safe.

p.5

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

The nursery staff have developed links with the local primary school to which most of the children move. They use the school grounds for sports days and Christmas shows, and the teacher meets with the children. This liaison supports the children's readiness for school as they move on from the nursery. Before children move rooms in the nursery itself, they make visits to their new room, so that they become familiar with the other children, staff and resources. This is an effective way of supporting the children in a time of change.

p.5

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

Children develop skills to become independent. They make choices in their play; learn to put on their own coats, to feed themselves and to manage their own personal hygiene. For example in the baby room, most babies feed themselves using forks, and toddlers are encouraged to put their own coats on, given support when needed by the staff. Appropriate measures are taken to keep children healthy. These include individual bedding for babies and toddlers, and parents told how long children should stay off if they are ill. This limits cross contamination should children become ill. Children enjoy healthy cooked lunches, made on the premises, which reflect the different cultures of the children who attend the nursery. Children are reminded to wash their hands before eating and babies have their hands washed by the staff. Children that arrive before nine o'clock are offered breakfast, and those present at the end of the day have tea. All have access to drinking

p.5

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

water throughout the day. Children, therefore, have healthy meals all day.

p.5

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

Once staff have finished serving the food, lunch time becomes a social occasion, with staff members sitting with the children, eating some of the same food and talking with them. This supports the children's social development, and keeps creates a family atmosphere. Some babies became distressed whilst they were waiting for all the babies' hands to be washed and the food to be served, but they are quickly calmed when a staff member sits with them. Changes in staff deployment so that the children are served food as they sit with the staff member at the table would avoid the distress.

p.5

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

Babies and toddlers sleep after lunch. Staff members sit with the children and sooth them if they wake. The sleep time is calm and relaxing, and the children are woken in the same manner, so that children wake without distress and quickly continue their play. On the whole the routine of the day meets children's needs well. However, the first hour of the day gives fewer opportunities for staff to develop children's well being, and to support the behaviour of all children.

p.6

provision

Staff work hard at the nursery, and understand how their work supports the children in their care. They show commitment to continually improving the provision for the children. The provider works in the nursery too and understands what is working well. There are systems in place to ensure that the children are learning in all areas of learning and development, such as room leaders and managers who monitor the children's records monthly. The staff track the children's progress in the areas of learning using the local authority's tracking format. This clearly shows the progress children make. Staff effectively monitor children's progress to identify gaps in learning for all children, including those with special educational needs and/ or disabilities. The nursery has good links with the local authority and other agencies, which result in children with identified needs getting the support they need.

p.6

provision

The nursery has thorough policies, and staff implement the procedures to ensure the safety of children. Some carefully selected policies are displayed for parents along with photographs of staff and their individual responsibilities in the nursery. This is effective in helping parents know how their children are kept safe and who is responsible. The safeguarding policy for the nursery is thorough. It includes information on what to do if an allegation is made about a member of staff, and covers the use of mobile phones and cameras within the nursery. All staff have attended safeguarding training at a basic level, with some staff having attended more thorough training. Staff have a clear understanding of what to look for if they are worried about a child's welfare.

p.6

provision

Self-evaluation of the provision involves the views of managers, parents, staff and children. There are a number of systems in use to collect information, which are used to evaluate the nursery, and then feed into the improvement plans. Parents have been asked their views, in a questionnaire. The feedback that a parent forum would be useful was taken on board, and is now in place. The parent forum requested information on the Early Years Foundation Stage, which resulted in the manager organising an information evening. Managers observe staff, as well as staff observing one another and giving feedback. This system has had a positive impact on many aspects of the nursery, which have been developed, such as introducing the idea of staff eating some of the same food as the children alongside them, to encourage them to try new flavours. However, the beginning of the day has not been observed, and so this has not been identified as a focus

p.6

provision

for improvement. This shows that the evaluation process is not currently reviewing all aspects of the provision for the children. This was raised as part of a recommendation in the last inspection and has not been fully met, so is raised as an action at this inspection.

p.7

provision

There are robust recruitment procedures in place, which ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff show commitment to furthering their understanding of child development through continuing training. Consequently all staff are suitably qualified.

p.7

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY283938 Local authority Croydon Inspection number 845696 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 45 Number of children on roll 52 Name of provider Yetunde Adedotun Osonaike Date of previous inspection 25/02/2010 Telephone number 07956 813 466

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.10

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,

p.10

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’.

p.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11