Cherubs Nursery & After Care

Cherubs Nursery & After Care Cherubs Nursery, Unit 1, Milton Road, Shipton-under-Wychwood, CHIPPING NORTON, Oxfordshire, OX7 6XU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/04/2013 22/06/2011

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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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Successful implementation of the key person system and the effective deployment of staff help to ensure that all children are forming appropriate bonds and secure emotional attachments with their carers.  Children are developing a good understanding of the importance of physical exercise, good hygiene and healthy eating.  Partnership working with parents is strong and helps staff to meet children's individual needs.

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It is not yet good because

 Systems to monitor the effectiveness of teaching have not yet been introduced. As a result, more able children are not always sufficiently challenged in their learning and development.  Writing materials are not routinely available throughout the session to enable children to practise their developing early writing skills.

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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 held meetings with the deputy manager and the provider.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed a range of activities in three rooms and the outside play area.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the deputy manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's assessment records, planning documents, learning journals and daily diaries. The provider's self-evaluation form and a range of other documentation relating to the management of the nursery were also examined.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and a range of completed questionnaires for 2013.

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Information about the setting

Cherubs Nursery and After Care is privately owned and has been registered since 1999. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a converted two-storey building in a business park set in the rural town of Shipton-under-Wychwood. The provider also runs the breakfast and after school care in Wychwood Church of England school next door. The premises includes three base rooms, a sleep room and toilet facilities on each floor. The older nursery children and school age children use rooms on the first floor which also includes a sensory room. There is an enclosed outside area with patio and artificial turf surfaces for children's play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round. The nursery cares for children aged from birth to five years. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are currently 50 children on the roll in the early years age group attending on a full- or part-time basis. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery currently only takes children from the school up to five years and they attend before and after school and during school holiday periods.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 10 staff, including the owner and business manager. Seven staff hold a National Vocational Qualification at level 3 and three staff are unqualified; two of whom are working towards a qualification. The nursery is supported by a local authority advisory teacher.

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must:

 monitor the effectiveness of teaching to ensure that staff working with pre-school children help children think critically, for example, by using language to help them to solve problems, give them time to think, and encourage them to describe problems they encounter, and to suggest ways to solve the problem.

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

 provide a range of opportunities to write for different purposes about things that interest children.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time at the nursery and quickly become involved in the activities available to them. Practitioners carefully assess children's starting points both on entry to the nursery and as they move between rooms. They gather information from parents and regularly observe children during everyday activities to assess their progress. Overall, they use this information satisfactorily when planning future learning opportunities for children.

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who attend

Children's early writing and listening skills are developing appropriately but there is a lack of writing materials available for everyday mark making in areas of the home corner and mathematics area. Children are learning how letters sound as they make the `S' shape out of cooked spaghetti, however, staff do not consider this opportunity to extend children's vocabulary by introducing new words, for example, `smooth', `soft' and `hard'.

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who attend

Practice is generally sound and children are making satisfactory progress as they are suitably included and supported. However, there are several missed opportunities to challenge the more able children, for example to think critically and problem-solve. Several of the pre-school sessions lack structure and purpose and do not always actively help all children move on to the next step in their learning.

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who attend

Children participate in activities both indoors and outside. Staff actively encourage children to make choices about their play and learning and a wide variety of resources are easily to access.

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who attend

All children, including babies, spend some time each day in the outside area. This is a small area but with good planning staff manage to ensure that every child goes out at least twice a day. The children use a variety of physical play equipment to learn to climb, use wheeled toys and develop ball skills. Children enjoy planting and using a mud kitchen exploring and investigating aspects of the natural world.

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who attend

Staff are appropriately involved in children's play activities to promote conversation. This contributes towards supporting children's developing language. Children enjoy circle time, staff use props and puppets and musical instruments to encourage all the children to join in. Children sing a range of songs with confidence, acting out the sound of farm animals and also using sign language. They play their chosen instruments with skill and timing and demonstrate their sense of rhythm.

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who attend

Children freely move around the playrooms and use their imagination to make up their own stories, for example, two children pack a suitcase with their dolls, and they include a biscuit and a drink and say they are 'mummies going on holiday'. They sit in a corner of the room and put on their seat belts `click, click' and pretend to drive away.

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who attend

The nursery has links with the adjacent school and some children attend the school nursery. Staff encourage parents to share children's progress profiles with other agencies and have made concerted efforts to share information with the school. Children are making satisfactory progress towards school readiness.

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

Children are developing good self-care skills. The older children use the toilets independently and wash their hands and manage their personal hygiene. The younger children are supported well as they learn about good hygiene practice. When they blow their nose they dispose of the used tissue into the bin to stop the germs spreading. Picture posters remind children to use soap when they wash their hands. Staff are good role models and use sanitising hand gel throughout the day. Babies have a clean and safe area to play and staff ensure that outdoor footwear is not worn in this area. Babies' individual needs are well met with a designated sleep area, which is well monitored, with individual bed linen and a separate area for food and bottle preparation. Staff know their key children well and they keep daily diaries for parents which includes, sleeping, eating, and nappy changes as well as activity arrangements. Parents have welcomed the introduction

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

of the diaries and say that they are very informative.

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

Children are learning the benefits of adopting healthy lifestyles and eating well. Children benefit from healthy snacks provided by the nursery. Mealtimes are a social occasion where children are learning good table manners. They regularly play outdoors and have plenty of fresh air and exercise. Staff implement good procedures to safeguard children's welfare. They carry out thorough and regular risk assessments and fire drills and help children to learn to keep themselves safe. The outside area has an artificial turf surface which is well maintained and suitable for children of all ages and abilities.

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

Children behave well as staff effectively use distraction and lots of praise and encouragement. Their self-esteem is promoted well by staff as they take the time to explain to children the impact of their actions on others, and remind them to share and take turns.

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

An effective key person system ensures that children are settled, happy and confident. Relationships at all levels are strong. The babies have a separate area which is linked to the next room so the transition between these areas is managed well. Successful handover systems within the nursery ensure children are well supported at times of change, for example when moving to a new room with a new key worker. Children are very comfortable with their key persons and strong bonds have been formed as staff know the children well. The range of resources is good and children confidently make choices about what they want to play with. Young children play happily alongside each other and seek out staff for support.

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

Staff are good role models. They know the children well building a secure knowledge of their individual needs and interests. They work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure any additional or medical needs are met. Information provided by parents as they settle their children is thorough. Parents are provided with a good range of policy information that is available within the nursery and also on a very well thought out website. Plenty of ongoing two-way communication takes place to support children's individual needs. Good records are kept of any accidents or medication given and staff are clear about children's allergies or food preferences which ensures children's needs are met and respected.

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provision

Leadership of the setting is beginning to set clear targets to improve the quality of the provision. Self-evaluation systems are now fully in place and are becoming effective in looking at areas for improvement, which has led to some positive impact on all children's experiences. The management is working closely with the local authority advisory teacher to improve the delivery of the educational programme. Management and staff are fully committed to improving practice and are working together.

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provision

The robust recruitment and induction procedures help to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Management monitor staff performance informally through observation of practice and are in the process of developing a more formal approach through one-to- one supervision. However, systems to monitor effective teaching are not yet developed and the impact on children is that they are not making as much progress as they could.

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provision

Staff work hard to support children and their families and liaise appropriately with other professionals involved in children's care. Partnership working with children's parents enables them to play a full and active role in their children's learning. Parents' views are sought through discussions and formally through questionnaires. The results of which are posted on the nursery website with responses from the management on what has been achieved, and how comments have been addressed. Parents say that they are very happy with the changes that the nursery has made and that the closed-circuit television security systems make them and their children feel very safe.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children within the provision are good. All staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of safeguarding issues and the procedures to follow in the event of any concerns. The designated person and staff team have undertaken training so their knowledge is secure. Staff training has been a priority for management in the last 12 months and all staff now hold a paediatric first aid, and basic food hygiene certificate. Over half the staff team have attended a level 2 Equality and Diversity certificated course.

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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 134702 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 813835 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 50 Name of provider Linda Jayne Triggs Date of previous inspection 22/06/2011 Telephone number 01993 832773

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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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