Little Raccoons Day Nursery

Little Raccoons Day Nursery 108 Swains Lane, Highgate, London, N6 6PH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/04/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

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

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This provision is satisfactory

 Staff prioritise children's early communication and language development and they value the importance of talking to babies and young children to help them explore and imitate sounds.  Staff provide children with many opportunities to develop writing skills through the availability of varied quality resources, such as a large outdoor chalkboard, paint, crayons and pencils.  Staff have created an environment that is well resourced and accessible for children, which enables them to develop their independence.

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It is not yet good because

 The deployment of staff does not always effectively meet the individual needs of children at all times of the day.  The key person system is not always organised consistently to build strong bonds with children and links with parents.  Assessment and planning for children's individual learning and development needs are at an early stage and, at times, the quality of teaching varies.

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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 compulsory part 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 indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's learning journals, planning documentation and a selection of policies and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the nursery manager and the owner of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Little Racoons Day Nursery registered in 2012. It is a privately owned nursery that operates from a fully refurbished building in Highgate in the London Borough of Camden. The nursery has use of two group rooms with a separate staff room and kitchen facilities. There is a secure area for outside play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm all year round, except public holidays. Children may attend for various sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. There are currently 22 children in the early years age group on roll. The nursery employs six members of staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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must:

 ensure that staffing arrangements meet the needs of all children at all times.

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

 strengthen the key person role so that they are paired with a 'buddy' who can step in when they are not present and share this information with parents

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

 improve the systems for planning and assessment to fully reflect the aptitudes and interests of all the children and share information about the children's next steps for learning with all staff and parents.

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who attend

The provider and senior staff plan and organise an appropriate range of activities and resources to promote children's satisfactory progress in the areas of learning. Children decide which activities they are going to take part in and help themselves to toys and resources. They particularly learn well when staff are involved in their activities, helping them to concentrate. During sand and water play, children and staff talk about what they are discovering, which encourages children to think critically. Staff support children in developing their ideas for dressing up and being characters during role play to encourage them to use their imaginations. A whole group construction activity promotes children's purposeful, cooperative and independent play. Children experiment with different shapes and sizes using wooden blocks to create circuits and train tracks. In the garden, staff help children to take turns and to be patient as they negotiate and climb the climbing wall.

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who attend

The deputy manager and staff, in their roles of key persons, have a satisfactory understanding of children's stages of development. They ask parents about some aspects of their children's development and are identifying some appropriate next steps for every child. However, planning for each child's individual needs is at an early stage because staff do not fully consider each child's capabilities and current interests. Children's attention varies. There are times when activities are short lived, which have an impact on children's learning and development. This is because staff are diverted by another child's care needs, or because other children's play disrupts them as they read a story. Some quieter children receive less intensive adult support to make sure they are taking part and being included as much as the others.

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

Children are cared for in a safe, secure environment. Children are generally confident and have positive relationships with staff. They are learning to cooperate with each other and behave well. Adults prepare children for what is happening next during the day and promote their independence and choice. For example, children help tidy away for their mid-morning snack. They readily find their seats at the lunch table, and pour themselves additional drinks of water. Children are developing an understanding of the importance of a healthy diet as they enjoy healthy snacks and cooked lunches. Children are confident to try new tastes and textures and are encouraged to enjoy their food as they sit together in a sociable atmosphere.

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

Most children are generally happy and settled in the nursery. They have a key person who helps them to settle and feel secure. However, the nursery has not implemented a system to provide consistency of care when the key person is absent. This has an impact on some of the children's well-being and feelings of security. The organisation of the key person system does not take into account whether a particular member of staff is present to liaise with parents and work with children in the early stages of settling. Information sharing with parents about their children's learning and development is also variable and less well developed to support consistency and continuity of care, learning and development.

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

Parents feel their children are making progress and some make suggestions about activities they would like their children to take part in at nursery, which staff acknowledge. Staff are in the process of initiating the required progress checks for children aged between two and three years to coincide with parents taking their children for health visitor developmental checks.

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provision

The provider shows a sound understanding of how to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff satisfactorily monitor and evaluate the curriculum and planning of activities. This helps them to identify areas for development and to make sure children's learning and development needs are being met. Staff gain helpful advice from the local authority and use this to make improvements to their childcare provision.

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provision

Staff are confident about their role to safeguard children and to take appropriate action if they have concerns about a child's welfare. They are guided by relevant and recently updated child protection procedures to help ensure they safeguard children appropriately. There are effective recruitment and vetting systems to make certain that all adults working with children are suitable to do so.

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provision

The premises are safe and secure and the provider and manager have recently improved arrangements for assessing and addressing risks for the outdoor play area, to keep children safe. However, contingency plans are not always adequately organised for staff absences. Consequently, there are times when children, including those who are new and settling, display signs of being unsettled. In the absence of a key person, some staff are not always prompt in responding to children's needs for emotional support. This has an impact on the well-being of children and their sense of belonging and settling.

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provision

The provider and staff carry out some appropriate self-evaluation to identify priorities for improvement, such as assessments of the nursery's indoor and outdoor learning environments. This has resulted in changes to the layout of activities and purchase of additional resources, which improves children's play and learning opportunities. The nursery has introduced systems to track children's progress and plan for their individual learning needs. Parents are also being encouraged to contribute information about their children's interests, backgrounds and developmental starting points. The children learn from a satisfactory range of activities and experiences and make satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals.

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provision

The provider has suitable systems in place for promoting staff's professional development. Staff are encouraged to attend further training to continue to improve their knowledge and skills. Staff actively seek to form positive links with other settings and providers involved with children, such as nannies who assist with settling in the children for whom they care. The staff promote the two-way sharing of relevant information about individual children. This enables them to work appropriately together to meet children's care and learning needs.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY449324 Local authority Camden Inspection number 890284

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 22 Name of provider Little Raccoons Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07973219539

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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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