First Steps Day Nursery

First Steps Day Nursery Ashford Hospital, London Road, Ashford, Middlesex, TW15 3AA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/05/2013 23/09/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2

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This provision is good

 Partnerships with parents and other professionals are strong. There is a coherent approach to children's progress through sharing information.  The effective key person system means children settle quickly, are happy, confident and form secure attachments with caring attentive staff.  Children access well-resourced, child friendly playrooms that support learning.  Staff keep children safe and well through clear implementation of the requirements and children benefit from healthy nutritious meals.  The management team work well together and evaluate practice in order to continuously improve the nursery and outcomes for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Planned activities are not always sufficiently challenging and interesting to older, more able children.  The outdoor play environment lacks sufficient challenge for older children and for those who learn best in an outdoor environment.

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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 children in the early years age group, both in the nursery playrooms and in the outside play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the staff's practice and talked to them throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the nursery manager and completed a joint observation of an activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed documents and briefly sampled policies and children's development records and observations and planning.  The inspector spoke to parents and considered their views during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

First Steps Nursery registered in 2001 as a work place nursery. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is run by Ashford and St. Peter's National Health Service Trust. It operates from a single storey, purpose built unit in the grounds of Ashford Hospital in Ashford, Surrey. There is a large car park for parents' drop of. The nursery opens each weekday from 8am to 6pm throughout the year, with the exception of public holidays. A few spaces are available for children from 7am by arrangement. The holiday club sometimes runs during school holidays in an adjacent building to the nursery. Children play in four age related base rooms and all have access to a secure outdoor play area. Ashford and St Peter's Hospital NHS employees have priority over other users but the nursery is open to the public within the wider community. There are currently 80 children on roll in the early years age group.

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Information about the setting

The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learn English as an additional language. The nursery is in receipt of free early education funding for children aged three and four years. They employ 19 staff, including the assistant childcare manager, cook and bank staff. The majority of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications and two staff are working towards a qualification. The nursery is supported by a housekeeper and cleaning staff.

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

 extend adult-led planning in order to provide new and unusual activities that challenge and motivate older more able children.

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

 improve the outdoor play environment to make it more interesting and challenging for all children, for example, by developing the range of equipment to challenge physical skills and through the use of labelling of print and numbers.

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who attend

Children make good progress in their learning as staff have a secure knowledge of child development. Staff provide a welcoming and friendly environment. Children are eager to play and explore the wide range of good quality toys and planned activities. The staff quickly get to know the children so they know and can provide for their individual interests. The well organised playrooms means children can easily access a wide range of toys and activities. For example, babies enjoy water play, pouring water into various containers and exploring natural materials in treasure baskets. Older children explore the properties of cooked and dried spaghetti. They develop their imaginations well as they make three dimensional models using a variety of boxes and recycled materials. Children receive good support from the qualified staff team staff who ably support and encourage children's play. Staff use good questioning skills to extend children's thinking and language

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who attend

during adult-led activities, as they explore the spaghetti activity, for example. Staff talk clearly to younger children. They have good story telling skills and children enjoy repeating phrases from their favourite books. Younger children actively join in simple familiar action songs, which helps enhance their understanding and develop their communication skills.

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who attend

Staff plan a broad programme of activities to cover all areas of learning daily. They provide a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities both indoors and outside. However, sometimes planned activities, though enjoyable, do not sufficiently challenge older more able children. Staff provide activities to support children's literacy with lots of print and labelling in the play rooms. There are fewer opportunities, however, for children to see print and numbers in the outside environment so they can begin to use them in their play. Children find their name and animatedly talk about whose name in on the water bottle as they recognise their own and their friend's names. Staff encourage children to identify the first letter of their name as they sound out the letters.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy playing outdoors and overall, they access a good range of activities outdoors. They enjoy using wheeled toys and the seesaw going up and down and spinning round. However, there are limited opportunities for more able, older children to develop their physical skills through climbing and balancing. Children develop a good understanding of the world as they dig and plant flowers outside. Older children use laptops and confidently manoeuvre round the programmes. Younger children push buttons and delight in the effect of making lights and sound. Ceiling displays show children the world and planets around the moon. Babies enjoy exploring the range of natural sensory resources in treasure baskets. All children enjoy and benefit from playing with natural resources including sand, water and dough.

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who attend

Parents receive good daily feedback from staff and they regularly meet to discuss children's progress. Children's development records show their achievements and next steps for learning. Staff support children who learn English as an additional language as they obtain key words and use pictorial time lines. There are effective systems to support children with special educational needs. Staff work very well in partnership with parents and other agencies, in order to plan for children's individual progress.

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

Children are happy and play well as the key person system works efficiently. They settle quickly as they develop good relationships in the friendly and welcoming nursery. Staff warmly greet children and their parents, so children are confident and secure in the nursery. Staff follow babies home routines and this helps the younger children feel secure. Babies settle quickly and seek reassurance from staff when strangers are in the room, showing secure bonds and trusting relationships. Older children enjoy a wide range of interesting activities and confidently talk about what they are doing. They learn to share and make good friends, cooperating with them in play. For instance, children work together to use the seesaw and excitedly make it spin round. Children's behaviour is good and they are learning good manners as they say please and thank you. Staff take time to talk to the parents and gather detailed information so they have a good knowledge of

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

children's needs. This enables them to support the children well so they become self- assured and confident learners. Staff work well as a team and take a consistent approach to managing the children. This helps ensures they meet the care needs of individuals well.

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

The nursery supports children's health and welfare very well. There are good daily cleaning routines and the cook maintains the kitchen to a high standard, gaining a five star award from the local authority. Well embedded daily routines help children learn about healthy lifestyles and good self-care skills. Even the youngest children know they need to wash their hands at appropriate times. The layout of the nursery enables older children to become independent in their personal care and develop good skills for the move onto school. Children eat well and enjoy appetising, healthy meals and snacks that include lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, freshly cooked on site. They can freely access fruit and their water cups throughout the day as they learn to recognise their body needs. Children have quiet times after lunch, with younger ones settling well to sleep. Older children can choose to watch a children's programme on the television for a short period

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

of time. Children have good access to the outdoor play areas and fresh air as they can freely choose to play outside. Children make good progress in their physical development as they have fun dancing and moving around and enjoy playing a variety of musical instruments. They run around outside and use wheeled toys. However the outdoor play environment does not fully provide sufficient challenge for older children to further develop their physical skills.

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provision

Staff have a secure awareness of their responsibilities to safeguard the children. There is a clearly written safeguarding policy and staff know what to do should there be a concern about a child. All staff attend safeguarding and first aid training. There are clear procedures for recording accidents and for the administration of medication. Staff are well deployed and closely supervise the children. The premises are secure and safe, as the risk assessments and daily checking procedures are effective. The experienced childcare management team works closely with the trust manager to make sure all areas of learning can be effectively promoted. Regular staff meetings and training days help staff to keep up-to-date with childcare developments and any changes to nursery policies. The close working relationships with the sister nursery enables them to learn and develop their practices. Staff have a good understanding about their responsibilities in meeting the

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provision

learning and development requirements. As a result, good progress has been made in the use of observations and planning of activities. Staff work well with parents to identify children's starting points and their next learning steps so children make good progress. They effectively implement the progress check for children aged two years.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good, and staff keep them well informed through daily discussions and parents meetings. Parents receive a wide range of useful information through the parents' pack, monthly newsletters and on notice boards. Parents have regular access to their child's learning journal and are able to contribute. Parents are very positive about the care provided and comment about the approachability of the staff and the good progress their children are making. Partnerships with other professional are good. Staff work in close partnerships with parents and any others involved in the children's care. This means that they effectively support those children who require extra help. There are good systems to prepare children for school and lots of discussion during the last term. The layout of the nursery enables children to become independent learners, and able to manage their personal care skills. The self-evaluation process is effective. Staff

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provision

have successfully acted on recommendations raised from the last inspection. As a result they have made good progress in their planning and ensuring children's safety and welfare. The nursery seeks staff and parents' views as part of the evaluation process. The management team and staff are well motivated and keen to improve and develop their knowledge and to provide good quality childcare.

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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 120034 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 911593

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 72 Number of children on roll 80 Name of provider Ashford & St Peters NHS Trust Date of previous inspection 23/09/2008 Telephone number 01784 884757

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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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