Early Days Day Nursery

Early Days Day Nursery Early Days Child Nursery, 83 Church Road, Formby, LIVERPOOL, L37 3NB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/04/2013 02/10/2008

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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

 Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and this is effectively used to ensure that children make good progress in their learning and development.  Children's communication and language development is given a high priority. Staff work closely with parents and professional agencies to ensure children receive the support they need to make good progress in this area of learning.  The enthusiastic and caring staff team ensures that children and their families feel welcome and included. Children are happy and settled, which effectively promotes their emotional well-being and welfare.  Leadership and management is strong; effective systems inform the nursery's priorities for the sustained improvement of the provision.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some elements of the daily routines do not fully support children in developing their independence in their self-care skills.  There is a limited range of resources available to help children learn positive attitudes and challenge stereotypes relating to gender, special educational needs and disabilities.

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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 each play room and the outside play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the provider and the manager, talked to staff and carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector looked at a sample of children's records and relevant documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Early Days Day Nursery was registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in detached premises in the Formby area of Liverpool, and is managed by Merseyside Care Limited. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from four playrooms and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 24 members of childcare staff. Of these, 22 hold appropriate early years qualifications two at level 2, 10 at level 3, two at level 4, two at level 5, three at level 6 and two with Qualified Teacher Status.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 108 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 increase opportunities to support children developing independence in their self- care skills in the outdoor environment, for example, by providing drinking water and disposable tissues for their personal hygiene

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

 extend the range of resources which reflect positive images that challenge children's thinking and help them to embrace differences in gender, special educational needs and disabilities.

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who attend

Staff effectively use their child development knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage to support children's good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff know how children learn and the teaching is rooted in following their interests to engage and sustain their attention. Through the ongoing observation and assessment of the children and partnership working with parents staff know their key children very well. The planning is personalised and reflects how staff value the uniqueness of each child. In addition to this, staff skilfully respond to spontaneous situations to follow children's interest and extend their learning. For example, in response to the children's comments staff provide the resources for the children to build their own bridge to ride underneath on their bikes. Throughout the nursery, there is a sense of fun which effectively fosters children's interest and learning. High priority is given to establishing

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who attend

partnership working with parents. They contribute to the initial assessment of their child when they start nursery, the progress check at age two and their child's ongoing record of learning. Information about their child's progress and planning is shared with parents in many formats, including electronically, which provide guidance to continue learning at home. Very good support is given to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work with parents and external agencies to plan and tailor activities to meet individual children's needs. They provide one to one time to work on specific areas where developmental delay has been identified.

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who attend

The organisation of the indoor and outdoor play environments is informed through staff completing research on best practice and their childcare knowledge. As a result, children benefit from stimulating and exciting play areas. These engage their interest and contribute towards them developing the characteristics of effective learning. The continuous provision of a wide range of play resources, in both the indoor and outdoor areas, gives children opportunities to pursue activities at their own pace and to revisit to practise skills. As a result, children are motivated and eager to learn. The babies confidently move around their room and from this early age they make choices in what they want to do. They investigate the contents of the treasure baskets and the sand tray. Following staff's guidance, they grasp the sand and watch it fall from their hands. They notice that the flow of sand makes the wheel on the sand tray move. They repeat their

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who attend

actions showing deepening levels of concentration from an early age.

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who attend

The promotion of communication and language development is intrinsic to all aspects of the nursery life. Staff's involvement in the 'Every Child a Talker' programme and in-house training has influenced practice. For example, staff talk very clearly to children for them to hear the correct pronunciation of words and the communication-friendly areas support their speaking and listening skills. As a result, older children are confident and expressive communicators. They are eager to share their ideas and ask questions. Babies delight in babbling and increasingly experiment with sounds to communicate. They imitate staff, such as making the sound 'brrrm' as they wheel the cars along the floor. Children of all ages enjoy books. Staff encourage children to be active participants during the story reading sessions. For example, they ask questions to prompt the children to anticipate what is going to happen next and to encourage a discussion about aspects of the story.

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who attend

Staff embrace outdoor learning, in the knowledge that for some children this is the preferred learning area and provides opportunities to play in different ways. For example, even though there are well-resourced writing stations some children's interest in mark- making and writing is triggered through using sticks in the mud to form symbols and letters. Children gain first hand experiences of nature, such as digging in the soil they notice bugs and use the magnifying glasses to study the insects they find. Whilst making 'mud' pies children ask to bake cakes. Staff respond to this request and with the help of the children and the nursery cook they organise the required resources. The children's eager involvement in this baking activity demonstrates that they are inquisitive learners. They listen intently as staff read the baking instructions. The children ask many questions, put forward their ideas and learn new words, such as 'heaped'. Children then use the word

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who attend

'heaped' as they talk about what they are doing as they measure the ingredients. Staff use this activity to extend children's skills in mathematics by asking questions to encourage them to count, calculate and compare sizes of the utensils and ingredients. Mathematical language and concepts are reinforced in daily activities and play. For example, staff count as they button up the younger children's coats, count out loud with the children the number of children present and singing number rhymes. The broad range of opportunities children experience results in them being very well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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

The staff team are caring and supportive, which contributes to children feeling safe and gives them the confidence to explore and learn. Children develop close attachments to their key person and demonstrate this when they enjoy frequent cuddles throughout the day. Children laugh as they play and obviously enjoy the interaction with staff and their friends. The settling in procedure significantly impacts on the successful relationship building with children, key person and parents. This involves home visits made by the key person and 'stay and play' sessions at the nursery for the children and parents to enjoy as they become familiar with the provision. Key persons support children as they progress to their next play room in the nursery. Parents are involved in the timing and preparation for this transition.

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

Staff are good role models and behaviour expected of children is modelled by them. As a result, the children's behaviour is good. Throughout the nursery, relationships between both staff and children are good. This promotes a relaxed and happy environment which enables children to feel cherished and secure. Staff use resources and plan activities to help children understand and identify their feelings and emotions as an important step towards learning to manage their own behaviour. Children show a caring attitude towards their friends. They learn to share resources and negotiate whose turn it is next without staff intervention. Staff plan activities to help nurture the children's respect for the uniqueness of themselves and others. In each play room children have access to photographs of their own and other children's family members. This helps them to appreciate different family compositions. However, there are limited resources throughout

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

the nursery which reflect positive images of gender, special educational needs and disabilities. As a result, the diversity of society is not fully represented to fully support children's understanding and respect for similarities and differences in people and communities.

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

Children learn about healthy lifestyles. They benefit from a nutritionally balanced diet, with individual dietary requirements and preferences being catered for. The food is freshly prepared each day by the nursery cook. The nursery has been awarded the highest grading in the National Food Hygiene rating by the Food Standard's Agency and achieved the 'Appetite for Life' award given by the local authority. Children have many opportunities to be physically active and develop their coordination and physical skills. Outside the older children enjoy energetic play as they climb, ride wheeled toys and run. They gain confidence playing on the large equipment as they enjoy the sensation of running along the 'wobbly ' bridge and sliding down the pole. These play opportunities enable children to understand about taking and managing risks within a well-supervised environment. Staff promote children's independence in their self-care skill generally well. However, all

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

opportunities for independence are not maximised. For example drinking water and disposable tissues are not provided in the outdoor area for children to independently respond to their bodily needs. Within the outdoor play area there is a purpose built sensory room which is freely accessed by the children. It offers children an atmosphere of relaxation which is important for their emotional well-being as well as enhancing learning opportunities for children's individual needs.

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provision

Children are safeguarded through staff's good knowledge of child protection issues and of the procedures to follow to protect children from harm. The designated safeguarding officers provide leadership in this field. All staff complete safeguarding training and the manager monitors their knowledge through questioning and discussion. Recruitment and selection procedures are followed to ensure all those working with children are safe and suitable to do so. Induction procedures are in place to ensure staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities. The comprehensive policies and procedures are implemented well and contribute towards ensuring children's health, safety and well-being is continually promoted. Legally required records for children's welfare are accurately maintained.

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provision

The provider and manager have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities with regard to meeting all requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They demonstrate high aspirations for developing practice and striving for improvement. There is a strong commitment to support staff's professional development to continue to raise the quality of the provision. These are identified during the staff's supervision and appraisal sessions. The enthusiasm of the manager is reflected in the staff's practice. The staff work as an effective and committed team. They assess their own and their peers practice and share ideas and make suggestions for improvements. The self-evaluation processes identify the nursery's strengths and target plans are in place to secure further improvements. Children and parents are involved in the process and their views are actively listened to and their ideas and suggestions are implemented. For example, in

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provision

response to parents' comments the nursery has introduced a communication daily diary for the older children attending. Staff use different methods to establish children's views. The recommendations from the previous inspection have been fully met through the implementation of the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. The manager monitors the quality of the learning programme to ensure that children are provided with a wide range of challenging experiences to support their good progress towards the early learning goals. Individual children's assessments are analysed to effectively identify any required interventions to support their progress.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good. Parents spoken to during the inspection are complimentary about the provision and they are pleased with the good progress their children are making. They comment that staff are 'very friendly and approachable' and 'support children's learning and development very well'. Relationships with other professionals involved with children are established and contribute in supporting children's learning and welfare. This includes working with schools to support children's transition to their next stage of education.

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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 EY370496 Local authority Sefton Inspection number 911431

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 58 Number of children on roll 108 Name of provider Merseyside Care Ltd Date of previous inspection 02/10/2008 Telephone number 01704 833 305

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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

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’.

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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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