Star Day Nursery

Star Day Nursery 21 East Hill, DARTFORD, DA1 1RX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/05/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The management team is keen to continually develop the provision and this is demonstrated in their detailed self-evaluation.  Children are able to follow their own interests, explore and become active learners indoors and outside. As a result, children make very good progress in relation to their starting points.  Staff give high priority to the safety of children and effectively support children's growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy.  Partnerships with parents are very good. Parents are encouraged to be fully involved in nursery life and are encouraged to continue children's learning experiences at home.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to enhance the nappy changing areas to provide a more stimulating and enjoyable experience for babies and young children.

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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 practice throughout the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation related to the efficient and safe running of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the deputy manager and the provider.

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Information about the setting

Star Day Nursery opened in 2012. The nursery is situated in the East Hill area of Dartford, Kent. The nursery is open each weekday from 7am to 7pm for 52 weeks of the year, except on public holidays. There are a number of steps to access the nursery. Children are based in a hall on the ground floor and two further rooms on the first and second floor. Children are grouped according to their age and stage of development. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery has good public transport links and is close to shops and parks. The nursery has sole use of the building through the week.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 26 early years children on roll. The nursery employs ten staff. All of the staff, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications. Two, including the nursery owner, have attained Early Years Professional Status.

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

 take every opportunity to arouse babies and young children's curiosity and interest by, for example, providing interesting displays in the nappy changing areas.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this nursery as staff have very good knowledge and understanding of how to promote children's learning through play. Staff have high expectations of all children based on an assessment of their interests and prior skills on entry to the setting. Assessment is precise, sharply focused and includes all those involved in the child's learning. Each child has a 'My Unique Story' folder which builds up to form a wonderful picture of their time at nursery. Staff take photographs of the children, record focus and snap shot observations and keep examples of children's work to help monitor their progress. Staff recognise the importance of sharing information with parents regarding their children's learning and experiences at home and nursery. Staff use tracking sheets to clearly identify any gaps in children's learning and to prepare fortnightly reports. Parents are helped to understand how to support their children's learning at home through

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who attend

discussions with their child's key person and through the informative displays about the different areas of learning. Children's next steps are discussed and agreed and staff produce comprehensive progress reports each term. These include the Early Years Foundation Stage progress check for two-year-olds.

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who attend

Children's early communication and language skills blossom due to the attentive staff. They play alongside the children, offering gentle support and encouragement, extending children's learning with individual attention. Staff provide commentary on children's play, ask simple questions and model language well. Staff use gestures and picture timetables to help children know what comes next in the daily routine. This is especially beneficial for those children learning English as an additional language. Children's early reading skills are promoted very well. Staff read stories animatedly, which captures and sustains children's attention. Children thoroughly enjoy sitting in the cosy book areas, looking at books alone and with staff. There are opportunities for children to take books home from nursery to share with their parents. The environment is rich in print and children are beginning to recognise their names by using their meal placemats and the self registration system. Staff

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who attend

provide lots of opportunities for children to practise their early writing skills. Babies make marks using their fingers as they play with gloop and paint, while toddlers make marks on chalk boards and at the easel. Older children enjoy writing menus in the role-play area, using pencils and clip boards in the construction area and they practise forming their letters at the writing stations.

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who attend

Staff skilfully use everyday situations well to help children learn about shape, space and number. They encourage children to count as they build with bricks or walk down steps. Younger children thoroughly enjoy posting shapes, stacking toys and fitting puzzles together. Staff talk about quantity and volume as children fill and empty containers in the sand and water trays. Cooking activities give children the opportunity to weigh and measure out ingredients. Children are growing in confidence when using technology. Young children babble on mobile phones and show delight as they operate toys which light up and make sounds. Older children sing songs using a microphone and play educational games on toy computers and the laptop computer. Children learn about diversity and difference as they celebrate festivals and special events from around the world. Families play a key role at these events, which are an excellent opportunity for all

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who attend

to share their knowledge and skills as well as to socialise during fun days. Trips to the market, post office and library are planned to extend children's knowledge of their local community. Parents are invited to accompany their children on outings to the coast, zoo, farms and aquarium to further develop children's understanding of the wider and natural world.

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who attend

Children use their imaginations as they play with puppets in cosy dens. Children act out real life experiences in the role play areas. They freely express their creativity as they have plenty of opportunities to paint, cut and stick using a wide variety of media and recycled materials. Staff have successfully incorporated all areas of learning in the stimulating outdoor environment and ensure all children play outdoors several times a day.

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

Children's well-being and health is a prime consideration for management and staff. The welcoming environment provides visitors with plenty of information about the nursery. Children's self-esteem is boosted. As they move around the nursery children recognise their artwork and early attempts at writing on display, making the rooms and corridors colourful and inviting. Children also recognise photographs of themselves, friends and family. Children settle extremely well because staff have a thorough knowledge of their individual needs and extended families. The highly effective key person system and the excellent level of adult attention enable all children to form positive and trusting relationships with the staff. This provides children with a very secure and safe environment for them to develop their confidence and self-esteem.

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

Staff consistently give very high priority to the safety of children. They effectively support children's growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Children are shown how to use scissors safely and are reminded that they shouldn't throw sand as it could go into their eyes. Children learn to cross the road safely on outings and the regular evacuation routine heightens children's awareness of what to do in an emergency situation. Children receive lots of praise and encouragement as they learn to share and play alongside their friends. Staff skilfully distract and engage children in activities to prevent unwanted behaviour. They acknowledge children's achievements, laugh with them and enthusiastically join in their play, which raises children's self-esteem. Children are sensitively supported when they move to different rooms within the nursery. Staff read stories and introduce school based play into the role-play area to prepare children for the

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

move to school. Detailed information about children's learning is shared with teachers.

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

Children are protected from cross infection as staff follow hygienic nappy changing routines and sensitively support younger children with toilet training. However, nappy changing areas are stark and do not provide babies and young children with a suitably stimulating environment. Children are keen to wash their hands prior to eating and after toileting. Healthy lifestyles are promoted very well. Children learn to recognise when they are thirsty and help themselves to water or milk throughout the day. Individual dietary requirements are followed and children enjoy healthy meals and snacks. Main meals are provided by an outside catering company. Menus are shared with parents and they express how the variety has given them ideas to help with their children's eating at home. Children develop good self-help skills as they are supported in serving and feeding themselves and do so with increasing skill. Staff sit with the children and use this time to

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

talk about the benefits of eating a varied and healthy diet. This is further developed through cooking activities and when children help to grow tomato plants. Children keep active and develop excellent physical skills as they skilfully steer bikes around objects, balance on tyres, play with hoops, scramble through tunnels, climb and slide. Equally important are times for rest and children who require it sleep comfortably on clean bedding, stored individually in bags to minimise possible cross infection.

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provision

Robust recruitment procedures ensure all staff undergo suitability checks and complete a thorough induction process. As a result children are cared for by staff with the required qualifications, skills and confidence in their roles and responsibilities. All staff show a sense of enthusiasm and pride in their work. Staff are closely monitored through regular performance management and encouraged to extend their skills by attending training and gaining further qualifications. Clear policies and procedures support staff in their practices and are consistently on the agenda at staff meetings. Management regularly review and update policies and procedures to ensure they are in line with current legislation and guidance. All required record keeping is well maintained and stored securely.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children are strong and well embedded. Training and support from managers ensure the comprehensive policies and procedures are clearly understood by staff. Posters, booklets and flow charts are prominently displayed on notice boards throughout the nursery. As a result all staff fully understand their individual responsibility to protect children. Managers demonstrate an in-depth knowledge and ability to follow through any concerns in order to protect vulnerable children. Highly effective systems are in place to promote children's safety and security. Closed circuit television and an intercom system help staff to identify visitors. Staff ensure all visitors sign in and out and log the reason for their visit. This maintains an accurate record of everyone coming into contact with the children. Comprehensive risk assessments cover all areas of the premises and outings. In addition, staff carry out visual safety checks as they move

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provision

children from inside to outside. Children strongly benefit from the high ratio of staff to children and the continuity of care provided because of the excellent staffing arrangements.

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provision

The nursery places a strong emphasis on promoting inclusion for all children, including those who speak English as an additional language. Children benefit from a coordinated approach to their care and learning as there are good partnerships with other providers, external agencies and professionals. This means that, when necessary, advice and support for children's care and learning needs are quickly put into place. Partnerships with parents are outstanding. Staff work closely with parents regarding all aspects of their children's care. Regular meetings are held with key persons to share information and assessments of their child's progress. Parents are encouraged to play a full and active role in supporting their child's learning at home and in contributing to their child's planning at nursery. Feedback from parents, via questionnaires, shows they are extremely pleased with the nursery. For example, they comment on the welcoming environment and value the

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provision

stability of the staff team. Parents say they are kept well informed through discussions with staff, notice boards and through newsletters and the website.

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provision

The provider, managers and staff work extremely well together and share a commitment to provide an excellent quality of care and learning for all children. Self-evaluation takes into account the views of the local authority, nursery staff, children and their parents. Management across the company meets monthly to discuss best practice. The provider attends meetings and training with other providers and childcare organisations in the pursuit of innovative ways to improve outcomes for children.

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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 EY456320 Local authority Kent Inspection number 891024 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 68 Number of children on roll 26 Name of provider Stand Out Theatre Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01322 274 793

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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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