First Steps Nursery

First Steps Nursery The Burton Unit, The Conquest Hospital,The Ridge, St. Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN37 7RD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/05/2013 09/06/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 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

 Key persons have a good knowledge of children's stage of development, enabling them to plan activities to help each child progress.  The staff encourage babies and children to make choices about their play, promoting motivation and interest.  Children gain good levels of confidence and independence to support their readiness for school.  Children benefit from healthy snacks and meals that support a healthy lifestyle.

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It is not yet good because

 the nursery does not fully encourage parents to extend their child's learning at home and contribute to the assessment process to support their children's overall learning and development.  there is a wide range of print displayed around the nursery, but this is mostly in English and does not reflect all children's home languages.

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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 activities in the playrooms and the outside area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and they completed a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records, safeguarding procedures and risk assessments.  The inspector took account of parents' views.

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Information about the setting

First Steps Nursery is one of two settings owned and managed by the East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. It registered in 1990 and operates from a building on the site of the Conquest Hospital in Hastings, East Sussex. There are a number of rooms used for childcare, as well as office space, a staff room, a kitchen and toilet facilities. Children use two enclosed outdoor areas.

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Information about the setting

The nursery provides places for the children of staff working for the National Health Service. It is open each weekday from 6.45am to 6pm all year round, closing on bank holidays. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 80 childrenaged from four months on roll, and all are in the early years age range.

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Information about the setting

The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are 17 members of staff and two bank staff, of whom all but two hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least National Vocational Qualification at level 3. The manager and one member of staff have a Foundation Degree in Early Years and the manager has Early Years Professional Status. The nursery gets funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years.

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

 strengthen the partnership with parents by sharing information about how they can support their child's next steps for learning at home and how they can contribute to the assessment process

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

 improve the reflection of all children's home languages in the environment to fully promote diversity and help children's awareness of people's differences.

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who attend

Children are making good progress in their learning and development. The key persons regularly observe and assess children as they play and include children's interests in the planning for their identified next steps in their learning. This helps engage children and motivate them to take part in planned activities. Children's key persons use a national guidance documentation to assess what stage children are at in their learning and development. This helps them note if there are any achievement gaps in a child's learning that need particular attention. The key persons have learning files to record their observations and share with parents. This detail is not quite as thorough or reflective of the detail that the key persons know. However, the knowledge of the key person ensures that children get the attention and support they need to meet their individual needs. Processes are in place to produce the progress check reports for children when they are

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who attend

aged between two and three years for parents, when required. The staff obtain good detail from parents when children start, such as likes and dislikes or favourite stories and songs. Staff also are aware of babies' home routines and following these helps them to settle and feel content.

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who attend

The staff make some use of the 'Every Child a Talker' programme to support children's communication and language development. The staff encourage singing to help children with their letter sounds and ask questions of children that require them to think of a fuller answer than yes or no. Children are keen to communicate, knowing that what they have to say is valued and respected. Staff obtain some familiar words or phrases in children's additional home languages, which helps children settle as well as respecting and valuing their cultural backgrounds. However, although the playrooms display many written words these tend to be in English. This does not fully reflect the diversity in the nursery or support children in valuing people's differences.

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who attend

The effective interactions from staff throughout the day help ensure babies and children have the key skills they need for their future learning. Babies, toddlers and children confidently make their own choices about their play from the resources. Babies have a selection of good quality toys within reach, with staff encouraging movement by placing some just out of reach. This supports their physical development. Children enjoy exploring a wide range of different textures such as paint, dough, jelly, cornflour and water. The staff engage children in using different tools as they paint using their hands, different size brushes, toothbrushes or a spoon. Staff make sure writing materials are easy for children to access so they can use them as they play. The staff help the older children prepare well for school as they gain good independence skills. They have toilet passes and access the toilet on their own, as in many schools the toilets may not be close to the classroom.

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who attend

Children serve themselves at lunchtime and pour their own drinks. The staff effectively encourage children to concentrate and spend time at an activity with the use of interesting resources. Children have fun as they explore outside using magnifying glasses, excitedly telling adults that they found a spider.

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who attend

The staff have regular discussions with parent to positively involve them in their child's learning. Staff encourage parents to share children's achievements at home. However, staff do not always share information about children's next steps so the parents can further support their children's learning and development at home. Daily sheets for younger children and discussions keep parents informed of their child's day and how the staff meet their care needs.

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

The nursery has an effective key person system in place. The named key person engages with parents and children when they start at the nursery. The staff gain very useful detail from the 'what we need to know' sheets and discussions with parents. The staff sensitively support children as they move between the group rooms to make sure each child feels comfortable and secure. They also involve parents in deciding the right time for individual children to move up. Children moving to school take part in activities that help prepare them, such as gaining independence skill as they practise getting ready for 'PE'. The staff manage children's behaviour well. Children happily play with others or alongside each other, willingly sharing resources. The older children confidently serve themselves at lunchtime and pour their own drinks. Younger children begin to learn about taking responsibility as they put their lunch plate in the bowl for washing. Children's drinks are

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

easily at hand throughout the day. The children enjoy the nutritionally balanced lunches prepared at the hospital, and snacks prepared by the staff and cook. The staff ensure individual needs are met well. As a result, children are gaining and learning about the need for a healthy lifestyle. Discussions with parents ensure that meals and feeds for babies and young toddlers are suitable.

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

Children learn to keep themselves safe as they practise safe road crossing and fire evacuation drills. They develop close relationships with the staff. However, a recent incident indicated that the processes to ensure the safety of children are not always robust. Changes introduced since, such as extra head counts, help ensure that staff account for all children, after using the outdoor area.

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

The environment is welcoming and there is a wide range of good quality resources. Each room is suitably equipped to meet the age or learning needs of babies and children. Children play in the outside areas daily, helping them understand the importance of play and exercise in the fresh air. They learn about the natural world as they help water the plants or explore some natural items indoors, such as pinecones.

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provision

The inspection took place following notification of an incident when a child was left unattended, for a few minutes, in the enclosed outdoor play area. The staff are fully aware of their responsibilities and took all necessary steps to inform parents and the relevant authorities. Since the incident, the risk assessment is being updated to reflect the changes put in place. All staff are aware of the additional head counts and staff record these as they enter or exit the outdoor area. This helps ensure that the staff thoroughly check and confirm the number of children they have in their care. Staff are being reminded to ensure that the forms include those children joining or leaving the area at different times, as the current process is prone to human error.

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provision

Overall, the staff have a clear understanding and awareness of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. All required documentation is in place, such as attendance details and accident reports. Parents are able to view the written policies and procedures. As a result, they are aware of the practices at the nursery. All staff undertake annual safeguarding training and update their paediatric first aid awareness when required. This helps to ensure they have a clear understanding of the processes to follow in the event of a concern about a child in their care. The premises are secure and overall, staff take good care to keep children safe. For example, with high door handles to prevent children accessing rooms such as the staff room and hinge guards to prevent trapped fingers. There is a rigorous and thorough recruitment process, which includes conducting appropriate checks to help ensure staff's suitability to work with children. Regular

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provision

supervision and appraisals enable ongoing professional development for staff.

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provision

The manager and staff are confidently aware of the learning and development requirements. The manager oversees practices at the nursery and follows up any issues as they arise. She regularly observes the staff as they engage with children to help improve practice and the outcomes for children. The staff team have regular meetings to discuss issues or children's planning. They share their thoughts and ideas as part of the nursery's self-evaluation that considers the views of parents through discussion or questionnaires. The ongoing development plans demonstrate the nursery's secure capacity to maintain improvement. Overall, partnerships with parents and others make a strong contribution to children's learning, care and well-being.

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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 508988 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 917146 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 54 Number of children on roll 80 Name of provider East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust Date of previous inspection 09/06/2009 Telephone number 01424 755255ext 8778

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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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