Mumbles Day Nursery

Mumbles Day Nursery Play Group, Village Hall, SANDON, Stafford, ST18 0DJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/04/2013 15/02/2011

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Children who have dual languages are making good progress as staff provide resources and activities that value and respect children's home languages and their cultural backgrounds.  All children make good progress in their communication and language as activities are planned to support opportunities to engage in detailed and complex conversations and to share their experiences with others.  Children show a strong sense of right and wrong as they contribute to the 'golden rules' and understand the consequences of their behaviour and actions on others.  Children are well-prepared for the next stage in their learning. They are independent and staff work closely with parents and the local school to ensure children are supported effectively at times of transition.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The development of children's rapidly developing concept of time is not fully explored through the use of visual prompts, such as, sand timers or clockwork timers and alarms.  There is scope to extend the rich and stimulating range of resources used outdoors for babies to maximise their independent activity as well as they do indoors.

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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 throughout the nursery in both indoor and outdoor spaces.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and the manager conducted a joint observation of activities that involved children and staff.  The inspector spoke and interacted with the children throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the nursery owners, the manager and staff at appropriate times throughout the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documentation that included children's assessments, information on the children, staff records and the setting's policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents through discussion and from written questionnaires sent out by the nursery.

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Information about the setting

Mumbles Nursery was registered in 2010 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is one of two privately owned settings under the organisation and is situated in the village cricket club building in Sandon, near Stone in Staffordshire. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from the 'rumble room' and a separate baby room and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs three members of child care staff directly in the setting. All of these hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. Additional support and expertise is also shared with staff from the sister setting, including a member of staff with Early Years Professional 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 12 children attending who are in the early years age group. Older children attend before and after school sessions and holiday sessions. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four- year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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

 extend the opportunities for children to measure time in a more visual way by providing items, such as sand timers, clockwork timers and alarms

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

 enhance the opportunities for babies to maximise independent play outdoors, as well as they do indoors, through the use of low-level equipment that encourages crawling, pulling to standing and exploring.

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who attend

Children are making good progress in their learning and development in this small, stimulating nursery. All staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use their knowledge and skills effectively to support children's individual learning needs. Parents are kept well-informed of their children's progress through the individual assessment records where observations and photographs of children's activities are collated. Parents share their child's achievements from home, helping to extend children's learning at home as well as in the setting. Regular discussions, review meetings and social activities that include parents ensure that they are actively included in their children's learning.

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who attend

Children develop effective communication skills as staff support language development through verbal and non-verbal explanations of daily routines and activities. Pictorial time- lines inform children of what is happening and help them to gain an understanding of time and sequence. Children also gain a practical awareness of differences in communication as they regularly participate in musical activities offered by the Sing and Sign choir. Babies benefit from staff awareness of the importance of eye contact and the use of voice and facial expressions in early communication. Children who speak English as an additional language are provided with very good support. Staff skills within the wider organisation are utilised as French, Spanish and Welsh languages are evident. Parents have also been involved in contributing to raising all children's awareness of differing languages and cultures as they have helped to translate and prepare signage and ideas for activities with

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who attend

the children. For example, children are learning Welsh and Spanish songs and words in these languages are displayed around the setting to value and respect the children's cultural backgrounds. Children have recently celebrated a member of staff's wedding and discovered the rituals and celebrations of different beliefs.

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who attend

Children participate eagerly in a wide range of play experiences, many of which are child- initiated. For example, on arrival at nursery children have chosen to create some hats and pasta jewellery. Staff respond positively and children set about accessing the appropriate resources and requisites to complete the activity. Children chat about the varying lengths of the string required to make a bracelet or a necklace and giggle as they get the string 'muddled up'. Staff leave the children to enjoy the activity, including young babies in such art and craft too. Staff are aware of acknowledging the baby's enjoyment of the 'process' of the activity rather than seeking a finished product. This demonstrates their understanding of the characteristics of effective learning, enhancing the children's achievement in expressive art.

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who attend

Children enjoy the frequent opportunities to access outdoor play in the rural setting. The outdoor play area offers scope to explore, climb, plant and grow and notice changes in their environment as they hone their physical skills. Children climb up to the viewing platform of the fort and spot the various birds, count the crows and predict which nest the birds will choose to land in. Throughout the activity, staff use effective questioning to extend their learning. Children are encouraged to differentiate between the types of birds and name them where possible, as they note that crows and pigeons are the most common. Babies also access this area frequently, although, at times, their independent activity is not fully supported. Resources, such as, low level equipment and static entertainer play gyms, are not as readily available outside as indoors, to fully promote pulling to standing and activating knobs and pop up toys outdoors.

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who attend

Children plant and grow various fruit and vegetables, which are suitably harvested and often used in the preparation of children's meals and cookery activities. Attempts at raspberry jam were not so successful but the children's oat flapjacks won an award at the last village show. Children dig with gusto as they prepare the soil for their plants. Mark making is evident as children remind staff about the need to make 'labels' for their potted seeds and set about making their own using pegs and plastic sleeves to keep them dry. Throughout this activity, staff question the children about what they need to do and where to find the resources. Older children are starting to ask about time as they anticipate time- based events, such as home time or mealtimes. Staff show them the clock and refer to the position of the hands on the numbers as indication. They have not fully considered the use of resources, such as, sand timers or clockwork kitchen timers that ring, to offer a more

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who attend

Strong partnerships have been developed with parents. They join their children on some of the trips and outings and participate in afternoon tea during their children's graduation ceremonies held in a nearby hall. They have joined their children for 'story caf' and share some occasions from home with the children, such as the imminent arrival of a new baby. Home visits are conducted by the senior staff prior to children starting the setting, if parents wish for that level of involvement. This helps in setting children in preparation for the 'big events' in their early learning experiences.

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

Children develop a strong sense of belonging in this small and intimate setting. They build firm relationships with their key persons and know the staff from the other setting who occasionally attend to support practice. Their individual needs and interests are known and understood by their key person and babies' routines are reviewed regularly with parents as they reach the milestones in their development. Babies seek out familiar staff on arrival and greet them with broad smiles, developing strong and caring bonds. This means they are happy to leave their parents and participate readily in activity. Children have contributed to the development of the 'golden rules' and so understand why it is necessary to share, take turns and consider the needs of others. Such attention promotes children's self-esteem and sense of responsibility, preparing them for their moves through their early education. This is further supported through the children's developing

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

independence. They select their own resources and activities, manage their own care needs very effectively and help each other when donning coats and wellington boots for outdoor play. Staff have researched behaviours, such as biting, and have shared some effective strategies with parents through workshops and with leaflet information.

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

Children tuck in with relish to their home-cooked meals and snacks that are balanced and nutritious. Full account is taken of any specific dietary needs in order to fully promote children's health and healthy eating. Older children serve themselves with care and dexterity. Babies delight in developing self-feeding skills as staff provide spoons from an early age, supporting their physical skills in coordination. All children enjoy mealtimes as pleasant social occasions as they sit and chat to their friends and the staff.

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

Staff supervise children well, risk assessing various activities and the play environment indoors and outside. Any accidents and minor bumps are managed effectively by staff who hold current first aid qualifications and inform parents appropriately.

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provision

Children are cared for by staff who have undergone rigorous and robust clearances to assess their suitability. The owners and managers monitor practice closely through all round observation and reviewing of the planning, observations and assessment processes. Staff have their own learning journals where they reflect upon their practice and consider ways of improving and extending practice in order to enhance opportunities for the children. Professional development is actively encouraged as staff research key elements in early years education and childcare, such as the benefits of Forest School activities. They also consider the theoretical views of supporting children effectively to learn and develop new skills and consolidate this in other activities. Where necessary, staff and apprentices are supported in honing their skills and abilities in completing written observations and records and are assigned a senior member of staff as mentor. This

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provision

ensures consistency of practice and encourages staff self-esteem and confidence.

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provision

Safeguarding responsibilities are fully understood by staff and managers which promotes children's welfare. They are aware of the appropriate authorities to report any concerns to. Risk assessments are undertaken for all aspects of the provision, both on and off the premises. The management team is swift to respond to some incidents to ensure children's safety. They have recently reviewed the way in which resources are collated to ensure that children have not placed items around their neck or secreted some items on their persons as 'special treasure'. The management also regularly collate accident records to identify any possible areas of hazards and to inform risk assessments further.

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provision

Children benefit from staff's knowledge of the educational programmes being based on children's individual interests and ideas. Their progress is accurately checked and assessed with next steps planned and involving parents. Where children may be identified as requiring additional support, parents and other agencies are involved at an early stage, ensuing consistency of approach. Parents play an active role in the setting through the 'Friends of Mumbles' group. They speak very fondly of the 'homely, family feel' the setting offers, being quite small and nurturing in its approach. Parental questionnaires cite difficulties in getting their children to come home at the end of their day. The setting has built strong partnerships with the local school and, as some older pupils attend before and after school sessions at the nursery, children become familiar with the school uniform. All of this prepares children well for their transition to school.

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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 EY405486 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 906916

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 43 Number of children on roll 12 Name of provider Mumbles Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 15/02/2011 Telephone number 01889508123

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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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