Rascals

Rascals The Old House, Keelby Village Hall, King Street, Keelby, Grimsby, N E Lincolnshire, DN41 8EE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/05/2013 02/04/2009

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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

 Children engage in some good first hand-experiences which promote their natural curiosity as learners. For example, children enjoy observing chicks hatching from eggs during a topic on life cycles.  Children enjoy choosing a 'creative writing' tub, which contains different resources for them to play and explore with their parents at home. This provides parents with some good opportunities to become involved in their children's learning.  The setting works closely with local schools to ease the transition process for children. Pre-visits introduce children to their new classroom and teacher, enabling them to develop confidence when they move to their new setting.

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It is not yet good because

 Deployment of staff is not always fully effective. This results in small periods of time throughout the day where staff do not consistently support and engage children in purposeful play experiences.  A small minority of children are not fully supported as their key worker does not always work with them. This results in staff who work with these children being unable to effectively plan additional learning experiences as they are less familiar with their stages of development.  Staff do not consistently discuss and explain to children why their behaviour and actions are not always appropriate, to help them to fully learn from the experience.

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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 and care practices in both rooms used by children and during outside play. She also completed a joint observation with the provider, who is also the manager of the setting.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with staff and children. She also held meetings with the provider.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers spoken to during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including observational assessments, policies, the setting's self-evaluation and information used to assess the suitability of staff.

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Information about the setting

Rascals was registered in 2008 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in The Old House in Keelby, North East Lincolnshire. Children are cared for in two main designated playrooms, one for babies and one for children over the age of two. The setting also provides care for school-age children, and additional playrooms are set up as and when required to ensure all children have appropriate space to play. The main village hall is also occasionally used by the setting, and all children access an enclosed area for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs six members of child care staff, plus the owner, who is also the manager. Of these, two staff hold degrees, two hold appropriate qualifications at level 2, and the manager holds a qualification at level 4. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, closing for Bank Holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 65 children on roll, 25 of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds and supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 ensure the assigned key person works with their key children so that their learning and development is more effectively promoted in line with their individual needs; this especially applies to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities

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must:

 improve deployment of staff so that children are effectively supervised at all times, to fully ensure each child is effectively supported and actively engaged in purposeful play experiences, both inside and outside.

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

 ensure staff consistently implement the procedures for responding to changes in children's behaviour, to enable all children to learn why some behaviours and actions are not always appropriate.

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who attend

Children freely access their play materials from the generally good range provided. The baby room is well resourced and organised with accessible treasure baskets, which younger children enjoy investigating and exploring. For example, babies select the shakers from a basket and they enjoy vigorously shaking these as they make lots of noise. Children in the pre-school room interact and play together as they make a large tower out of bricks. After lunch, during welcome time, children are encouraged to recall and discuss what they played with during the morning sessions. With support, one child recalls how they built a tower which was bigger than the member of staff. They then take turns as they view a photograph of this on the digital camera. Children benefit from outside play opportunities in the suitably resourced outdoor environment. They develop their physical skills as they climb up and go down the slide, and they use their imagination as they play

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who attend

in the playhouse. Staff sit with babies, singing nursery rhymes with them as they play on the see-saw. This creates a fun experience for younger children, which promotes their basic language skills. Staff begin to ask a suitable range of questions as children grow and develop, which helps to promote their communication and critical thinking skills in some areas. However, deployment of staff is not always fully effective to ensure all children are sufficiently supported and engaged in purposeful play experiences. For example, staff are sometimes slow to respond to assist colleagues in supporting children as they learn through play. At other times they are busy elsewhere doing other jobs and, therefore, not effectively stimulating children as they play.

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who attend

Planning, observations and assessments are mainly used well to ensure children are making progress within all areas of learning. These are shared with parents to keep them informed of their children's achievements. For the majority of children, staff appropriately plan a suitable range of activities which follow each child's particular interests and developmental needs. However, although each child is assigned a key person, this person does not consistently work in the same room as their key children. This specifically relates to some children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff who work with these children receive specific target activities to complete with each child on individual educational plans. This enables children to achieve in some specific areas of learning. However, as the key person maintains information on their key children's development, other staff are sometimes less familiar with this specific information. This

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who attend

results in staff not always effectively planning additional activities to further support children's ongoing development in all areas.

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who attend

Themed activities are provided to introduce children to new topics. This helps staff to plan some good first-hand experiences which promote children's natural curiosity as learners. For example, children's awareness of life cycles is successfully promoted as they observe eggs being incubated and then hatching into baby chicks and ducklings. Children help to care for the ducklings and chicks, observing first hand how they grow and develop. Older children learn about letters and sounds through the use of a letter of the week. Children are encouraged to bring in items from home starting with this letter sound. They then discuss what they have brought in during show and tell sessions. This promotes children's communication skills and it also enables parents to become involved in their children's learning. Other activities, like children choosing a 'creative writing' tub to take home, also provide some good opportunities for parents to support their children's learning as they

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who attend

play and interact with them at home. Overall, children make satisfactory progress in their learning and development. This provides them with a suitable foundation for their continued learning and development as they transfer to school.

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

Children are settled and are confident as they relate generally well to the caring staff team. Each child is assigned a key person who shares and exchanges appropriate levels of communication with parents. This ensures each child is respected and valued in line with their backgrounds and beliefs. Children develop secure emotional attachments to staff, with babies enjoying cuddles which sooth and reassure them as they play. Younger children enjoy playing alongside their peers, and as they grow and develop they begin to interact and play more cooperatively together. Children's good behaviour is promoted through praise and encouragement. However, staff do not always consistently respond to changes in children's behaviour. For example, children are sometimes advised to sit down or to stop squabbling with other children, however, they are not always advised why they need to do this. This prevents them from effectively learning about why their behaviour

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

Transitions for children moving between rooms in the setting and then on to school are good. Children are encouraged to become independent with their health and self-care skills, and settling-in sessions help children to become confident in their new surroundings. Pre-visits to school, where children are supported by the staff of the setting, help them to develop confidence and be emotionally ready for their transition as they are introduced to the school environment, routines and class teacher. Systems are in place to share and exchange information with other providers and professionals regarding children with special educational needs and/or disabilities at regular review meetings. This promotes some continuity of care and learning for the child. When children transfer to school, the child's new class teacher is also invited to these review meetings. This provides the new setting with some clear information on children's specific needs and starting points.

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

Children play safely and are encouraged to make healthy lifestyle choices. At lunchtime younger children are encouraged to learn to feed themselves, and older children are encouraged to be independent as they serve their own meals. Nutritious food is either freshly prepared each day on site or children bring their own packed lunch from home. Staff discuss the benefits of eating healthily and being active, which helps children to learn about the importance of being healthy. Children's personal care routines are met and as they get older they learn to be independent with their toileting and hand washing. Children benefit from daily indoor and outdoor play experiences which provide them with opportunities to be active. Children's awareness of important safety messages is actively promoted through some interesting hands-on learning experiences. For example, children's understanding of fire safety is promoted during regular fire evacuation drills and

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provision

Children are safeguarded through the setting's suitable policies and procedures. The environment is securely maintained, with an outside gate remaining locked and staff vetting people at this gate before allowing them access. This prevents children from leaving the setting unsupervised and anyone gaining unauthorised access to the setting. Space and resources are mainly organised well, creating a warm and welcoming environment where children appropriately learn through play. Staff adequately supervise children, identify and minimise potential hazards, and follow suitable outings procedures to ensure the safety of children is maintained. Accidents are recorded to monitor safety. Staff also have a secure knowledge of child protection procedures, which helps to protect children from potential harm. Children are cared for by a staff team whose suitability has been assessed through the setting's relevant recruitment, vetting and induction

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provision

procedures. The manager oversees staff performance through regular supervision meetings and appraisals. This leads to staff developing their skills through ongoing training. For example, baby room staff have improved the care and learning experiences of babies by enhancing the environment and equipment these children access, all of which arose after they attended recent training courses specifically designed for working with younger children.

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provision

The manager oversees the whole setting, working with staff to ensure the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are suitably met. The setting uses their own process of self-evaluation to monitor their practice, procedures and educational programmes to ensure children's needs are suitably met and their learning is promoted. This results in the setting identifying some clear targets for future development, which results in children benefitting as continuous improvements are beginning to be made. The setting also works with local authority advisers, using their expertise to help them make improvements to the organisation of their provision. This results in children's care, learning and development being satisfactorily promoted. Staff work in partnership with parents, carers and other providers to promote continuity of care and learning for each child. They continually share information with parents, keeping them appropriately informed of their children's daily

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provision

care and progress. Parents confirm they are happy with the standard of care and learning their children receive. They state their children have made progress since starting at the setting, and they receive regular information on their children's ongoing achievements.

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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 EY377471 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 918142

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 65 Name of provider Sally Louise MacFarlane Date of previous inspection 02/04/2009 Telephone number 07521 733 303

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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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