Chatterbox House Day Nursery (Sidcup)

Chatterbox House Day Nursery 289 Main Road, Sidcup, Kent, DA14 6QL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/06/2013 06/01/2011

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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

 Good leadership and management ensures all aspects of the nursery are well organised.  Staff show good commitment to constantly driving improvement.  Children have good relationships with each other and staff. This means that they are confident in their learning environment and able to benefit fully from the good range of activities.  Communication with parents and other agencies is effective and supports children's care and learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always encourage children to use their home languages in all possible play situations.  Resources in role play areas to reflect different cultures to help children learn about diversity, are not extensive.

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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 all group rooms and outside.  The inspector had discussions with the owner and managers.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector undertook a joint observation with staff and looked at children's assessment records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation including attendance records and safeguarding procedures.  The inspector spoke to parents to find out their views about the nursery.

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Information about the setting

Chatterbox House Day Nursery is a private nursery situated in a detached house in Sidcup in Kent. The nursery opened in 2002 and is registered on the Early Years Register. The premises, which are on two levels, consist of a ground floor office, baby room, children's bathroom, toddler room, conservatory and kitchen. The first floor comprises of three pre- school rooms, children's bathroom, staff toilet and laundry facilities. There is also a large garden for outdoor play with an enclosed decking area for babies. There is an area to the rear of the garden used as a forest school. The setting and garden is accessible by ramps, and stairs lead to the first floor. The nursery is open all year round from 7.30am to 6pm with the exception of weekends and bank holidays. The nursery provides funded early education for two, three and four-year-olds and supports children with special educational needs and children who are learning English. There are currently 97 children on roll who

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Information about the setting

attend full and part-time sessions. The nursery employs a large team of 20 staff including a manager, a deputy, two teachers, nursery staff and a cook. There is a part-time French teacher who visits on a weekly basis to work with pre-school children. Staff working directly with children hold appropriate childcare qualifications and over half the staff team are qualified to level 3 and above. The nursery receives support from an advisory teacher from the local authority. The manager is qualified to the level of early years professional status.

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

 enhance opportunities for children to experience and use their home language during play.

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

 improve the role play area by providing more resources for children to learn about other cultures .

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who attend

Children are making good progress in their learning and development. The learning environment is very well organised for all age groups and this enables children to make independent choices in their play. The staff plan a child-led approach to learning based on children's interests because they know children well. There is kind and positive interaction between staff, children and parents. As a result, the nursery is a happy place and learning is fun for children.

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who attend

Staff make good use of a cycle of observation, assessment and planning to promote learning. They carefully record children's starting points and add to their observations of children's progress over time. Using information gathered from parents and their knowledge of children's interests, they plan activities tailored to meet each child's needs. Staff share information with parents through the two-year check and progress review meetings. This means that staff and parents work together to support learning and development throughout the age range. Information from assessments is used well to promote learning.

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who attend

Children are supported well by staff. Babies and toddlers enjoy plenty of close contact and cuddles from staff who sit with them at their level. They happily explore a range of textured and natural materials as well as toys that make sound. They sit on baby sized sofas and chairs to look at board books with staff which develops their language skills. Younger children enjoy circle times that are just the right length for them to concentrate and join in with actions and sounds. This promotes their social skills and sense of well- being. They have direct access to a safe outdoor area as well as times spent outdoors in the large garden to develop their physical skills. They show emerging skills using balls and riding trikes along with spontaneous activities such as looking at books with staff in the garden.

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who attend

Staff provide a good balance of child initiated and adult led activities for older children to support their learning. They eagerly select from a range of activities set out and supervised in three rooms. They love to explore textures and colours as they make their own play dough, mix paint and experiment with sand. They draw recognisable pictures of people, animals and sea creatures to be displayed. Children are confident in recognising and writing their own names. Staff support children well to develop their mathematical skills through every day activities such as counting games which helps to prepare them for school. Staff enable children to enjoy a range of creative activities to help them learn about the wider world through expressive art. However, the role play area is not equipped to help them learn about other cultures. Children learn about other languages in the nursery. They are beginning to learn French through regular classes. There is some use of

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who attend

children's home languages in the nursery but this is not always extended into play situations. The nursery is rich in printed materials. Staff promote children's understanding of technology as they use the computers independently and follow matching games. Children benefit from displays and labels using text to help them learn about writing for different purposes. Children learn through their senses through planned activities using sound, rhythm and rhyme. They learn about life cycles by looking at the nursery tadpoles and turtles. The topics, such as sea life, animals and dinosaurs build on children's current interests and help them to learn. As a result, they are making good progress in all areas of learning.

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

Good relationships between staff and children help children to feel safe and secure in their nursery. Babies are settled. They make good relationships with other children in their age range. They are able to see and hear what is happening in the adjacent toddler room and older babies enjoy watching the other children at play. This prepares them for move to the toddler room and fully supports their emotional well-being. Toddlers develop their independence over time because staff manage their behaviour well and treat them with respect at all times. Children are kind to each other, they share and take turns during play. They join in with songs, stories and games enjoying the group activities with their friends. Children are healthy. They have ample opportunities to play outside and enjoy meals and snacks freshly prepared on the premises.

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

Older children show exceptional confidence and a positive attitude to learning. They are confident in their play because they are able to make choices throughout the day. The key person system is implemented well and children's care needs are met by familiar adults. The organisation of staffing levels and the learning environment is good. Children benefit from a good range of resources, furniture and equipment in all the rooms and the outdoor environment. Children learn about how things grow in their own vegetable garden and they learn to explore the natural world in an area used as a forest school. They learn how to care for others due to the nursery having pets, with the recent addition of some chicks that have hatched. Children name the chicks and learn that they need food and water to grow. They take turns to handle them and understand the importance of washing their hands after touching them.

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

Staff promote children's health well, and help them learn about healthy lifestyles. Staff and children follow good hygiene routines. Children enjoy healthy, home cooked meals that meet their dietary needs well. Active lifestyles are encouraged through the use of the forest school facilities, and here children learn to take considered risks in a safe environment.

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

Spontaneous learning takes place in the garden when children play ball games, climb, balance and ride bikes and read books with staff. Children behave well and persevere with activities of their choosing; for example, as two boys share a floor puzzle, concentrate and co-operate with one another. It is clear that children make firm friendships and enjoy once another's company at the nursery. They sit nicely for a French class and proudly show their reward stickers to staff. They are confident in learning French and enjoy singing songs and rhymes in a different language.

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provision

Chatterbox House is a good nursery where children are confidently learning and developing well. This is due to highly effective leadership, which promotes good standards of care and education. The management team have successfully fostered a culture of mutual support and teamwork to promote ambition. This ensures that they lead the team well and make continuous improvements. For example, they support their staff through peer mentoring, training and supervision. This contributes to the continued professional development of the staff team and enables them to deliver a quality service. Staff are deployed well, to ensure children are well supervised at all times. They successfully use good methods of evaluation as a tool to promote high quality continuously.

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provision

The management team have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements, including the need to inform Ofsted of any significant issues. They successfully implement an extensive range of policies aimed at promoting children's health, safety and well-being. For example, in the area of the garden they use as a forest school, specific risk assessments are used, including helping children to manage risks for themselves. Staff teach children not to touch the nettles and to fold their arms when a wasp or bee is close by. This helps children take responsibilities and helps them learn about their own safety in a managed environment. Several staff have undertaken specific training in forest school teaching which means that the area is used to best effect for children. Staff also attend in-house training for safeguarding and this ensures that staff have the knowledge to protect children.

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provision

The managers and staff have good understanding of how children learn. Effective systems are in place to monitor the educational programme and children's progress. This means that children's learning needs are met and their progress is good. Staff work together to plan for children's interests and their individual needs. For example, the needs of any children requiring additional support are quickly identified, working with parents to secure an appropriate action plan. Staff work effectively in partnership with other professionals to plan for children's individual needs, for instance, making good use of information gathered from the two year check. They provide for children on early years action plans working closely with other professionals. This helps to close the gap for children who may have otherwise have been disadvantaged by the time they move on to school. Partnerships with parents are good. Parents say they have the utmost respect for the work that the staff

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provision

team do to support their children. Many parents choose to keep their child in the nursery right up to compulsory school age. This is because they are confident that their children are happy and learning the skills they need to prepare them for the next stage in their education. Parents are encouraged to become involved in their child's learning through good communication. For example, they have weekly newsletters detailing what is happening in nursery and useful website links for activities they can do with their children at home.

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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 EY244989 Local authority Bexley Inspection number 921443 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 57 Number of children on roll 97 Name of provider Chatterbox House Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 06/01/2011 Telephone number 020 8302 2727

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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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