Pixieland Mannamead

Pixieland Mannamead 162 Mannamead Road, Mannamead, Plymouth, Devon, PL3 5QL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/05/2013 26/05/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The staff do not promptly initiate additional assessment and support for children whose progress is not as expected. As a result, staff are not able to close the gaps in the learning of some children, and for some children they are widening.  Some staff do not implement the behaviour management policy appropriately to support children to manage their own behaviour. This means that some children behave in unsafe ways.  Processes of self evaluation have not identified weaknesses in the support for some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or enabled the management to make effective improvements in the management of children's behaviour.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff have enhanced the learning environment as they have organised the play areas better and improved the storage of resources so children can easily choose what to play with.  Children learn about healthy lifestyles as they play outside frequently, eat healthy, freshly prepared foods and develop suitable hygiene routines.

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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 children in each of the rooms and when playing outside.  The inspector spoke with parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's documents, policies and procedures, suitability records, and observational records.  The inspector talked with the managers, staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The managers escorted the inspector around the nursery where some activities were observed and discussed.

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Information about the setting

Pixieland at Mannamead is part of a chain of four privately owned nurseries in Plymouth and Cornwall. The nursery is situated in a large two storey building on a main road into Plymouth, in a well established residential suburb of the city. The nursery has sole use of the premises and some children are cared for in rooms accessed by a flight of stairs. Pixieland offers care for children under 12 years old. It is registered on the Early Years Register, and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is open from 7am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year.

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Information about the setting

Currently there are 111 children on roll within the early years age range, and 13 children of school age. The nursery receives funding for free early education for three and four- year-olds. The nursery is currently supporting children who learn English as an additional language and children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs a total of 20 staff who work directly with the children, plus a cook, cleaners and a gardener. The manager and area manager both hold Early Years Professional status, eight staff hold qualifications at level 3 in childcare, six hold qualifications at level 2, and two are working towards a childcare qualification.

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must:

 foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement to identify necessary areas for improvement, and to bring about those changes

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must:

 ensure that staff implement the behaviour management policy, with particular regard to the management of biting, to support each child to learn to manage their own behaviour, and work effectively with parents where there are ongoing behavioural concerns.

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must:

 take prompt action to implement support and seek additional information and guidance from other professionals when there are concerns over a child's learning and development

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who attend

Children are cared for in age appropriate groups and in designated base rooms. The management and staff have improved the range of resources and equipment in each room and given more thought towards the learning environment. As a result children can easily choose what to play with from the well-organised resources, which are stored in clear containers at low level. Displays and notices are at child height and use both English and the home languages of children who attend. As a result, all children can select things that they like and children are more independent. They feel welcome in the nursery and are developing skills for their future learning. Staff support children's play and learning in the outside area at regular intervals during the day. This provides children with opportunities to mix and socialise with the other children from the different rooms and develop their social skills.

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who attend

Overall staff use observation and assessment systems appropriately in order to identify children's current abilities and plan for their next steps. They clarify each child's future learning intention on a central sheet within the planning. This enables staff to know how they can best support each child during their play. This addresses a recommendation from the last inspection and promotes more consistency for most children. The staff have clear records of children's levels of achievement and share these with parents in a written summary each term. This shows that generally children are making suitable progress. However, staff do not implement support quickly enough for children who have gaps in their development or who are not achieving as expected. As a result, some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are not able to make the enough progress. For example, when children transfer from another setting there are delays in gathering

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who attend

information about their development. As a result, plans for their development do not tackle the gaps in their learning effectively and staff do not always provide appropriate equipment to support them effectively. For example, when there are gaps in some children's physical development, staff do not always make equipment available to promote their walking skills

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who attend

Generally, children play with a wide range of activities that support all the areas of learning. Babies explore a wide range of sensory activities. Staff encourage them to reach out for the colourful bottles, which are different weights and make various sounds. The mobile babies crawl and walk through the shredded paper feeling the different textures. The staff know and support the babies routines sensitively. They feel safe to explore their surroundings as a result. Older children sit and join in with singing songs and rhymes, helping their communication and language development. The pre-school children use three rooms freely, where different types of resources and activities are on offer. The messy play area is well used and children independently put on their aprons before exploring the various activities. Staff encourage children to explore the dough and water mix, or to measure and pour water into various containers. In the role play area staff sit

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who attend

and interact with children, supporting their imaginary play. Most children are developing positive attitudes to learning.

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

Staff are friendly and form positive relationships with children and parents. Staff know the children's interests and routines and generally meet their needs well. Babies are relaxed and comfortable, as they feel secure and trusting with their familiar carers. Staff repeat babies babbling sounds and comment on children's actions and achievements. This promotes their early communication development and boosts their self-esteem. Older children help to set up and tidy away their own toys, and are developing independence. Staff are suitable role models as they are polite and caring, and praise children for all they do. As a result, the older children are willing to help each other. They fasten each others aprons or get help for their friends if needed. Staff help children to understand the expected rules of the setting and most children behave very well. However, some staff do not follow the behaviour policy to support children with known and persistent behaviour

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

concerns. As a result staff do not always intervene appropriately to manage unwanted behaviour, or to enable children to understand how to manage their own behaviour. This impacts on some children's personal, social and emotional development.

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

A designated cook in the nursery provides wholesome and appetising meals. Meals and snacks are freshly prepared and the menu is varied to extend children's tastes and promote their health. Children sit in social groups and eat well, developing their coordination as they feed themselves. Staff sit and support children while they eat. They develop their social and communication skills and help children to manage their personal needs, such as wiping their faces and cleaning teeth after eating. Children willingly help to serve each other and collect dirty plates, becoming thoughtful individuals.

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

Staff provide children with regular opportunities to play outside in the fresh air and babies are taken on walks. Mobile children use a range of equipment to practise their climbing, balancing and coordination. Staff remind children of safety as they use the climbing equipment and offer a supportive hand as children balance along the tunnels. However, staff do not always make appropriate equipment available for children who have identified gaps in their physical development. Children draw and read books in the cosy nooks created for them, or develop their imaginary play with resources on offer. Staff support children's natural routines for sleep as they provide younger children with quiet sleeping areas for rest and naps. Staff are always on hand supervising children when they are asleep. Children are well prepared for moving in the nursery to new rooms or onto new settings. Staff are sensitive and gentle introductions to the new environments with the key

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provision

This inspection was brought forward as a result of information received by Ofsted regarding concerns about the supervision of children and managing their behaviour. The nursery was found to be meeting the staff to child ratios at all times. However, some staff do not fully implement the nursery policy to manage challenging behaviour such as biting, or where behavioural concerns are ongoing. The managers have investigated the concern and made some changes to encourage staff to improve the management of challenging behaviour, however these changes are not effective. All documentation is thoroughly completed, stored appropriately, and shared with parents to keep them informed about the care that their children receive and any concerns. However, staff do not always work effectively with parents when there have been identified behavioural concerns to enable them to give consistent messages to children. As a result, staff do not manage all unsafe

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provision

Staff do not always work effectively with parents to manage children's special educational needs and/or disabilities. While staff are able to identify concerns about children's development, they do not consistently gather required information from parents so that they can work to close identified gaps. Also, staff do not always work effectively with outside agencies or other settings that children have attended to gather necessary information about their individual needs. As a result, they are not able to take prompt action to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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provision

The leadership team and staff are aware of most of their responsibilities in meeting the learning and development and welfare requirements. However, staff do not implement some policies appropriately to meet the needs of all children in the setting, for example, the behaviour policy and policies concerning children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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provision

Overall, there are suitable systems in place to provide children with a secure and safe environment. Staff understand their responsibilities in safeguarding children and know what to do if they have any child protection concerns. The management team have introduced a supervision system that provides staff with frequent opportunities to discuss child protection issues and raise any issues with the senior team. Staff risk assess areas suitably and the manager considers staffing levels when she considers how to maintain children's safety. Staff suitability is monitored to maintain a safe environment for children. The manager has identified that some staff are more effective than others. Managers and room leaders address these issues through supervision sessions or by immediate coaching by the senior staff. As a result some practice has improved across the nursery. For example, room leaders offer staff suggestions for developing children's communication

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provision

through using statements and comments rather than direct questioning. However, while this is successfully driving some improvements in practice, this has not tackled weaknesses in the management of challenging behaviour. While the management team review and reflect on the organisation of the nursery and identify areas for development, they have not tackled significant weaknesses in practice, for example, how staff meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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provision

Parents' comments are regularly sought by the management and contribute to improving the provision. Daily talks between the staff and parents contribute to effective sharing of information. Parents receive termly updates on their child's progress and they receive information on how to support children's learning. The nursery staff use a similar format to provide parents with a progress check for children when they are two years old. The setting monitors most children's learning and development effectively. However, they do not always respond promptly or appropriately when there are identified concerns about a child's learning and development. As a result, children do not always receive prompt additional support. This means that staff are unable to plan appropriately for some children's development so they do not close all gaps in learning.

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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 117141 Local authority Plymouth Inspection number 916250

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 79 Number of children on roll 124 Name of provider Pixieland South West Ltd Date of previous inspection 26/05/2011 Telephone number 01752 770550

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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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