Cheeky Monkeys Two

Cheeky Monkeys Two 6 Linden Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 2DA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/05/2013 26/11/2010

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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 are motivated to learn and are physically active because the staff provide an outdoor space where they may explore, build and experiment with natural resources. As a result, children are eager to learn and develop good health.  The provision uses strategies that engage all parents and extend children's learning at home. Precise assessment and focused planning leads to good development for children, taking into account their starting points.  Partnerships with other agencies support every child to learn and develop. Children are well prepared for any move within, or from, the provision and as a result, they thrive.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children are not consistently provided with sufficient time to solve problems, explore new knowledge and be independent because staff are sometimes over eager to support them as they play.  Staff do not always make full use of everyday play and routines, in order to reinforce children's awareness of safe practices and personal care.  Continuity of learning is not fully supported because the sharing of information between the provision and other settings delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage is not effectively established.

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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 all occupied rooms and the outside area and spoke with the manager, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies, procedures and information provided and displayed by the provision.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed a selection of children's observation and assessment development files with key persons.

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Information about the setting

Cheeky Monkeys Two was registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The provision operates from a converted Victorian house close to the centre of Bedford, Bedfordshire. A ramp to the rear entrance means that the premises are easily accessible. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The provision is one of two nurseries owned by the same provider. It serves the local area and wider community. The provision employs nine members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3.

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Information about the setting

The provision opens Monday to Friday all year round with the exception of bank holidays. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm; children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 73 children attending, who are in the early years age group. The provision provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those, who speak English as an additional language.

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

 consolidate children's problem solving skills and independence by allowing them more time and spontaneous opportunities to organise themselves, think through solutions and use their emergent skills and knowledge

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

 support and enhance children's understanding of safety and personal self-care by providing consistent messages during everyday activities and routines

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

 extend the work undertaken in partnership with the other settings that children attend, in order to develop a consistency of approach towards learning and development.

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who attend

Children are happy, secure and motivated in the provision and consequently, make good progress in their learning and development given their starting points. Staff offer resources and experiences that motivate children to learn and ensure that they are well prepared for their move to school. For example, a computer is accessible to children and when they decide to switch it on a staff member joins them. She asks questions, such as 'what do we need to do first?' and 'how might we do that?', to support their emergent knowledge. Group discussion sessions enhance children's concentration skills and help them to listen carefully to instructions. Hence, they are prepared for being part of a larger group when in a school setting. Children talk about the weather and their news from home. Staff skilfully use these opportunities to support all children's learning as they introduce new words and model sentence structure in response to the shorter sentences

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who attend

used by the children. As a result, children develop good communication and language skills. Older children use initial sounds and letters with confidence. Many older children can identify the letters at the beginning of their name and some can predict the words that are made up by letters. For example, they tell staff that the letters on the shirts, which they are wearing say 'Cheeky Monkeys'. Materials for writing are accessible for children at all times and some younger children are seen to enjoy 'writing' within diaries. All children enjoy singing in a large group. They have fun choosing items from the 'song bag' related to their favourite songs and then sing with enthusiasm. Children play instruments, keep time with the music and tap the beats of songs together. Staff introduce technology to the session by introducing a microphone with which younger children experiment to see what sounds they can make. The staff team support the children's enjoyment by joining in and

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who attend

demonstrating to the children their own pleasure.

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who attend

Observation and assessment is focused and builds from an initial assessment that includes the views of parents. Ongoing assessment makes full use of the 'Development matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage' guidance. Each child has detailed next steps sheets and their progress is monitored and recorded using 'where I am now' sheets. Time-sampled tracking shows how children are using the resources. Assessment also includes sampled conversations held with children and observed outdoor play. Key persons assemble planning sheets for every child that show their interests, next steps, planning to achieve those steps and how the information has been shared with parents. Parents are fully involved in their children's learning and review the learning and development files at the open sessions in the provision or at home. Daily verbal exchange is a key part of the sharing process and enhances the close monitoring of children's care, learning and

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who attend

Close monitoring of all children's progress towards the early learning goals takes place. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive well-planned support to make sure that they make good progress. For example, the staff adhere closely to any programmes of work for children, such as those provided by speech and language therapists. The provision works extremely well with other agencies involved with children and, together with parents, develop individual development plans that identify how children's needs will be supported to help them to make good progress. The provision obtains information about the cultural events that take place in children's lives and helps them to complete some craft works related to popular festivals. They work with parents to gather information about their home language and cultural expectations to help them to provide appropriate support for young children, who speak English as an additional

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who attend

language. As a result, all children make good progress given their starting points and individual needs.

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who attend

Children benefit from free-flow outdoor play. The provision ensures that outdoor learning is fully incorporated into the planning because the staff receive training to enhance their understanding of the importance of outdoor play. There is a covered area, utilised in all weathers, where children enjoy role play, building with various materials and many other activities. Children also love to use the larger area where they ride bicycles on the sport track, explore the 'bug mansion' or develop structures with the crates, guttering and balls available to them. Children develop their co-ordination and physical awareness as they swing from the bars on the tree. They develop extensive imaginary games using the real kitchen equipment where they use soil and water to make 'dinner'. Children work together and talk about how heavy a full bucket of water feels, how the dinner is going to take between five and sixty minutes to cook and how the mud is now sloppy and runny with

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who attend

more water added. They are demonstrating a high level of motivation and exploration as they, supported by attentive staff, try out their ideas. Children have access to materials and planned activities to explore art activities. For example, the staff plan activities linked to topics to extend them, such as making fire engines linked to the Fire service topic or using handprints to make 'firemen'. Children do make some independent choices, such as helping each other with aprons, deciding on colours or whether to use paint or crayons. Staff are supportive, they give clear explanations and offer children time to listen and to talk about what they are doing. However, on occasion, staff's eagerness to support children in their play means that they do not always have the chance to do things for themselves. Some children are not always enabled to make their own decisions or carry out simple tasks, such as making decisions about how to draw round templates, write

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who attend

their names on their crafts or explore associated learning, such as identifying shapes and incorporating mathematics. This, sometimes restricts children's ability to practise problem- solving.

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

Children form very secure emotional attachments and strong links with their key persons. Settling-in procedures are thorough, care plans for babies and settling-in reviews help children to feel secure. The daily routine is adapted where needed to meet individual children's needs. For example, when children are unsettled after a move between rooms, their day starts in their original room until they have settled and are ready to be taken into their new room. This fosters children's sense of stability. In addition, the provision adopts a system of a 'buddy' for new children. This is sometimes used to support children with a language other than English where a 'buddy' speaks the same language or to enable a confident child to help to settle a new child joining the group. Staff model good social behaviour for children and this results in them adopting such behaviours. For instance, children tell a staff member that, 'me and my friend are both sitting on this nice chair and

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

we are sharing together, that's nice'. Praise from the staff member reinforces such spontaneous care between the children. Children's achievements are recognised in ways that enhance their self-esteem. For example, a daily helper and 'star of the week' help children to feel appreciated. Staff ask parents to provide news of events in the home by completing slips for the 'wow' boards. This helps children to understand that they are valued as individuals. Parents are involved with sharing their own culture and many come into the setting to share stories and books in their home language with the groups. Languages, including the use of talking postcards, food and clothing is all shared and special events are discussed. In this way, the staff ensure that children learn about and respect, each other's culture and that the involvement of parents assists children's sense of security and belonging within the setting.

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

Children are helped to develop regular hygiene routines. They are well nourished, meals are freshly prepared each day by the cook, who is well informed of each child's dietary need. She ensures that substitute items are provided to enable each child to enjoy the same meal. For instance, soya products replace dairy products where needed and all meat prepared is Halal. Children help to pour their drinks at snack time and become aware of their own needs with regard to the intake of fluids for good health. They also serve their own vegetables at lunchtime and develop independence. Children know that they need to clean their teeth to maintain good oral health. Regular project works, including a visit from the dentist, are discussed and reviewed by the children, who relay their new knowledge with confidence. Children take part in ballet and yoga. They explore movement and they dance spontaneously when music is played in the playrooms. These activities foster good

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

health. Children learn to take risks in a safe environment when they use the large physical equipment outdoors. Safety projects help children to consider risks alongside thinking about the roles of the emergency services. For example, they learn that '999' is the number to call when they need the emergency services. Children begin to develop awareness of their own safety through such regular discussion and project works. However, children do not yet always demonstrate an understanding of how to be safe when carrying out everyday routines in the nursery. This is because the staff do not always give consistent messages, with close supervision, to ensure that children behave in a safe manner. Hence, the children's understanding of safety is not yet explored to the maximum.

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

Transitions between the rooms at the provision and preparation for a move to new schools, are managed well. As a result, children's progression is smooth. Parents provide the details of their child's new school to the provision and an invitation is extended to that school for them to visit the child and meet the key person at the provision. A detailed summary report is sent to the new school together with the ongoing development file. The provision liaises with Reception Unit Teachers to pave the way into school and as a result, the transition process is positive and children thrive. Any move between rooms at the provision is managed at the pace of the child. There are no set times for moving and children will remain with their same key person and room until such time that they are fully prepared for the next stage. Visits to that new room help children to become confident and this is enhanced by the group activities when all children join together

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

during each day. Consequently, children's needs are managed well.

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provision

The owner and manager have high expectations for the quality of care that is offered to children and families. Regular and robust reviews of all paperwork and procedures takes place to ensure that all requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage are met. Arrangements to safeguard children within the setting are robust. All staff have safeguarding training and this is reviewed at staff meetings and at additional in-house training days. Designated persons repeat their training as required and also attend associated training courses, in order to remain fully up to date with procedures and current issues. As part of the safeguarding procedures, there are thorough recruitment and suitability checks, which result in a detailed induction and probationary period for new staff. As a result, the setting ensures that children are protected. Staff create an environment where children engage in a broad range of activities within small

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provision

groups. The environment is very safe, external doors are secured by video telephone entry and all persons must be admitted by staff from inside. These measures demonstrate the regard that the setting has for the safety of children. The setting carries out comprehensive risk assessments, which cover all areas of the premises and any excursions off-site. Consequently, children are safe.

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provision

High quality professional supervision is provided. Each staff member takes part in an annual appraisal, together with a review at the interim six month period, to identify areas of strength and targets to meet. This feeds into a programme for professional development and training programmes. This process is supported by the informal peer observations, which take place by the manager, who works within each room and is supernumerary to ratios required. Staff remain motivated to continue improving their practice and this is recognised by the certificate awarded to the star of the month for achievement, outstanding practice, selflessness or sheer hard work. The room meetings and whole staff team meetings help to ensure that all staff are working well as a team and result in good care for children. Parents are involved in the practice of the setting. For instance, daily diaries, a suggestion box and newsletters all involve them in the provision.

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provision

The 'stay and play' sessions for parent and child help to provide information to parents on how children learn and offer ideas for learning in the home. The close work with all other agencies involved with children, and other settings involved, means that children's needs are quickly identified and well met. The provision works with schools to which children move and other settings that they currently attend where there is a specific need. For example, they discuss any programme of work, such as speech therapy and talk about events or forthcoming changes. However, the links with other settings and key persons are not fully developed to ensure that consistency of learning is promoted.

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provision

The setting implements reflective practice, which includes the review of all areas of practice and involves all staff members. The manager compiles a 'training needs analysis' folder. This helps her to identify the training for staff that will have the most benefit for the improvement of the setting. This means that they have an accurate view of the setting's strengths and continually strive for improvement. Children are secure, enjoy their learning and play and are self-confident in the care of the staff. Consequently, children embark on their learning career ready to seek out new experiences and learn.

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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 EY381322 Local authority Bedford Borough Inspection number 917401

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 51 Number of children on roll 73 Name of provider Cheeky Monkeys Two Partnership Date of previous inspection 26/11/2010 Telephone number 01234 216147

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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