Minnows Children's Day Nursery

Minnows Children's Day Nursery 39 Turford Avenue, MIDDLESBROUGH, Cleveland, TS3 9AT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/04/2013 07/07/2009

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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

 The nursery is led by an enthusiastic management team who are well organised and who strive to improve the experiences for all children.  The nursery team have a good understanding of how children learn and develop. They plan and provide challenging and enjoyable experiences that meet children's individual needs and interests. Children make good, and often very good progress in their learning and development.  The key person arrangements are well embedded and successful. As a result, children are settled, happy and confident to explore and try out new things.  The nursery team have a good understanding of their responsibilities with regards to child protection The environment is safe and good steps are taken to reduce potential dangers. Children are well safeguarded.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always make the most of opportunities to allow children to choose if they wish to play indoors or outdoors.  Children are not given additional opportunities to make marks in all areas of the learning environment so that they can experiment with their early writing skills.

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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 the playroom and outside area.  The inspector held meetings with the manager and spoke to staff and children.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children, the provider's self-evaluation and other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents expressed through nursery questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

Minnows Day Nursery was registered in 2007 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a single storey building, adjacent to the Mobile Care Qualification building in the Brambles Farm area of Middlesbrough, Cleveland. It is one of nine settings owned by the Nunthorpe Nurseries Group. The nursery serves the local area and surrounding areas and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff including the manager. All hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 48 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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

 extend the opportunities when possible for children to choose if they wish to play indoors or outdoors, and where possible allow them to move freely between the two areas

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

 increase the opportunities for children to make marks with different resources in all areas in the learning environment, for example in the role play areas, to give children the opportunity to write for a various purposes.

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who attend

Children make good, and sometimes very good progress in their learning and development because staff have a thorough understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how young children learn. They plan activities to cover the length and breadth of the Early Years Foundation Stage. These activities are based on children's interests and their next steps in learning are taken into account. Staff complete regular and precise assessments of children and use these effectively to plan suitably challenging activities. Their learning and progress is documented in informative learning journals which are shared with parents. Staff ensure children have the skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready to make the transition into school. They promote children's communication skills well by repeating words back to the youngest children so they hear correct pronunciations. They work closely with parents and other professionals if concerns are identified with children's

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who attend

speech. This helps children to make as much progress as possible. They ask children questions to make them think and give them the time to express their views. Children are becoming increasingly independent. Staff arrange resources so children can easily access them and make choices about what they wish to play with. Arrangements at lunchtime enable older children to serve themselves their food and pour their own water and they do so successfully. Planned activities, such as, making marks in the frost and writing on clipboards whilst in the garden mean children develop skills for writing. However, there is scope to extend opportunities further by ensuring writing materials are readily available for all activities, such as, in the role play areas. Children enjoy books and staff make sure there is a good range available to them. They have favourites and can often be found sitting quietly and looking through them or taking them to staff so they can read them

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who attend

together. Activities are planned based on their favourite stories. For example, children are currently watching their caterpillars transform and patiently waiting for them to emerge as butterflies after reading a popular book about a hungry caterpillar. Good use is made of the local community and surrounding areas to promote children's understanding of the world. They are frequent visitors to places, such as, parks, museums and the beach and children thoroughly enjoy using public transport, which staff recognise for some children is a new experience.

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who attend

Staff recognise that children's learning and development is best promoted when both they and parents work together. They are constantly looking for new ways to encourage and enable parents to share information about what their child is doing at home so they can take this into account when planning activities to extend children's learning further.

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

Children are happy and settled during their time at the nursery. Staff spend time getting to know the children and their families well at the start of the placement. This helps them to meet individual needs and helps to ensure children have a smooth transition between home and the nursery. An effective key person system works successfully, enabling children to settle into the routine of the nursery. Children form attachments to their key person and show their delight when that person comes in to care for them. Great care is taken to ensure that when children are ready to progress to the next room they are confident to do so. However, due to the friendly, open atmosphere throughout the nursery children appear to be comfortable with all members of staff.

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

Children are making friends and get on well with their peers. When possible staff arrange for all of the nursery children to come together. For example, during quieter periods all children eat together in the same room. This creates a happy, social atmosphere where younger children learn from the older children. It also gives children from the same families the opportunity to be with their siblings. Behaviour is good throughout all rooms and children know what is expected of them. Staff encourage children to share, take turns and to respect each other, and are positive role models for children.

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

Good standards of hygiene are maintained throughout the nursery which help to prevent the spread of germs. Staff make sure all areas are clean including all eating areas. Children have their own bedding and effective nappy changing practises are followed. Children learn to manage their personal care well with good support from staff. They know how to brush their teeth, how to wash and dry their hands thoroughly, and when they need to do this. All staff have completed first aid training which gives them the knowledge to deal with any incidents appropriately. The outdoor area provides a stimulating area where children have the freedom to explore use their senses and be physically active and exuberant whilst benefiting from the fresh air. They take great pleasure in watering their vegetables and fruit trees and love digging in the mud pit. Staff ensure that children access this area on occasions throughout the day so they benefit from being in the fresh

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

air and engage in additional activities. However, staff do not take advantage of possible opportunities to allow children to move freely between indoors and outdoors, or when staffing arrangements allow, always give children choices about where they wish to play.

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provision

The leadership and management team have high aspirations for quality. They have a good understanding of the requirements for the safeguarding and welfare requirements and meet these successfully. The Nunthorpe Nursery Group have thorough recruitment and induction systems in place to help ensure staff are suitable and skilled in their roles. The designated persons are clear and well informed of their responsibilities for safeguarding and work well with partners to protect children. All staff are fully informed of the procedures and complete regular child protection training. Security is good. Premises are secure and children are well supervised. Risk assessments are robust and effective safety measures are in place and reviewed on a daily basis to ensure the continued safety of children. All required documentation is in place and the management team have good organisational skills. Consequently, children are well safeguarded. The learning and

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provision

development requirements are also met well. Managers closely monitor the educational programmes and work with staff to ensure a broad range of experiences to help children progress to the early learning goals. They have a good, secure understanding of the areas of learning and are themselves experienced, enthusiastic practitioners.

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provision

The management team work hard to improve the provision and plan training and support for all staff to enable this. A comprehensive self-evaluation is undertaken on a frequent basis with the views of parents, staff and children taken into account. An action plan is developed to make improvements and the progress recorded, as well as the effect it has had on practice. This system helps to ensure good quality provision. Recommendations made at the last inspection have been successfully addressed. For example, the outdoor area now provides an inviting area for children to play in and learn about the natural world.

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provision

Parents are supportive of the nursery's work and speak highly of the staff and the care their children receive. Comments include, 'my child is making good progress' and 'my child has settled in the nursery because of the outstanding and caring staff'. An informative parents' noticeboard, newsletters, open days and daily exchange of information help to form good communication between nursery and parents. Staff are available to speak to parents daily and any concerns or information are shared and sorted in a timely manner. The nursery staff work hard to build partnerships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage to promote consistency of children's care and 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 EY359117 Local authority Middlesbrough Inspection number 908177

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 64 Name of provider Nunthorpe Nurseries Group Ltd Date of previous inspection 07/07/2009 Telephone number 01642 245599

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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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