Small Talk Nurseries Ltd.

Small Talk Nurseries Ltd. 85 Grove Lane, HANDSWORTH, Birmingham, B21 9HF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/06/2013 05/01/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 The good opportunities for children to use their home languages help them recognise and value a variety of languages and cultures.  The beautiful displays of children's pictures, paintings and photographs help them reflect on their successes and support their self-confidence and self-awareness.  Children are effectively safeguarded because the staff have up-to-date and relevant knowledge and understanding of the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child.  The effective and well-established methods of continued professional development help staff to develop their knowledge and skills in order to meet the needs of the children.

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It is not yet good because

 Children's learning and development is not fully supported because good quality staff deployment and interaction is not consistent enough to establish a balance of activities.  Experiences to challenge and excite children vary in quality. This is because children are not always able to access interesting and flexible resources.  There is scope to improve children's understanding of acceptable behaviour through clear explanations and with the aid of better staff deployment.  There is room to improve the evaluation of the nursery taking into account the views of others to establish well-targeted improvement plans.

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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 throughout the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, owners, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the observations.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the nursery manager of general activities in the pre-school room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation, including children's assessments, planning, and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

Small Talk Nurseries Ltd was registered in 2010 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery operates from the ground and first floors of a designated building in Handsworth, Birmingham. There is no outside play area, but children are taken on regular outings. There is level access to the premises and within the ground floor, and stairs to the first floor.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 17 members of childcare staff. Of these, 15 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including the two managers who hold Degrees in Early Years Practice.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 8am 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. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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must:

 ensure all staff respond to each child's emerging needs and interests by good deployment and guiding their development through warm, positive interaction in order to encourage a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activities and increase children's confidence in their own abilities.

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

 provide more stimulating resources which are accessible and open-ended so that they can be used, moved and combined in a variety of ways to further challenge and excite children's interests

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

 help children to understand acceptable behaviour through encouraging cooperation within routines and by offering clear explanations of the impact of their actions on others; and support with effective staff deployment

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

 extend and review self-evaluation to monitor the impact of improvements and inform clear targets for the long term achievements and outcomes for children and to maintain sustained improvement

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who attend

Children's starting points are assessed well on entry. This is because staff communicate effectively with parents and share information about children's development. This valuable detail from parents, such as likes, dislikes and favourite activities are used effectively to support the staff's observations of the children. As a result, staff learn about the children's preferences and skills and build on these to help children to settle well into the nursery. This communication continues as children grow and move through the nursery. For example, staff share records of children's learning, daily feedback and ideas for activities at home with parents, which link to what the children are doing at nursery. As a result, children's learning is suitably supported both at the nursery and at home.

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who attend

Staff complete all required progress checks and assessments and share these effectively with parents and other professionals as appropriate. This ensures that they recognise the child's development and are made aware of any areas where progress is less than expected. Staff use this information well to gain appropriate support at an early stage so that no child gets left behind. They also use this to correctly identify children's next steps in their learning and development and plan activities to encourage children's good progress.

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who attend

Staff understand how children learn and provide some good opportunities and activities to promote their development. However, staffs deployment and interactions with the children do not always engage children in purposeful play. This means that a balance of adult-led and child-initiated experiences is not fully established. In addition to this, the less successful access and flexibility of resources impacts on children's opportunities to explore and investigate and extend their learning to the very optimum.

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who attend

Throughout the nursery children enjoy some good activities to support their development across the prime and specific areas of learning. There are many displays of the rich and varied activities that children take part in which children talk about fondly. For example, they reminisce about a recent trip to a local mosque, and about their regular visits to the park. In 'Little Nemos' the youngest children benefit through well-planned and resourced spaces. They use their senses to explore the range of activity toys and shape sorters and enjoy good interaction with their key person. In the 'Whiney the Pooh' room children develop their curiosity as staff encourage them to copy the noises they make as they pretend to be different animals.

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who attend

Older children are eager to play in the sand. They pour and sift the sand through their fingers and push cars through as they talk with staff about the patterns and marks that the tyres make. They build castles and garages with large construction bricks and occasionally invite the help of their friends to place the brick high as they hold it steady. Children take time making sure the 'babies' and toy cars are nice and clean using the shaped, colourful sponges they have chosen. They laugh and joke with staff as they 'loose' the objects in the bubbles. Children sit nicely at the tables drawing around stencils and copying labels as they attempt to write their names. They receive praise and encouragement as they cut pictures from catalogues and stick them on the paper to show what they would like to buy from the shops. These activities support children to develop the some of the skills needed to help prepare them for the next stages in their learning

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

Children play in bright and welcoming surroundings throughout the nursery. Each of the rooms are homely and child-friendly. There is some good use of colours and soft furnishing, such as comfy cushions and draped fabrics, which help children to feel at ease in their environment. The brightly coloured displays and valuable information for parents depict positive images of diversity. In addition to this, there are beautiful examples of the children's pictures, paintings and photographs displayed to help them reflect on their successes and to support their self-confidence and self-awareness well. Children appear comfortable and are becoming more aware of safety as they receive some reminders during play. The staff are generally positive role models and try to encourage children to take care of their environment and resources by tidying up together when they have finished playing. However, they are less successful in providing children with consistent

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

strategies and age and stage appropriate explanations to provide children with a clear understanding of acceptable behaviour.

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

Staff are generally warm and caring which promotes children's confidence and sense of belonging. The key person system is effective in supporting individual needs with some positive relationships emerging. Initial information about children's likes, dislikes and care needs is gained from parents and some useful information about the day's events is shared at the end of each session, such as what food eaten. Children are developing some effective independent self-care skills. Their care needs are managed well with regard to children's individual routines being followed. Some use the toilet with confidence and ask for help if needed whilst those in nappies are taken care of effectively. Children are made aware of the importance of good hygiene practices and supported to fulfil their personal routines independently, such as wiping their noses with the tissues available.

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

Nutritious and well-balanced meals are provided and children are happy to choose and help serve their meals and pour drinks with staff supervision. The nursery are vigilant with regard to special dietary requirements. They have planned menus around different children's attendance and meet all dietary requirements and preferences so as to meet individual needs. They all enjoy sitting together sharing stories and daily news as they eat. These opportunities help children to make satisfactory choices and promote their understanding of their health and dietary needs. Although there is no outdoor space available at the nursery, children enjoy regular outings to the park which is close by. Here they benefit through opportunities to run and jump in large spaces and access the good range of equipment with suitable staff supervision. At the nursery staff use the indoor garden to help children become more aware of the benefits of exercise. For example, they

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

play parachute games, negotiate around one another on the climbing frames and enjoy varied action songs and games. Staff help them to understand the effects of exercise and ensure that they have plenty to drink to keep themselves hydrated.

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

Many of the children speak English as an additional language. They benefit through the good opportunities to use their home languages during play and recognise the value of this as staff also use different languages to communicate with parents. Staff recognise diversity as a strength and are happy to celebrate festivals and events to promote children's understanding of different cultures. Staff create an environment that is welcoming, and safe with some good opportunities for children to enjoy their learning and grow in confidence. This helps to prepare children for their moves both within the nursery and on to other settings and secure their future learning and readiness for school.

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provision

Children's safety is secured because staff demonstrate a good level of understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. They have clear understanding of their child protection procedures with detailed policies in place, which include whistle blowing and use of mobile phones and cameras. Relevant contact details are in place and valuable information displayed in each of the rooms for staff and parents to ensure they know about their responsibilities. Following a safeguarding allegation since the last inspection, processes have been reviewed and assessed thoroughly. All staff work closely with senior staff and the owner to share and support if they have concerns about a child or when dealing with allegations. The senior staff team recognise the importance of all the staff feeling fully confident in their responsibilities and ensure that any questions are answered promptly and effectively. Safeguarding procedures are scrutinised at every staff meeting

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provision

and individual supervisions. This is order to ensure the clear processes are understood and issues are dealt with in an appropriate and timely manner. Suitable systems to further safeguard and monitor staff and children's activity during the day are in place, for example, close circuit television.

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provision

Sound recruitment and vetting systems are in place ensuring all people working with the children are suitable to do so. Staff attend regular training and events to increase their skills and knowledge and to support their ongoing professional development. Regular staff meetings enable them to discuss and focus on current legislation and to adapt practice accordingly. Staff are working hard to make improvements to the nursery and working well together to establish effective assessment and monitoring of their practice. They welcome advice and guidance from other professionals and as a result, have identified some strengths and areas to improve. They have many interesting plans for the future. However, they are yet to assess the views of others and use this data to formulate clear plans. This is order to ensure the long term achievements and outcomes for children are sustained.

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provision

Staff understand the importance of getting to know each of the children well so that they can ensure all children's needs are met effectively. However, staff deployment is not always effective, for example, to ensure monitoring of activities with regard to managing children's behaviour before it becomes too boisterous. They also know the value and purpose of good communication with other professionals who are involved in children's care. For example, although there are currently no children attending with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or who attend other settings, staff recognise that children benefit through complementary and consistent practice. As a result, staff are currently developing their links with other local provisions and continuing to develop their partnerships with parents and carers. A strength of the nursery is the focus they have on ensuring the equality of diversity in the local community is reflected in their practice. This

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provision

is particularly shown in their beautiful displays and communications. This means that good relationships are building with parents and the wider community and there is true feeling of shared respect and values which represents the vision of the nursery.

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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 EY390736 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 917967

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 48 Name of provider Small Talk Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 05/01/2011 Telephone number 0121 5543445

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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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