Shining Stars

Shining Stars 1 Canning Street, Bolton, Greater Manchester, BL1 8EZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/06/2013 22/01/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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 educational programmes are well planned by knowledgeable staff to cover all areas of learning and provide challenging, interesting and motivating experiences for all children. As a result, they make good progress in relation to their starting points.  The secure and well-established key person system helps children to form secure emotional attachments as they skilfully support them in their play. Consequently, children are well prepared for their transitions, both across the setting and into school.  Arrangements for safeguarding children are well established, and clear policies and procedures are implemented consistently to ensure children are kept safe at all times.  Partnerships with parents, external agencies and other early years providers are effective and make a significant contribution to meeting all children's needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The very good opportunities for children to extend their play and learning even further by independently using simple technological toys and resources are not yet always fully embraced.  The very good arrangements for sharing information with parents about how they can continue to support their children's learning at home are not always promoted as well as possible.

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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's activities in the two main playrooms.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager, talked to staff and key persons and carried out a joint observation with the manager of an adult-led activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents, including policies and procedures, children's records, evidence of the suitability of staff and recruitment procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Shining Stars was registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated on the ground floor of a detached building in the Astley Bridge area of Bolton. It is one of four settings owned by a private provider, who employs a manager. The setting serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is no outside play area but the setting makes use of the nearby park and play areas at the children's centre and local community centre.

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Information about the setting

The setting employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold an early years qualification at level 3 and one holds an early years qualification at level 2. The setting opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm all year round. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 53 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age group.

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Information about the setting

The setting provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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

 build on opportunities for children to use simple technology resources in their play, for example, torches magnifying glasses and cameras, to help them begin to understand how objects work in different ways

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

 strengthen further the already good partnerships with parents by providing them with ideas of how they can help support their children's learning, for example, by introducing bags containing books and rhymes or simple counting activities to take home.

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who attend

Children are enthusiastic and motivated to learn in this good quality setting. The environment is well organised into areas of continuous provision linked to the seven areas of learning and children learn through well-planned, purposeful and challenging activities. As a result, all children make good progress in relation to their starting points, including children whose starting point is below expected levels for their age. Staff are enthusiastic and full of fun and this is reflected in the motivation and enthusiasm of children as they learn and play. The environment is well resourced to promote all areas of learning and to give children opportunities to play and explore and be active learners. For example, younger children freely investigate baskets filled with different kinds of brushes; trays filled with dry pasta and assorted textured materials displayed on the wall. Older children benefit from a well-organised 'messy play' area where they can paint, draw, glue and

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who attend

Children learn about the world around them and the local community as they visit places in the local area, such as the library, mosque and local shops. For example, following children's interests, staff take children to visit the local optician where they try on glasses, look at eye charts and investigate optical instruments. Their knowledge is extended further through the provision of an optician role play area in the setting, which enables children to act out their experiences. However, children have fewer opportunities to independently use simple technology in their play. This means their understanding of how things work in different ways is not always promoted as well as possible. There is a strong focus on helping children to acquire communication and language skills and supporting their physical, personal, social and emotional development to provide a solid foundation for all areas of their learning. Consequently, children acquire the skills, abilities and

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who attend

attitudes to prepare them well for their future learning and school.

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who attend

Staff are currently involved in the 'Early Language Development Programme' and the knowledge they have gained has been put into practice, this has a significant impact on children's communication and language development. They provide a running commentary as children play to role model language and extend their vocabulary. Children are given a wealth of opportunities to listen and talk to each other for a variety of purposes to meet their individual development needs. For example, they chat to each other as they socialise at mealtimes and talk about their home and family during circle times. Their learning is enhanced by the use of pictures and photographs to help those children whose communication skills are not as secure. For example, younger children or those who speak English as an additional language. As a result, children become confident communicators.

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who attend

Children are particularly well supported to develop their writing skills, as they take part in a variety of activities to promote their pencil grip. Staff actively encourage reluctant boys to participate in these activities by linking them to their individual interests, such as pirates, telescopes and binoculars. Children have access to an extensive range of resources to support them to recognise letters and their learning is further enhanced by extremely skilful staff who deliver outstanding daily phonic sessions. The environment is rich with print and text; resources are clearly labelled with words and pictures and children participate in a self-registration process. This enables them to become familiar with the letters in their name from an early age. Several pre-school children can confidently identify letters in their name and initial sounds of objects and write letters that are recognisable.

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who attend

The well-resourced book areas enable children to access a variety of books, where they discover that print has meaning. They excitedly act out stories and rhymes using puppets, they enjoy story sessions with practitioners and share books together in small groups in cosy, quiet areas. Children develop their personal, social and emotional skills as staff teach them to share and take turns and respect the feelings of others. They cooperate with each other as they play in a group, extending and building on their ideas. For example, children work together to make models in the construction area and negotiate the roles they are going to play as they decide to dress up and go shopping. Children develop their large muscle control and coordination as they ride wheeled toys, use balancing beams and throw and catch large balls inside. In addition, daily access to the park and local children's centre gives them opportunities to experience much larger climbing equipment outdoors. Children

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who attend

develop their small muscle control as they use scissors, thread laces and fill and empty containers with sand and water.

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who attend

Teaching is strong across the setting, in some instances outstanding, and is rooted in staff's secure knowledge of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Effective observation, planning and assessment procedures are in place to ensure children's individual needs are met well. This means that any gaps in children's learning are quickly identified and appropriate external support is provided to ensure they continue to make good progress. Staff plan the learning programme from the information gathered from parents at induction. Each child is assigned a key person to be responsible for their development, routine care practices and liaison with parents. Every child has a learning journal which is maintained to a high standard and contains observations, planning for next steps and lovely photographs to evidence children's learning. Staff have detailed knowledge of every child's needs and future needs. They are fully aware of how children

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who attend

learn and can plan effectively to support their progress. Relationships with parents are effective and make a good contribution to meeting all children's needs.

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who attend

Staff discuss children's learning and progress with individual parents and share information through learning records and daily diaries. Parents are encouraged to contribute to children's learning records to inform staff of any additional information to support children's learning and progress. However, the process of providing information and ideas to help parents support their children's learning at home is less established. This means continuity of care and learning is not always promoted as well as possible.

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who attend

Children are well supported to move onto school. Staff complete a transition document to summarise children's learning which is passed on to the school they will be attending. Reception teachers are invited into the setting to visit the children and meet with their key person. They share information about children's needs and their stage of learning and development to ensure continuity of learning and care.

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

Children feel safe and secure and settle well on entry into the setting because staff find out about their interests, likes and dislikes and care routines from parents. Staff greet children and welcome them into the room ensuring that they feel valued and cared for. A warm and caring environment is created in which children are supported by the consistent routines and the effective, trusting relationships with their key person. Children have their own individual coat peg, labelled with their name and picture, which develops their sense of belonging. All children show a strong sense of self as they actively explore their environment. Children confidently seek reassurance and support from staff if they need help or comfort, which demonstrates that they feel safe and secure within the setting. For instance, children try to complete tasks by themselves, but then say, 'can you help me?' as they try to hang up their apron after playing in the water.

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

Children's health and self-care is well promoted through good hygiene practices throughout the setting. The accessibility of hand washing facilities, access to an automatic hand dryer and liquid soap ensures that children are competent at managing their own personal needs independently. Staff supervise children in the bathroom at all times so that they can support less confident children. They are sensitive and caring and respond quickly to children's physical needs to ensure they remain comfortable. For example, children who wear nappies are consistently monitored to ensure that nappies are changed as and when required, which has a positive impact on their well-being. Children who need an afternoon sleep snuggle up in their own blankets on cosy beds in the quiet area.

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

Children enjoy a variety of nutritious snacks and meals, including fresh fruit and vegetables and rice and pasta dishes. Older children develop their independence skills as they serve the meals and pour their own drinks. Younger children learn to feed themselves with the support of their key person. Fresh drinking water is available throughout the day for all children to access independently. Children experience daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise as they walk to the nearby park, where they have the space and freedom to run around. Staff provide consistent and clear boundaries to promote children's positive behaviour and, as a result, their behaviour is good. They sit appropriately during mealtimes, are polite and ask for things nicely as they respond with 'please' and 'thank you'. Children understand the golden rules of the setting and tell the member of staff that they must have 'walking feet indoors', 'kind hands' and 'listening ears'. Staff teach children

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

about keeping themselves safe as they talk about not talking to strangers and why they need to wear high visibility jackets and hold hands when out walking. Children demonstrate a helpful attitude to each other and staff. For example, they enjoy sweeping up the sand and tidying away resources in preparation for meal times.

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

Staff provide effective support to prepare children as they move on to the next stage in their learning. Children are well supported in their transitions within the setting through settling in visits with their key person as they move into a different room. All individual records and learning journeys are passed on to the next key person in order to meet and support children's individual welfare and development needs.

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provision

Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how to protect and safeguard all children and policies and procedures are known by all staff and implemented consistently. They have all attended safeguarding training and are fully aware of what to do and who to contact if there are any safeguarding concerns. Ofsted were notified of a recent incident where on one occasion an unvetted individual had unsupervised access to children for a very short period of time. The setting took immediate action to make sure children were safe and cooperated fully in the resulting investigation. Ofsted set an action to ensure the setting has effective systems in place to ensure practitioners, and any other person who is likely to have regular contact with children, including visitors to the setting are suitable to do so. The setting is compliant with this requirement. The vigilance of staff, consistent supervision of children and extensive security systems, such as closed circuit television

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provision

cameras, keypad locks on doors and the use of safety gates are effective. These ensure that children are kept safe from unwanted visitors and cannot leave the premises without an adult. Visitors to the setting are accompanied by staff at all times and not allowed unsupervised access to children. The robust recruitment and induction systems ensure that staff skills are valued and children are cared for by a safe and knowledgeable staff team. Risks are managed effectively and daily checks of the environment ensure that children can learn and play in complete safety.

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provision

The setting manager is relatively new in post and, together with the staff team and local authority early years consultant, has worked incredibly hard to make changes to develop practice since the last inspection. All previous actions and recommendations have been successfully addressed. As a result, outcomes for children have significantly improved. Changes to the provision have been made relating to the indoor environment and daily routines, resulting in all children having a happy, enjoyable and safe learning experience. For example, the open plan area has now been separated into two areas, one for children under three years and one for children over three years. This has resulted in enabling staff to ensure children have access to activities and resources that are more appropriate for their age and stage of development. In addition, evaluation of routines, through close observations, has enabled staff to make changes to ensure that children benefit and enjoy

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provision

a relaxed, calm and sociable experience at meal times.

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provision

The self-evaluation process is effective with clear targets set for improvement. It incorporates the views of children, parents and staff and demonstrates the commitment of the team to improve and continually develop the service they provide. For example, the provider and manager are currently investigating the possibility of getting permission from the council to develop a piece of land adjacent to the setting into an outdoor environment for children to access.

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provision

Staff performance is closely monitored through appraisals, general observations and meetings and by staff acting as effective role models; staff are guided in their practice to achieve the high aspirations of the management team. They are committed to their own professional development and continue to access training tailored to their needs to update and improve their knowledge and skills. For example, they undertake training on supporting the development of children's speech and language skills and working with children who are under two years of age.

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provision

The process for observation, assessment and planning is effective and ensures staff have an accurate understanding of children's skills and abilities. Consistent monitoring ensures that children experience a broad and balanced range of experiences that help them progress successfully towards the early learning goals. The process for tracking children's achievements and progress is effective and ensures that any gaps in their learning are quickly identified and appropriate interventions sought when necessary. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are exceptionally well supported because they are carefully observed and monitored to ensure their individual needs are met and they continue to make progress. There are highly effective partnerships with parents, other professionals and external agencies to secure support for children with identified needs and to ensure no child is disadvantaged.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and other early years providers are strong and make a significant contribution to meeting children's individual needs. This ensures continuity of care and learning and effectively supports children with the transition process. Parents have access to a wide variety of organisational policies and procedures and information about what to do and who to contact if they have any concerns. The use of daily diaries, along with opportunities for parents to share verbal information with friendly, approachable staff, ensures that there are strong relationships between the home and the setting.

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provision

Parents are highly complimentary about the setting and the care and education their children receive. They comment that their children are 'happy and settled, are 'excited and enthusiastic about the activities they do' and 'have made significant progress in their learning and development'. They are particularly impressed by the systems in place to prepare children for school. For example, the support provided for children to develop their independence and self-care skills and how staff teach literacy and numeracy skills through enjoyable and exciting play experiences and activities.

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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 EY380910 Local authority Bolton Inspection number 910401

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 59 Number of children on roll 53 Name of provider Riyaz Atcha Date of previous inspection 22/01/2013 Telephone number 01204 366948

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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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