Our Lady's First Steps Pre-School

Our Lady's First Steps Nursery and Kids Club Clincton View, WIDNES, Cheshire, WA8 8JN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/06/2013 05/03/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Ineffective risk assessments and inattentive supervision from staff comprise children's safety and wellbeing in the outdoor play space.  Children's progress in their learning and development is not effectively monitored as relevant information on children's starting points are not clearly established or recorded in consultation with parents. This means that staff are unable to plan activities and learning opportunities that ensure children to make the best progress they can.  Assessments of children's learning and development, including the progress check at age two, do not take into account the views of parents and carers. This means that the nursery is not working in partnership with parents to address children's learning and developmental needs to ensure a shared approach to supporting children's progress.  Leadership and management are ineffective. Plans for continuous improvement are not well focused or evaluated to ensure they promote children's safety and benefit

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It has the following strengths

 Staff form strong, trusting relationships with the children in their care.

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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 toured the premises.  The inspector observed a number of activities throughout the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed relevant planning, observation and assessment documentation and discussed these with staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed relevant documentation and held discussions with the nursery manager.

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Information about the setting

Our Lady's First Steps Full Day Care Nursery and Kids Club was registered in 2004. The provision had previously offered sessional pre-school care for over 23 years. The nursery is run by a committee and operates from a single-storey building situated within the grounds of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School in Widnes, Cheshire. Children have access to six rooms with secure outdoor play areas, and shared use of the school grounds. The nursery is open each weekday, from 8am to 6pm, all year round. During term time, the Kids Club is open to children attending the host school and operates each weekday, from 8am to 9am and 3.15pm to 6pm. During school holidays, the club is open to the wider community and operates each weekday, from 8am to 6pm. The nursery is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children aged eight years to 11 years also attend the out

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Information about the setting

of school club. There are currently 171 children on roll. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery employs 26 members of staff including the manager. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 4, 21 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 ensure thorough and accurate risk assessments identify risks to children's safety and the actions needed to minimise these risks, with particular regard to the supervision and use of outdoor play equipment

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must:

 ensure clear starting points are established for all children on entry to the nursery and in consultation with parents in order to ensure progress in their learning and development can be effectively monitored

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must:

 ensure parents are consulted and are able to contribute to the assessment of children's learning and development, in particular at age two in order to ensure this assessment accurately reflects children's learning both in the nursery and at home

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must:

 develop and implement rigorous and effective systems for self-evaluation to foster a culture of mutual support and teamwork to drive improvement to provide a continually improving experience for all children.

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who attend

On the day of the inspection there was little evidence available to show that the abilities of children of all ages had been assessed in consultation with parents on entry to the nursery or when moving between rooms. As a consequence of this, staff and managers are unable to demonstrate children's progress in relation to their starting points and capabilities. This means they are unable to monitor whether activities and learning opportunities ensure children are achieving expected levels of achievement.

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who attend

Discussion and reviews of documentation with staff regarding the progress of children with special educational needs again showed an inability to demonstrate progress. In addition, assessment currently being used to inform children's transitions to school does not accurately reflect their current ability. Educational programmes generally cover the seven areas of learning and development. However, because staff lack an accurate picture of children's current level of achievement, they are unable to ensure children are consistently provided with adequate levels of challenge to promote their progress. This means some children lack enthusiasm for learning and are, therefore, not developing all the skills and attitudes to adequately prepare them for moving onto school.

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who attend

Staff make some observations of children across the areas of learning and development and this system is developing, however, these are not assessed frequently or accurately enough to use as aid to plan for children's future progress.

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who attend

Staff share information with parents about the care practices and the activities and toys made available to their children each day. Although there is no direct evidence of parental contribution to assessment, parents have some opportunities to be involved in learning activities by accompanying their children to the farm and also by writing a diary with their children when two special teddies come and stay at the child's home. Parents are not always aware of who their child's key person is and are, therefore, unable to contribute effectively to the assessments these staff members are making of children's learning including the progress check at age two. Assessments do not, therefore, accurately reflect children's learning taking place both in the nursery and at home, meaning that both staff and parents are unable to plan the most effective future learning opportunities.

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who attend

In daily practice, staff are enthusiastic and supportive. As a result, children from an early age are confident to access the activities provided for them and enjoy their achievements. For example, a very young child developing physical skills prior to becoming an independent walker becomes thoroughly engaged in negotiating a series of soft play shapes thoughtfully arranged near a window. The child's efforts are rewarded by them being able to pull themselves up and see out the window. Staff praise the child ensuring that they are learning to enjoy their achievements and are gaining the habit of persisting in their learning.

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who attend

Staff members knowledge of child development and of their children means that they are offering some appropriate learning opportunities for the children in their care. They provide opportunities for children to use brushes and water to make marks on the pavement as a mean to develop early writing skills.

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who attend

The rooms are bright, well resourced and uncluttered, allowing children to move freely between the activities on offer. In particular, the baby room provides opportunities for very young children to explore a variety of sensory experiences, as well as climb, balance and make marks. The outdoor environment is resourced with a wide range of play materials, equipment and books to support all aspects of learning.

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who attend

Children's communication and language development are sufficiently promoted. Staff model language and consistently talk clearly to all ages of children. They use a variety of strategies to capture children's attention and develop their listening skills. For example, while outside, they encourage children of all ages to listen to the sounds in the environment, such as a fire engine or aeroplane. Staff are also animated story tellers, using expression in the tone of their voices to successfully sustain children's interest when reading stories. They also allow children to use props to become involved in the story telling by either repeating or acting out their favourite parts of the story.

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

Children have daily opportunities for physical exercise. However, staff are not vigilant enough to ensure children are kept safe at all times. They do not supervise children appropriately to ensure outdoor equipment is used appropriately. A child recently sustained an injury on a play slide. However, management have taken no action in light of this incident. During the inspection, the slide was still being used by children in an unsafe manner, for example, three children were clustered at the top of the slide which was unstable and was not secured to the ground. The inspector had to ask that this equipment be removed from use to ensure children's safety. Consequently, children are put at risk and are not learning how to assess risks so they learn to play in safety.

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

Transition procedures between nursery rooms involve groups of children having visits to their new room. New key persons then assesses where a child is up to in their learning and development, however, there is no recording of previous assessments or other important information being passed on meaning that children's progress is not being effectively monitored in relation to their starting points. Transitions to school for older children are supported with visits being arranged to the new school. Meetings with specialist teachers and other professionals, such as speech therapists, are also arranged to support these transitions for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

Children do enjoy their time at nursery, participating in a variety of fun activities that generally stimulate their natural curiosity and interests. They talk happily with staff and each other. This shows that children feel emotionally secure at the nursery. At mealtimes children receive a range of healthy meals and snacks that are freshly prepared by the nursery cook. The menu provides a variety of tastes and textures and incorporates plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Children are encouraged in good hygiene and are, therefore, learning the importance of things, such as hand washing, in keeping themselves fit and healthy. Daily diary sheets provide parents with basic information about their children's care routines.

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

Staff are appropriate role models for children's behaviour. They speak to children in a calm, respectful and caring manner. Staff in all rooms encourage and celebrate sensitive and caring behaviour, Consequently, in their interaction with others, all children show respect as they talk with their friends and consider the needs of others.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward following a child sustaining an injury while using a slide in the outdoor area. Management have not taken any action to ensure the safety of children in the nursery with regard to the unsafe use of the slide in the outdoor play area. Risk assessments are not thorough and have not been completed for over a year. Management and staff are not sufficiently aware of the hazard posed to children by the way they are using this piece of equipment. This means children are at risk of harm and their welfare is not promoted. This is a breach of the welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Childcare Register.

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provision

The leadership and management of the nursery are ineffective. Management and accountability responsibilities are not clear and are not understood by providers and their managers. As a result, self-evaluation is weak and there is no shared drive for continuous improvement. Although the manager observes practice in all rooms and meets with staff to prompt discussion on improvements to be made, the impact of this is ineffective and there is no available evidence to show how identified improvements have benefitted children and improved the provision. At the time of the inspection, there was little evidence that the views of parents or children are used to develop plans for improvement. As a result, any action taken to address identified weaknesses has too little impact.

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provision

Staff appraisals are infrequent as records show that appraisals have not been completed within the last year and, as such, staff training needs and opportunities to improve practice are not effectively managed. The monitoring of educational programmes is not effective as it has not addressed weaknesses in observation and assessment and the lack of monitoring of children's progress. As a result, children's learning and development is not adequately promoted.

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provision

All staff have a satisfactory understanding what to do if they have any concerns for a child and whom to contact both within the nursery and in external agencies to have these concerns addressed. All staff have been vetted to show that they are suitable to work with children.

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provision

Parents are complimentary of the nursery and are happy with progress their children are making, stating that they feel children are 'really coming on'.

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provision

The nursery works appropriately with other professionals supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They follow specific plans advised by specialist teachers or speech therapists to provide appropriate levels of support to meet children's identified needs.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment: at least once in every calendar year, and immediately, where the need for an assessment arises and ensure all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks, with particular regard to supervision and use of outdoor equipment (Compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment: at least once in every calendar year, and immediately, where the need for an assessment arises and ensure all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks, with particular regard to supervision and use of outdoor equipment (Voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 EY244150 Local authority Halton Inspection number 924410

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 105 Number of children on roll 171 Name of provider Our Lady's First Steps Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 05/03/2012 Telephone number 0151 424 5500

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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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