Lancaster Lodge Childcare Ltd

Lancaster Lodge Childcare Ltd Lancaster Lodge, Lancaster Way Business Park, ELY, Cambridgeshire, CB6 3NX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/07/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 Children have good relationships with staff and are happy and content. As a result, they approach their learning with confidence and make satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals.  Children benefit from a stimulating range of sensory activities that promote their understanding of the world, such as, paint, sand, water and gloop.  Children enjoy a broad range of healthy and nutritious meals that promote their growth and physical development well.

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It is not yet good because

 Children's communication and language is not fully promoted because there are inconsistencies in the way staff model language, talk to children and develop their confidence, particularly for younger children and babies.  Staff do not maximise children's use of the outdoor areas and resources are not fully in place to support all the areas of learning.  Displays of children's languages, photographs, posters and pictures to make them feel at home, develop a sense of belonging and learn about differences and similarities are not prevalent.

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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 and spoke with staff and management.

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Inspection activities

 A range of documentation was examined, including children's development records, registers, staff information and policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The views of parents were sought through conversation, written comments and testimonials.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the children and their interactions with staff during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Lancaster Lodge Childcare Ltd was opened in 2013 and is privately owned. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a converted bungalow on the Lancaster Way Business Park, near Ely, Cambridgeshire. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The setting is open from 7.30am until 6.30pm each weekday all year round except for one week at Christmas. The nursery is open during bank holidays subject to parental demand. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 34 children on roll within the early years age group. There are a small number of children attending who are learning English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery accepts two-, three- and four-year-old children eligible for early years funding. There are currently nine staff working directly with the children including the provider. One member of staff holds an early years qualification at level 4, three hold a qualification at level 3 and two hold qualifications at level 2. One member of staff is working towards a foundation degree in early years and four staff are working towards qualifications at level 3. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association. The nursery has four pet ducks.

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must:

 improve the educational programme for communication and language by: modelling the use of language; speaking and listening to children; providing a language rich environment to develop children's confidence and ability to express themselves.

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

 develop further outdoor provision, enabling children to freely access outdoor areas and improving the range of age-appropriate accessible resources so they effectively cover all the areas of learning

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

 enrich the nursery environment, for example, by displaying words from home, posters, pictures and other resources that teach children to value and respect their own and other homes, families and cultures.

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who attend

All children have their achievements recorded in their learning journals through written observations, photographs and examples of their artwork. These are routinely shared with parents to ensure they are suitably informed about their children's progress towards the early learning goals. Staff talk to parents daily and have written diaries to share with them. They encourage parents to contribute what they know about their children's learning at home. Consequently, parents are suitably involved to promote consistent learning experiences for all children.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is satisfactory, overall. Staff observe the children as they play and take account of their individual interests when planning the activities. This helps to ensure children enjoy their learning and, generally, make satisfactory progress. However, staff do not make the most of opportunities to help younger children and babies, in particular, to effectively develop their communication and language. Staff offer the children toys, promote their interest with appropriate use of books and stories and respond positively to them. However, they do not always remember to model the use of language to introduce new words or encourage children's conversations by commenting on their activities and interests. Furthermore, staff do not make the most of display space to show children of all ages examples of language through posters, photographs and labels.

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who attend

Children have sufficient opportunities to consider simple mathematical concepts, for example, staff support older children appropriately as they count the characters in a story book. Children sing counting songs and learn simple rhymes to support their understanding of numbers. Staff provide puzzles and matching games that give children enjoyable opportunities to consider shape, colour and size. Babies explore sensory toys, such as natural materials in a treasure basket, to extend their understanding of the world. Staff help children develop their confidence with new experiences as they explore paint with their bodies.

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who attend

Children of all ages explore different media, such as, gloop, pasta, water and sand and enjoy manipulating play dough. They develop their imaginations as they explore small world figures, and make up their own scenarios with toy cars, trains and dinosaurs. Staff promote children's understanding of early technology adequately as they encourage the use of electronic 'pop-up' toys, telephones and toy cameras. Older children's fine muscle control is developed well as they play with a suitable range of small and large construction toys. They learn to work together as they build large towers with bricks, or design and make models with more complex shapes.

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

A solid key person system enables parents to develop close links that help to support their children well. Staff are kind and friendly to the children and provide babies and younger children, especially, with lots of cuddles and emotional support. As a result, children are settled and comfortable. Staff talk to parents who have English as an additional language and find out key words and phrases so they can support their children appropriately. Babies follow their own home routines for feeding and sleeping and, therefore, benefit from consistent care. Staff talk to parents to agree younger children's transitions into the larger group room, and this helps to ensure children make their move with confidence.

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

Children's behaviour is supported appropriately by staff who encourage them to share and develop their understanding of right and wrong. Consequently, children are learning how their actions affect others and show each other kind and caring behaviour. The nursery is reasonably well organised indoors, with a good range of accessible toys and resources. This enables children to develop their independence during periods of free play. Staff know about children's home backgrounds and lifestyles, but overlook opportunities to help children develop a shared understanding of their own differences and similarities. For example, by providing child-height displays, posters, photographs and labelling.

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

Food provided by the nursery is healthy and nutritious. Home-cooked meals are received well by the children because they are varied and appealing. Special dietary needs are catered for and staff understand which foods affect children's health and safety. Therefore, children eat safe and wholesome foods. Older children have some opportunities to prepare their own snacks and have activities that teach them which foods are good for them. Water is easily available in all areas of the nursery and staff actively promote regular drinks to ensure children are well hydrated. Children learn good hygiene habits through regular routines, such as washing their hands prior to meals. Staff encourage their understanding of safety by talking to them about safe practices, such as tidying away spilled toys.

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

Children develop their physical skills appropriately through daily exercise, including dancing and active songs and games. They have use of the large and pleasant garden every day, where they enjoy fresh air and exercise. Staff provide a suitable range of play equipment to develop children's coordination, such as wheeled toys and a challenging climbing frame. A developing wildlife garden helps children to learn about the world around them. For example, they look for bugs under logs and watch the wildflowers grow. Children access the outdoor areas at set times, rather than according to their individual learning preferences, and resources are not plentiful. As a consequence, not all of the areas of learning are fully supported.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children are secure because staff have a suitable understanding of child protection issues. Information relating to safeguarding is clearly displayed and informs both staff and parents of the nursery's role and responsibilities in promoting children's safety and welfare. Staff make regular checks of the premises and supervise children closely to ensure they play and learn in a safe environment. The nursery owners have robust recruitment procedures to employ new staff and a clear induction programme helps them to understand their roles and responsibilities. Several staff hold first aid qualifications so children receive appropriate treatment in the event of accidents.

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provision

The owners have started to evaluate the quality of the provision, and have instigated appraisals and supervision meetings with staff. This has led to a general training programme to increase staff qualifications. The manager observes the staff to monitor good practice and is steadily developing secure systems to monitor the quality of teaching and the educational programme. However, this is still in the early stages, consequently, teaching skills are variable and some staff lack experience and confidence, particularly when developing children's language and communication. This means children's progress is steady, rather than good. The owners have welcomed input from the local authority advisory team and have an emerging action plan in place to develop the provision over time.

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provision

The nursery has quickly established strong partnerships with parents, who indicate they are very happy with the provision. Initial questionnaires enable parents to express their delight that their children have settled well into this new and homely nursery. Staff are keen to further their relationships with parents, for example, they have planned an open day to enable them to talk with parents and show them their children's achievements. Parents access the nursery website, and receive regular information about events and activities. They say the written daily diaries keep them well informed about their children's well-being. The nursery has not yet had to support children as they move onto school, however, there are suitable procedures to follow when necessary. Links with other providers are in development to help ensure continuity of learning for those children who attend more than one early years setting.

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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 EY458324 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 904415 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 31 Number of children on roll 34 Name of provider Lancaster Lodge Childcare Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01353662808

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Setting details

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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