Jelly Tots

Jelly Tots Solway Community Technology College, Liddell Street, Silloth, WIGTON, Cumbria, CA7 4DD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/07/2013 11/12/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The risk assessments completed by staff are not rigorous enough to identify potential safety hazards to children in the nursery. As a result, children's safety is compromised.  Opportunities to complement learning and support children who work with other professionals and who attend other settings are not initiated, therefore, staff do not know how to support older children who may require additional help.  Staff supervision and appraisal is not in place. Therefore, the monitoring and reviewing of staff performance is poor, staffs' continuous professional development is not fostered and support for staff to understand their roles and responsibilities is minimal.  Self-evaluation is not fully established to take account of the views of parents, carers and children so that improvements can be made in line with their thoughts and needs.  Opportunities to increase children's awareness of disability are less well promoted in

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It has the following strengths

 Children are happy, contented and settled easily in to the nursery. They enjoy playing in the interesting and stimulating environment with their friends and are building secure relationships with the staff team.

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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 playing in the main playroom and outside in the play area.  The inspector took part in an unplanned fire drill with the staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children, staff and parents throughout the session and took account of their views.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, the planning documentation, and discussed the systems for the monitoring of children's progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the policies and procedures for the nursery, and the documented self- evaluation and local authority reports that support the service.

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Information about the setting

Jelly Tots was registered in 2011 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated within the premises of Solway Community Technology College in Silloth, Cumbria and is privately owned. It operates from the old library room, which is connected to Solway Community College. There is a secure outside play area for children. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs three members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 2. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 25 children attending, of whom 24 are in the early years age group. The nursery does not provide funded nursery education, but provides wrap-around care supporting the school nursery. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association.

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must:

 ensure that risk assessments identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis, when, and by whom those aspects will be checked, and how the risk will be removed or minimised, especially with regard to the blind cords in the main room, the cluttered state of the sleep room and the household cleaners and chemicals stored on the low-level shelf in the kitchen

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must:

 improve links with local nurseries to ensure information regarding children's learning and development is shared to support children's overall progress especially with children working with other professionals

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must:

 monitor and review staff performance and professional development through rigorous supervision and appraisal meetings in order to foster a culture of mutual support and teamwork to meet organisational, professional and personal objectives and to assess, identify and record staff performance, potential training and development needs.

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

 improve self-evaluation, to include the views of parents, carers and children and ensure that improvement plans take into account their needs and wishes

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

 increase children's awareness of the diversity of the world around them by, for example, introducing displays celebrating disability.

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who attend

The management of the nursery is not strong and improvements identified in the previous inspection have not all been completed. The monitoring of the nursery and staff practice is not fully implemented. Supervision and appraisals, which help the staff to improve their professional development, do not take place. This has an impact on children's learning because new ideas and concepts are not brought to the nursery. As a result, there is poor identification of staff training needs to support an adequate programme of professional development to influence the staff skills in teaching and learning. Improvements are not implemented quickly enough to make significant changes to the nursery as a whole.

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who attend

There is limited reference to disability in the resources, displays or activities provided by staff to support children's understanding and learning about the world around them. This has an impact on children's awareness of themselves and of others who may be different or have different needs to themselves. Children learn about the community where they live by going on walks and visits to places of interest. However, their understanding of difference is not fully extended to show positive images of children and adults who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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who attend

Staff have an appropriate knowledge of the prime and specific areas of learning and, in the main, provide activities that are enjoyed by children and which support their overall development. Staff, for the most part, support children's learning well because they have an appropriate knowledge of children's development and understand how children learn best. Staff provide adult-led activities and child-initiated play. This means that children remain interested because the activities are in line with their interests, and age or stage of development. Staff record observations as children play, firstly as notes and then more detailed observational accounts. These identify what a child has done linked to the areas of learning and their next steps to inform planning. This practice is variable in children's files as some files have more input than others although this it is an improvement since the last inspection.

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who attend

Children develop their communication and language skills as they talk with the staff during activities. This is because the staff, generally, use open-ended questions with the children to challenge and support their learning. They ask the children to think about what they do and praise their achievements. For example, a child helps himself to a container full of bobbins. He finds a lace and starts to thread the bobbins onto the lace. The staff member asks him what he is doing and extends his learning by asking him about the colours he can see and the number of bobbins he has placed onto the lace. The staff member praises the child, therefore boosting his self-confidence and self-esteem. Staff give children plenty of time to participate and remind children in plenty of time when they need to tidy away the toys.

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who attend

The staff use daily events to provide real-life experiences so that children gain the skills in readiness for school. For example, during meal times, children practise their self-help and independence skills. Staff vary experiences, using creative and playful approaches, for example, den building and planting outside. Children collect the pots for the store and using the trowels fill the pots with soil and transplant the sunflowers the younger children have been watering indoors. Staff promote children's personal, social and emotional development as they encourage them to take turns during word games introducing flash cards for letters and sounds. As a result, children are developing some of the skills required for their next stage of learning. Children enjoy physical outdoor activities. They go for walks to see the animals, play in the park and enjoy ball games in the school grounds.

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who attend

The staff encourage parents to look at their child's progress file and ask them to add comments about their child's progress and additional learning at home. Although entries are limited, a start has been made. Staff recently introduced the progress sheets to share with the parents so that parents are kept aware of their child's learning in the setting. During initial visits, the staff complete registration forms and ask parents to complete an 'All about me sheet'. This document provides staff with an insight into the child's home life and interests gathered from parents on entry to the setting. Staff have started to consider how they can support parents in guiding their child's development at home, although this is in its infancy.

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

Children's safety and well-being is compromised in the nursery provision. Staff do not complete a sufficiently robust and rigorous risk assessment of the premises to ensure that all hazards are identified and minimised. For example, the blind cords are accessible to children on the low-level windows. The sleep room is cluttered with buggies and equipment, such as a hoover, resources and other items. Household cleaners and chemicals are accessible on a low-level open shelf in the kitchen/store room area. Although safety gates are installed they are easy to open and were left open for short periods during the inspection.

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

The older children attend the school nursery and they are taken by staff in the morning and collected after lunch in the afternoon. They gain confidence in transferring from one setting to another because these transitions are managed smoothly by the staff and settling-in procedures help children to adjust easily to the move. However, effective links are not established with the teaching staff in the school nursery in order to complement the children's learning and development in the setting. This is especially important for those children working with other professionals. A recommendation to improve links was raised at the previous inspection, but it has not been completed so is raised as an action to improve at this inspection.

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

The environment is warm and welcoming and staff are very friendly and supportive. As a result, the children are happy and contented and everyone is made to feel welcome. The key person is well embedded and secure attachments are formed with the children who are warmly welcomed with their parents on arrival and at collection times. The parents know their child's key person and point them out on the photographic display on the wall. They feel they can approach the member of staff if they had any concerns about their child, or questions about their child's care and know their questions will be answered. As a result, parents feel supported and assured that consistency of care is maintained. Therefore, positive relationships are established.

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

Children play in a well-resourced and reasonably well-organised play environment. They access a wealth of good quality resources, which are age-appropriate, stimulating and interesting for them. Children learn to become independent in their dressing and undressing. For example, staff support younger children taking off their outdoor shoes and putting on their slippers. Older children change from their school uniform into more comfortable play clothes. Staff support all children's toileting and take the children to the toilet, supervising younger children. They wait just outside the door with the older ones to ensure they do not come to any harm.

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

Healthy eating is promoted through the provision of healthy snacks and packed lunches. Staff provide parents with information about what to include in packed lunch meals to ensure that the contents are healthy and nutritious. Younger children line up beside the door ready to wash their hands before eating and eagerly do this following their tidy-up routine. They return to the main room and choose the high chair they want to sit in and staff make sure that the harness is secure so children cannot fall out. Children's independence and self-help skills are supported. Young children feed themselves at snack time and enjoy their home-made wholemeal muffin and apple slices. At lunchtime staff heat up meals sent by parents and make sure that the children, collected from the school nursery, have eaten their packed lunch. Younger children gain the skills of using spoons and forks at lunchtime. Older children, at afternoon snack, help to hand out the beakers

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

and pour their own drinks. Children are given a choice of a carton of milk or water. This is a social occasion because staff sit and talk to the children about what they have done that day. Therefore, children feel valued and respected and their independence is promoted as they build up the skills required in readiness for school.

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

Children generally play well together. They learn how to behave through direct instruction and explanation by staff when things go wrong. For example, when a child gets a little rough with the train track and a piece breaks in two, the staff explain to them how their action has caused this to happen and if they continue to do it all the track will be broken and there will be nothing to play with. Children learn to say 'sorry' and be polite to one another, which supports their understanding of social skills and suitable behaviour.

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provision

The monitoring and assessment of staff performance and their professional development is not implemented because supervision meetings and appraisals are not completed. The manager is not strong enough in her management skills. As a result, staff development is not supported to meet organisational, professional and staffs' personal objectives and to assess, identify and record staff performance, potential training and development needs. Recruitment and vetting procedures are in place and the induction of new staff is completed to ensure that they know what is expected of them. A record is available detailing all staff suitability checks to show children are cared for by suitable adults.

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provision

There are still some gaps in the provider's knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements resulting in children not being kept safe. This also has an impact on their ability to meet the Childcare Register requirements for keeping children safe. For example, risk assessments do not highlight potential hazards identified during the inspection so children's safety is compromised. All the required policies and procedures are in place and followed, including the policy on camera and recording devices so only the nursery phone is now used. The manager and staff are fully aware of the safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they are concerned about a child in their care.

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provision

Self-evaluation and the review of the nursery's practice is made in conjunction with guidance provided by the local authority early years childcare adviser. However, there are still improvements to be made and the manager has not taken any formal steps to seek the views and thoughts of parents, carers and children to help improve the nursery provision. The previous actions and recommendations are mostly met and have made some improvements in practice. However, a previous recommendation has not been fully met and is now raised as an action at this inspection. This relates to establishing partnerships with the other settings children attend.

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provision

The manager and staff have an appropriate knowledge of the learning and development requirements and their understanding of the assessment process has improved since the last inspection. The staff meet every Friday to discuss the planning of the environment and children's activities. They have successfully completed the progress check at age two years with the parents of those children attending the nursery. This means that potential gaps in children's learning are identified and the next steps are shared with parents so that they can help with their child's learning at home. If further help from other professionals is required, then discussions are held with parents to ask permission to seek help or advice for their children. This makes sure that all children's needs are met so that they make continued progress in their learning. The staff now complete more detailed observations and assessments of children and these can be seen in most children's files.

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provision

Children's interests are known by staff and incorporated into the planning and resources to meet children's individual needs and interests.

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provision

Positive relationships are established with parents. They are happy with the care that their children receive at the setting. They say that the staff are friendly and approachable and their children love coming. Children settle easily through the settling-in procedures implemented by the staff whereby parents can stay and, when appropriate, leave their child for short periods. The staff stay in contact with the parents during this time, which means that parents remain secure in the knowledge that their children are happy and content and their emotional well-being is supported.

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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:

 ensure that a risk assessment of the premises and equipment is undertaken: at least once in each calendar year, and immediately, where the need for an assessment arises, to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  ensure that a risk assessment of the premises and equipment is undertaken: at least once in each calendar year, and immediately, where the need for an assessment arises, to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (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 EY424791 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 899601

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Jacqueline McCormick Date of previous inspection 11/12/2012 Telephone number 07584057942

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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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