PJ's Nursery

PJ's Nursery 96 Gosforth Road, SEASCALE, Cumbria, CA20 1ND

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/07/2013 02/02/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Managers and staff have a good understanding of safeguarding and health and safety procedures. They effectively teach children about keeping themselves safe by involving them in undertaking risk assessments and discussions about a number of safety procedures throughout the day.  Children settle happily at the nursery and enjoy secure and trusting relationships with the staff. They provide children with praise and reassurance, which boosts their confidence and helps them to become self-assured individuals.  Effective partnerships between the nursery staff, parents and other professionals ensure that children are well-supported in their learning and development.  Staff provide a good range of activities, indoors and outdoors, based on children's interests and suggestions. This results in children being highly motivated and active learners.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to further extend children's learning and interest about the natural world and living things while playing outdoors.  There is scope to extend children's opportunities to learn more about the different uses of information and communication technology.

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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 looked at a sample of children's learning journals, risk assessments, policies, staff qualifications and suitability documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager, discussions with the staff and children and undertook a joint observation of an activity with the manager.  The inspector observed activities in the play rooms and the outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection and the parental questionnaires completed.

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Information about the setting

PJ's Nursery was registered in 2007. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is privately owned and operates from a converted house located in Seascale, Cumbria. It serves the local area and is accessible to all children. Children use five rooms and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 51 week of the year. Sessions are from 7am until 5pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 35 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-years-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff, of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nursery Association and staff work closely with the local authority early years advisors.

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

 build on children's interests and fascination with living things, such as bugs found in the garden, by encouraging them to observe them more closely, for example, by making magnifying glasses and resource books more readily available to them

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

 extend the older children's opportunities to learn more about the different uses of information and communication technology, by ensuring that the computer is accessible and in good working order.

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who attend

Staff have a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is used effectively to support children in their learning and development. Children are encouraged to make independent choices from a wide variety of toys, equipment and resources, in the indoor and outdoor areas. Each area of learning and development is implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mixture of adult-led and child-initiated activity. All staff respond well to children's emerging needs and interests and guide their development through positive interaction. As a result, children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend at the nursery and are excited and motivated to learn. The quality of teaching is good and as a result, children make good progress in their learning. Staff have high expectations of all children as they undertake a range of good quality assessments, which show the age- bands children are working within and this is tracked over time to demonstrate good

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who attend

progress. Individual learning journal files and summaries of learning are completed for all children. Parents have access to this information, which keeps them informed of their child's progress and they actively share information about their child's starting points and ongoing learning at home. This means there is shared knowledge about children and a complete picture of children's learning and development is obtained.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate a high level of awareness in supporting children with identified speech, language and communication needs. This is because they make good use of advice from the speech and language therapy services. For example, staff have recently introduced signing as an additional means of communication. As a result, babies and children with additional needs are progressing well towards the early learning goals, given their starting points. Children's reading skills are promoted well in the nursery as children have access to a wide selection of books. They enjoy sitting with staff and their peers to listen to stories, learning how to turn pages correctly and pointing to pictures which interest them. They also take story sacks home with them to read with their parents. All resources are clearly labelled and good use is made of available wall space to display words and letters. This promotes children's good early literacy skills. Staff provide opportunities to develop

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who attend

children's awareness of early number and counting. For example, they count cups at snack time and learn to recognise numbers and shapes from the numerous displays and resources available. Children experiment with quantities and measures as they play with the sand and water. Staff encourage them to use words such as 'full' and 'empty' as they fill and empty buckets.

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who attend

Children become interested in developing their understanding of the natural world as they hunt for insects in the garden. They learn about caring for living things by providing appropriate food for them. There is scope, however, for staff to build on children's interests and fascination with living things, by encouraging them to observe them more closely, for example, by making magnifying glasses and resource books more readily available to them. Children do have access to cameras and programmable toys and therefore acquire skills in operating some information and communication technology equipment. However, the computer is not currently in working order, which means there are fewer opportunities for older children to learn more about the different uses of information and communication technology.

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who attend

Children enjoy playing together on the pirate ship outside and develop their imaginations as they role play being pirates. Staff fully extend their play by providing a good range of materials and recycled items, such as paper and cardboard, and encourage them to make pirate hats and telescopes. They also make a treasure chest and make coins, jewels and golden nuggets using gold paper and glitter. Children talk about the different colours and shapes. This develops their imaginations and creativity as well as their physical skills as they use brushes to apply glue and scissors to cut the paper. All of these accessible activities, together with the good level of support from the staff, effectively support children's enthusiasm to learn through play. As a result, children effectively develop the key skills they need for the next steps in their learning, including those required when they attend school.

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

Children have fun and clearly enjoy the time they spend at nursery. They are provided with a warm, welcoming and stimulating environment where staff support them to feel secure, at ease and develop confidence. Children show they have close bonds with their key person when they seek cuddles if they are feeling tired. Staff are very reassuring and supportive to children and their parents when they are new to the nursery. They help children to settle in by working closely with parents to find out about the children's routines, likes and favourite activities. Children quickly make friends and thoroughly enjoy playing and exploring together. They develop independence as they freely choose from a wide range of age-appropriate toys and equipment, both inside and outside. Parents spoken to during the inspection describe how well staff support their children's all-round development.

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

Staff are good role models for the children and gently guide them to understand the importance of sharing toys and being kind to each other. Consequently, behaviour in the nursery is good and minor disagreements are sensitively managed. Throughout the nursery, relationships between the staff and children are good. This promotes a relaxed and happy environment, which enables children to feel cherished and secure. Children begin to understand the importance of safety through the various activities on offer throughout the day. For example, they enthusiastically help the staff to undertake risk assessments of the outdoor play area and take an active role in identifying potential hazards and action taken to minimise risks. They also become engrossed in discussions, led by staff, about 'stranger danger'.

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

Children are well prepared for moves they make between rooms within the nursery. They make regular visits with their key person and information is shared to ensure there is continuity in their learning, development and welfare. Good joint working exists with staff at the local school, which fully supports children when they move to the next stage in their learning. Children develop good self-care skills as they learn about the need to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating their meals. They are provided with fresh, nutritious and balanced meals and snacks and are supported to make healthy choices. Weekly menus are displayed on the notice board for parents to see. Children's health and well-being is fully promoted in the well-equipped outdoor area. They enjoy free-flow access between the play rooms and outside play area and have daily opportunities to be physically active and develop their coordination and control.

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provision

The managers and staff have a secure understanding of the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years foundation Stage. Managers and staff understand how children learn and develop and they ensure that the planned activities cover all areas of learning in sufficient depth and breadth. The designated learning and development manager monitors each child's developmental progress by reviewing their files and having regular discussions with the children's key persons and parents. As a result, prompt intervention to fully support children is sought when required.

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provision

The managers and staff have a good understanding and knowledge of how to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are safeguarded because the managers and staff have clear policies and procedures embedded within their practice. All staff are trained in first aid and safeguarding children so that they are able to respond appropriately to keep children safe. The security of the building is good and the staff are vigilant at all times, which minimises the risk of intruders entering the premises. The thorough recruitment and vetting procedures undertaken by the managers ensure that staff are suitable and safe to work with children. As a result of effective induction procedures, staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Annual appraisals are undertaken to monitor the continued professional development and training needs of staff. The manager

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provision

has begun to undertake staff supervision sessions to further support their practice and ensure that children receive consistently good care at all times.

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provision

Self-evaluation is thorough and takes into account the views of parents, children and staff. The views of everyone involved with the nursery are taken seriously and, were possible, are acted upon to further improve the nursery. For example, following suggestions from parents, the car park has been enlarged, the menus have been revised and a nursery newsletter has been introduced. Recommendations from previous inspections have been taken on board and promptly addressed. The managers have a strong drive towards continuous improvements and have a clear improvement plan that supports children's achievements over time. There are well-established links with the advisory team within the local authority, which further enhances the self-evaluation process.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and carers are a clear strength of the nursery. Words, such as 'brilliant' are used by parents to describe the care and support the staff provide to children and their families. Parents are very happy with the two-way flow of information about their children's progress and they find the staff very approachable and professional in their manner. The managers and staff are committed to working in partnership with other providers and there are clear plans in place for supporting children who attend other settings, such as the nearby school. The staff work well with other agencies, such as speech and language therapy services and other health professionals. This ensures appropriate interventions are secured for children to receive the support they need to make the best progress that they can.

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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 EY356525 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 873535

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider Julie Anne Dickinson Date of previous inspection 02/02/2012 Telephone number 01946728077

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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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