Blue Sky Day Nursery

Blue Sky Day Nursery Becklands Park Industrial Estate, York Road, Market Weighton, York, North Yorkshire, YO43 3GA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/07/2013 29/07/2009

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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

 The staff are secure in their understanding of how children learn. They provide good levels of support through the range of activities and resources provided. This results in the children making expected progress given their starting points.  The children are settled and readily engage in the activities provided because staff know the children's different needs and abilities well. This is reflected in their positive behaviour, growing confidence and independence.  Partnerships formed with other early years providers is good. This results in children's transitions being managed effectively through a shared approach to their ongoing learning and development.  Staff work very effectively with parents and their children. As a result parents are highly satisfied with the good level of care and support provided and well informed of their children's ongoing learning and progress.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to further extend opportunities for the babies and toddlers to explore more sensory and natural resources, to further enrich their experiences.  Opportunities for older children to use resources to further extend their early writing skills are not always readily available in all areas of the nursery.

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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 activities with the children and staff in the nursery and outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, nominated person, staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the children's learning journey files, planning and the nursery's self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at relevant records, documents, and a selection of policies, procedures and the risk assessments.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of parent's written comments and those spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Blue Sky Day Nursery and Out of School Club were registered in 2005 and are on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The Nursery is privately owned and managed. It is situated in a purpose built two storey building and operates from four rooms, of which three are on the ground floor for early years children. The out of school club is on the first floor. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There are enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, except for the Christmas period and bank holidays. Sessions are from 7.45am until 6.15pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 94 children attending of whom 61 are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 to 4. The nursery is a member of the local Childcare Partnership Group.

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

 enhance the range of sensory and more natural resources for the younger children to explore, to further enhance their experiences

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

 extend the opportunities for older children to write for different purposes, by providing more resources, particularly in the role and creative play areas.

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who attend

Children come into nursery happy to leave their parents and go and play with their friends. They readily engage in the activities provided and show a positive level of confidence and independence. A younger child looks at the duck in the book and when asked by a staff member what noise does the duck make, they quickly respond with 'quack quack' and a big smile. Children engage in conversations with each other and the staff who use appropriate questioning; to enable children to confidently express themselves and be listened to so their contributions are valued. The babies enjoy 'chattering', using various gestures that staff respond to effectively in meeting their needs, such as being tired or wanting reassurance and a cuddle. This is effective in developing children's communication, language skills and their personal, social and emotional needs. Staff support children to use various mediums to make marks with, such as sand and chalks

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who attend

used outside on the boards and paths. Opportunities are provided for the children to recognise letters in their names. For example, they self-register by collecting their names and this is carried forward on their trays and pegs for their coats. However, staff do not always ensure some areas in the nursery are readily stocked with a selection of writing resources, to fully extend the older children's early writing skills, particularly in the role and creative play areas. Children have games and activities that support their early mathematical skills, such as compare bears, dominos, scales and weighing materials. Staff use these resources to plan activities which incorporate problem solving, shape, number and colour recognition effectively. This is extended through the appropriate learning games on the computer.

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who attend

The babies got very excited to be in their nappies and have the freedom to use the different coloured paints and brushes on the large piece of paper set out by the staff. They make various patterns with the brushes and then proceed to paint themselves and each other. This enabled them to explore and experiment with the paints that enhance both their physical and creative skills very effectively. However, the range of other sensory experiences provided for the younger children are not fully extended; to enable them to further explore different textures and more natural resources both inside and outside. As a result, their experiences are not as rich as possible. Staff provide ongoing opportunities for the children to use the outside areas which are an extension of the learning provided inside. Physical activities are managed well through the range of different tools and equipment that promotes challenges for the children. The larger equipment enables them

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who attend

to climb and balance and negotiate these for themselves. The raised mound in the garden provides opportunities for the children to run up and down or to aim reach the top on the bikes. The allotment area enables children to grow and look after the fruit and vegetables, such as runner beans, strawberries and courgettes. These are picked and used by the cook as part of their lunch and snacks. The children also grow a variety of wild flowers including sunflowers that attract different insects and bees. The 'bug hotel' provide opportunities for the children to check and examine what they find using magnifying jars. This positively develops children's knowledge, respect and understanding about their environment and nature.

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who attend

Staff work very well with parents to support them as their children start nursery. This includes the completion of the 'all about me' form to share information about their children's needs and routines. This is used by staff to provide familiar activities with the children in their initial assessment, to establish children's starting points on which to develop. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the areas of learning and provide a wide selection of purposeful activities. These support the children to be engaged and motivated so they develop and make expected progress in their learning. The key person makes regular observations and assessments that identify children's next steps in their learning. This informs the planning and includes any additional support or challenges children may need. Older children take an active part in the planning of different activities that enables them to be more involved in their own learning. Parent's contribution to their

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who attend

children's development is positive through their children's learning journey files where they can add their comments. The observation sheets in each room offer another way for parents to share what their children do at home. The 'nursery bear' is taken on holiday with the children and this provides a range of photos and comments of where the bear has been. These are transferred on to the map display in the nursery to share with all the children. The good range of support provided for the children enables them to be well prepared as they move on in their learning.

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

The transition arrangements from home to nursery and as children move rooms is planned and managed very well. This enables both parents and children to be secure in their relationships with the staff. Consequently, children are settled and develop a positive sense of belonging and self-assurance. The shared visits by staff to school and nursery and the transition records accompany each child. This ensures their move to school is managed effectively in support of their needs and ongoing development. Children have snacks and meals provided and these are prepared daily from mainly fresh produce by the nursery cook. These offer a nutritional balance of fish, meat, vegetables and fruit. The menus are on a four week rota, to provide the children with a variety of foods which they are encouraged to try. Children are developing their personal care skills very well, such as getting their shoes and coats on or washing their hands or cleaning their teeth each day

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

after lunch. This fosters their understanding to being healthy and caring for themselves very well. Children are able to develop their understanding of keeping safe through their play and clear guidance is provided by staff to enable them to take levels of responsibility in what they do. Visitors to the nursery, such as the emergency services and lollipop person support and extend children's understanding of keeping safe.

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

The staff are well informed of the importance of effective working arrangements with other professionals as required, to support children attending nursery. The good range of resources and equipment offer children interesting learning experiences. As a result, they are motivated in what they do so they make ongoing progress relevant to their needs and abilities very well. The staff are calm and positively support the children in managing their behaviour. They respond to children's needs, such as when they need additional guidance or be redirected in their play. This includes the occasional prompt by staff about sharing and taking turns. Children tidy up and enjoy receiving a sticker in recognition of 'being helpful'. Consequently, children's behaviour is positive because they are secure in their relationships with the staff.

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provision

The nursery's recruitment and selection process is secure and the manager has completed the safer recruitment training; to ensure all relevant procedures are followed in assessing staff suitability. There is positive support for staff through regular team meetings, monthly supervision and appraisals. This informs individual staff's training needs which effectively contributes to their self-development. Safeguarding is threaded through all areas of the nursery and its provision. Staff update their safeguarding training to remain informed on all procedures in relation to children's well-being. This includes recent changes made to the safeguarding policy and procedures so these clearly reflect current requirements as directed by the local authority. Risk assessments are comprehensive and cover all areas accessed by the children and staff including outings and visits. These are monitored on a weekly basis along with accident and incident records, to identify areas or activities that

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provision

present a higher risk factor so immediate action is taken. All policies and procedures are reviewed and are fully shared with staff at their team meetings and with parents. Staff are deployed effectively throughout the nursery to ensure staffing ratios are maintained and children's needs are consistently supported including outings.

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provision

The monitoring of children's progress and the teaching and learning is managed on a regular basis with the staff and manager. This includes a review of children's learning journey files with the key person; to assess if there are any areas that require additional support or challenges for the children. This enables staff to plan more focused interventions with individual children. The staff, parents, children and other partners all contribute to the nursery's self-development plan. This includes completing the actions raised at the last inspection. The plan identifies areas to improve and relevant timescales to meet the targets set, such as extending resources for the outside areas. This approach effectively supports continuous improvement for the staff and the quality of provision for children.

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provision

The partnerships formed with the parents are very good. Daily contact with the staff ensures information is shared about their children and what they enjoyed that day. The parent's welcome pack is detailed and provides information on all aspects of the nursery and its provision. This supports parents to make an informed decision about the care and learning offered. Parents are invited to be on the parent committee for the nursery. This enables them to take an active part in how the nursery develops and what changes are made. Questionnaires are used as another form of receiving feedback from parents and the open sessions offer time to share with the key person their children's progress and learning experiences. Parents' comments are very appreciative and complementary on how welcoming all the staff are and how much their children thoroughly enjoy coming to the nursery. They remark on the improvement in their children's speech, language and

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provision

social skills and in their confidence and growing independence. They stated they are kept well informed of their children's progress and needs and feel confident to discuss any issues they may have with the staff.

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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 EY308984 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 915086

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 108 Number of children on roll 94 Name of provider Blue Sky Day Nursery Date of previous inspection 29/07/2009 Telephone number 01430 871113

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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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