Childsplay Nursery

Childsplay Nursery 1d Seymour Drive, Overpool, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH66 1LZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/07/2013 18/09/2008

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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

 Children enjoy their time in the setting, engaging effectively with knowledgeable and caring staff who support them in making good progress in their learning and development.  Children develop good behaviour, with older children demonstrating respect and tolerance of younger children as they play harmoniously together.  Partnerships with the school, parents and outside agencies make a strong contribution to providing continuity and consistency of care for all children and their families.  Staff create a welcoming and stimulating learning environment where children settle in well and make warm relationships with each other. A wide range of age-appropriate and accessible resources support all areas of learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to further improve the very good monitoring of planning and tracking that staff carry out, to ensure they are always sufficiently consistent to interest children in their activities at all times.  The outside area is not always used to its full potential as children do not always have a choice of when they play outside.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor and outdoor areas during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to members of staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection, and held a meeting and a joint observation of an activity with the manager of the provision.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Childsplay Nursery was registered in 1993 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in two single-storey buildings in Overpool, Ellesmere Port. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It is privately owned and operates from two main playrooms with associated facilities and there are fully enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff, 12 of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year, from 7.30am until 6pm each day. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 75 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 enhance the very good monitoring of tracking and planning so that it is consistent and shows that activities continually challenge and interest children

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

 improve opportunities for children to learn outdoors by enabling them to move more freely between indoors and outdoors.

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who attend

Practitioners are familiar with the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and ensure they provide activities and resources to promote all areas of learning and development. Parents provide information when they register about each child's individual needs and starting points through an 'all about me' document. This helps practitioners plan appropriate activities for children. Practitioners make regular observations of children's achievements and record these on a tracking sheet. They also provide a 'progress check at age two' for children. However, while there are very good systems for the tracking of planning and children's achievements towards the early learning goals in order to monitor their progress, it is not always carried out consistently. As a result, some children, such as the four-year-olds, may not always be as sufficiently challenged and interested in their learning as they could be.

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who attend

Practitioners provide a wide range of activities to promote all areas of learning and they plan for individual children's developmental stages and interests. Practitioners understand that children learn as they play, explore and investigate for themselves. The indoor and outdoor environment support all areas of learning, through a variety of rich and imaginative resources and spaces. However, the opportunities for children to move freely between the indoor and outdoor environment are sometimes infrequent, which curbs learning opportunities for those children who especially enjoy being outdoors.

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who attend

Children are engaged and motivated. Staff support children's learning throughout their play, extending their learning through skilful and sensitive use of questions to make children think. They also provide them with space and time to explore their own learning independently. Staff work well together as a team. The indoor environment is well organised and resourced. This supports children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. For example, children develop an understanding of technology as they use a touch screen computer, which involves organising shapes, colours and simple tasks to produce the desired effects. They are engrossed and motivated by the activity and learn independently, with a practitioner close at hand to sensitively support them to extend their learning when required. In this way children are learning important skills that will form a firm basis for their future learning.

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who attend

Practitioners encourage children to use all their senses to explore their environment. For example, they provide a range of interesting items in a treasure basket for babies and toddlers to explore and investigate, such as pebbles, wood and sea shells or sponges. Outdoors, children play with a colourful mixture of beans, spaghetti, oats and water, which they squeeze and mould. They use all their senses to explore and experiment. Practitioners teach children mathematics effectively using a good range of everyday activities and routines. Children confidently complete jigsaws or engage in role play. They learn to be creative thinkers by developing their own ideas, making links and choosing ways to approach tasks. For example, they use magnifying glasses to closely examine insects and plant life outdoors. Staff support this inquisitiveness by making resources, such as an insect chart and containers available, so that children can search for, identify

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who attend

and hold different insects. Children use creative media, such as paint, enthusiastically to express themselves. Practitioners communicate effectively with children in order to promote and extend their language skills and encourage them to ask questions about the world around them. As a result, children make good progress in their learning.

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who attend

The detailed observation and reporting system helps practitioners to keep parents informed about their child's learning. Parents can look at the children's files or have written daily diaries on request, have discussions with practitioners on a daily basis, or read general information in newsletters. They also have the opportunity to respond to parental questionnaires. This means parents and the nursery can work closely together to ensure children make good progress in their learning and development. It also means parents and practitioners can quickly identify and provide any additional support children may require. The nursery successfully works with a range of other professionals to provide for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and to progress their learning. These activities support children's readiness for school.

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

Children's behaviour is good and their sense of safety and belonging is demonstrated by their familiarity in routines and their confidence in the adults in the setting. Practitioners encourage the children in their routines and to understand how the day is progressing, for example, by reminding them it is snack time or time to tidy up, or go outside.

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

The key person system is effective and sensitive to the needs of all children. Consequently, secure attachments are formed, which promote a good level of well-being. For those children who need it practitioners offer reassurance and cuddles. Partnership with parents is strong and helps to enhance good emotional development for all children and contributes to continuity of care. They share information with the setting about their children to ensure their interests are considered when planning activities and routines. Parents comment very favourably on the good work they feel the setting is doing. Practitioners encourage children to explore their environment individually and, in this way, their early investigative and curiosity skills are promoted through the use of a wide range of resources, including exploring outside.

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

Children demonstrate high levels of confidence and self-esteem as they move freely around the setting, cooperate with peers and are keen to share their activities and interests with practitioners and other adults. They are learning to negotiate, cooperate and to share and take turns in their play. Practitioners are good role models and offer children reassuring support if they hurt themselves or upset others. This helps children to feel comforted and supported and to develop a good understanding of how to be kind, thoughtful and considerate. Continual praise and encouragement from practitioners ensures children develop high levels of self-esteem.

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

Children begin to develop good self-help skills, such as helping themselves to water if they are thirsty, and, generally, are becoming more independent in their toileting routines. They have a healthy snack mid-morning, using the opportunity as a social event where they choose who to sit next to and talk with. They energetically join in with physical exercise, when outdoors, skilfully using the climbing frame and slide, or running and chasing. Their confidence increases as they try catching and kicking balls. These activities provide children with firm foundations for developing a healthy lifestyle. They also support children in taking safe risks. The well-resourced environment and knowledgeable practitioners support children's development and promote their growing independence. This is especially important as children become older and prepare to move into school. Good partnerships have been established with the local school and other providers. The

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

well-organised support provided by practitioners at this time means that children have a positive transition.

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provision

The management team have identified a number of priorities for the setting through a reflective approach to self-evaluation. This helps to identify strengths and areas for improvement. For example, the outdoor area has been improved significantly. The management team monitor staff performance formally through supervision and appraisals and informally through observation of practice and discussion. Apprentices, students and new staff are supported to learn about their role under close supervision. The manager ensures she works directly with children herself and is visible to all staff, and they in turn feel supported and their professional development is considered. Training needs are discussed at supervision meetings and arranged to positively impact on staff performance.

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provision

There are appropriate policies and systems in place to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and a clear knowledge of how to report any concerns appropriately. However, information received by Ofsted about a child who had been unwell at the setting, suggested that immediate professional medical treatment was not sought for a child being cared for. The provider has changed the procedure so that an appropriate and timely response to a medical situation can be made immediately. In addition they have asked parents to ensure telephone and contact details are accurate. Policies and procedures have been altered to reflect this and staff are clear about their role in seeking urgent medical care. Further information received by Ofsted related to a recent incident where a child was able to leave the premises unsupervised. The provider

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provision

has now completed a more thorough risk assessment and made changes to the building, which include high door lock releases and an audible alarm, an additional internal gate and a high lock mechanism for the external gate. Staff deployment is effective in ensuring all children are well supervised. This means that suitable steps have been taken to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again and children's safety is maintained. Risk assessments are completed for the premises and for all outings, to help monitor and ensure children's safety. The management team makes sure practitioners are suitable to work with children by having a robust recruitment process in place.

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provision

Staff have a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which enables them to support children in making good progress in their learning. They maintain clear records of observations undertaken on each child, which are linked to the areas of learning and include details of the next steps planned for them. Educational programmes are planned to ensure that children have opportunities to progress towards the early learning goals. Effective observation and assessment ensures that the need for any extra support is identified quickly. For example, individual educational plans are written to address specific targets for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and these are supported by external agencies. Strong partnerships with parents contribute to a coordinated approach to children's care and learning. Policies and procedures are thorough and support staff well in providing a welcoming and stimulating environment for

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provision

all children. All children's individual needs are valued and their positive development is fostered well during their time at the setting.

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provision

Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning and development as the setting supports them in making the transition to school. Children develop confidence in various social situations, which prepares them for moving on. Information is shared with other providers on a regular basis. This enables all people involved with the child to note their interests, needs and development and effectively promotes continuity of care and learning.

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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 305023 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 923569

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 61 Number of children on roll 75 Name of provider Janet Ann Holland Date of previous inspection 18/09/2008 Telephone number 0151 357 1841

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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