The Co-operative Childcare Hounslow

Places For Children Chinchilla Drive, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW4 7NS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/07/2013 25/11/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 The newly appointed, experienced manager takes action to drive improvement that benefits children's learning and welfare.  Children are provided with an inviting and stimulating environment with a good range of indoor and outdoor resources overall, that motivate them during play.  Staff have a caring approach, which helps children feel happy and settled.  Staff work closely with local authority advisors and parents to successfully meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff do not make effective use of risk assessments to identify and reduce all potential safety hazards.  Not all staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of how to extend children's language development or provide babies with a well balanced range of age appropriate activities  Staff do not provide a wide range of resources to extend children's interest in writing and their awareness of diversity.  Staff do not share the next steps for learning with all parents on a regular basis to promote their involvement in children's learning.

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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 in all three playrooms and the outdoor play area

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of the provision in the baby room

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with staff, children and the manager at appropriate times throughout the inspection

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation and checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan  The inspector took account of parents' views spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Places for Children Nursery is one of 50 nurseries trading on behalf of Co-operative Childcare. It registered in 2005 and operates from a purpose built building on the Meadows Estate, in the London Borough of Hounslow. It serves children from the local area. There are three playrooms and an area available for outdoor play. Children attend a variety of sessions. The provision is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm for 51 weeks of the year. There are currently 57 children on roll. The setting is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. The provision supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It employs 14 childcare staff, of whom 10 hold appropriate early years of qualifications. The provision also employs a cook. The provision works closely with the local authority.

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must:

 ensure that risk assessments identify and remove potential hazards to maintain children's safety

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must:

 increase staff's knowledge and understanding of how to engage children in conversation and provide age appropriate experiences for babies whilst making on-going judgements about the balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities

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

 increase the range of resources and activities to support children's interest in writing

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

 share next steps for learning with all parents on a more regular basis to promote their involvement in children's learning

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

 increase opportunities for children to learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others, among families, communities and traditions.

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who attend

Most staff understand and use learning and development requirements to help children make satisfactory progress. Consequently, children are generally working comfortably within the typical range of development expected for their age, taking account of any special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff plan a satisfactory range of activities that capture children's enthusiasm, such as cooking. They have recently adapted their planning so that most of the time it is used to promote children's interests. For example, when staff notice children enjoy using doctors' masks in the role play area, they plan related activities to extend imaginative play. Consequently, children show confidence as they choose what to play with. Staff join in children's play and offer support when needed. However, some staff in the baby room do not have as good a knowledge and understanding of how to provide age appropriate activities that are led by children's choice

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who attend

and interests. Consequently, babies are sometimes expected to sit in chairs and use resources, such as felt tip pens, that are not appropriate for their age and stage of development. This means their exploration and interest in learning is sometimes restricted. Staff complete detailed observations and assessments of children's progress that include summaries of their development between the age of two to three years. These include individual education plans for children with special educational needs, which staff use to help children make progress. However, the next steps for children's learning are not regularly shared with all parents, other than during key person meetings every few months. This restricts parental involvement and the opportunities for them to continue children's learning at home.

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who attend

Children in the pre-school group show good self-confidence as they stand on a small outdoor stage and sing songs ready for a performance to their parents. They increase their vocabulary as they learn and use a wide range of words in the songs. Staff praise children for listening, for example, as they talk about the change to ingredients during cooking activities. All staff ask children lots of open questions during their play. However, they generally do not give them time to think and respond to questions before asking the next one. Consequently, children do not have time to express themselves, talk and engage in conversation. This restricts the skills they need for future learning. Children show good steering and manoeuvring skills as they ride three wheeled bikes. They develop their hand and eye co-ordination as staff help them use buckets and spades in a large outdoor sand pit and play bat and ball games. Staff promote children's self-care skills as they encourage

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who attend

them to serve themselves at lunchtime and wash their hands independently. Children show interest and listen well as staff read stories to the whole group. They particularly enjoy books that include puppets. Children in the pre-school room draw and show interest in writing. For example, they pick up the 'record of visitors' clipboard and use it to practise early writing skills. Staff notice and remove the clipboard but do not respond by providing them with alternative resources. This restricts the opportunities for children to practise their skills. Children learn about shape and size as staff help them make constructions using large blocks in the outdoor play area. They learn about how things grow as they take part in planting and growing activities and how things work as they use a wind up egg timer and simple computer programmes. Children have access to a good range of media and materials such as water, sand, modeling dough and paint. Staff plan and set up

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who attend

activities that promote children's sensory development and exploration. For example, cooking and gardening. Children play imaginatively in a home corner, as they dress up and use real boxes to pretend to make pizza.

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

Children are well behaved and form positive relationships with staff and other children. Staff have a caring approach which helps children feel happy and settled. For example, they record and adhere to babies' home routines and spend time settling in new children with their parents. They provide a structure to the day, which means children know what to expect. Staff are in the process of establishing contact with teachers to help children's move to school go smoothly. Children show confidence and independence. They are provided with an inviting and stimulating environment with a good range of indoor and outdoor resources that motivate them during play. Since the last inspection, the outdoor play area has been significantly improved. For example, children now have access to a large sand pit and bark chipping area, a play tunnel partially concealed in a small slope, an area for planting and growing vegetables, and low-level wooden stumps for jumping and

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

balancing. The indoor carpets have been replaced with wooden flooring and clear boxes have been obtained so children can see and choose their own resources. Children's good health is well promoted. The newly appointed cook follows a four weekly rotating menu, to provide children with a range of nutritious home cooked meals and is experienced in creating vegetarian meals. Children are protected from the risk of cross infection because staff follow good hygiene practice, for example, when changing children's nappies and preparing babies' milk bottles.

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

Staff get down to children's level and remind them not to run inside the playroom. However, they do not explain why they should not run, which means that children do not always listen and sometimes slip over on the sand that is left on the floor. The manager has recently invited parents to contribute information about how they celebrate different cultural and religious events at home. However, staff have not yet acted on this information to provide children with a wide range of activities related to different cultural celebrations. In addition, there are limited resources available that reflect positive images. This restricts the opportunities for children to learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions.

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provision

Staff complete child protection training that generally safeguards and promotes children's well-being. However, since the last inspection, the provider and Ofsted have received information that the provision did not follow appropriate procedures following what they considered to be a disclosure by a child. The provider did not ensure confidentiality was maintained during discussions with parents and records of concerns were not completed appropriately. The organisation immediately conducted an internal investigation and took disciplinary action because procedures were not effectively implemented. The provider's new manager now regularly reviews staff understanding of child protection policies and procedures to ensure they are effectively implemented in everyday practice. The organisation ensures staff are suitable to work with children and complete appropriate checks. Staff work well as a team to supervise children and maintain ratios. For example,

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provision

they move around between the different group rooms at the beginning of the day, to cover various shifts. Children are secure in the premises. Parents and visitors can only gain access to the provision by the front door, which is opened by a member of staff. Staff complete risk assessments for outings and use a daily checklist to ensure the play equipment is safe. However, they do not take action to remove all potential hazards to maintain children's safety. For example, they do not make all window blind cords in the playrooms inaccessible to children. In addition, sand on the floor is not swept and sometimes causes children to slip and fall over.

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provision

Senior staff in each group room feedback to the nursery manager about practice during meetings that are held every three months. The new experienced manager has been in post for a relatively short time and has clear aims to spend more time directly observing staff practice and providing feedback, particularly in the baby room. All staff have completed training that has helped them to review and improve planning and resources in most group rooms. For example, staff have painted numbers in the outdoor play area and provided more visual numbers and letters to support children's learning. The manager regularly looks at children's assessment records and planning to ensure activities meet children's individual needs and provide them with challenge. She is beginning to successfully drive improvement and identifies areas for improvement through consultation with staff, children, parents and the organisation. She uses her extensive managerial

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provision

experience to make sure all policies and procedures are implemented. As a result, she has helped staff improve the layout of the rooms so activities are more easily accessible to children and generally improved staff interaction with the children. She is in the process of setting up parent and staff focus groups to evaluate if the nursery is an exciting place for children to be and to identify how it can be improved. Partnerships are generally good. Parents are happy with the care and education provided. Information is shared about children's welfare and parents are provided with a daily activity sheet. However, this does not give detail about children's progress. The provision works closely with other agencies and the local authority advisors to successfully meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. A specialist from the local authority visits the provision and meets with the special educational needs coordinator to identify and develop

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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:

 undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment immediately, where the need for an assessment arises and ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment immediately, where the need for an assessment arises and 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 EY282433 Local authority Hounslow Inspection number 925247

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 90 Number of children on roll 57 Name of provider Places For Children Ltd Date of previous inspection 25/11/2010 Telephone number 0208 570 5308

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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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