Children 1st @ Sheffield

Children 1st @ Sheffield Breedon House Nurseries, 39 Scotland Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 7BS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/07/2013 11/05/2010

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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 managers and staff team create a warm and welcoming environment, where children settle, enjoy themselves and develop close relationships with their peers and adults working with them.  The implementation of clear systems promotes children's health and safety. The setting is securely maintained, supervision of children is good and staff continually risk assess all areas used by children to ensure potential hazards are minimised.  Children's needs are identified and effectively met through well-established and good partnerships between parents and external agencies.  Staff are consistent with boundaries and expectations regarding children's behaviour. Children are encouraged to be polite and thoughtful. This helps them build firm relationships with others.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some staff do not use effective questioning techniques to help children, in particular, older children to make sound connections in their learning.  Not all activities are well-planned or sufficiently resourced. As a consequence, some children's learning is interrupted and some children, particularly during lunchtime, become restless.

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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 explained the process of inspection.  The inspector viewed all areas of the nursery and met children and staff.  The inspector observed activities and spoke with children, staff and parents.  The inspector viewed a range of documentation relevant to the evidence required.

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Information about the setting

Children 1st @ Sheffield was registered in 1996 and is one of a number of nurseries owned and managed by Breedon House Nurseries Limited. It operates from a large two- storey building, which has access to a secure outside play area. The nursery is within walking distance of Sheffield city centre. The nursery serves the local and surrounding areas. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. With the exception of bank holidays, the setting opens each weekday throughout the year from 7.30am to 6pm.

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Information about the setting

The nursery supports disabled children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. There are 44 staff employed to work directly with children, of whom 32 have an appropriate early years qualification. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association and has achieved the accreditation award 'Quality Counts'. The nursery has also achieved the Investors in People award and is an approved early years training centre.

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

 support all staff to consistently use good questioning techniques to help children develop their problem solving, questioning and discussion skills

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

 review the planning of all activities, so that resources to support learning are in place and children do not spend too much time sitting at tables waiting for their lunch.

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who attend

Most staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn. They provide a varied educational programme that captures children's interests and the next steps in their learning. Staff undertake good observations, which are reflected in their planning to meet the needs of every child. This ensures that every child, including disabled children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, make expected progress in their learning and development. Each child has a written record of their learning that includes observations, using photographs and written evidence, about what children are doing and these are shared with parents on a regular basis. Staff have good systems in place to carry out developmental checks for children aged two years. This enables them to accurately pinpoint where children are in their learning and development and identify any areas of

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who attend

concern. Staff fully understand the importance of this check and share their findings with parents.

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who attend

Babies benefit from close contact from their key workers, who support them to smile and coo at people, therefore, learning how to engage others in their interactions. Staff are very skilled in the development of children in this age group. They plan activities well. The baby rooms have a wide array of sensory materials on the floor and on the walls. Low hand rails are also placed in strategic places in the room to help children learn about balance and give them the confidence they need to pull themselves up from the floor. Treasure baskets contain a wide range of sensory materials and are used as part of everyday play. This helps children to develop their sensory skills, make distinctions in vision, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. By skilfully placing objects just out of children's reach the youngest children are starting to lift their head when on their stomach and show squeals of delight as they grasp the object and roll over.

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who attend

All children are motivated and keen to learn. There is a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Staff recognise children's need to play independently but are on hand to intervene and support where needed. Children are developing a good sense of themselves as individuals, wanting to do things independently and expressing their own preferences and interests. Inclusion is promoted well with all children being actively engaged and included in all activities and routines. Mathematical language is promoted well. Children's awareness of numbers and counting is promoted effectively because staff do not miss any opportunity to use numbers and counting in everyday play and routine situations. They teach children about concepts of size and symmetry as they support children to work industrially together to build a train track in the middle of the playroom. Children talk to staff about how big the track has become and how they need to bend the

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who attend

track round, so that it fits into the space. However, on the day of the inspection the 'Market Garden' lacked resources. As a consequence, children playing in this area did not have the opportunity to practice their counting skills or develop further their social skills, such as, working with others, sharing materials and communicating imaginatively with their peers.

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who attend

Children are encouraged in conversation. Most staff are skilled in effective questioning techniques as they repeat individual words and model building sentences for children to copy. However, not all staff demonstrate theses skills. These staff tend to use closed questions, resulting in a minority of children only answering 'yes' or 'no' rather than discussing what they might be thinking or expressing their own ideas and thoughts. Children's writing skills are developing well; younger children readily draw lines and circles using gross motor movements. Some older children can confidently write their names and some are starting to form sentences. Phonic sessions help to teach children some initial letters and helps make links between letters and the initial sound of words. However, the planning of the session on the day of the inspection was not well-prepared and some of the resources to support the session were too small to gain children's attention. As a

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who attend

consequence, the good initial learning that had taken place lost some of its impact and some children started to lose interest in the session. All staff promote outdoor play well and encourage all children in their physical development. Children enjoy exploring play equipment, such as slides and climbing apparatus. Staff plan and provide a varied and exciting outdoor environment that encourages children to be outdoors and promote their physical skills. As a result, the outdoor area is a stimulating place where children develop their gross-motor skills, such as running, kicking, jumping, climbing and throwing.

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who attend

Children show a keen interest in communication technology and toys with buttons, flaps and simple mechanisms. Older and more able children can complete simple computer programmes without adult support.

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

Children are happy and settled. This is due in part to the warm friendly environment that staff have created. In addition, transition arrangements between the rooms is generally well-managed, enabling children to mix with their peers and become familiar with their new learning environment. The key person system is implemented effectively, to ensure that each child has a named person to take responsibility for their daily well-being and plan for their learning and development. All children behave well. Consistent boundaries are in place to help them know what is expected of them. For example, children listen and respect staff when they are asked to share popular resources. Good behaviour and individual efforts are valued and praised by all staff thus promoting children's self-esteem and confidence.

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

Children are supported well, to ensure that they are prepared for the next stage in their learning and development. As a result, they are developing both the education and practical skills they need to help them start their journey into school. In addition, good links have been made with a wide range of primary schools, to help support children's transition to these settings. Staff are deployed efficiently in all nursery routines to monitor children's safety and security. There are good arrangements in place to help children learn to keep themselves safe through practised routines, such as the emergency evacuation procedures.

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

The nursery staff competently follow the needs of younger children for sleeping and feeding. Staff share the responsibility for promoting healthy eating with parents. Healthy nutritious meals and snacks are provided and 'Harvey the Rabbit' is an imaginative resource that helps children to learn about healthy eating. 'Joseph's Garden', dedicated to a child that used to attend the nursery, is used well to encourage children to learn how to grow and tend to plants.

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

Mealtimes are social occasions, where all children are helped in their self-care skills and well supported by staff. However, on the day of the inspection a small number of children were sat for a lengthy period during lunchtime. This resulted in some children looking tired and some wanting to go and play with their peers.

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provision

The nursery managers follow clear and dedicated procedures for the management of all areas of the provision. They reflect on their services and put into place appropriate plans for improvement.

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provision

There is a high level of awareness of all regulations and monitoring of the learning and development requirements. There are detailed induction procedures for all new staff and records show that this includes information regarding regulations and areas of teaching and learning. A mentoring system is well-established, to enable staff to advise and support each other. As a result, they are motivated, enthusiastic and work well together as a team. All staff have annual appraisals; their performance is also assessed by senior managers through peer observations, managers use these assessments to promote and support staff performance. There are well-established systems in place to ensure that staff clearance and suitability is competently checked. Staff show a strong understanding of following the safeguarding procedures. They confirm during discussion that the nursery manager is the lead person for child protection and they would not hesitate to refer any

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provision

concerns. A record of Disclosure and Barring Service Checks is in place for all staff. Risk assessments are carried out, to identify hazards and the steps needed to limit risks. These procedures ensure that children are well protected and can play safely indoors and outside.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are effective. Staff are committed to working together with them, to ensure continuity of care and learning for children. Parents are kept well informed both by written information and verbal communication. Parents report that their children 'can't wait to get to nursery' and that staff are friendly and approachable. Good attention is paid to early identification of special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work closely with a wide range of professionals to ensure that disabled children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and links are made with other professionals. This helps secure any additional support that children might need and is proving successful in helping these children to make the best progress that they can in their learning and development.

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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 403676 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 925619

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 145 Number of children on roll 239 Name of provider Breedon House Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 11/05/2010 Telephone number 0114 279 8892

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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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