Little Ark Nursery

Mega Nursery The Mega Centre, Bernard Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S2 5BQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/05/2013 05/08/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 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

 Children experience a suitable variety of experiences as staff plan and deliver an interesting curriculum, taking account of individual children's learning, their family and the knowledge they have built of the children through their observations.  Staff are attentive and sensitive to children's needs and requests, helping them form secure attachments to their peers and the adults caring for them.  Secure premises ensure children are kept safe and through the good, positive role modelling by staff, children are developing their independent skills, good manners and are well behaved.

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It is not yet good because

 Children have fewer opportunities to develop their knowledge and awareness of nature through planting and growing activities.  Self-evaluation has not been fully implemented or regularly updated to strengthen the links between identified priorities and any improvements made.  Staff in the toddler room do not implement the required progress check at age two. Consequently, they do not identify the child's strengths and any areas where their progress is less than expected, and parents and carers are not provided with a short written summary of their child's development in the prime areas.  The monitoring of staff practice does not effectively identify instances where staff are not consistently applying all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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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 spoke with staff, children and parents during the inspection and carried out observations of staff practice.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's development records and a selection of required documentation, including the safeguarding policy and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Mega Nursery opened in 2003 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in The Mega Centre, which is a large community centre linked to the Hope City Church in Sheffield. The nursery serves families living in and around the Sheffield area.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. There are currently 57 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 18 staff who work directly with the children. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and the manager holds level 6.

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must:

 implement the progress check at age two, to identify children's strengths and where their progress is less than expected, and provide parents with a short written summary of their development in the prime areas of learning

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must:

 improve the monitoring of staff practice to ensure that all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage are understood and consistently applied.

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

 develop children's understanding of the world, for example, by building on opportunities for children of all ages to observe change over time and grow plants and vegetables

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

 improve the focus of self-evaluation to inform the setting's priorities and set challenging targets to secure continuous improvement.

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who attend

Children are making satisfactory progress in their learning and development. This prepares them for future learning and ensures the older children are suitably prepared for school. Staff gather information from parents when children start attending, which provides them with a baseline for children's learning. Staff make their own initial observations and assessments which enable them to identify children's individual learning needs and interests. Most staff have a generally suitable knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and they share what they know about the children with each other, which ensures consistency of care and learning for children throughout the provision. Babies' and children's overall progress is observed and monitored, with development records updated regularly and children's individual next steps included in the planning of further activities. However, staff working in the toddler rooms have limited

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who attend

knowledge and understanding of the progress checks at age two, and that a summary of children's progress in the prime areas needs to be provided and shared with parents.

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who attend

Through planned, purposeful activities and the engagement of staff in children's play, children's communication skills, vocabulary and language are developing well. Children enjoy looking at books, listening to stories and singing familiar songs and rhymes. Staff constantly talk to and converse with children in their freely chosen activities. For example, in sand play when children are 'hiding treasure', staff ask them appropriate questions, such as 'Where is the smaller shell?' and 'How many shells have you hidden?', encouraging them to be creative and to think about what they are doing. Children use positional language as they explain to the staff that they have hidden the 'treasure' under the sand and behind the spade.

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who attend

All children have daily opportunities for outside play, which takes place on the safely enclosed roof terrace. A range of suitable climbing and balancing equipment, wheeled vehicles and construction activities enable children to develop their physical skills well as they use the variety of resources with confidence and ease. However, staff have not yet developed the outdoor play area to include the opportunities for children to use plant and nurture a variety of flowers and vegetables, in order to further develop their knowledge and awareness of observing change and how things grow.

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who attend

Older children's understanding and use of mathematics is developing well. They are confident and capable in their use of number names, counting, sorting and matching and enjoy sharing what they can do with adults. For example, they sort the coloured beads, count them and then weigh them to see who has the most. Children's awareness and understanding of the wider world is promoted well. They have access to a variety of dressing up-clothes of various cultures, and books which promote positive images. Through role play they act out familiar scenarios, such as, cafes, restaurants, travel agents and vets. Children use appropriate cutlery to eat their meals, and scissors, wooden spoons, rollers pots and pans as they participate in an extensive range of activities, such as baking, craft activities and role play.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are effective. Staff exchange daily information and use communication diaries for the babies to ensure parents are informed of sleep times, food intakes and nappy changes. Staff produce progress reports for parents which show children's progress in their learning and development through the seven areas of learning. These reports also provide information on what the key person has identified as the next steps in children's learning which they will be working on the following term. Parents comment positively on the practice of all staff within the nursery and that they are satisfied with how they are kept informed of their child's progress and development.

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

Throughout the nursery children are happy and well settled. They are confident as they engage in conversations and welcome visitors. Staff offer lots of positive praise and recognition for children's efforts and achievements. They are very attentive to the children, listening to their requests, and are fully aware of their individual needs, supporting secure emotional attachments that have been formed between staff and children throughout the nursery. The environment is resourced with a good range of age- appropriate toys, games and resources which are easily accessible to children, promoting their learning. Safety within the nursery is monitored well. Children are unable to leave unattended and the secure entrance prevents people entering without the knowledge of the manager or staff. Regular emergency evacuation is practised with the children, ensuring they are familiar with the procedure and raising their awareness and

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

Children's health and well-being are promoted well. They are provided with healthy, balanced foods for meals and snacks. Food is cooked on site and mealtimes are social occasions as children sit together. Older children are able to be independent as they serve themselves and clear away their own plates. All children know and follow hygiene procedures with little prompting from staff. They know to wash their hands before eating and after using the bathroom, developing a sound awareness and understanding of their own needs and personal hygiene.

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

Children are well prepared for the next steps in their learning and are supported in their transitions within the nursery. All babies and toddlers have planned visits as they move to their next area. These visits are coordinated by the key persons in each area. They spend time with the children to build up the visits to ensure their transitions are smooth and that secure attachments with the child's new key person can be made. Children moving on to school are also well supported in their transitions. Staff have good partnerships with the schools and arrange for teachers to visit the children in nursery prior to them moving to school.

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provision

This inspection was prioritised by Ofsted following concerns around safeguarding, recruitment procedures and behaviour management. Policies and procedures that promote children's health, safety and welfare are fully in place and effectively implemented. Staff have attended safeguarding training and are secure in their knowledge of child protection. All staff are aware of the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures and of the nursery's procedures. The manager is the designated safeguarding officer for the nursery and has a very clear understanding of her role. Robust risk assessments, which are regularly monitored and updated, further assure children's safety. Recruitment procedures are sound and all staff are appropriately vetted to ensure their suitability for working with children. A comprehensive policy with regard to behaviour management is in place and understood by staff, who are consistent in their approach to managing children's

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provision

behaviour according to their age and level of understanding.

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provision

Staff's professional development is monitored through annual appraisal, and they keep their knowledge of first aid and safeguarding up to date through regular training. However, the monitoring of practice is not fully effective in ensuring all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage, specifically the progress check at age two, are understood and consistently applied. Management and staff reflect on their practice. However, although self-evaluation identifies areas for further improvement, these have not yet been implemented and self-evaluation is not regularly updated to fully reflect their commitment.

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provision

Parents are asked for their opinions and ideas through questionnaires, and any concerns or ideas are acted upon, ensuring parents views are valued and appreciated. Partnerships with other professionals and agencies, such as speech therapists, are effective. Children are well supported by these partnerships, ensuring appropriate support is implemented to meet their individual needs.

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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 EY216880 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 891169

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 57 Number of children on roll 53 Name of provider Hope City Church Date of previous inspection 05/08/2009 Telephone number 0114 213 2050

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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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