Pre-School Learning Alliance Langley Mill Childcare

Pre-School Learning Alliance Langley Mill Childcare Bailey Brook Drive, LANGLEY MILL, Derbyshire, NG16 4FS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/07/2013 29/10/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The performance management of staff is not effectively established. Staff deployment, interaction and the use of assessment is ineffective in supporting the learning and development of children cared for in the room for two- to five-year-olds.  Planning does not ensure children's next steps of learning are consistently supported to ensure they make rapid progress in their learning.  Parents and carers are not always informed of their child's progress, to promote consistency of care.  On occasion, insufficient attention is given to exploring the solutions to possible risks to promote a safe environment for children.  Self-evaluation does not accurately reflect practice within the setting, or identify the weaknesses identified at inspection.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff working with children aged under two are calm, relaxed and effectively deployed to support their engagement in play.  Appropriate procedures are in place to establish the suitability of adults working with children and ensure any concerns about safeguarding are suitably progressed.

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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 the playrooms and completed a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the staff about the daily routines, procedures and children's individual learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of documentation which included staff suitability information, complaint record, children's learning records and the setting's self- evaluation.  The inspector also took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

The Pre-school Learning Alliance Langley Mill Childcare was registered in 2006 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated within the site of Langley Mill Children's Centre in Langley Mill, Derbyshire and is managed by the Pre-school Learning Alliance. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a separate building and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 2, 11 hold an appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, and two hold an early years qualification at level 5.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 102 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The setting supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 ensure that spaces, furniture, equipment and toys are safe for children to use and that risk assessments clearly identify how risks will be removed or minimised

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must:

 ensure that all staff receive induction training to help them understand their roles and responsibilities so that they are effective in supporting children's learning and development

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must:

 ensure that effective supervision provides support, coaching and training for staff and equips them with the appropriate skills and knowledge needed to support children's learning and development

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must:

 consider the individual needs and stage of development of each child and use this information to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development

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must:

 ensure that parents and/or carers are kept up to date with their child's progress and development to ensure consistency of support

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must:

 develop a culture of continuous improvement, through self-evaluation of practice to drive children's progress.

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who attend

The nursery is not effectively implementing the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The quality of practice varies significantly between the two age groups within the nursery. Staff who work with younger children are more effective in supporting children's learning and development. They promote a calm and relaxed atmosphere, and demonstrate a suitable understanding of the learning and development requirements. They plan and deliver a suitable range of activities. They demonstrate an understanding of where children are at, however they do not always consistently support their next stages of learning through activities and free play.

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who attend

The lack of effective support for children in the room for two- to five-year olds means that they make inadequate progress. Not all staff demonstrate a suitable understanding of the learning and development requirements. Planning is very general and is not always linked to the most relevant area of learning or it does not identify the support needed for children of different stages of development. Furthermore, staff in this room give different interpretations of the planning, which means that children receive inconsistent support. Staff interaction with children is at times limited, because they continually move around or fail to engage children in anything purposeful. For example, they sit at an activity table but only briefly chat to the children and do not encourage them to play with the activity, or model what to do to support their learning.

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who attend

The quality of the assessment information for younger children is relevant and reflective of their current stage of development. Staff make effective use of this information both to support their transition to the next room and to identify any gaps in learning. For some older children, the information is neither reflective or up to date and therefore not useful in supporting their next stage of development. Furthermore, although some staff have a suitable understanding of the purpose of the progress check at age two, this is not consistent across the staff team.

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who attend

Children in the younger age group are given appropriate support to develop their independence during free play. Staff provide a suitable range of resources and children are encouraged to select items and move them around the environment. For example, a younger child selects some pegs and spends time playing with them around the outdoor area, trying to clip them onto various objects. This develops their exploration and investigation as well as their physical skills. Children also develop their physical skills as they climb the steps to the slide without support and ably manoeuvre themselves so that they can slide down. In some activities children's communication and language is effectively supported. For example, staff use simple and clear explanations to support children's understanding. Younger children thoroughly enjoy listening to stories, well- supported by the staff member's tone of voice and a prop. Although staff demonstrate a

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who attend

suitable understanding of where a child needs support with their language skills, they do not consistently support this. For example, during free play they make a couple of comments but do not prompt the child to respond or attempt to make sounds or words.

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who attend

Children do show an interest when adults interact with them. For example, they enjoy looking for insects in the garden and watering the plants and flowers. This develops their understanding of the world. However, when staff do give children attention, this is not always effective. They often get distracted by the arrival of a parent or carer or another task. As a result, children withdraw from activities reasonably quickly. Activities are planned to cover the area of expressive art and design. However, they do not always effectively promote children's imagination as they are quite prescriptive and children have limited resources to produce a predetermined piece of art.

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who attend

For those children who are soon to go to school, there are some opportunities to develop their language and social skills through a daily circle time activity. They are encouraged to listen to others and praised when they ask relevant questions. Some children demonstrate sound communication skills as they use descriptive words and phrases as they share their recent news with others. They develop an understanding of maths concepts as they form a circle before they sit down. However, on occasion the length of this group activity is too long for children to sustain their attention levels. Some children in the older age group do not demonstrate confidence in moving around the environment and selecting their own toys and resources during free play. Staff do not effectively support this as they fail to encourage children's participation. On occasion children wander about, they stand around or watch others. This means that insufficient attention is given to supporting children in all

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who attend

of the skills they need in their preparation for school.

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who attend

Suitable consideration is given to supporting children who speak English as an additional language. Staff gather and learn simple words, and use general signs and gestures consistently with all children, to support routines. They also have an appropriate range of toys and resources, for example, a speaking and musical bear in a different language as well as dual language stories. The co-ordination of support for children who have a special educational needs and/or disability is appropriate, involving parents and carers and relevant agencies. However, the actual support provided is hindered by the lack of effective interaction generally. Also, when identifying children's next stage of development, staff sometimes focus on the particular need at the detriment of other areas of learning.

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who attend

Some useful initiatives take place with parents and carers to involve them in activities within the nursery and therefore their child's learning. For example, the parent forum were involved in designing and helping to refurbish the garden to make a planting and woodland area. Parents and carers who speak other languages are invited to come in to share songs, stories and support activities to support children's understanding of other cultures. Parents and carers speak favourably about the nursery and particularly how friendly and approachable the staff are. Parents and carers are invited to contribute to the initial assessment of their child's learning and development. However, parents and carers are not fully informed about their child's progress or consistently encouraged to support and share information about their child's learning at home. Although the child's development file is available to look at and a discussion with staff will be arranged at any

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who attend

time, this is not fully promoted so that parents and carers feel confident in how to do this. As a result, a few parents and carers would like more information about their children's progress and achievements.

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

Children form reasonable attachments with staff. They demonstrate they are reasonably comfortable in the environment. Younger children are more settled and secure, for example, they cuddle with staff when they are tired. Children's routines are given due attention, for example, sleeping or support with potty training. However, older children do not necessarily seek out their key person or demonstrate they have a particular bond with staff in the room. Although the nursery employs consistent relief and bank staff, not all staff are familiar with the children they are working with. As a result, they are not always effectively supported to engage with activities.

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

Staff are not effectively deployed in the room for older children and this impacts significantly on children's learning and welfare needs. Although there is a deployment rota, some staff continually move around and routines have not been clearly established to support children's needs. For example, at lunchtime children are given the different components of their meal at different times and wait unnecessarily long periods of time whilst things are organised. Staff are constantly discussing what is happening which creates a noisy and on occasion a chaotic atmosphere. For younger children, staff organise the environment effectively and there are clear routines for lunchtime which mean that children do not have to wait and lunchtime is an enjoyable experience.

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

Children's behaviour is reasonably effectively managed. Despite the lack of effective adult interaction, children behave well. They listen to instructions and demonstrate an understanding of the routines and expectations. They share and take turns and do not disrupt or spoil other children's games. Younger children are given regular praise and encouragement.

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

The learning environment is well maintained and in the majority of cases suitably resourced, both indoors and outdoors. Toys and resources are laid out for the children to help themselves during free play. However, some older children do not receive sufficient support to encourage them to self-select toys and resources. The cutlery at lunchtime for younger children promotes their self-care skills. However, for older children they find it difficult to use, due to the shape and size. The outdoor space is a bright and vibrant, interesting place to play, which has different areas to provide variety for children.

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

Children's understanding of safety is sometimes supported. When staff do talk to children about their own safety, they give suitable explanations. Children enjoy healthy options at mealtimes. An activity on healthy foods gives children the opportunity to learn about foods that are good for them. Staff talk about the components of the meal, discussing the vegetables, but do not extend this to further support children's learning and development. Children enjoy daily outdoor play in order that they learn about the importance of physical exercise and fresh air. They are encouraged to drink regularly to ensure they are hydrated and help themselves to the jug of water.

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

Children's transitions are suitably supported, so that they are comfortable when they move to the next room. Staff plan this according to children's needs and their stage of development, in agreement with parents and carers. The length and frequency of visits are tailored to each individual child. The nursery makes relevant links with a range of other agencies to support children who have a special educational needs and/or disabilities. Effective use is made of links with the local children's centre. Relevant notes are made of any meetings to which parents and carers are invited.

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provision

In the majority of cases, risks and hazards to children are suitably minimised to promote a safe environment. For example, staff supervise children when outdoors or in the toilet area. However, the inspection took place following an incident where a child accessed an area of the nursery that has resources that are only suitable for older children. Whilst some steps were taken to address this, the management team did not fully explore all possible solutions. Arrangements for preventing children accessing this area are too dependent on individual adults supervising it and this system is prone to human error.

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provision

Procedures for dealing with safeguarding issues are suitably established. Staff demonstrate a suitable awareness of signs and indicators of abuse and neglect. They are clear of the reporting procedures if they have any concerns about a child. There is a clearly defined and understood procedure to follow in the event of an allegation against a member of staff. Checks to establish the suitability of staff are thorough and ensure that adults are suitable to work with children.

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provision

Although the nursery has suitable induction procedures, they are not effectively implemented to ensure that all staff understand their roles and responsibilities. Both new and established staff are not fully confident in what is expected of them, in order to provide appropriate support for children in their care. Furthermore, the management of staff performance is ineffective. The management team undertake regular supervision of staff. However, where it is identified that some staff may need support with particular aspects of their role, this is not always effectively implemented or appropriate support given. As a result, there is inconsistency in staff practice across the nursery. This means that children do not always receive appropriate levels of support or guidance. Although staff are appropriately qualified and undertake relevant training, some staff do not demonstrate a secure enough understanding of the requirements of the Early Years

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provision

Foundation Stage, to effectively support children's learning and development.

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provision

The arrangements for monitoring the progress of children are ineffective. A member of staff monitors the frequency of activities within each of the areas of learning, to ensure a balanced curriculum. However, there is no clear or effective monitoring of the quality of the planning, particularly for the older children, to ensure that activities meet the needs of the children and ensure they make the best possible progress.

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provision

Self-evaluation is given suitable consideration and incorporates all areas of practice. This includes head office audits. Staff contribute to the process and parents and carers views are taken on board. Some changes made have had a positive impact on children. For example, the colour and layout of the quiet area in the younger age group was changed following staff attendance of brain development training. This now provides a calm and relaxing area for children to comfortably listen to stories. However, evaluation is at times descriptive and not wholly reflective of practice. It fails to identify the weaknesses identified at inspection, or provide relevant and specific areas for improvement for the future, to help drive children's progress.

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provision

Relevant information is shared with parents and carers about the settings policies and procedures and factors that affect the care of their children. Suitable procedures are in place to minimise the risk of cross-infection. For example, staff wear disposable gloves and aprons when changing nappies. The manager has a suitable understanding of the requirements regarding complaints, and these are managed in accordance with the requirements. The manager places importance on providing information in a way that best meets the needs of parents and carers, for example, photographic displays around the nursery of the areas of learning. Partnerships with other settings that children attend are suitably established to promote consistency of care. Staff record information about children's learning and development in a diary that is available for the other setting to read and record their own information.

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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:

 ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  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 EY337018 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 925439

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 102 Name of provider Pre-School Learning Alliance Date of previous inspection 29/10/2010 Telephone number 07944 429424

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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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