Small Wonders Day Care Nursery and Enhanced Activity Centre

Small Wonders Day Care Nursery and Enhanced Activity Centre Sunbury Street, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 3RE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/06/2013 18/08/2011

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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

 Staff are particularly good at supporting children's developing literacy as they regularly spell out the letters in words and sing fun songs from a phonics computer program.  Children form secure emotional attachments with their key person because staff work closely with parents, gathering clear information to ensure each child's specific needs are met.  Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well supported by having one to one care and regularly reviewed care plans in place.  Managers monitor the progress children are making and analyse the information to identify and address any possible gaps in their learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The garden does not always offer a wide range of challenging and interesting activities to further promote children's very good learning in all seven areas of the curriculum.  There is room to develop the existing supportive supervision and appraisal of staff by adding specific targets to help them develop their practice even further.

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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 looked at relevant documentation, including planning, observations and assessment records. She also looked at a range of policies, including information used to assess the suitability of staff, staff rota's, attendance registers and the setting's self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities and care practices in all playrooms and within the outside play area. She conducted joint observations with the manager, looking at the practice of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the children and staff from each room. She also held a meeting with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took into account the views of parents and carers spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Small Wonders Day Care Nursery and Enhanced Activity Centre is one of two settings run by a private provider and was registered in 2011 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register. It operates from a single storey premises in the Thatto Heath area of St Helens. The nursery serves a wide catchment area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. The setting employs 24 staff to work with the children, of these, 20 hold relevant early years qualifications at level 2 or above. One member of staff has Qualified Teacher Status.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7am to 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are 116 children on roll, of whom 106 are in the early years age group. The setting provides care for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children, who have English as an additional language. It provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. The nursery is supported by the local authority and is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association.

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

 enhance the opportunities for learning in the outdoor space by providing a wider range of interesting and challenging resources. For example, den making, writing and creative materials and items for large scale construction play

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

 develop the supervision and appraisal of staff further by setting specific targets, so that staff know exactly what they need to do to develop their practice.

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who attend

Children have fun as they are cared for in different rooms according to their age. This results in children accessing a good range of developmentally appropriate toys and resources to meet their needs. It also enables staff to provide interesting, hands-on learning experiences, which results in children making progress from their unique starting points. For example, young children are provided with real nappies to use with the dolls in the home corner. Staff engage in children's play, talking to them and asking questions, which helps them to become confident communicators and critical thinkers. For example, during a spontaneous activity, staff show young children alphabet flash cards, asking them 'what is the letter for lion?' Children confidently shout out 'L is for lion'. When staff show more pictures of children wearing different traditional dress, children very confidently shout out Japan, Russia and Germany. Older children enjoy listening to a phonics program

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who attend

on the computer. The member of staff skilfully stops the session at certain points to encourage children to identify the next word and children spell out the letters. Children sing letter songs together and learn to sign some words in 'Makaton'. Consequently, all children are encouraged to develop good communication skills.

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who attend

The range of resources outdoors is effective in promoting children's physical development. They enjoy running around up and down hills, climbing on the climbing frame and bouncing on the trampoline. Staff encourage toddlers to look for spiders in the bug den inside a large tractor tyre and then teach them numbers by counting the spiders. However, the garden is largely an open space and does not always present children with interesting or challenging learning opportunities in all seven areas of the curriculum. For example, providing children with magnifying glasses to look closely at the spiders, so they learn about the features of living things.

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who attend

Children's starting points are identified from the clear information gathered from parents and through staff observations when they first start. This enables staff to clearly identify children's level of ability, on which they continue to build. Observational assessments monitor children's progress and are used to identify and plan for their next steps in learning. Children, who speak English as an additional language are effectively supported. Staff know and use words and phrases in other languages for some care routines, such as needing the toilet. In addition, staff teach older children to count in different languages. For example, a child's key person tells a parent that the child has counted to 10 in French and is also saying 'Bonjour'. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully supported and included as staff adapt activities to meet their individual needs. Partnership working with parents, carers and outside agencies results in the continued

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who attend

support and development of children. This enables all children to make progress within the seven areas of learning, preparing them well for their eventual move to school. Parents and carers receive good information about their children's progress and development through the continuous exchange of information, coffee mornings and parents' evenings. In addition, staff complete a monthly summary detailing children's achievements and a specific progress report at age two, which parents are encouraged to contribute to. This enables everyone to work together as they continue to support children's learning and development across all areas of learning.

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

A successful key worker system is in place. Children form good attachments to their key person and feel secure in the environment, so they are keen to explore, knowing staff are close by to give support. Staff find opportunities to give children one to one attention during the busy nursery day and notice quieter children, who need more time to join in a group discussion. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well supported as many have one to one support. As a result, children's emotional needs are very well met. Staff praise children's efforts and good manners, they gently remind them to listen to each other, be kind and to tidy up. Consequently, children are well behaved and cooperate in their play. Children are taught how to behave safely. For example, they quickly line up in the garden, ready to carefully walk back up the slope to the nursery.

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

The environment is bright and attractive with colourful examples of children's artwork displayed on the walls. The vast majority of resources are stored at low-levels, so that even young babies can independently select the toys they want to play with. Playrooms are partitioned to create different areas and children can find a quiet corner to play or rest away from a larger group. The building layout does not allow children to move freely between the playrooms and the garden, however, they enjoy fresh air and physical activity throughout the day, as staff take them out in groups. Children enjoy the outdoors because of the open spaces and undulating ground. For example, children squeal with delight as they run fast down the slope chasing a hula hoop. Challenging climbing frames and a trampoline help children learn to take measured risks in their play. Children's health is further promoted because they are offered nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks.

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

As a result, children are learning the habits that will contribute to their development of a healthy lifestyle. Children are encouraged to become independent at every age. Babies try to feed themselves at mealtimes, toddlers are encouraged to put on their own coats and pre-school children serve themselves at lunch time. Consequently, children are active and animated learners, who are developing skills that will help them make the transition to school at the appropriate time.

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

Flexible settling-in sessions are adapted to meet individual children's needs. Parents are asked to fill in a 'starter pack' for their child, which details their likes and dislikes and any specific needs they may have. In addition, children with specific health needs have detailed care plans in place, which are updated regularly with parents. This helps staff to get to know children quickly and provide ongoing appropriate care. Good arrangements are in place for individual children, who require extra support when they move onto school. For example, children go with their key person to visit their new school, in order to prepare them for the change. Consequently, parents and children feel supported during this time of transition.

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provision

The nursery has had a number of changes of staff in recent months and as a result, there is a new management team in place. The new manager is keen to develop the nursery and is in the process of reviewing and updating policies and procedures. New staff have been recruited following a robust round of interviews, work trials and suitability checks. Staff undergo an induction programme that includes training in safeguarding. Consequently, they are aware of the potential signs of abuse and know who to contact if they have concerns. Following a recent incident, which the provider notified us about when a child was left unsupervised in the garden for a very short period of time, the provider took prompt action by reviewing the risk assessment for the garden and erecting extra fencing to cordon off areas where children could play out of sight. Staff follow a rigorous procedure of counting children in and out of the garden and the garden risk

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provision

assessment is reviewed regularly. Daily risk assessment checklists ensure that the environment is safe, effective procedures for managing allergies, medicines and accidents are in place and several staff have first aid qualifications. In addition, staff record the arrival and departure times of all children. Consequently, children are kept safe from harm.

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provision

The management team hold regular monthly staff meetings and room leaders have meetings with their teams, to ensure all staff understand and implement good practice. Room leaders confidently discuss the individual needs of the children in their rooms and have a good overview of their development. They direct staff to ensure all the required tasks are completed and children are appropriately supervised at all times. The manager has monthly supervision meetings with all staff to discuss new initiatives and check staff are effectively monitoring children's learning. However, there is room to develop supervisions further by setting staff specific targets to help them to develop their practice, so ensure children are making the best possible progress.

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provision

The management team seek the support of specific agencies to help provide targeted support for individual children and they are making good progress, taking account of their starting points and capabilities. The nursery special educational needs coordinator has secured extra funding to provide one to one care for some children, so the ratio of staff to children exceeds the minimum requirements. Individual children's development trackers are monitored regularly by the manager. Data is gathered to analyse the progress of specific groups of children and action plans implemented, to ensure their achievements remain consistently good over time. For example, analysis showed some children were not meeting their milestones for mathematics, as a result, ideas for improvement have been discussed with staff at staff meetings and development plans are in place. The nursery has good relationships with its sister setting and other local settings and this helps the staff

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provision

share good practice. Teachers from local schools are invited to come to the nursery to meet pre-school children prior to leaving to start school. Staff support individual children by going with them to visit their new school. As a result, children are well prepared to make the transition to reception class.

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provision

The nursery works with a local authority advisor, who has supported the new manager in reflecting on how the nursery can be developed further. Current priorities are to support new staff settling in, roll out first aid training for every member of staff and to develop the garden, so it more effectively supports all seven areas of learning. Monthly newsletters keep parents well informed of changes and new initiatives and they have been asked to form a parent's forum, so they can share their ideas and opinions with the new management team. A designated parents' room offers parents a comfortable and private space to discuss concerns and access a wide range of information to support and guide them. For example, information on healthy eating, children's learning and development, safeguarding and local children's centre activities. Parents' comment very positively about the care and education their children receive. One parent comments 'the staff treat my

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provision

child like he is one of their own children, I am very happy with the support I get from his key person'.

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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 EY421911 Local authority St. Helens Inspection number 921659

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 84 Number of children on roll 116 Name of provider Small Wonders Day Care Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 18/08/2011 Telephone number 07787724988

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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