Culverdene Day Nursery

Culverdene Day Nursery 32 Grainger Park Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE4 8SA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/07/2013 18/09/2008

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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 quality of teaching is consistently good and, occasionally, outstanding. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development and develop a broad range of knowledge and skills, which supports their readiness for the next stage in their learning.  Highly effective measures are in place to monitor children's progress. This means children's strengths and weaknesses are clearly identified and intervention is sought where needed.  Children are well supported in their learning at home as good partnerships are in place to involve parents in their child's learning and development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities for children to develop their communication skills and respond in sentences are not fully developed as some staff do not always make good use of open- ended questions.  There is room to strengthen partnerships with other settings children attend so that there is an increased sharing of information about children's learning and a more consistent and complementary approach to the support they receive.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a tour of the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed play and learning activities and spoke to children and key persons in all rooms.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the provider and manager and looked at a selection of documentation, including the safeguarding policy and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Culverdene Day Nursery was registered in 1992 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in a large Victorian property in Newcastle Upon Tyne. It is managed by a private provider. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 13 members of childcare staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, five members of staff hold higher qualifications. The manager holds Early Years Professional Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 72 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It 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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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 enhance children's communication skills further by extending the use of open-ended questions with children as they play

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

 reflect on and further develop ways to strengthen the relationship with other settings children attend so that there is a more effective method for sharing knowledge and understanding about children's learning and development.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. They use this information well to plan for children's individual needs and, as a result, children make good progress in their learning. Staff support children, generally, well as they play. They sit alongside them, help them to explore and discover new things and provide new vocabulary to enhance their language and thinking. For example, children show interest when staff talk about caring for 'Pepper' the rabbit during the hot weather and use words, such as, 'eyes' and 'nose', when they touch and stroke him. However, opportunities to develop communication skills even further are not always fully developed. This is because some staff occasionally ask too many closed questions when they support children's play. All staff praise children's efforts, noting how well they concentrate and persist with activities

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who attend

when challenges occur. This raises their self-confidence and enables them to feel proud of how they have accomplished something.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is consistently good and occasionally outstanding. Experiences and opportunities offered by staff enable children to become deeply involved in their play. They are excited and motivated by equipment, which is new and different, especially when it is linked to their interests. For example, when children bring their toy cars into nursery, staff provide ramps and draw tracks on the floor to enable them to investigate slopes and different routes. Children are provided with very good opportunities to learn about number. Numerals are displayed in meaningful contexts throughout the nursery, including outdoors and staff make excellent use of everyday play-based activities to encourage children to count. For example, children show exceptional skills for their age when they count backwards from 10 to zero when starting a race with their toy cars. Children are provided with a wide range of experiences to develop their physical skills. In the indoor

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who attend

environment, children use scissors to cut tissue paper, use their hands and fingers to make shapes with play dough and push their toy cars back and forth on the floor. In the outdoor environment, children thoroughly enjoy bouncing a large ball up and down on a parachute, use tools to dig in the sand and make marks on the large board using chalk. As a result, children are very well prepared and gain the key skills and knowledge required for the next stage in the learning.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate a high level of awareness in supporting children whose home language is not English and encourage parents to share key words from home. This means children are provided with opportunities to develop and use their home language in play and learning, which supports their language development at home. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are equally well supported. This is because staff make good use of advice from external agencies, such as speech and language therapy services. For example, staff use signing as an additional means of communication. As a result, children with additional needs are progressing well towards the early learning goals, given their starting points.

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who attend

Assessment is rigorous and all staff make accurate observations and plan for individual children's learning and development needs. Progress is tracked and staff are highly confident in identifying individual strengths and weaknesses. Children have individual learning journals, which contain photographs and observations. All information is linked to the areas of learning and the characteristics of effective learning and clearly shows next steps in learning for each child. Children's learning at home is given utmost priority and parents regularly share information about activities and opportunities their children have enjoyed. This builds on what parents know and already do with their child, and supports their confidence and knowledge in how to strengthen the home learning environment. For example, when children talk about building work happening at home, staff develop a building and construction area in the outdoor space to extend thinking and further

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

Staff encourage all children to actively explore their environment. They take risks, appropriate to their age, and show they feel safe when they move around independently. For example, they climb in and out of the outdoor sand pit and pull themselves up and walk along furniture in their rooms. Children receive messages from staff about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. They clearly understand the importance of drinking water during the hot weather and are provided with good opportunities to remain hydrated throughout the day. They are provided with fresh, healthy and nutritious food at meal and snack times and have daily opportunities for physical exercise in the outdoor environment. This further supports their physical well-being and all-round development.

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

Children are cared for by experienced, qualified childcare staff, who meet their emotional and physical needs well. Relationships are strong and children develop good attachments with their key person. As a result, they thoroughly enjoy the time they spend at nursery and show how happy they are when they laugh and giggle when interacting with staff. Parents echo this view and make comments, such as 'My child is always excited when he knows he is coming into nursery' to describe how happy they are with the service provided. An indoor and outdoor environment is created, which is warm, welcoming and stimulating. Children make independent choices from the wide selection of toys and equipment available and can find and return resources they need for their play. This is because storage is appropriate and all boxes, drawers and containers are accessible and effectively labelled with photographs and words. Independence is further developed when

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

children attend to their own personal needs and ensure they wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Staff set, explain and maintain clear and consistent boundaries and rules in the nursery so that children can play feeling safe and secure. As a result, children's behaviour is good and minor disagreements are handled sensitively by staff. The rationale of boundaries and expectations is shared with parents to maintain a joint approach.

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

Children are well supported when they begin attending nursery for the first time. Parents attend for a settling-in session with their child, meet their key person and become familiar with the new environment. A wealth of good quality information is gathered. Parents complete written documentation detailing children's routines, such as, sleep patterns, soothers, family set up, likes and dislikes. This ensures continuity is maintained and children's social, emotional and physical needs are addressed appropriately. Children are equally well supported when they move rooms within the nursery and when they leave to go to school. Parents receive a pack of information describing their new key person and key information about their child's new room. Staff ensure information regarding children's care, learning and development is passed on, this includes any allergies children may have. Staff prepare children well for the move they will make into school during their final

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

term in nursery. For example, they develop the role-play area into a classroom and children enjoy listening to stories to prepare them for their school teachers and new environments.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward as a result of a notification of a safeguarding incident. This inspection found that the nursery has clear and comprehensive safeguarding policies and procedures, including those for whistle-blowing. In light of the safeguarding incident all such processes were implemented effectively and children were safeguarded as a result. The manager and registered provider demonstrate a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and they work well together to manage the nursery to ensure that children's safety and well-being is given high priority. This ensures that policies and procedures are effectively implemented.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are well established and make a strong contribution to meeting children's needs. The manager and staff keep them fully informed of all aspects of nursery practice and parents know what procedures to follow should they wish to make a complaint. Parents spoken to on the day of inspection use words, such as 'Fantastic', when describing the ongoing relationships they have with staff. Parents show their appreciation towards the staff team in a number of ways. For example, 'thank you' cards displayed on the parents board show how grateful they are for the positive experience their child has had during their time spend at nursery. Partnerships with other providers are, generally good, especially when children have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Information is regularly shared between staff and action plans are established. This ensures all those working with the child maintain a joint approach and a clear picture of a

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provision

child's development is achieved. However, there is room to further strengthen partnerships with other settings children attend to ensure that there is a more effective shared knowledge that will support continuity in their learning and achievements. For example, when children attend pre-school settings.

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provision

The manager carries out robust monitoring of educational programmes to ensure they have sufficient depth, breadth and challenge, and reflect the needs, aptitudes and interests of children. Monitoring of children's progress is well embedded within practice. As a result, interventions are sought where needed to ensure that gaps are narrowing for individual children identified as being in need of support. Qualified teacher support is received from the local authority, which further strengthens the leadership team. The manager completes thorough self-evaluation of the nursery. This ensures that areas are consistently identified for sustained improvement and this is very evident in the nursery. Views of parents, staff and children are carefully considered when developing self- evaluation, which helps to target improvement and address any concerns identified. There are plans in place to further develop partnerships with parents by producing an

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provision

'involvement leaflet' to document ways they can become more actively involved in the nursery. This effectively follows up comments made during recent parent questionnaires.

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provision

The manager and her staff team demonstrate an enthusiasm for their work with a commitment to improving achievement for children. As a result, morale is high and staff clearly enjoy working in the nursery. High quality professional supervision is provided, based on consistent and sharply focussed evaluations of the impact of staff's practice. This enables the managers and staff to identify their strengths and areas for further development. Staff are well supported and benefit from an effective programme of professional development arising from individual staff needs. As a result, staff are constantly improving and understanding their practice. Effective procedures are in place for recruitment and induction. This ensures all those working with children are suitable to carry out their role and are well supported when they begin working at the nursery.

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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 319160 Local authority Newcastle Inspection number 928315

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 54 Number of children on roll 72 Name of provider Sandra Shotton Date of previous inspection 18/09/2008 Telephone number 0191 272 3774

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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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