Childsplay Claremont Nursery Co-op

Childsplay Claremont Nursery Co- operative Ltd 17 Claremont Place, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, Tyne and Wear, NE2 4AA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/08/2013 18/03/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Clear leadership and highly effective monitoring and supervision of staff, ensures that children are safe and extremely well-protected and nurtured as they make significant gains in their learning.  Children's overall physical development and well-being is effectively supported. They take part in an abundance of challenging opportunities in the outdoors, using the natural environment and real and recyclable objects. Consequently, they carry out their plans and ideas very successfully.  Children play in a highly stimulating environment and staff plan activities extremely well based on children's interests. Therefore, children are highly motivated and fully involved in what they do so that they make excellent progress.  The manager and deputy are longstanding and highly dedicated to the children, staff and parents and ensure that they maintain exceptionally high standards. The already high quality care and education for children continues to improve and develop 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 held a meeting with the manager and deputy, spoke to key persons, staff and parents.  The inspector interacted with babies and spoke with children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of documentation including children's 'learning journals', action plans, some policies and records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a tour of the premises, observed activities and routines in all of the playrooms and the outdoor area.

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Information about the setting

Childsplay Claremont Nursery Co-operative Ltd was established in 1982. It is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne and is managed by an executive committee made up of parents and staff. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a four story building and children are cared for in three main units. The upper floors and lower ground floor are accessible by stairs. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 25 members of childcare staff. Of these, 19 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, one member of staff holds a qualification at level 2, three members of staff hold a degree and two members of staff hold Early Years Professional Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday 51 weeks of the year,from 8.30am until 5.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 111 children attending who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports 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:

 continue to enhance the environment further by completing the current plans for development and evaluating their impact on the high quality of learning and care already provided for children.

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who attend

Staff have an excellent understanding of how to observe, assess and plan for children's learning. Staff in each room meet together after the morning session to discuss the children's interests and what they have been doing. They then plan effectively for the afternoon session. Children are also involved in 'review' sessions, they talk about what they have been doing, what they enjoyed and what they would like to do next. Therefore, children take part in exciting adult-led and child-initiated activities that stem from their interests and are facilitated extremely well by staff. When planning adult-led creative activities, staff draw a 'mind map' with the children. For example, the staff talk with them about their plans as they establish their interests in fire engines. They encourage children to think about what they are going to make, what they will need and how they will do it. This shows that children are actively involved in the decision making and planning

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who attend

process, which supports their critical thinking extremely well.

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who attend

Children approach the creative area eagerly. Staff sit with them and they talk through the plans they made earlier. Staff help children to count correctly and in context. Therefore, children manage to count up the boxes they need to make the fire engines and match this number by holding up the correct number of fingers. Staff also make size and position statements to explain which way up the boxes could go. This encourages children's mathematical development exceptionally well. Children become very engrossed in what they do and sustain their play for a long time as they eagerly use the boxes and other recyclable materials to design, make and paint their 'fire engines.' Children who do not want to take part decide to make their own big fire engine out of the large building blocks. This promotes children's thinking, individual choices, creativity and physical skills extremely well. These activities are also followed through and cover the different areas of

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who attend

learning. For example, a small group of energetic pre-school boys build their own fire engine from crates, real tyres and hoses in the outdoors. Staff sit with younger pre-school children to watch videos and look at photographs of real fire engines and fire fighters on the large computer screen. During these activities staff ask children what they can see. Children eagerly tell staff that they can see 'lights and hoses.' Staff extend children's language for thinking extremely well as they make statements and encourage children to think about what colour lights they will need and if there is anything else missing from their model fire engines. Children state excitedly 'orange and green lights' and 'wheels'. This promotes children's confidence, communication and language development very well and shows that young children are beginning to use their imaginations extremely well.

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who attend

Staff carry out regular observations on children and display these in individual 'learning journal' files with lovely photographs and captions for parents. These show how children make extremely good progress in the seven areas of learning over time. Staff caring for the youngest children have a strong focus on helping them to develop in the three prime areas of learning. Therefore, files show how children maintain focus and concentration and have strong exploratory impulses. This demonstrates that toddlers are developing extremely well in their personal, social and emotional development. Staff know how to identify any possible gaps in children's learning by using good tracker systems. They also use information from parents written in their child's daily diaries or on the planning boards, so that they can identify children's next steps in their learning. This clearly shows what staff need to do to help children move on in their learning and development. Two-

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who attend

way daily information is passed on verbally between staff and parents regarding how children have been, what they have done and enjoyed. Staff provide parents with a short summary of their child's progress every three months and plan a meeting with them to discuss this. Parents also take home their child's 'learning journal' at any time. This shows that parents are effectively involved in their child's learning and pass on relevant information regarding what their children do at home. For example, when toddlers attend music sessions and parents feel this is important, staff ensure that they provide song times, music and musical instruments as well as natural items for beating, banging and shaking, for toddlers.

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who attend

Staff group the older toddlers into smaller groups for singing and story times, as they understand that this meets their development needs. Children love to sing with staff. They use visual aids, such as puppets and props, and sing familiar repetitive songs, which holds their interests extremely well. Therefore, toddlers sing, wiggle their puppets and clap their hands with gusto. Children in this group who are nearly ready to move onto the next room, are given excellent challenges to extend their language and communication skills. For example, they do 'recall' time in a small group, which helps them to think and talk about what they have been doing that morning. They help to make their own playdough and learn simple shapes. This helps them to be prepared for the transition to the next room and to move on in their learning.

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who attend

Staff working with the oldest children have a very clear understanding of how to support children's learning in readiness for school. They benefit from simple French and Spanish lessons and a grandparent visits regularly to read poetry with children. Staff have taken advice from a language and literacy consultant visit and changed the way they introduce phonics; for example, through helping children to recognise sounds through listening, rather than showing them the written sound on flash cards. Staff have since noticed a big difference in children's progress in this area. This demonstrates that staff and managers constantly review the way in which they provide the educational programmes so that children are highly competent in the specific areas of learning and very well prepared for school.

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

Children benefit extremely well from regular fresh air, exercise and substantial healthy meals, which are organic and freshly cooked on the premises. This promotes children's good health very well. Some staff have completed training in forest school activities and some of the older children regularly take part in the one day a week adventure. The children plan their lunch and have cooked on a fire. This teaches children the benefits of the outdoor environment and reinforces safety. The nursery garden also has lots of natural resources, such as trees, tree trunks and ladder logs for climbing and balancing. This promotes children's physical development extremely well and provides an abundance of challenges for them.

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

Children's independence is supported extremely well as they prepare their own snacks, serve their own meals and manage their own care in the bathroom; for example, young children know which potty is theirs. They understand how to keep themselves safe and follow very good routines which support this. For example, they line up carefully at the gate before going back inside after outdoor play. They count along with staff to ensure that they are not missing any of their friends and know that they can go back inside when everyone is present. When toddlers climb up the soft play slide, staff are vigilant as they remove tractors and cars from the floor and add cushions. This prevents unnecessary injuries from falls and enables toddlers to practise their new skills in climbing safely. Children's behaviour is excellent. They are very kind as they play cooperatively and share their toys and resources. Staff offer an abundance of meaningful praise; for example, by

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

stating what a child has done well, such as 'That's great balancing.' This supports children's self-esteem and confidence successfully. Children have highly effective bonds and secure emotional attachments with their key persons. For example, they ensure that they attend to their key children's personal care, such as changing nappies. When babies move up into the next room, they are given lots of one-to-one support to ensure that they have a secure base as they grow in confidence to move around and explore by themselves. This helps children to feel safe and promotes their personal, social and emotional development exceptionally well. Staff deployment is excellent. The large group of older toddlers follow routines that are supported extremely well by staff. This means that getting ready for lunch and sitting down at tables runs extremely smoothly so that all children are very happy and settled.

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

All parents are offered settling-in visits for their children. The key person covers everything in depth and finds out information from parents regarding children's routines, allergies, medical conditions, interests and who their close family members are. Staff caring for babies also gain good information about their feeding habits, which milk they drink, any comforters, what nappies and creams they use and how they like to sleep. Usually over a two week period children are settled into their room. However, this time- scale is very flexible to meet individual needs. Parents stay with their children during these short periods while staff eventually carry out personal care tasks, such as giving babies a feed and changing their nappies. This helps the youngest children to settle, build up relationships with other adults and supports their emotional needs very well. Ongoing discussions are held daily with parents regarding any changes to their children's routines.

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

Staff record how children are settling in, in their 'learning journals.' This helps children to cope successfully with the transition move from home to nursery.

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

Staff consult with parents and previous key persons when they feel children are ready to move up to their next room. As children sometimes come together for different sessions, they talk with them about which key group they will be going into. For example, they know they are in the 'green group' and usually sit at the green table. New key persons also find out about children's interests from parents and previous key persons and make sure that some of their favourite toys are put out for them. This helps children to cope, be ready for the move and manage change successfully. Consequently, children feel safe and very secure.

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provision

The nursery is very well established as it has been operating for a number of years with the same manager and deputy. They work closely with their office manager, who supports them in the day to day organisation and all have an excellent background and experience in childcare. The manager and deputy have a very good knowledge of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and current trends in early education. This enables them to monitor the planning and assessment of children's learning very effectively. Managers have a clear presence in the nursery. Children call on them by name as they walk through and parents know who they are. This ensures that managers evaluate what goes on daily and ensures that staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities. This successfully supports children's welfare, learning and development. The manager has extremely high expectations of staff, each room has a line manager and

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provision

they meet and report to her weekly. They discuss staff performance, peer observations and individual children. Regular management meetings also ensure that the provision is monitored very well.

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provision

Safeguarding is excellent as the manager has a very good understanding of child protection. Staff also know what to do if they are worried about a child and would inform their line manager to take this forward. The relevant government posters and information are displayed around the nursery as reminders for staff. Managers inform parents that any incidents are recorded and they make them aware of their safeguarding procedure when a child takes up a place. The clear safeguarding policy has relevant contact numbers and details of what to do and who to contact if they have concerns about a child's care or welfare. Updated policies on the use of cameras, mobile phones and computer hardware, is adhered to by staff, which further protects children and helps to keep them safe.

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provision

Robust recruitment and selection procedures are in place and all staff are fully vetted before they can work with children. Clear staff structures are in place. Staff have regular supervision and appraisals with their line manager and training needs are quickly identified. This means that staff access training that meets their individual development needs. Many of the staff hold higher level childcare qualifications and use new knowledge from training in their practice, which further benefits the children's care and learning. For example, a staff member who is carrying out a professional practice certificate is beginning to use Makaton regularly to further support young children's communication skills.

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provision

The nursery has successfully met the one recommendation from the last inspection, which has improved the opportunities for children to be much more independent at snack times. Although the nursery already provides high quality childcare and has done for a number of years, the managers and staff are not complacent. They are currently developing and improving the nursery building further. The planned refurbishments include having a dedicated unit for children who are ready for school, a milk kitchen for babies within their own room and general improvements to the other children's rooms. This shows that continuous improvement is well targeted to provide the highest levels of care, education and support for children.

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provision

The deputy manager supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities very well and works cooperatively with any external professionals. As staff monitor children's development closely, they know the route to take if they have any concerns. Parents views are always sought before any support or intervention takes place. Every child and family is highly respected and their individual background and culture is celebrated. For example, as well as singing their welcome song in English they include relevant words from the different home languages of the children who attend. This effectively supports children with English as a second language. Displays, artefacts, photographs and books that reflect children's family backgrounds are also easily accessible for the children.

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provision

Parents receive a wealth of information about the nursery when taking up a place for their child. Many new siblings attend the nursery, which indicates that parents are happy with the provision. As well as discussions with a manager and their child's key person initially, they are invited to attend regular review meetings on their child's progress. They are also asked for their views via feedback forms when their child moves rooms. As the nursery is a co-operative, parents have a high input and influence and all parents are invited to the annual general meeting. There are notice boards for parents to add their comments on their child's learning and interests and they feel very happy with the nursery. They state that they are, 'really impressed, we got a feeling of confidence that we didn't get when looking at other nurseries'. Parents often help out; for example, with the new refurbishment and they offer their services if they have relevant professions, such as a

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provision

dietician. They are invited in to take part in their children's 'sports day' event. This ensures that parents are fully involved in the life of the nursery and demonstrates that highly effective partnerships are in place, which in turn supports children's learning and well- being.

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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 319148 Local authority Newcastle Inspection number 915057

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 70 Number of children on roll 111 Name of provider Childsplay Claremont Nursery Co-operative Committee Date of previous inspection 18/03/2009 Telephone number 0191 232 6957

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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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