Little Achievers Urban Forest School Nursery

Little Achievers @ Headstart Nursery 23 Herschell Street, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 3QU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/08/2013 11/11/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children develop confidence and independence skills as they choose from a wide range of toys and equipment. They are developing their self-care skills as they begin to independently serve food and pour drinks.  Children's physical skills are promoted well as they experience activities indoors and outdoors.  Children learn well about the world they live in through many first hand experiences.

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It is not yet good because

 There are some health and safety concerns at the nursery, putting children at possible risk of infection or injury.  The key person system does not effectively meet all children's needs as staff do not know children well enough to recognise the signals that they are tired or hungry.  Sleep routines in the baby room do not always support parents' wishes or children's routine at home.  Some children, when new to the nursery, are not regularly observed to fully understand their interests and what they can already do. This impacts on children making a smooth transition into the nursery and their progress.

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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 compulsory part 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 toured the setting and observed activities indoors and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision and with members of the staff team.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documents, including children's development records, policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the resources and equipment on offer and how they are organised to support children's learning and play.

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Information about the setting

Little Achievers @ Headstart Nursery was registered in 2006 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is one of five settings owned by Rosy Apple Childcare Ltd and is situated in converted premises in the Avenham area of Preston close to the town centre. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from five rooms over two floors and there are two fully enclosed outdoor play areas.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, 10 staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above, including one staff member with 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 58 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 children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 ensure spaces, furniture, equipment and toys are safe for children to use. With particular reference to mops and furniture in toilets and babies' access to pressurised spray cans

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must:

 review the key person system to ensure that every child's care is tailored to meet their individual needs, to help the child become familiar with the setting and to offer a settled relationship for the child

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must:

 use regular observations of all children to help shape their learning experiences based on their interests and what they can already do. This particularly relates to children who are new to the setting to use their interests to plan a smooth transition to help them settle more quickly.

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

 improve the partnerships with parents to ensure children's home routines are supported, particularly when children are settling into nursery.

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who attend

The staff have a reasonable understanding of promoting children's development and they plan a variety of activities to support their learning. Information is obtained from parents when children start in the nursery and this contributes to an initial assessment of their developmental stage in conjunction with staff observations. However, some children have not had any observations done in this early period. This means that planning does not help to support their learning or transition into nursery through targeting their interests.

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who attend

Observations are done regularly on most children and are linked to the appropriate development bands to establish what they can already do. The assessment of children's development includes the progress check at age two, as required. Next steps in learning are identified and appropriate activities are planned for individuals or small groups to facilitate children's progress. Children's current interests are also well used to engage them as the planning evolves daily. Some staff evaluate activities fairly well to identify where changes can be made to improve the learning experiences for children. They successfully adapt adult-led activities by taking younger children off to another area when it is obvious that they are not interested. This allows older children to gain more from the experience and younger children to engage in more age-appropriate activities.

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who attend

Children learn about the world they live in as they care for living things. The giant snails are very popular with the children and they enjoy showing the book and photographs of their pets. They grow vegetables and fruits in the recently developed allotment and this is providing even more opportunities for children to dig and plant. This helps children understand the world through first hand experiences. Children play outdoors everyday and the outdoor area is also planned to their interests and set up daily with opportunities across all areas of learning. They run, ride and climb, developing their physical strength and coordination. Natural wooden seating means that children have an area to encourage communication with their friends and a cosy shed provides them with a space for art, writing and reading outdoors. A newly decked area has been developed to give babies access to their outdoor area.

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who attend

Children sing enthusiastically, learning about the days of the week through fun rhymes. Communication skills are developing well as some staff are skilled at interacting with children in a way that encourages them to think and give a full response. Children follow their own scenarios and build on the play of others as they prepare a picnic in the home corner using their imagination. Staff link these scenarios well to children's home experiences to further consolidate learning. For example, children discuss eating eggs at home and use eggs to mix as they prepare their food. Staff make books in other languages, such as Polish and use the skills of staff well to translate; resources also promote children's understanding of other cultures. They learn to count and calculate as they work out how many more items they need. Therefore, the critical thinking of children preparing to go to school is reasonably promoted.

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who attend

The staff provide a welcoming environment in which most children make steady progress towards the early learning goals. This helps to prepare them appropriately for the next stage in their learning. Staff discuss and share information relating to children's learning, generally, well with parents. This means that parents are appropriately placed to support children's ongoing development at home.

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

A gradual settling-in period goes some way to help children feel at ease in the nursery and build relationships. All children are allocated a key person. Children's routines are obtained from parents, so that nursery staff can support these, however, these are not always followed. Children are tired and not eating well at dinner time because they have not slept in the morning as requested by parents. This means that some children are tired and out of routine. In addition, children, who are clearly still tired and dozing are disturbed and removed from bed before they are ready. This is because staff do not know children well enough to detect the signals when young children are hungry or tired. Some parents are uncertain of who their child's key person is. This does not support children's needs or parents' home routines. Particularly for those children, who are new to the setting, who then struggle to settle.

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

Staff cuddle children if they are upset, providing a sense of comfort that contributes positively to their happiness. Older children confidently interact with staff and their peers, demonstrating their sense of security in the nursery. They organise games with their friends, negotiate rules and approach staff to join in their play. They regularly praise children for achievements and efforts. Children are, generally, well behaved as staff give clear guidance during activities and routines. Owing to the use of age-appropriate methods of managing behaviour, children learn what is acceptable.

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

Children are learning to keep themselves safe as they play as staff give them gentle reminders, such as washing their hands before meals and after messy play. However, children are at risk of infection as they have easy access to a wet mop used to clean the toilet floors. A set of steps used by young children to access the nappy change table are balanced in the toilet area on a ledge, also fully accessible to children. This puts children in danger as they could easily be pulled off and fall onto them. In addition, children in the baby room have access to pressurised cans of shaving foam, stored within their reach. This all means that children's safety is not ensured.

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

Physical activities, such as, outdoor play, running and climbing, help children to develop an understanding of the effects of exercise on their bodies. They enjoy their time outside and gain an understanding of the world and healthy lifestyles as they grow vegetables in the allotment and apples in the playground.

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

The nursery provides nutritious and well-balanced, freshly cooked meals daily, resulting in children's developing awareness of healthy choices. Their independence is suitably promoted as children of all ages often serve themselves and pour their own drinks. Children's food preferences are respected. Staff sit with children while they eat in a well- practised social routine and encourage their social skills during conversation. This all means that children are beginning to develop some of the necessary physical, self-care, social and emotional skills they need to form a base for future learning as they move on to school. Staff manage transitions to school sensitively to support children's welfare and learning.

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provision

Staff understand the safeguarding policies and show a good understanding of the procedures to be followed if they have concerns about children in their care. Risk assessments are documented and daily checks are, generally, carried out and recorded. However, there is no record that the daily check had been completed on the day of inspection or the day before. Staff have failed to identify the hazards found during the inspection and therefore, procedures are not fully effective. Policies are updated regularly for the nursery and shared with parents. Parents are made aware about the responsibility of the nursery to protect children at all times.

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provision

The manager understands the learning and development requirements and her responsibility to monitor the staff practice and the effectiveness of teaching and the educational programmes. Appraisals and regular staff supervision meetings mean that staff performance is monitored and any concerns about children are addressed in a timely way. Children's progress is evident and this helps them develop a foundation for future learning as they move on to school. Recruitment and induction of new staff is good. They receive an initial induction, which ensures they familiarise themselves with the policies and procedures and know their role and responsibilities within the setting well.

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provision

The team are committed to continuous improvement and have achieved a quality award in the past year. Documents required for the safe running of the nursery are in place, such as registers for staff and children to sign in to ensure the required adult to child ratios are always maintained. Parents speak highly of the nursery. They receive regular newsletters and discuss children's progress with staff. Partnerships with local schools and other professionals work well to meet children's needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to help prepare them for school.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that children receiving childcare are kept safe from harm, with particular reference to mops and furniture in toilets and babies' access to pressurised spray cans (compulsory 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 EY338619 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 915048

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 62 Number of children on roll 58 Name of provider Rosy Apple Childcare Ltd Date of previous inspection 11/11/2010 Telephone number 01772 201004

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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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