Mini Steamers Childcare

Mini Steamers Morris Street Hall, 91a Morris Street, SWINDON, SN2 2HS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/08/2013 06/06/2012

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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 provide enjoyable learning experiences that enable children to make good progress in their learning and development.  Children feel safe and secure because of the strong relationships they have developed with the staff.  Relationships with parents are also strong because they know their children are safe and well cared for in the nursery.  Children whose home language is not English are supported well and are making good progress.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children are not consistently given the opportunities to fully participate in story times to their satisfaction.  Staff do not consistently involve children in taking responsibility for helping in the preparation and serving of food at snack time.

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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 spoke to parents and took account of their views.  The inspector spoke to the children and staff.  The inspector viewed a sample of the nursery's documentation.  The inspector held discussions with the manager and deputy manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector made a number of observations of activities, including undertaking a joint observation of an activity with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Mini Steamers registered in 2011. It is located in the Rodbourne area of Swindon, Wiltshire, and has links with the StoweAway, East Wichel Community Centre, Swindon. Care takes place in one divided room, with associated toilet and kitchen facilities and an area for sleeping. Children have access to a secure outdoor play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 73 children on roll. Children aged two, three and four years are funded for free early education. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open weekdays from 7am to 6pm, all year round, except public holidays. There are nine members of staff who work with the children, of these, one has qualified teacher status, one has level 5, five have level 3, one has level 2, and one is working towards a qualification. A cook and a cleaner are also employed. The nursery receive support from the local authority.

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

 encourage and involve children to co-operate in the preparations for snack time and to take some responsibility in helping to serve the other children

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

 provide time for children to consistently participate in story times.

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who attend

The nursery provides a welcoming environment where children enjoy the interesting activities provided which enable them to make good progress in their learning and development. A wide range of good quality resources and equipment are provided from which children are free to make their own choices. Interesting topics are planned to enable children to explore their world including visits to local places of interest. They also receive visits from 'people who help us' including the local police and fire service. Topics linked to the 'Very Hungry Caterpillar' story allows children to develop their knowledge of the natural environment, and to learn about different sorts of fruit. Although there is limited outdoor space at the nursery for physical development the nursery make good use of the nearby park and use the recreational facilities to good effect. The pre-school children enjoy listening to stories because they are told by staff in an

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who attend

interesting and imaginative way. Children eagerly answer questions and their replies show a good understanding in addition to their well developed spoken language. Children demonstrate good small muscle control as they carefully form letters as they learn to write their names. They have good knowledge of the sounds that individual letters make and repeat them as they write. Children work and play in groups and boys and girls of varying ages mix well and share activities and play happily together. A range of activities are provided to interest and engage young learners including floor toys, train sets, construction kits as well as mark making activities to develop those early writing skills. Staff interact well with children and join in with their play to make learning an enjoyable experience. This motivates children and ensures that good progress is made over time. The dedicated staff work well as a team in supporting each other and working flexibly to

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who attend

ensure children get the support they need.

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who attend

Babies and toddlers share an area that is well provided with colourful and stimulating resources for them to explore. Both groups play happily alongside each other, and staff encourage them to engage and play with the toys. Children are interested to touch and feel whilst staff talk encouragingly to them to help support their language development. Good progress is evident as toddlers count to five with confidence. Staff reward children with praise for their achievement. Children whose home language is not English make good progress in their understanding of English, and add new words to their vocabulary through the good support they receive. Staff sing children's names to welcome them and children enjoy joining in with them. Singing nursery rhymes is an enjoyable experience and helps to support language development through the repetitive nature of the songs. Children join in with hand movements enthusiastically in time to the music. Story time is

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who attend

also popular and children choose their favourite stories. However, sometimes the pace of reading is too fast for children to follow and understand, and this limits their learning from the experience.

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who attend

Staff work effectively in a calming manner with children helping them settle quickly by keeping them interested and engaged in activities. Close links with parents ensures they are kept informed about their children's progress through discussions and daily diaries. Parents share information with the nursery when children first start to attend and this information is used effectively to provide starting points for measuring their development over time. There are good systems to complete the two year progress checks which fully involve parents.

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

Children are provided with a safe and welcoming learning environment where they play and learn in a happy and friendly atmosphere. Relationships with staff are strong and children enjoy the many activities provided to support their learning. Children demonstrate through their behaviour that they feel secure in the nursery because staff give safety a high priority. Children develop well showing growing levels of independence as they begin to learn to take care of their own personal needs, and to make their own choices. They mix well and boys and girls of different ages play happily sharing their ideas as they engage in a variety of activities together. They talk and play with adults who make learning enjoyable, and learn to take turns and share with each other.

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

Healthy lifestyles are promoted through the nutritious menus provided by the nursery and cooked freshly on the premises. The snack menus reinforce these where healthy eating is a regular part of each day. Parents who send in packed lunches are encouraged to support the nursery through providing a healthy lunch box for their children. Snack time is used effectively to enable children to engage in conversations with staff and with each other. However, it not yet being used to encourage children to help in the preparation of food or to take responsibility for serving it. The nursery recognise the need to provide a regular programme of physical exercise, and whenever possible they use the locally adjacent park for this purpose. Children enjoy these visits because of the good range of recreational equipment it provides to enable children to be active. All welfare needs of the children are met and there are good hygiene practices in place. Children know and

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

understand the hand washing routines before meals, and after managing their own personal hygiene needs.

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

The nursery encourages parents to bring their children for short periods when they first start as this helps them to adjust from being away from them often for the first time. These settling in arrangements work effectively because the staff give them a warm welcome and lots of encouragement to help them settle. They also allow children to become integrated gradually over time. Good links with the local primary school enable the pre-school children to make a number of visits, and for information to be shared in preparation for their transfer in the autumn term. The good progress they make in the nursery helps prepare them well for the next stage of their education.

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provision

The nursery provides a secure and stimulating environment in which children learn and develop well and feel safe because this is given a high priority. Policies and procedures are in place to ensure their safety and well being including procedures for the safe use of mobile phones and cameras. The premises are checked daily to ensure they are free from hazards, and equipment is suitable for children to use. There are secure and vigilant procedures for monitoring the entry points of doors and gates to the building. Strict signing in and out procedures are followed by parents delivering and collecting their children, and a password system when children are being collected by someone other than their parent. Safeguarding procedures includes rigorous checks on new staff to ensure their suitability to work with young children. Staff are all trained in child protection matters, and they understand the procedures to follow in the event of concerns about

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provision

children's welfare. All staff undertake training in the administration of first aid, and an appropriate number have attended courses in food handling and hygiene.

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provision

The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework has been fully implemented and staff trained in its use. The programmes are taught through a variety of topics often linked to children's particular interests. Staff monitor children's development carefully to ensure they are making at least expected progress, and regular observations are made to plot their development on a regular basis and to identify their next steps in learning. Progress information is shared regularly with parents through daily diaries and face to face discussions.

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provision

Management and staff develop an action plan as part of the nursery's drive for improvement and through their evaluation of its practices. There are plans in place to extend the nursery. Plans to meet the needs of the growing number of children whose home language is not English have been put in place including the development of additional resources and the appointment of bi-lingual staff. Opportunities for staff to improve and develop their skills are met through annual interviews when areas for improvement will be set, and additional training needs identified where appropriate. Discussions on career development and any changes to their deployment in the nursery are also discussed.

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provision

The nursery has developed strong relationships with parents, who speak highly of the provision made for their children. They value the good care taken of their children and the regular opportunities to discuss their progress and to receive information about how well they are doing. Questionnaires provide parents with the opportunity of contributing suggestions on how the nursery can improve, and their ideas are frequently taken up. There are strong links with the local primary school to which many children will transfer, and frequent visits help children prepare for their move into school. Links too with outside agencies means that the nursery can access services that may be required to support children with particular needs, and to recommend them to parents when needed. The nursery also benefits from the professional support and guidance provided by the local authority particularly with reference to recent changes and developments.

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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 EY437453 Local authority Swindon Inspection number 925251 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 73 Name of provider Karen Maria Caluan Date of previous inspection 06/06/2012 Telephone number 07886 632 741

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Setting details

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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