Happyfeet Day Nursery

Happyfeet Day Nursery St Giles Road, Watton, NORFOLK, IP25 6XG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/09/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 Children are happy, settle well and develop good emotional attachments with their key person, other staff and their peers.  Staff have a good understanding of how children learn and plan effectively to ensure a balance across the areas of learning. Observation and assessment of children's learning is used well to plan for their next steps.  Children behave well. They respond well to the high expectations of staff and play well together, seeking out others to share experiences.  Children are becoming confident communicators because staff give good regard to supporting children's language skills.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children's self-care skills are not always promoted consistently across the nursery, to help all children understand and develop their very good hygiene skills, such as washing their hands before eating.  The organisation of whole group activities is not always effective in providing children with a quiet area where they can concentrate when listening to stories, to promote their development in this area.

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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 observed activities in Tiny Toes - babies up to two years; Little Steps - children aged two to three years; Big Stompers - children aged three to five years (older children over five years of age also present); the garden.  The inspector spoke with staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at activity planning, records of children's learning and a selection of policies and records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the nursery owner/manager and the deputy manager.  The inspector spoke to parents.

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Information about the setting

Happyfeet Day Nursery was registered in 2013. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a former Doctor's surgery in the centre of Watton, Norfolk. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery is privately owned and managed. It serves the local area and is accessible to all children.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff. Of these, one has an early years degree, two have an early years foundation degree and seven hold an early years qualification at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery also offers an after school club and holiday club for children aged over five-years-old. There are currently 102 children on roll, 72 of whom are in the early years age range.

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Information about the setting

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.

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

 improve the organisation of whole group activities in 'Big Stompers', to provide children with a quiet area where they can concentrate when listening to stories

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

 establish routines that enable children to look after themselves, with regard to promoting hand washing for children in 'Tiny Toes' before they eat.

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who attend

Staff gather useful information from parents when children first attend the nursery, to establish the starting points in children's learning, their likes, dislikes and interests. Staff have a good understanding of how children learn and plan effectively to meet their individual needs. They undertake observations of children as they play, and evaluate these well, in order to plan for children's continuing learning and development. Each child has a written learning journal in which staff record their observations, along with photographic evidence. These are shared with parents, to keep them informed about their child's developmental progress. Parents are encouraged to continue to share what they know about their child. Staff know their key children well and talk confidently about their interests and where they are in their learning and development. Concerns about their learning are quickly identified

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who attend

because staff effectively track children's progress. Children are working comfortably within the expected development band for their age. Staff are aware of the importance of carrying out the progress checks when children are two years of age. They have all necessary documentation and templates to enable this to be implemented before children reach their third birthday.

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who attend

Children confidently move between the varied range of activities available to them. Younger children explore the environment, secure in the knowledge that familiar adults are nearby. They enjoy exploring toys with flaps and buttons and are developing a sense of themselves as individuals, wanting to do things independently. Staff respond well to children's interests and are guided by what children want to do. For example, when younger children notice the snack tray, and want to eat, staff bring snack time forward. Consistent routines for older children helps promote a sense of belonging. They know what happens next at any point during the day.

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who attend

Staff recognise when young children lose interest in an activity and readily switch to another, being guided by what children choose to do. As a result, children are motivated and keen to learn in this inclusive and welcoming setting. They show good levels of curiosity and are developing the key skills needed for the next stage in their learning. Children explore their individual creativity through art and craft activities that they can carry out without adult direction. Babies and younger children enjoy the texture of paint, readily squeezing the paint brush between their fingers and painting their hands, the table and chairs, as well as the paper. Older children create intended items, such as painting small plastic bottles containing dried pulses, to make musical instruments.

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who attend

Children are aware of print and understand that it carries meaning. Staff present opportunities for children to see print in the environment through posters and labelling. Some labels are presented in Polish as well as English, helping children and families who speak other languages at home to feel valued and involved. Children enjoy books and confidently ask for staff to read a story. They hold books the right way up and handle them carefully, turning pages one at a time. Children look at the illustrations in story books and are encouraged by staff to talk about what they see. Staff use hand gestures to reinforce their speech. For example, spreading their arms wide when talking about the big dinosaur when looking at a picture book with children, and putting their hands close together to represent 'little'. This promotes children's observation and communication skills well. Children listen with interest to stories. However, during large group times in 'Big

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who attend

Stompers', children sometimes have difficulty concentrating on stories. This is because their attention is distracted by background noises, such as the doorbell ringing, noise from the kitchen and adults holding conversations. This means their concentration skills are not promoted as effectively as possible.

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who attend

Younger children enjoy babbling and using sounds and readily communicate their needs and feelings. Staff respond well to these, responding to children's interests and taking turns in 'conversation'. They chat to children and encourage their vocabulary. Staff imitate words and repeat them back so that children can hear the word said correctly. Staff engage older children in conversation, giving them time to process questions before giving answers. Children readily take turns in conversation and express themselves clearly. They have an extensive vocabulary and use complex sentences confidently to connect ideas and relive past experiences. As a result, children are becoming confident communicators who express their own interests and readily talk to others when playing. Children across the nursery enjoy songs and rhymes, joining in enthusiastically with action rhymes.

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

Transitions into the nursery are managed well. As a result, children feel safe and secure in their relationships with staff. Staff talk to parents about babies' established routines for feeding and sleeping. They continue these, to promote continuity of care and a sense of belonging. The key person system is implemented well. This ensures each child has a named adult to take responsibility for their daily well-being, plan for their learning and development and build relationships with parents. Children are fully supported by their key person to progress from one room to the next. They are supported well as they get ready for their transition into school. This helps ensure children have a firm base from which to build their growing independence and confidence.

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

Children behave well. Staff treat children with respect and genuine regard. Consistent boundaries are in place, to help children know what is expected of them. Any unwanted behaviour is managed well, helping children to understand why their behaviour is unacceptable. As a result, children in the older age range readily include the younger ones in their games and even very young children seek out others to share play experiences. Staff consistently use verbal praise and value children's individual efforts, promoting children's confidence and self-esteem. Children benefit from a wide range of play materials to support their learning and development.

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

Staff provide time and space for children to enjoy energetic, active play. Children have daily opportunities to be outdoors, either in the small garden or on outings into the local community. Established routines are in place that help children learn to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn about road safety and stranger danger when on outings. Staff talk to children about the safe use of knives and scissors during play activities. Regard is paid to promoting children's good health, for example, through the provision of individual bedding for children who sleep during the day. However, not all children are encouraged to wash their hands before eating. This means their awareness of the importance of good self-care and hygiene skills is not always promoted as well as possible. Children's dietary needs are met jointly with parents because many of the children bring a packed lunch each day. Hot, cooked meals are available during school term time and are

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

brought in from the kitchen at the local primary school. Nursery staff provide children with a range of healthy options for snacks.

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provision

The management and staff teams understand the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and implement it well, to ensure that they are meeting their legal duties. The management and staff teams are enthusiastic, motivated, and committed to providing good quality care, learning and development for all children. They effectively evaluate their practice, to inform priorities and to set challenging targets for improvement. Areas for development are identified by staff in each room and these feed into the action plan for the whole nursery. Targets for improvement are clear and achievable. They are reviewed regularly to monitor the impact they have on children's learning and well-being. The learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are also monitored, to assess the quality of teaching and learning. As a result of evaluation and staff input, changes have been made to how planning,

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provision

observation and evaluation are recorded. Staff are confident about the new way of recording, to ensure that children's individual needs are identified and met.

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provision

All necessary steps are taken to limit risks so that children can play safely indoors and outdoors. As a result, the nursery premises are safe and protect children from intruders. Thorough risk assessments are carried out, to ensure that hazards to children are identified. Staff fully understand their responsibilities to safeguard the welfare of children. They have a good awareness of the signs and symptoms of abuse, to help them recognise when children may be at risk, and know how to report concerns. The recruitment processes for new staff ensures that those working with children are suitable to do so. A programme of staff supervision and appraisal is in place, ensuring that training needs are identified and met.

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provision

Partnerships with others who provide care and learning for the children are good. Children's needs are identified quickly and links are made with external agencies, to secure additional support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps to ensure that children make the best progress they can in their learning and development. Links are established with the local children's centre and staff have recently promoted 'healthy living vouchers', in partnership with the 'total health chemist'. Relationships with parents are good because staff are committed to working together with them. Parents state that they chose this nursery because staff are caring and friendly. Their children settle quickly and enjoy their nursery experiences.

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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 EY458963 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 911267 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 67 Number of children on roll 102 Name of provider Happyfeet Day Nursery Partnership Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01953 881903

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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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