Tamalder Childcare

Tamalder Childcare Unit 26, Meadow Road, WHITEHAVEN, Cumbria, CA28 9HX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/08/2013 09/03/2009

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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 have a secure knowledge of how children learn, and provide a rich varied and imaginative programme of activities and play opportunities, with ongoing observation, assessment and planning for individual children. This ensures children's continued progress in their development and learning.  Children are happy and settle easily into the nursery routines. This is because an effective key person system, which clearly works in practice, provides children with stability and helps them to form positive relationships, gain confidence and self-esteem.  Partnerships with parents, external agencies, other professionals and providers are very effective. As a result, all children, but especially those with special educational needs and/ or disabilities, benefit from a coordinated approach to meeting their needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Outdoors, children cannot independently access the resources they require to support their curiosity and learning, especially when investigating and exploring the natural environment.  Children have fewer opportunities to explore and operate information, communication and technology equipment in the nursery. This means their rapidly developing understanding in this area is not supported as effectively as possible.

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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 children playing in all the designated age related playrooms, the dining room and outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager, the staff and the children throughout the inspection.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents of the early years children attending the nursery who were spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, the planning documentation, and the systems for the monitoring of children's progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the policies and procedures for the nursery, and the documented self- evaluation systems that support the service.

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Information about the setting

Tamalder Childcare was registered in 2004 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a converted unit in the Meadow Road area of Whitehaven, and is one of two nurseries managed by Furness Childcare Ltd. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from four ground floor playrooms, a dining room and a sleep room. There is a playroom on the first floor without lift access and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and 3, and two who hold a level 4 early years qualification. The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am until 5.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 73 children on roll, 52 of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association and the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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

 enable children to independently access specific topic related resource boxes in the outdoor play area to support their curiosity and learning while they investigate and explore the natural environment, for example, boxes that contain specimen jars and magnifying glasses for children to use to examine what they find

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

 increase opportunities for children to explore and operate information, communication and technology equipment, such as computers and other interactive and programmable resources.

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who attend

Staff effectively implement the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and have a very good understanding of how children learn. As a result, children make good progress in relation to their individual starting points and the initial information gathered from their parents on registering. Staff establish good relationships with parents who feel at ease at leaving their children in the nursery. They say that they are always made to feel welcome and always greeted by a friendly smile on arrival. Parents effectively support their child's learning at home. They know their child's key person who keeps them fully informed with regard to their child's progress and their daily activities. Parents are invited to contribute to the message book and progress records. Therefore, parents feel that they are consulted for their views about their child and totally involved in their child's learning. Parents complete 'all about me'

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who attend

information before their child starts nursery which details background information, family structures, children's development, care routines, and well-being. Each child's key person uses this invaluable information to help children settle in and to plan activities that meet the needs and interest of all children. Consequently, staff know the children well to meet their individual needs effectively.

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who attend

Staff regularly complete detailed observations to assess children's development and learning and they ensure that children remain interested, engaged, motivated and challenged during activities. Staff are very skilful in guiding, extending and building on what children already know and are interested in, so that all opportunities help to promote their learning. When children play outdoors, they become interested in the insects they see in the natural environment. Staff support this by questioning the children about what they can see and they build on children's communication and language skills by encouraging discussions. By doing so, they introduce new words and vocabulary, and extend opportunities to count the number of legs different insects have, and compare their size and shape. However, resources are not readily available to enable children to view the insects more closely, for example, through the use of specimen jars and

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who attend

magnifying glasses. This is because children are not provided with these resources outside and they cannot freely access the indoor environment to independently help themselves to them. Indoors, in the toddler room when the children play in the sand tray the staff recall what they looked at outside and encourage the children to draw a spider using their fingers in the sand. The children tell staff how many legs the spider has and how the centipede has lots more, but a worm does not have any and wiggles along the ground. They have great fun and enjoy themselves with the staff in numerous learning situations both inside and outdoors as they play and investigate the environment.

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who attend

Children who require specific help are supported well because staff know them and work closely with their parents and other professionals to support their individual needs. The consistent communication with parents and other professionals is very effective in ensuring that early intervention is swiftly obtained to support each child's overall development. This results in all children gaining the skills they require for the next stage of their learning and future move onto school.

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who attend

The nursery playrooms are all well organised and well resourced. However, there is scope to improve children's access to information, communication and technology resources, especially for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities who have a particular interest in interactive equipment. Staff constantly evaluate the environment. They enhance the environment by introducing what they learn into the playrooms. For example, after the staff attended training at the local children centre they introduced food painting with the younger children and their parents. They also introduced a movement area into the younger children's rooms to support their physical development. As a result, children learn to kick and throw large soft balls with staff members and walk on different levelled surfaces to promote their walking skills. The play areas are enhanced to inspire children to explore and investigate using their senses. For example, babies access natural

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who attend

wicker baskets filled with numerous natural materials for open-ended sensory play. They fill and empty containers and press buttons on interactive activity walker toys which make a noise and this encourages them to repeat the process. Young babies are taken outside by the staff so they get fresh air and outdoor physical activities throughout the day. There is a designated section available for non-mobile babies to keep them safe and secure from more mobile toddlers and older children who enjoy running about. The different age groups often take turns in accessing the outdoor provision in all weathers. Staff encourage self-help skills of dressing and undressing before going outdoors and when returning inside. For example, the children competently put on their coats and shoes to go outside and the older holiday club children are encouraged to help support the pre-school children in their group. Children's independence in all areas is supported well so they gain the skills

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who attend

Staff support children's physical skills outdoors. Children from a young age access the climbing frame where they develop their physical skills while walking up and down steps, going across the bridge and using the slide. Staff supervise the children well and deploy themselves to support their safety and learning. Children ride on wheeled toys and push doll buggies around the safety surface and concreted play areas. Children join in together to make sand castles and role play in the large sand tray where they take off their shoes and feel the sand between their feet. Staff ask children what it feels like and they respond by saying 'It is like at the beach, soft and tickly'.

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who attend

Toddlers enjoy sensory play in water and creative play using paint and different drawing implements. Photographic displays on the walls show the children completing various craft activities which are used to prompt discussion about past events the children have enjoyed. Children independently help themselves to paint pots and paper to create lovely colourful pictures to take home and share with their parents. Older children enjoy water play with plenty of soapy bubbles. Children are engaged and have lots of fun. They relate well to each other and have established good relationships with each other and the staff. Children's personal, social and emotional well-being is fostered well throughout the nursery. The children are happy, content and confident in their surroundings and settle easily in the relaxed atmosphere.

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

Children demonstrate strong and secure attachments with their key person, who warmly greets them on arrival with their parents and carers. They settle easily in to the nursery routine because they become familiar with the environment. Children attend for short periods of time until the staff and parents feel that the children are ready to stay longer. The parents provide a wealth of information for staff on registering and complete entries in message books and progress records to share what they do at home. This provides the staff with an invaluable insight into children's interests and current family events which staff can talk to children about and build into future planning. As a result, children's personal, social and emotional well-being is effectively promoted.

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

Children enjoy a number of outdoor activities. They play in the spacious adventure play area and take part in group outings and visits to places of interest. For example, children go for walks round the community gardens close by. They go on bus rides to the library and outings further afield to animal parks and the harbour attractions. As a result, children safely investigate and explore their community and surrounding environment. Children learn how to manage their own risk in an environment which gives them confidence to try out new things and develop their physical skills in safety. Staff supervise children well and constantly praise children in everything they do. Therefore, the children are confident and develop good levels of self-esteem. Children are very well behaved. They use good manners and learn to share and take turns in group activities and at mealtimes.

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

Staff create an indoor environment that is warm and welcoming, relaxed and inviting. The recently refurbished rooms are spacious and designed to enable children to independently access resources and make choices and decisions about their own play. The low-level labelled storage units help children to become independent learners. Outside, children have the space to run about, dig in raised beds and grow things, and ride wheeled toys and scooters to aid their large muscle development. Children also undertake a good selection of activities and play opportunities that enable them to develop listening skills and develop their small muscles and hand-eye coordination. For example, children access musical instruments and complete age-related jigsaws. They enjoy writing opportunities using coloured sand in trays and using water with brushes on the chalkboard outside.

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

Children in each room learn to value and respect others who may have differing characteristics from themselves. The staff display a number of pictures in each room to promote discussion and children's awareness of themselves and familiar people known to them. They look at pictures of their friends and family members and talk about the photographs of people with different disabilities and from other cultures from around the world. Staff incorporate various cultural celebrations in to the planning and make sure that there are some resources and books to represent difference and diversity throughout the nursery. Staff use a picture exchange system with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities which enables them to communicate their needs. A child takes his bag over to his key person and hands her a set of photographs which he looks at with her and picks out one showing him asleep. The staff member asks him if he is tired and arranges a

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

cosy place for him to settle down in the quiet area and within minutes he is fast asleep.

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

Staff use practical routines to help children to become more independent, learn about healthy eating, good hygiene habits and the importance of fresh air and exercise. Older children support the younger children at snack time and hand out the plates and beakers. All children from an early age learn how to use a knife safely to spread margarine onto their toast and help themselves to the fruit snack. Staff promote basic hand washing and toileting skills throughout the day and teeth cleaning after meals. Children sit together in the designated dining room to eat in small groups which supports their independence, social skills and promotes their communication and language development. Staff use these times to further promote learning experiences, such as counting, comparing and calculating which supports children's mathematical development.

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

Children feel safe and secure in the nursery. They learn how to keep themselves safe through regular practices and direct instruction. For example, children take part in emergency evacuation procedures and they learn about road safety before they go out on any walks or outings. Children smile and laugh during activities and older children say how much they are enjoying themselves and having fun. All the children are supported well in their move within the nursery rooms and their transition to school. Children visit their new school before the summer holidays and the nursery invite their new teachers into the nursery to meet them. As a result, children are well prepared for their move and this aids the transition process because strong links are established with the many schools in the locality. The staff work closely with the other settings children attend, by sharing each child's learning journey folder containing up-to-date progress records, so a full and bigger

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

picture of children's development is maintained. This also enables consistency in children's learning.

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provision

The manager and staff work very closely together to ensure that learning and development and safeguarding and welfare requirements are effectively implemented and well met. The manager and deputy have a good understanding of their role and responsibility in ensuring the efficient management of the nursery. The manager liaises closely with the staff who continually share information with her with regard to reviewing their practice and implementing any new ideas to improve the effectiveness of the provision. As a result, the monitoring of the educational programme and staff performance is maintained to a high level and children's learning and development needs are effectively well met. Staff meetings are held regularly to discuss nursery matters, safeguarding and training and children's development so that activities and opportunities are planned to meet their needs and interest. The ongoing assessments completed by staff reflect

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provision

children's skills, abilities, and achievement. They ensure that the next steps in children's development are recorded to inform future planning so that children continue to make good progress towards the early learning goals. The staff regularly complete summative reports, including the progress check at age two, which show children's continuous development. They identify how children have made significant progress in relation to their starting points and that gaps in children's development are closing. Children's progress is tracked and closely monitored by the manager so that any intervention is discussed with parents and support is obtained quickly.

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provision

The manager and staff are fully aware of their role and responsibilities should they be concerned about any child in their care. They are fully trained in child protection procedures and regularly update their knowledge by completing eLearning training packages. This ensures that staff know what to do and who to contact so children are safeguarded and protected in the nursery. Children's safety is a high priority within the nursery. Specialised finger print entry systems are installed to prevent unauthorised access into the nursery rooms and all visitors' identity is checked at the reception. Throughout the nursery, staff complete safety checks before children use the area, including outdoors. A written risk assessment is also completed for all the areas the children have access to and they are displayed in each room. The staff complete individual risk assessments for each outing undertaken by the children to ensure their safety at all

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provision

times. All the staff employed at the nursery, including any students, are suitably vetted through the Disclosure and Barring Service checks. This ensures that all adults in contact with children are safe and suitable to do so. The manager applies robust recruitment procedures, which includes a formal induction process to ensure that staff understand their roles and are confident in following the nursery's policies and procedures. These are discussed at staff meetings to ensure all staff are fully aware of aspects of the running of the nursery.

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provision

The manager regularly reviews the policies and procedures which are shared with parents, carers, staff and students to ensure the safe and efficient management of the nursery. The manager conducts regular supervision and appraisal meetings with the staff which results in the effective monitoring of staff performance and the continuous professional development of each staff member. Staff feel valued and work well together as a team. They have the opportunity to share their ideas and views and identify their own training needs. As a result, the nursery has dedicated and enthusiastic staff members who provide good quality teaching and learning for all children.

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provision

The manager effectively completes a thorough self-evaluation of the nursery and constantly reflects on the staff team's practice by appraising their work and the environment. She includes the parents and children in the process. The improvement plan in place focuses on providing additional garden space for children aged from birth to three years. The land at the end of the property is to be developed into an additional play area which with contribute greatly to the younger children's access to the outdoor facilities, learning and development. As a result, children benefit from a continually improving setting with an experienced, knowledgeable and well-qualified staff team.

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provision

Parents and carers spoken to at the inspection are highly complimentary about the nursery and the service the manager and staff provide. They say how fantastic the staff are in accommodating their changing work patterns and that their children have made good progress in their development since starting. Parents, carers and children are invited to contribute their thoughts and ideas through questionnaires. Parents and carers feel involved in their child's learning and as a result, a highly effective partnership is maintained. This good partnerships combined with the good links with multi-agency workers and other professionals working with the children ensures that children's needs are well met and early intervention and help is obtained to ensure children make progress in their development.

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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 EY295367 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 861538

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 85 Number of children on roll 73 Name of provider Furness Childcare Ltd Date of previous inspection 09/03/2009 Telephone number 01946 690490

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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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