Early Buds Nursery

Early Education Centre Foster Hall, Wellesley Road, London, E17 8QX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/09/2013 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 and parents are well supported through the settling-in process. Staff are kind, sensitive and caring. As a result, children settle quickly and parents are reassured.  The key person system is firmly embedded and children feel safe and secure. Partnerships with parents, carers and other professionals are strong and this supports children to make good progress in their learning and development.  Children are motivated to learn in this highly inclusive setting. They show good levels of curiosity and imagination and demonstrate positive relationships with their friends and staff.  Staff are enthusiastic, playful and highly motivated. They work well together as a team, creating a stimulating, fun and nurturing learning environment for the children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some popular activities become overcrowded, which means that some individual children do not fully benefit from the learning experience.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playroom and garden.  The inspector spoke with the managers, staff and children.  The inspector took account of parents' views by speaking to them on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at policies and procedures, risk assessments, children's development records, staff records and all relevant documentation.

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Information about the setting

The Early Education Centre is one of two pre-schools owned by a private individual. The pre-school registered in 2013. It is registered on the Early Years Register. It operates from a church hall in a residential area of Walthamstow in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Children have access to an outdoor play area. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. The pre-school opens each weekday during school term times. Sessions are from 9.15am until 12.15pm and 12.30pm until 3.30pm. There are currently 57 children on roll who are within the early years age group and who attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school employs eight members of staff, who all hold

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

 further develop ways to limit the number of children engaging in particular activities at any one time so that all children fully benefit from the challenges and experiences.

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who attend

Staff have a secure knowledge of how children learn through play, and the quality of teaching is good. They have high expectations for the children in their care and are skilled at providing activities that effectively support their learning and progress. There is a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led play based activities that provide effective challenge and stimulation. Staff closely monitor children's progress through successful observations and assessments and use this information to identify the next steps in children's learning. This knowledge, together with staff's understanding of children's interests, informs careful planning for individual children's progress. The key person confirms children's particular interests through regular discussion and feedback from parents. As a result of successful planning, children are motivated and eager to learn, and any gaps in their learning are quickly identified and supported.

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who attend

Parents are actively involved in the life of the pre-school. For example, they freely give their time and contribute resources to demonstrate aspects of their cultures to the children. They read stories to children in their languages and this helps children learn to accept each other and to gain an understanding of the world. Parents receive regular information about their children's progress and are invited to contribute information and photographic evidence of continuous learning that takes place at home. Staff and parents share the children's progress check at age two, and individual education plans, which also feed into individual children's planning. As a result, all children, including those learning English as an additional language and with special educational needs, make good progress.

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who attend

Children's communication and language development is very well supported in the pre- school. Parents are encouraged to provide a list of commonly used words in their own language, together with the correct pronunciation, so that staff can use them in conversation with the children to help them to feel more confident in the pre-school. This also supports children's personal, social and emotional development as they learn to communicate with each other and make friends. Children are supported in their mathematical development because staff use everyday activities to promote the use of numbers for counting. For example, as children pretend to cook toast in a toy toaster, a staff member asks them how many pieces of toast they are going to cook, and demonstrates how to count them. However, too many children are attracted to this activity at one time, and numbers are not limited. This hinders a few children's

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who attend

opportunities to get the most out of the activity to support their learning.

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who attend

Children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills as they explore the properties of sand, water, foam, dough, paint and soil. They concentrate as they count the number of scoops of water that will fit into small pots, which they then pour down the slope of the water tray. Staff follow children's lead as they take sponges to wash the pots in the water and they sing a 'washing up' song to encourage them. Staff are enthusiastic as they support children's play. They manipulate dough into shapes and introduce vocabulary such as 'stretch', 'squeeze' and 'prod' as children experiment. Staff extend children's learning by counting out the pieces of dough they have rolled into shapes. Staff promote children's pre-writing and pre-reading skills by showing them how to hold a pencil, and how to make shapes and lines on the computer by controlling the mouse. Staff and parents work together to support children moving to school and other settings so they

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who attend

feel confident about the transition. An end of term 'graduation' event is organised to celebrate children's achievements and to ease their transition.

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

The effective key person system ensures that children feel safe and build strong relationships. Successful settling-in procedures support children to form secure attachments, and offer parents reassurance. Parents are invited to stay with their children for as long as they feel is necessary. When the time comes for them to leave, they can sit outside and see their children playing while out of sight to them. This reassures parents and they know they can return within minutes should a child become distressed. These arrangements ensure the children experience a smooth transition into the pre-school and quickly begin to feel secure and settled. Initial home visits allow children to get to know key staff in the comfort of their own home, to make the move to pre-school less daunting. These visits, particularly for children with additional needs, provide staff with good opportunities to find out what children can do within their home environment, and the

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

resources they like to play with. Similar resources can then be provided at the pre-school in order to make children feel at home, support their development and reassure them. Parents report that their children thoroughly enjoy their time at pre-school and are always eager to attend.

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

Children's behaviour is good and they are encouraged to share play resources with each other. Staff are good role models, and lead by example. They use frequent praise and encouragement to raise children's self-esteem and encourage positive behaviour. Staff provide a welcoming, safe and stimulating environment where children are free to explore and use their imagination. Resources are of good quality and easily accessible to all children. Activities are age appropriate and arranged according to the developmental needs of the children attending. Healthy eating is promoted by the provision of fruit at snack time and colourful posters of fruit are displayed on the wall of the snack area. Children learn independence as they serve their own food, according to their age and ability. The garden area enables staff to provide a variety of learning experiences to increase children's understanding of the world. Children plant and grow vegetables and

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

dig for worms in the soil as they explore the natural environment outside. A canopy covers a large area of the garden to enable children to play outside and benefit from fresh air at any time of the year.

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

Children's safety is of paramount importance to the management team and staff. All visitors are required to sign in and out and their attendance is monitored. External doors and gates are kept locked. Thorough risk assessments are carried out every day and staff are vigilant throughout the day, which helps to ensure that all hazards are minimised or eliminated. For example, when children run around with the shaving foam, dropping it on the floor, staff are quick to clean it up to prevent slipping accidents. Children learn to keep themselves safe as the staff remind them to walk to the bathroom. They learn the importance of washing their hands before food and after messy play. Nappy changing arrangements are hygienic and discreet and children are well supervised. The pre-school carries out frequent fire evacuation procedures to ensure that everyone knows what to do should an emergency occur.

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provision

The management team and staff have a clear understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff are well qualified and ratios are maintained at all times as staff from another setting cover in times of staff absence. All the necessary documentation for the safe and efficient management of the pre-school is in place. Staff carry out robust risk assessments to minimise hazards and make sure the premises are secure. As a result, children can play and learn in safety. A clear safeguarding policy, including procedures restricting the use of mobile phones, is in place to ensure staff protect children. Children are effectively protected because the staff undertake regular training. They have a secure understanding of safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they have concerns about a child's well-being. There are rigorous recruitment and induction procedures and all staff have undergone the necessary background checks to

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provision

ensure they are suitable to work with children. Volunteers to the setting are never left alone with children and they receive the support of a mentor.

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provision

Information is gathered from parents about children's individual health needs and staff have undertaken first aid training so they can deal with minor injuries should the need arise. Staff track children's progress to ensure that any identified gaps in children's learning are quickly closed. Any concerns regarding children's development are discussed with their parents and appropriate measures for intervention put in place through close links with other professional agencies. Children with identified needs are very well supported and staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure children make the best possible progress. Parents play a major role in the pre-school and they feel valued by staff. They contribute their time and expertise by sharing examples of their differing cultures which help children to learn about the world. Parents give glowing reports of the pre-school staff and have extremely positive views about their children's

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provision

development and progress. Parents know they are welcome at the pre-school at any time to speak to the key persons if they have any concerns or want to know anything about their child's development.

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provision

Staff morale is high as they are well supported by the management team who closely monitor their practice and the educational programmes. Children's progress is closely analysed by the management team to ensure all children achieve their full potential. All staff undertake frequent training in order to continue to develop their knowledge and skills. Staff meetings are held to discuss planning, training and evaluation. A self- evaluation form is in the early stages of development but staff and the management team are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the pre-school. They have ambitious plans for improvements to the pre-school, which include more frequent outings for the children to explore parks, shops and the local community. They are anxious to improve security arrangements at the entrance to the pre-school by installing an intercom system which will allow parents to come and go by the touch of a button. They are eager to strengthen

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provision

parent involvement in the pre-school by offering classes in English speaking to parents who find communication difficult. Partnerships with other professionals are strong and ensure that children with additional needs receive the support they need to make good progress in their learning and development. These professional partnerships ensure that they are aware children's skills and abilities in order to support their continued progress and consistency of care.

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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 EY458612 Local authority Waltham Forest Inspection number 910256 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 57 Name of provider SK MD Mahfujul Ambia Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 02085232992

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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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