Norton Hall Children and Family Centre

Norton Hall Children & Family Centre Ltd Ralph Road, Birmingham, West Midlands, B8 1NA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/09/2013 27/01/2011

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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

 Very good quality teaching and planning mean that all children are fully supported and make very good progress in their learning and development.  Leadership and management is very effective, which results in the continuous improvement of the provision. There are excellent partnerships with parents, other settings and outside agencies in the support of all children.  Children are very happy and secure, and they benefit from healthy eating programmes which are shared with parents. Staff place a very high priority on children's health and well-being.  Rigorous safeguarding policies and procedures are implemented very effectively by staff. This means that children are safe at all times.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is still further scope to enhance children's already high quality learning and independence in the outdoor 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 the two playrooms and the outdoor play area, including a joint observation with the manager of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and the deputy manager of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at and discussed children's assessment records, the self- evaluation process, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working in the nursery and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents, carers and children spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Norton Hall Children and Family Centre Ltd re-registered in 2006. It is a registered charity and is on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting operates from a community centre in Birmingham. There is a lift to the first floor of the building. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs eight members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 3 and 5. The setting provides a nursery, an after school club and holiday care, which are open Monday to Friday all year round, except for Bank Holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions, which are between 8am and 6pm. There are currently 44 children on roll who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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

 extend children's already exciting opportunities in the outdoor area so that they are able to access it in all weathers and enhance their skills and independence through the use of a wide range of activities and resources.

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who attend

The two playrooms and the outdoor area are very well thought out so that children access the toys and resources easily. They develop their own learning styles, as they have free choice in their use of the resources and how they use the well-planned areas. Staff have a thorough understanding of how children learn and provide enabling environments in which all children thrive. Staff record daily observations of children, which inform the planning of the next steps in their learning. Children are assessed when they first start at the nursery so staff can plan effectively to enable children to build on their learning. Detailed information from parents is also used as a starting point for each child. This means children make very good progress and are well prepared for school. Staff evaluate their teaching and children's learning each week so that any gaps in learning are quickly identified and closed. Staff know all the children very well, which means they base

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who attend

activities around the children's needs and interests. This encourages their interest and motivation so they are fully engaged in the activities. Staff invite parents to share detailed information throughout their children's time at nursery and to contribute to their progress records in this way. They work together to support children in the nursery and at home. Children take home books to look at with their family, and parents are encouraged to write an evaluative comment about what children learn from this. Children and other family members also contribute. Staff invite parents to attend regular play workshops with their children, which enables them to learn how best to support children at home. Parents are encouraged to bring in items to enhance learning, such as cultural artefacts at festival times, or they are invited to share stories or tell children about their jobs.

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who attend

Three- and four-year-old children enjoy hunting for insects and spiders in the naturalised part of the outdoor area. Staff provide them with magnifying glasses and small toy creatures so they can explore and compare their features in detail. They talk about the spider's web they find, and staff challenge children in their thinking by asking them questions, such as why they think the fly is in the web and what the spider might do. A child pretends to take photographs with an old camera. A member of staff points out holes in some leaves and asks children what they think may have made them. She reminds them of a story about a caterpillar so they then guess what has eaten the leaves. This teaches children to observe and learn about the natural world and its features.

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who attend

Children develop their physical skills very well in the exciting and spacious outdoor area. They climb on a series of branches and ropes made into a natural climbing frame and choose from a wide range of balls and low balancing beams. Different levels and surfaces help younger children to gain confidence in balancing and choosing routes around obstacles. There is even further scope to develop this already exciting area so that children can access the outdoors in all weathers and gain more independence through the use of an even wider choice of natural materials.

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who attend

Two-year-old children enjoy choosing from a wide range of materials and textures to create imaginative collages. They are challenged very well in learning to build and balance large plastic bricks, as staff encourage them to persevere and try again when the tower falls down. They are imaginative in role play as they 'cook' plastic bricks and tidy up the kitchen. Parents are involved in children's learning in this area, as they contribute resources for role play and dressing up. Three- and four-year-old children thoroughly enjoy a creative dance session, as they copy staff in some moves and also make up their own, moving in time to the music. Children are very well prepared for the next stage in their learning, as they learn to count, recognise numbers and practise early reading and writing skills. They experience a wide range of exciting learning opportunities and very good quality teaching, which ensures all children make very good progress.

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who attend

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language are supported extremely well, as staff speak several languages as a group. Parents are encouraged to share words in their home language, which are used alongside English words. Staff work very closely with parents and a range of outside agencies and other professionals. This means all children's individual needs are fully met and they are included in the life of the nursery. Additional support is available from other community centre staff on site and from the children's centres with whom there are strong links. Staff use effective methods to help children to communicate, such as picture cards or signing.

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

Children are very happy and secure at the nursery as they form close bonds with their key person. They are confident in their use of all the indoor and outdoor spaces and in their choice of activities. Staff work with parents to help to settle children before they start so that they are secure in the new environment. The kind and caring staff help children to feel valued, as they celebrate their birthdays and special occasions and praise them for their achievements. Children's moves to new rooms are managed very well and staff share information about children's needs. This is done gradually, and as children know all the staff, they feel secure in their new room. Transitions to local schools are smooth and help children to feel secure. Staff invite teachers to visit the nursery and to make books which show photographs of the main areas of the school, so children will recognise them. Staff pass on information to children's schools and continue to ensure their needs are met. Staff

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

plan role play activities, stories and discussions and give children opportunities to wear their new uniforms. Parents are involved in the process and children are very well prepared for school.

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

Children are given healthy meals and snacks and staff involve parents in healthy eating initiatives. This means that children learn to make healthy choices. Staff record what children eat each day so they can inform parents and identify any problems in children's eating patterns. They have fresh air and exercise each day in the outdoor area or on outings, and begin to manage risks safely as a result of this. Children learn to be independent, as they are encouraged to pour their own drinks at mealtimes and access their water bottles when they need them. Children's health and well-being are given top priority by staff, as they know all children's allergies and dietary requirements well and keep detailed records of accidents and medication.

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

Behaviour is very good and staff manage this sensitively, according to each child's needs. Children enjoy helping to tidy up and there are very good relationships between children and staff.

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provision

Leadership and management are extremely effective in monitoring and improving staff performance. The manager regularly observes staff and they discuss and evaluate their teaching and planning in detail. Mentoring and training is planned as a result, and targets are set for each member of staff so that they continually improve their performance. All staff, parents and children have input into the self-evaluation process. This means that areas for improvement are identified and an ongoing action plan is used to address these areas, ensuring that children's learning experiences continually improve. Staff are highly motivated and the manager ensures that everyone works as a team to provide the best quality care and support for children. Staff have a thorough understanding of the effective safeguarding policies and know how to report any concerns. The manager employs rigorous procedures to ensure the policies

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provision

and risk assessments are implemented on a daily basis so that children are safe, both in and away from the nursery. The premises are very secure, as there are three locked doors between the nursery and outside. All staff attend regular safeguarding training and there are very secure procedures for the collection of children and the recruitment of staff. Meticulous records are kept and analysed, which protects children, and they are supervised vigilantly at all times.

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provision

There are very strong links with other local early years providers, schools and outside agencies. Staff share ideas, best practice and some training with local children's centres and provide invaluable mutual support for children and their families. Staff provide advice to a childminding network that uses the building, and they share information about children's progress with other settings children attend. This means their needs are fully met. A wide range of health professionals provide additional support for children and advise staff on special skills to develop some children's communication and language effectively.

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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 EY300034 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 915225

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 44 Name of provider Norton Hall Children & Family Centre Ltd Date of previous inspection 27/01/2011 Telephone number 0121 328 3043

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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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