Little Pioneers Nursery & Pre-School

The Co-operative Childcare Newcastle 1 Neville Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 5DP

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/09/2013 15/09/2008

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is good

 Children's needs are quickly identified, and exceptionally well met through the robust and effective partnerships between parents and external agencies.  Listening to young children is firmly embedded within the nursery and ensures children have excellent opportunities to engage in decision-making processes.  The quality of teaching is consistently good and occasionally outstanding. As a result, children make very good progress in the learning and development based on their individual starting points.  Children's behaviour is very good. This is because all staff provide clear, consistent messages about behavioural expectations in the nursery.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Recent staff training focusing upon improving communication skills for children with English as an additional language has not been effectively monitored. This means it has not yet been fully implemented by all staff and it is not clear how this new initiative is improving practice and provision for children.  Babies and very young children's early writing and physical skills are not always effectively developed as resources provided for some activities are not appropriate for their stage of development.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a tour of the nursery, including the outdoor environment.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching and learning activities in all rooms of the nursery and spoke to children and key persons.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a meeting with the management team and looked at and discussed a range of policies and procedures.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with a member of the senior management team.

p.2

Information about the setting

Buffer Bear Nursery @ Newcastle was registered in 1994 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a grade 2 listed building in the city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne and is managed by The Co-operative Childcare. The nursery serves a wide geographical area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play which is situated within walking distance of the nursery building.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery employs 19 members of childcare staff. Of these, 13 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. Three members of staff hold higher qualifications including one with Early Years Professional Status and one with Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 77 children attending who 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 who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.3

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

 monitor the effectiveness of communication training to support children with English as an additional language to ensure it is effectively implemented by all staff

p.3

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

 develop further opportunities for children to engage in age-appropriate activities to fully develop their physical and early writing skills. For example, cover the table or floor with large sheets of paper so that babies and young children can explore paint using brushes and rollers more freely.

p.3

who attend

Staff have very good understanding of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this very well when meeting children's learning and development needs. They have high levels of awareness when meeting individual needs and this ensures all children are supported and make good progress in their learning. Children are provided with activities and experiences covering all areas of learning. This excites them, stimulates their interests and encourages them to explore and discover new things. For example, staff respond when children request to hold the nursery mice 'Mickey' and 'Minnie'. Children giggle and make comments when the mice run around the table and peer over the edge. This effectively develops children's communication skills and enhances their understanding of caring for living things. Staff support children very well as they play and explore their environment. They join in with play sensitively and fit in with children's

p.3

who attend

ideas. This helps children to act out their experiences with other people and represent their experiences through play. For example, children pretend to make lunch for staff and other children using a wide range of 'real' food boxes in the role-play area.

p.4

who attend

The quality of teaching is consistently good and occasionally outstanding. Staff working with pre-school children are highly enthusiastic and animated when reading stories aloud to children. They make excellent use of expression to engage children and allow time for them to ask questions to further their understanding and thinking about the story. As a result, children learn key skills required for starting school, develop a love of books and are eager to learn to read. Children demonstrate this when they pick up books following a story session and read them to each other. Staff working with babies and very young children place a strong emphasis on acquiring effective communication and language skills. They give clear explanations to children when carrying out tasks, such as nappy changing. This develops an understanding of what is to happen next and develops an understanding of routines. Staff develop children's physical skills generally well in the

p.4

who attend

nursery. Older children are provided with good opportunities to draw pictures using a range of pens and pencils and enjoy sharing their work with adults and peers. Younger children are provided with opportunities to make marks using paint. However, occasionally, resources provided for these activities are not always appropriate for their stage of development. For example, paper provided for babies and young children is not always big enough to allow for large physical movements. As a result, children are not always able to fully develop the skills required to develop early writing.

p.4

who attend

Staff have high expectations of all children as they implement effective planning systems and complete a range of good quality assessments. They demonstrate strong knowledge of all children's individual strengths and weaknesses and this is tracked over time to demonstrate progress. This information is analysed by staff in each of the nursery rooms and clearly shows children who are working below, in line and above expected levels of development. As a result, staff are very clear about supporting individual needs of children. This ensures all children who require additional support and intervention receive this at the earliest possible stage. Individual child development files and summaries of learning are completed for all children. Parents have access to this information, which keeps them informed of their child's progress and they are actively encouraged to share information about their child's learning at home. For example, parents complete 'wow

p.4

who attend

vouchers' describing activities and experiences children have engaged in during the time they spend outside of nursery. This means there is shared knowledge about children and a complete picture of children's learning and development is obtained.

p.4

who attend

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported in the nursery. This is because staff are highly skilled when working with other professionals working directly with the child. For example, excellent relationships are in place with local authority professionals which informs planning for individual children's needs. As a result, children with additional needs are progressing well towards the early learning goals, given their starting points. Staff demonstrate a high level of awareness in supporting children who speak English as an additional language. Detailed information is obtained from parents on entry to the nursery and key words are shared. This means children are provided with opportunities to develop and use their home language in play and learning, which supports and enhances their communication and language development.

p.4

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

Children and their families receive a warm welcome when they arrive at this large, bright and spacious nursery. The manager greets them all and parents feel confident and supported when they leave their child. As a result, children are content, separate with ease from their parents and happily go into their nursery rooms. Very good relationships are evident throughout the nursery with all children and staff. This is because a well- established key person system is in place which helps children to form secure attachments and promotes their well-being and independence. Children are happy to explore their environment, knowing their key person is close by for reassurance and support if required. They are actively encouraged to become independent learners. Opportunities are provided in all rooms for children to make choices, attend to their own personal needs and help with routine tasks. For example, children thoroughly enjoy serving their own food and

p.5

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

pour their own drinks at meal and snack times. An excellent range of fresh, healthy food is prepared on the premises on a daily basis and children are encouraged to drink water throughout the day. The views of parents are highly valued by the manager and staff and changes are made as a result of comments made. For example, following a parental request, all milk now served to children is organic. Children's physical well-being is promoted further as they are provided with daily opportunities to access fresh air and become physically active and exuberant. The outdoor environment is located a short distance from the nursery and children access this every day. A range of open-ended resources, such as wooden planks, tyres and logs are available and children play in an area, which overlooks the railway station. They enjoy watching trains entering and leaving the station and create their own learning based upon these experiences.

p.5

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

Children are very well supported when they begin attending the nursery. Their individual emotional and physical needs are well met. This is because a range of good quality information is gathered from parents on entry, including children's likes, preferences, comforters, allergy information and other key information. As a result, continuity in children's well-being is maintained. Children and their families are highly respected by all members of the staff team. A number of measures are in place in all nursery rooms to value this. For example, each child has a 'family box' which displays photographs of key individuals. This enables children to develop their self-confidence and awareness of themselves and talk about their home and community. Children are equally well supported when they move rooms and when they prepare to leave the nursery. They make a number of visits with their key person to familiarise themselves with their new surroundings before

p.5

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

making a number of visits on their own. Teachers from local schools visit children in the nursery prior to them starting school. This supports all aspects of children's well-being and provides opportunities for them to become familiar with new staff.

p.5

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

Children behave very well in the nursery. This is because staff affirm and praise positive behaviour and manage minor incidents in a sensitive and gentle manner. Children show kindness and consideration towards their peers and have very good awareness of behavioural rules and expectations. For example, children remind each other to sit quietly when listening to stories read by staff. Children demonstrate a very good awareness of safety and this is evident in their play. They confidently move up and down slopes and manoeuvre themselves safely past other children who are playing alongside them.

p.5

provision

Leadership and management of the nursery is very good. The manager and her deputy have a high level of awareness in meeting individual children's needs and fully understand and implement the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. They demonstrate a strong drive to improve the nursery and have a clear plan for improvement in place for future developments. This accurately shows how actions are identified to overcome weaknesses. However, it is not always clear how all actions are monitored and how they improve practice across the nursery. For example, staff received training in sign language earlier this year to enhance communication skills for children with English as an additional language. This has not yet been fully implemented by staff in all nursery rooms and, as a result, it is not clear how this new initiative is improving provision and practice for all children.

p.6

provision

The views of parents, staff and children are carefully considered when developing self- evaluation. This helps to target improvement and address any concerns identified. There are future plans to develop the 'atrium' area in the nursery, with a view to further enhancing children's communication and language skills and widen their experience of handling natural materials. The management team and all staff give utmost priority to promoting opportunities to engage children in decision-making in the nursery. For example, children complete questionnaires, take photographs of aspects of their provision and have their verbal comments recorded. This ensures children's views are welcomed, valued and respected and gives them as much influence as possible in securing improvement for their nursery.

p.6

provision

Partnerships with parents are excellent and are an integral part of everything the nursery does. Parents take an active part in their child's learning and are involved in decision- making on key matters. For example, a group of parent representatives are available for all parents to contact if they wish to discuss any items directly with others, or if they would like an issue raised at a parent representative meeting. A number of thank you cards are available and demonstrate how satisfied parents are with the quality of learning and care provided by the nursery. For example, parents make comments, such as, 'I like everything about the nursery especially the fact that the staff go the extra mile and are friendly' and 'you have all been amazing since the day my child started'. Partnerships with external agencies and other providers are equally well established and significantly enhance children's all-round development.

p.6

provision

The manager maintains a very good overview of the curriculum and monitors educational programmes to ensure children are helped to make progress in all areas of learning. She has secure knowledge of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and uses this well to support the staff team. As a result, staff are motivated, enthusiastic and clearly enjoy working in the nursery. Performance management is well managed and staff training needs are identified through regular one-to-one and annual professional development meetings. Effective induction arrangements are in place. This ensures all staff, including students, are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities and are suitable to work with children. Planning and assessment systems are monitored effectively and the manager spends time in the nursery rooms gaining first-hand knowledge about what is working well and address issues raised. Documentation for tracking children's progress is

p.6

provision

in place. This information accurately identifies children who are working below expected levels of development in the prime and specific areas of learning. Consequently, appropriate interventions are secured and children receive the support they need.

p.7

provision

The managers and staff team fully understand their responsibility in safeguarding children and have effective policies and procedures in place to ensure children are kept safe at all times. All staff, including students, know and understand procedures to follow should they have any concerns and know who to contact if managers are unavailable. The manager is very well supported by the area manager who conducts regular safeguarding audits. This ensures all welfare requirements are fully met across all aspects of nursery practice and staff knowledge and understanding is thorough and kept up-to-date.

p.7

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

p.7

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

Setting details

Unique reference number 319135 Local authority Newcastle Inspection number 908179

p.9

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 186 Number of children on roll 77 Name of provider Buffer Bear Ltd Date of previous inspection 15/09/2008 Telephone number 0191 230 2466

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.10

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,

p.10

Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11