Little Owls Day Nursery

Mrs Ogden's Academic Day Nursery Swimsmart House, Bradley Lane, Standish, WIGAN, Lancashire, WN6 0XQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/09/2013 17/09/2012

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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 good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this knowledge effectively to engage children. This supports children's learning and development needs.  Children are well supported during times of transition. The nursery shares information with other providers to ensure children's developmental needs are well met.  Comprehensive relationships have been developed with parents and a range of multi professionals. This enhances children's learning.  Children are active and confident learners. They initiate their own play through well- planned age-appropriate activities. This means that children make good progress towards the early learning goals.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some staff miss opportunities to skilfully question children, and do not always give them appropriate time to formulate a verbal response.  Methods for tracking children's progress are not consistent throughout the nursery.

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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 and children at play throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children, staff, parents and the management team throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation to ascertain children's progress towards the early learning goals.  The inspector looked at the provision's self-evaluation processes.

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Information about the setting

Mrs Ogdens Academic Day Nursery was originally founded in 1969 and registered again in 2012. The nursery is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is operates from a building in Standish, near Wigan. It is managed by St Bede Services Ltd. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from the ground floor and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 21 members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds Early Years Professional Status, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 4, 12 hold qualifications at level 3 and three members of staff are unqualified.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm, term time only. However, the nursery does offer limited care during school holidays for those that need it and for children aged over five years. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 106 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 with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It receives support from the local authority.

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

 develop staff's practice to enable them to skilfully question the children further, to promote their critical thinking and allow sufficient time for children to respond, to improve their learning even further

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

 enhance further the assessment process, for example, by undertaking consistent monitoring of tracking the children's progress to further support their learning and development.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this knowledge to plan activities which create valuable learning opportunities. Educational programmes cover the seven areas of learning and support children as they move towards the early learning goals. Focused activities support children in their learning and development. For example, staff support pre-school children by offering phonic sessions each day. These sessions are purposeful and developmentally appropriate. For example, children explore mark making by using different mediums, play games based around the initial letter of different words and develop their language skills through listening to familiar stories on compact disc. Age-appropriate challenges are provided throughout the nursery to support all children. For example, pre-school children use threading resources as they explore colour and shape, toddlers use construction bricks to build different

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who attend

structures and babies explore colour and texture through accessing a range of well- resourced sensory baskets.

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who attend

Effective teaching and learning is in place as teaching is rooted in the good knowledge of how children learn through play, consequently, teaching has a positive impact on the children's progress. Children are keen learners, as planning is developed through observing their interests. Staff meet on a weekly basis to plan activities which means that children's current interests are well supported. For example, children have recently taken part in 'animal week'. This involved a visit from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, making animal masks, enjoying an animal movement session, making animal puppets and taking part in a nature hunt. Children are active learners, they access resources with confidence and freely make their needs known. Older children make verbal requests while younger children point at objects to make their needs known. Children initiate their own play. For example, children play 'shops' in the outdoor role play area.

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who attend

They designate roles and use resources to support their play, acting out a range of familiar scenarios. This activity supports children's next steps in learning as they prepare to move to school, and their confidence, communication and language skills. Children who have special educational needs are comprehensively supported. There is a designated special educational needs co-ordinator in place and staff work in partnership with a range of other professionals to support children's individual care and development needs.

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who attend

Staff have high expectations of children and are well informed about children's skills through a variety of assessments. Prior to starting at nursery staff work with parents to complete an 'all about me' document. This allows parents to discuss children's development and skills in the home. Staff then give children a settling-in period where they observe children and develop a baseline assessment of their skills. This is produced by key persons and through discussion with parents. Staff observe children regularly, as they play, and summaries of learning are carried out every three months. There are a few inconsistencies in the implementation of the assessment process as staff complete tracking documentation in different ways. However, broadly speaking, assessment is good. For example, the 'progress check at age two' involves parents to ensure a comprehensive account of children's developmental stage is identified. Staff support children through

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who attend

using different teaching strategies which are age appropriate and differentiated to meet their individual needs. For example, staff support toddlers by singing familiar rhymes. Children enthusiastically join in with familiar phrases as they develop their language skills through repetitive language. Older children are supported through discussion and posing a range of questions. However, some staff miss opportunities to skilfully question children to promote their critical thinking, and do not always allow time for children to think about a question and formulate a verbal response. Parents are involved in their children's learning in a range of ways. For example, they are encouraged to undertake observations at home, they make comments in children's daily diaries, donate resources to enhance children's learning and interact with staff through daily verbal feedback. Parents also contribute to 'small steps' display boards where they

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who attend

make comments on activities that children have undertaken at the weekend or skills they have mastered at home. Parents are kept well informed of their children's learning through using the nursery website, attending parents' evenings and receiving regular newsletters. During the inspection feedback from parents was positive and they felt fully informed of their child's progress.

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

The nursery has a good key person system in place which enhances all aspects of children's development. Children are settled and happy in the nursery, exhibiting a strong sense of confidence. Children have secure relationships with staff. For example, staff observe younger children as they take their first steps and support them by standing behind and guiding them as they build their confidence in walking. Children make their needs known by pointing and raising their arms up, signalling that they would like to be picked up and given a cuddle. Children independently cuddle staff and lay their head on their shoulders which shows that secure attachments are in place. Staff are caring role models, playing with children, showing children how to use resources and supporting learning. Children behave well in the nursery; they listen to staff and play cooperatively with their peers. Children have good levels of self-esteem and take pride in their

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

achievements. Children comment to the inspector 'if you help to tidy up you can get a sticker too'.

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

Staff give high priority to children's safety and children are well supervised throughout the nursery. For example, younger children are accompanied to the bathroom as they build their independence. Written risk assessments and daily safety checks are undertaken to help identify hazards and minimise risks. Risk assessments identify potential hazards inside, outside, on outings and during activities. For example, staff consider potential hazards, such as children getting sand in their eye and placing paint in their mouth. Children are learning about safety by taking part in regular fire drills, and are developing their understanding of risk. For example, children talk with adults about the importance of tidying cars away on the floor mat. Children are aware of routines in the nursery and are confident in their surroundings. For example, pre-school children are 'tuned in' to tidying up, by staff playing a special piece of music. Children enthusiastically work together to tidy

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

away resources as they prepare for lunch. A good range of resources are used throughout the nursery and the environment shows that staff consider how children learn through play, by developing areas of continuous provision. This allows children to 'revisit' learning and explore interests further.

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

Children learn about healthy lifestyles through daily access to the outside area, baby ballet classes and weekly dance classes. In addition, younger children have baby massage sessions and older children can attend weekly swimming sessions. Also, children take part in the 'active living' programme that enhances children's understanding of health through a range of engaging activities. For example, by making fruit smoothies and fruit kebabs. Currently, there are no kitchen facilities at the nursery to provide meals for children. Children bring in a packed lunch or enjoy healthy meals prepared at home, such as pasta and babies' individual feeding needs are well supported by the staff. Children develop their self-care skills through accessing drinking water and washing their hands at appropriate times throughout the day.

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

Children are well prepared for change and transitions which means they are prepared for the next stage in their learning. As children move between rooms in the nursery they take part in visit sessions to become familiar with their new surroundings. Key persons meet with each other to discuss children's needs, and parents are welcomed into the setting to support children. If children are cared for by two providers at the same time the nursery shares information by using a communication book. As children prepare to move onto school staff invite school teachers into nursery, attend local authority transition meetings and complete a transition document. This means that children receive good support as they move between providers and onto full-time education, as all carers are aware of children's current developmental stage.

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provision

Safeguarding practice is good. Staff have a comprehensive knowledge of safeguarding procedures and the welfare requirements and children are well protected in the nursery. All staff have attended safeguarding training and are aware of appropriate contacts for further advice and support should they be concerned about a child's welfare. Children are well supervised, and the staff are vigilant in ensuring that children stay safe. For example, daily safety checks are undertaken, internal doors have key fob entry, there is a secure password system in place, staff open the door individually as parents arrive and visitors identification is checked and recorded in a visitor's book. Staff to child ratios are well met, which ensures that the staff can provide the children with positive interactions and experiences. Written risk assessments are in place and are regularly reviewed to ensure that any potential hazards are identified and risks are minimised. In addition, the nursery

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provision

keeps thorough records of accidents, medication and attendance to further protect children and promote their welfare.

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provision

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and support children well as they move towards the early learning goals. The environment is well thought out with age-appropriate resources which support children's continuing progress as they move towards the early learning goals. The management team regularly monitor educational programmes and planning to ensure that provision is meeting children's needs. For example, the management team monitor planning every Monday morning to ensure that activities offer a full range of challenging and stimulating activities across all areas of learning. Staff know their key children well and children have a positive attitude to learning. As a result, children make good progress.

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provision

The management team are proactive and undertake purposeful self-evaluation to identify areas that they wish to improve. They undertake regular audits, have developed action plans with room leaders, welcome categorisation visits from the local authority and use documents, such as the 'Early Years Quality Improvement Support Programme' to further improve practice and support sustainable improvements. The management team have identified that outdoor areas could be enhanced further and indoor areas of continuous provision could be better enhanced with purchases of new resources. The voice of children, parents and staff are reflected in the self-evaluation and the management team are proactive in responding to suggestions for further improvement. Well-organised systems are in place for recruitment and selection, supported by an effective induction procedure. The management are highly supportive of professional development and

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provision

identify training needs through regular supervisions and appraisals.

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provision

The management are very supportive of continued professional development and staff have the opportunity to attend multiple training courses to update and refresh their knowledge. Staff have recently attended training in behaviour management, developing planning and safeguarding. Performance management systems are in place, such as appraisals and supervisions. The management team oversee the quality of teaching and the support given to children by staff.

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provision

Staff have good relationships with a range of other professionals and attend multi agency meetings as appropriate. For example, staff work with local schools at transition times, take advice from the local authority advisor and attend multi agency meetings when appropriate to effectively support children's individual needs. The nursery works well with parents and parent partnerships are given high regard. This further supports children's learning and development. Parents are complimentary about the nursery. For example, parents comment 'We are really happy with the nursery, staff are just great'.

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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 EY445849 Local authority Wigan Inspection number 925604

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 101 Number of children on roll 106 Name of provider St Bede Services Limited Date of previous inspection 17/09/2012 Telephone number 0120461899

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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

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’.

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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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