Chipmunks Day Nursery

Chipmunks Day Nursery The Old Primary School, Rance Pitch, Upton St. Leonards, Gloucester, GL4 8AE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/08/2013 24/03/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 3 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children are extremely well motivated, eager to learn and progressing exceptionally well in all areas of learning and development, because staff are able to clearly identify and meet children's individual needs and interests.  The well-established key person system helps all children form secure attachments and promotes their well-being and increasing independence.  The staff and management have an exceptional awareness and understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding requirements; as a result, robust systems are in place to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children.  The safety of the children is of high priority and the staff effectively support children's growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy.

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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 inspection was carried out by one inspector.  The inspector observed activities in the playrooms and garden.  The inspector had discussions with the manager, staff, children and parents.  The inspector invited the manager to carry out a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records, safeguarding procedures, staff records, accident, medication records, and policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Chipmunks Day Nursery has been operating since 1997 and is privately owned. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery operates from the old village primary school in the village of Upton St Leonards, on the outskirts of Gloucester. Children are cared for in age-related groups, each with their own base playroom. All children share use of the sensory room, craft area, sleep room and toilets. There are enclosed outdoor areas with grass and hard standing surfaces and a nature area for outdoor activities. Children attend from the village and neighbouring areas. There are currently 119 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery receives funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery is able to offer support to children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who learn

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Information about the setting

English as an additional language. There are currently no children attending within the later years age group. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am until 5.45pm all year round, except for Bank Holidays and one week at Christmas and New Year. Session times operate from 8am until 12.45pm and from 1pm until 5.45pm. The nursery employs 22 staff as well as a cook and office manager. The owner is a qualified early years teacher. There are currently 17 staff, including the manager, who hold relevant childcare qualifications from level 2 and above. A high percentage of staff are also trained in first aid, child protection and food hygiene. The nursery have completed the Bristol Standards quality improvement scheme.

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

 continue to develop opportunities for children to increase their independence in particular during mealtimes.

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who attend

Children are progressing exceptionally well in all areas of learning and development. The highly interesting, stimulating, bright, welcoming nursery provides an exciting environment where children are able to develop and explore safely and confidently. The staff carry out detailed observations on their key children and as a result are able to clearly identify children's interests and next steps. The staff have an excellent knowledge and understanding about the Early Years Foundation Stage and as a result they put a sharp focus on communication, language, personal, social, emotional and physical development for the children. Children are keen and eager to learn, they are well motivated and enjoy their time at the nursery. Staff speak to children constantly and clearly, which helps all children develop their early language skills. Children enjoy looking at books alone and with the staff. Children sit fully engaged when having a story. They listen and take part in the

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who attend

story as the member of staff reads to them. The younger children enjoy songs and rhymes and they all take part eagerly. Children sit happily in the cosy book corner and look at books, they turn pages carefully and are beginning to understand that words have meaning. The older children are encouraged to mark make and have easy access to writing materials. They enjoy drawing and trying to write their names on their paper when they have finished.

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who attend

Children are sociable and make friends at the nursery. They interact well together, are confident about sharing and taking turns through clear explanations from staff. Staff manage children's behaviour extremely well, they explain clearly to children about why they should not do something or that they are making the adult sad by not behaving. Children respond well to this approach and behave very well. Staff remind children to say 'please' and 'thank you' to each other and the staff are excellent role models. Children are helped to explore and investigate through open questions from the staff, such as 'What does it look like?' and 'How many have you got?' Children develop their physical skills well, as they are able to easily access the outside play spaces. They enjoy water play, developing skills such as pouring and understanding about filling containers. Children use various containers to explore how water from small containers will fit in larger containers.

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who attend

Children enjoy exploring the world around them. They are taken on regular walks around the local community. Children have a nature garden, and enjoy using magnifying glasses to find bugs, worms, snails and beetles. They talk about what the snails look like, their colours, where they should live and what they are doing under the logs in the garden. Children enjoy digging and planting. They use wheelbarrows, watering cans and spades in their garden area. As they dig they find worms and talk about how long they are and what colour they are. Staff interact with the children, helping them to find bugs and talk clearly about how the children need to leave the bugs where they are as that is where they live. This helps the children understand about living things and explore and talk about their features. Children acquire excellent skills, attitudes and dispositions they require to help them prepare for school or their next stage of learning.

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

There is a well-established key person system in place, which helps children form secure attachments. As a result, children are very comfortable and relaxed with their special person. Children are happy, confident and settle quickly into their play when parents leave them. Staff are excellent role models and are deployed well to ensure children's safety and ensure that children are supervised very well at all times. Staff are consistent in how they treat children. All staff show great care and concern for the children in their care. Staff talk to children constantly and help them develop a very good understanding about how to keep themselves safe as they play. For example, children are clear about why they need to wear hats in the garden when it is hot. Children are extremely well behaved and they understand the rules of the setting. Older children are encouraged to contribute to developing their rules, which means they have a sense of belonging and understand how

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

to behave. Children are encouraged to be kind to each other and recent staff training means staff are very consistent in their behaviour management throughout the nursery. Children show high levels of self-control as they play and enjoy devising games themselves. Children enjoy making the climbing frame in the playroom into a pirate ship and telling staff they are getting rid of ghosts on the ship. Children share and take turns well as they interact with each other. The staff give gentle reminders to the younger children to share as they play. Staff actively promote equality and diversity in the setting. They acknowledge and provide support for children who have dual languages and those who require extra support. This means all children are helped to reach their full potential.

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

The highly stimulating environment and resources help promote children's interests and provide challenges for the children both inside and outside. Children enjoy the outside play spaces. They have regular access to these areas where they are able to run, jump, climb, balance and explore the world around them in the nature garden area. Children enjoy looking for bugs in the nature garden and get excited as they find bugs under trees. This shows children are eager and motivated to explore. Children are learning about healthy lifestyles. They understand about why they need to wash their hands before eating, and after using the toilet. Children's independence is encouraged as they are able to visit the toilet and wash their hands independently. Children are able to pour their own drinks at meal times; however, all staff do not consistently promote this to fully promote children's self-care skills. Staff encourage children to contribute to preparing for meal times by

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

setting the table with cutlery. This means children have responsibilities and also gain problem solving skills as they find out how many places they need to lay. Staff are good roles models and wash their hands before helping children at mealtimes and wear aprons and gloves when serving meals.

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

Children are being well prepared for the next stage in their learning because staff provide excellent support to prepare them for their transitions, both in the setting and when moving on to school.

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provision

The staff and management demonstrate they have an excellent understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Detailed risk assessments are carried out and reviewed regularly and cover all aspects of the environment. Staff complete risk assessments for individual children when the need arises. This helps staff maintain the children's safety at all times. Staff are vigilant in their supervision of the children and through clear explanations from staff all children are learning to understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, children understand about why they need to clear toys away off the floor, if toys are not being played with. Children comment about how they could trip over and hurt themselves if toys are left on the floor. Clear accident, incident and medication records are used to record any incidents that may occur to children while at the nursery. These are shared with parents on the day.

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provision

All records are kept confidential and are stored securely. The arrangements for safeguarding children are strong and well embedded. Clear policies and procedures are known and understood by staff who implement them consistently. Both the staff and management have an excellent understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. Staff conduct detailed, precise observations and assessments on their key children. Staff are able to clearly identify children's next steps and ensure there is a sharp focus on communication and language, personal, social and emotional, and physical development for all children.

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provision

The manager is inspirational and highly motivated to ensure the staff provide high quality care and education. As a result, the staff are highly motivated, have a drive to improve and work together exceptionally well to meet the needs of all the children that attend the nursery. There are highly effective systems in place to ensure performance of the staff is monitored regularly. The manager carries out regular staff supervision through observing them with the children. Staff have regular mentoring and support from the manager and any training needs are clearly identified. For example, the staff all recently attended behaviour management training, which they all commented on how successful they felt it was. Consequently, staff are more confident and consistent in their approach to managing children's behaviour and children behave exceptionally well. Staff feel able to contribute their ideas to help drive improvement in the setting and as a result they take responsibility

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provision

for their rooms. The staff are included in the evaluation process and are able to contribute their ideas fully to the process during regular staff meetings. Evaluation of practice is detailed and ongoing. Recent documents show that the evaluation has been detailed and effective, with the nursery's strengths and areas to improve clearly identified. Areas to improve have been well targeted.

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provision

Strong partnerships with parents, carers, other providers, and agencies are well established. Detailed information is shared with parents through verbal communication on the day, daily diaries for the under three year old children, learning journals, newsletters and parents' meetings. Parents are able to contribute to the evaluation of practice through the completion of questionnaires. Parents and carers spoken to on the day, speak very highly of the staff, quality of care and how happy their children are at the nursery. Links with other providers, such as nurseries and pre-school settings that children attend are well established, which means that all adults are able to contribute to the child's learning and development. Children are very well prepared for their transitions, such as moving to the next stage in the nursery or school.

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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 101575 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 928599 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 119 Name of provider Claire Elizabeth Baker Date of previous inspection 24/03/2009 Telephone number 01452 613828

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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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