The Octagon Nursery

The Octagon Nursery The Octagon, Walker Street, Hull, North Humberside, HU3 2RA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/09/2013 08/03/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 1 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Staff are not consistently deployed to ensure that children are totally protected from the risk of leaving the nursery unsupervised, and that children's healthcare is not compromised during mealtimes.  The policies and procedures for safeguarding children, including a lost child and the use of mobile phones or cameras, are not reliably being followed by all staff and effectively explained to all parents and carers to maintain children's safety.  Information is not effectively shared with all parents, including those with English as an additional language, to make certain all parents and carers are fully aware of staff deployment and why, and of staff's roles and responsibilities.  Managers' supervision of staff is not robust enough to guarantee children are safe and well protected by consistently evaluating and monitoring practice, in order to verify staff's full understanding, knowledge and implementation of the safeguarding and

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This provision is inadequate

welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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It has the following strengths

 Children with additional needs and their families are supported well because of early identification and intervention. There is a sound partnership with other professionals and services to provide support for children's individual needs.

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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 both rooms and in the adjoining outdoor areas. She also observed the snack time and lunch arrangements.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's folders, containing observations and assessment records. She also looked at the planning and assessment overview graphs.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies and risk assessments. She also looked at evidence of the suitability of the staff, and self-assessment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the acting deputy. She also held discussions with the staff.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector held meetings with the acting deputy and a senior manager.

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Information about the setting

The Octagon Nursery registered in 2005 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a purpose-built building and has two rooms that each have enclosed outdoor play areas. The nursery is owned and managed by Goodwin Development Trust, and is situated near to the centre of Kingston Upon Hull.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff to work directly with the children. Of these, two hold a degree and eight hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 3 and 4. The nursery also employs a childcare support team that work across the different nurseries and services owned by the company, and has an apprentice and students.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open from 7.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday all year around, except for public holidays and a week at Christmas. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 101 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 who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 review operational plans in relation to staff deployment to ensure that continuity of safety and healthcare are not compromised as a result of children's and their parents' comings and goings, and that all parents are aware of staff utilisation and why

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must:

 ensure the procedures for the appropriate use of mobile phones and cameras, and other policies, such as the lost child policy, are clearly followed by all staff, and that these can be clearly explained to parents, carers and others, including those with English as an additional language, to ensure all children are safeguarded

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must:

 ensure that all staff understand their roles and responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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must:

 improve the supervision of staff by consistently evaluating and monitoring practice, and staff's knowledge and understanding, to foster a culture of mutual support and continuous improvement in order to improve all staff's personal effectiveness

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must:

 ensure all parents and carers are aware of the details of all the policies and procedures of the setting, and that resources and wording in the environment support parents' and children's cultural backgrounds.

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who attend

Children are greeted at the door by friendly staff who welcome them and their parents into the setting. Staff support those children who find it difficult to settle, and comfort them until they are ready to play. The majority of staff understand the seven areas of learning and appreciate that children learn through play. Each room and its corresponding outdoor area is well organised and supports the areas of learning appropriately. This provides an environment for children to explore freely, enabling them to gather resources independently to support their interest and their play. Babies show their delight in the sensory area and play with sand and stones outside, exploring using all their senses, supported by sensitive staff. They collect their toys from welcoming laid out areas. Older children engage in junk modelling, selecting materials to suit their idea for their design. Staff appropriately support children and motivate their ideas further and promote skills to

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who attend

solve problems. For example, staff ask if the door is big enough and suggest measuring figures against the box. Furthermore, staff offer advice, such as bending cut pieces of the box before they continue to cut further. These strategies help children to find ways of solving problems and learn how to approach tasks. This also supports children's personal, social and emotional development, assisting their confidence and promoting their own play and their cooperative play.

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who attend

Children's communication skills are promoted suitably. Children, including those who are non-verbal or in need of support, express themselves to staff through pointing or taking them to the area of their choice. Babies develop sounds, which are repeated by staff, encouraging repetition and listening skills relevantly. For example, the 'together time' in the baby room promotes familiar stories and rhymes that embrace well-known actions and sounds, and encourage babies to join in with repeated refrains and vocalisations. Staff track children's progress through observations matched to the seven areas of learning, and identify the next steps in the children's learning to further promote their development. The observations inform the planning to ensure activities are in place for each individual child. The progress check at age two and overview sheets enable staff to assess children's achievements and abilities appropriately. This means children are supported reasonably

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who attend

well overall, to acquire and develop their skills and progress to the next stages in their learning.

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who attend

Children are motivated to move around the outdoor area freely, and they use scooters and bikes well. This aids their control and coordination suitably, enabling them to move in a range of ways, and they are encouraged to use equipment adequately. The outdoor space provides various areas for children to explore, such as, a large sandpit, a digging area and a quiet area under the gazebo. These areas support young children's early development and inspire their creativity satisfactorily. For example, children investigate the musical pipe chimes outside, stimulated by the different sounds created. This promotes their awareness of the world around them. However, there is a variance in the quality of teaching and interaction by staff in the nursery. Some staff merely supervise children. This means that children's learning is not consistently supported and extended, and they are not motivated further in the activities which they choose to take part in.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are generally sound and they are encouraged to share what they know about their children on the 'all about me' and 'care plan' sheets before their child starts at the nursery. Staff continue to gain an appropriate knowledge of children's learning and development through requesting parents to share children's current interests and achievements on relevant sheets. Experiences and opportunities to support children's ongoing learning and development are shared with parents, to further promote children's progress through the seven areas of learning. Parent meetings and evenings are offered to further engage parents in their children's development and learning in the setting and at home. However, resources and wording in the environment do not support parents' and children's cultural backgrounds, to ensure they understand and follow nursery protocols.

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

All children are allocated a key person. Parents are aware of their child's key person and information boards are displayed for each room. Although there is a key person system in place, it does not meet the emotional and safeguarding needs of all children. For example, key children are not carefully watched to ensure they do not leave their room. Furthermore, staff are not observant enough during mealtimes to ensure that children with specific healthcare needs do not come into contact with foods that they should not have. Additionally, parents are not fully aware of the staff's deployment. This means that staffing arrangements do not ensure that continuity is established, with staff having a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Consequently, children's safety and welfare are not sufficiently safeguarded in the event of an emergency.

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

Staff use daily diaries for children to meet established routines, linking home to the nursery. For example, they record sleep patterns and feeding routines, and what children have done throughout their session. Children have access to a wide range of resources and are encouraged to be independent when choosing what to explore. For example, children are fascinated by moving animals in shaving foam, exploring the prints made. Babies sit and play alongside their peers, and staff sit close to them outside as they explore sand and stones. Their deep curiosity enables them to discover and experience their play using all their senses. Children are learning about healthy eating because they are provided with healthy and nutritious meals and snacks. Lunchtime enables children to serve themselves, encouraging their independence and self-selection. This values children's preferences, enabling them to make their own decisions and develop taking

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

responsibility for their individual choices. However, staff do not consistently support children to understand how to keep themselves safe. For instance, children climb on furniture and are not told why it is inappropriate. Consequently, some children are not engaged in activities, and the chaotic environment of the older rooms hinders children's play. As a result, children are failing to form appropriate bonds and secure attachments with the staff.

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

Parents are offered gradual visits to the nursery to help children settle. Transitions from room to room are supported through appropriate visits, assisted by familiar key persons. The nursery has suitable links with the local schools, other local settings and the local children's centre. They share information on children's learning and development with other settings, to endorse children's capabilities and achievements, interests and next steps in learning across the settings they attend, in order to obtain a fuller picture of the child and extend the continuity of their learning.

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provision

The inspection was brought forward as a priority inspection. This was as a result of a child having left the nursery unsupervised for a period of time and then found by nursery staff away from the nursery grounds. The manager reported the incident to Ofsted and the local authority, and also to the company's senior management team. At the inspection, the senior manager present explained the incident, and closed circuit television footage was observed. This showed that the child was able to leave the premises while parents were entering the very busy lunchtime period. This is because staff and parents held the door open for multiple intervals. The nursery has placed additional signs up to keep doors closed and has since allocated staff to monitor the entrance hallway to ensure children are only leaving with their parent or carer at this time. At the inspection, however, doors were observed being held open or left ajar. Furthermore, staff deployment is not effectively

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provision

supervising children to ensure all their needs are fully met. This lack of attention to ensure the premises are secure places children at high risk. Also, parents use mobile phones with staff during sessions. This means that there are breaches of the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and both parts of the Childcare Register. This similarly questions whether all staff, support staff, students, parents, carers and others, including those with English as an additional language, fully understand the nursery's policies and procedures. Consequently, this impacts on children's safety and well-being, and their feeling safe and secure while in the nursery's care.

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provision

The management team regularly appraises staff, completes routine reviews and supports them to access a range of training courses. Staff have received safeguarding training and are aware of their role and responsibility if they have a concern regarding a child's welfare, and they are suitably checked to ensure that they are safe to work with children. However, staff are not effectively supervised to ensure they have a full understanding and knowledge of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, and can consistently implement this in their practice in order to guarantee children are safe and well protected in their care and improve their personal effectiveness.

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provision

The majority of the staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of providing a broad range of interesting experiences for children, following their individual interests. Staff assess children's learning and development through appropriate observations. The relevant planning takes account of children's interests and their next steps of learning and development. The detailed assessments of children's progress through summaries, the two year old progress check and various overview grids monitor children's achievements and abilities fittingly. This establishes a generally good awareness of children's strengths and any areas where their progress is less than expected.

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provision

The management team has completed a self-evaluation which identifies strengths and weaknesses, for example, introducing peer-on-peer observations for staff to help them improve their practice. However, ineffective safeguarding practices demonstrate a weakness in leadership and management systems. Parents complete feedback sheets to establish their views of the nursery. Newsletters, leaflets, noticeboards, wall displays and open days promote a two-way flow of information. The nursery works closely with parents and relevant professionals to ensure appropriate interventions for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are received to support them as needed. For example, staff work closely to targets set in children's individual educational plans. Also, the children's centre provides established techniques to further support children with identified needs. These positive partnerships with other professionals provide continuity

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provision

and coherence for children in their care, and aid transitions to the local schools.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that a child is unable to leave the premises unsupervised (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that a child is unable to leave the premises unsupervised (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)

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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 EY311282 Local authority Kingston upon Hull Inspection number 935859

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 65 Number of children on roll 101 Name of provider Goodwin Development Trust Date of previous inspection 08/03/2012 Telephone number 01482 594324

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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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