Acklam Children's Day Nursery

Acklam Children's Day Nursery Acklam Road, Acklam, Middlesbrough, CLEVELAND, TS5 4EB

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/09/2013 02/10/2009

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

 The well-established key person system helps children form secure attachments and promotes their overall well-being efficiently. They demonstrate positive relationships with their peers and staff.  The management's team's process of self-evaluation and effective monitoring systems mean that continuous improvements are made and ensure quality care and learning are provided for children.  An effective partnership with parents means there is a united approach to meeting individual children's needs, ensuring that they make good progress.  Children are motivated and keen to learn in this very inclusive and welcoming nursery. They show high levels of curiosity and imagination.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 The organisation of space within the 'tweenies' area lessens the very good opportunities for children to further develop their improving concentration skills when listening to stories.  On occasion, some children are not always provided with activities that provide further challenge, in order to extend their very good learning to maximise progress.

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 viewed all areas of the premises and equipment and observed activities in all of the playrooms and the outside play areas.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation form and a range of other documentation.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager, and spoke with staff and children throughout the inspection.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager and also took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

p.2

Information about the setting

Acklam Children's Day Nursery is part of the Nunthorpe Nurseries Group and was registered in 1991. It is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in dedicated premises in the Acklam area of Middlesborough. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three main rooms and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 40 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

p.3

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

 review the organisation of activities to allow older children the opportunity to further develop their concentration skills, especially when they sit and listen to stories

p.3

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

 review and evaluate activities to ensure that there is consistency across the setting in providing sufficient challenge for children.

p.3

who attend

Staff have a secure knowledge of how to promote children's learning and development and know the children in their care very well. Comprehensive information is obtained from parents so that staff can establish each child's starting points on entry to the nursery. Planning is based on children's individual needs and interests and is adapted and added to on an ongoing basis to ensure their next steps are incorporated. Consequently, children are keen to participate in activities, have fun and make good progress in their learning and development. Staff observe children to find out about their needs, what they are interested in and what they can do. They then analyse these observations and highlight children's achievements or their need for further support, which is incorporated into planning. However, on occasion, younger children are not provided with further challenge to extend their skills and learning. For example, they complete a jigsaw puzzle with ease

p.3

who attend

and show sustained interest in this activity. However, staff do not extend this by providing other, more challenging jigsaws. Younger children enjoy sitting in small groups with staff reading books with them. This encourages their understanding of print and enhances their enjoyment of books and reading. However, the organisation of story time for the 'tweenies' does not allow them to fully listen without distractions, which does not always promote their concentration as effectively as possible.

p.4

who attend

Staff provide a good range of activities and support children to choose what they want to do, which helps to build their independence. They know when to get involved and when to allow children to carry on playing so that their play is not disrupted and they can make their own decisions. Consequently, children are good at initiating play and can become deeply involved in activities, such as imaginative play with the dolls. Children's communication and language skills are effectively nurtured. Staff give children time to talk and ask questions to make them think and develop their own ideas. With the youngest children staff recognise the way in which individual children communicate and respond appropriately to this, supporting children with facial expressions and encouraging them to explore their facial expressions with mirrors. Children are given ample opportunities to learn and make sense of their physical world as they go for walks in the local community

p.4

who attend

and watch with interest the pigeons and squirrels on the neighbouring green.

p.4

who attend

Staff take many steps to ensure that children have the necessary skills for their transition into school. Children are encouraged to be as independent as possible and are learning good social skills, such as, sharing, taking turns and good table manners. Positive feedback is received from schools about how quickly children who have attended the setting settle and are well prepared for this transition into school.

p.4

who attend

Staff discuss children's progress, activities and achievements with their parents on a daily basis and also more formally at 'open nights'. They listen to what parents tell them about what children have been doing at home and use this information to help with activity planning. This promotes a two way flow of information, knowledge and expertise between them and staff and has a positive impact on children's learning. Parents speak highly of the activities provided and of the progress their children are making in their development.

p.4

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

Children are happy, confident and settled in the nursery. A key person system is in place, which helps children to become familiar with the nursery and to feel safe and confident within it. Children's emotional well-being is supported due to their individual needs being met and their feelings respected. Staff gather high quality information from parents when their children first start attending the setting to ensure they are fully aware of children's care needs, likes and dislikes. This helps to ease the transition between home and nursery. Care is taken to ensure that children are well prepared when they are ready to move into a different room. They go on visits so they become familiar with their new surroundings and the new staff who will be caring for them. This ensures the children's move is as smooth and trouble free as possible. Children make friends and get on with their peers. This helps them to feel positive about themselves and others. Behaviour is

p.4

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

very good throughout all rooms. Staff encourage children to respect each other, consequently, children are beginning to learn about the impact of their words and actions on themselves and others.

p.5

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

Children develop an understanding and appreciation of how to stay safe, they discuss before lunch the need to tidy items from the floor to stop accidents and trips. They understand the importance of safety as they use the small climbing frame and slide outside. For example, they are aware of the need for staff supervision for the youngest children.

p.5

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

Good provision is made for meals and snacks and children are well nourished. Food is varied and plentiful and cooked freshly. Children's physical well-being is effectively promoted. Good standards of cleanliness are maintained throughout all areas to help prevent the spread of infection. Staff follow good hygiene routines and help children to learn about the importance of these. Children in the pre-school room know about hand washing and germs, and are quick to alert staff when they think their peers may not have followed the routine before snack. Staff with the youngest children follow their own routines for sleep and rest. Children have daily opportunities to play outdoors and benefit from the fresh air.

p.5

provision

The leadership team have a good understanding of their responsibilities for meeting both the safeguarding and welfare requirements and the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The manager successfully monitors the planning and delivery of the educational programmes by meeting with staff in each room and by conducting practice observations. However, on occasion, sufficient challenge is not provided for younger children to ensure that their learning is maximised.

p.5

provision

Appraisal sessions are undertaken with staff to help improve practice and to increase confidence. Staff are motivated and keen to develop the provision. They are encouraged by the management team to attend training to develop their knowledge and understanding and inspection of training files confirms this commitment by staff. Good attention is paid to self-evaluation and promoting continuous development. Parents and staff are involved in this process to ensure that their views are considered when planning future improvements. The manager also reflects on the setting's practice to identify priorities for improvement and has clear action plans in place to support this. She works closely with the local authority and engages well in their quality improvement programme. This shows the nursery has a good capacity to sustain improvement.

p.5

provision

Children are very well protected through clear and effective safeguarding procedures. All staff recently completed child protection training and have a very good understanding of their responsibilities in this area. Rigorous and robust recruitment, employment and induction procedures are in place and implemented well to protect children. The premises are secure and children are well supervised. Attendance records for staff and children indicate that staffing ratios are met, in line with legal requirements. Risk assessments and daily checks of the premises and resources effectively reduce the chance of accidental injury.

p.5

provision

The nursery works well in partnership with parents to promote children's welfare and learning. Parents speak highly of the staff and express their satisfaction with the service provided. They comment positively about the nursery, particularly about the progress their children make and the friendliness of the staff. Newsletters, daily diary sheets and verbal exchanges make sure parents are kept up-to-date with their child's care and learning. Policies and procedures are readily available. The nursery endeavours to build partnerships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage where children receive care and education. They fully recognise where they have been successful in this and where this needs to be improved and are taking steps to further develop these links.

p.6

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.6

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.7

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.7

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.8

Setting details

Unique reference number 508441 Local authority Middlesbrough Inspection number 934670

p.8

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 59 Number of children on roll 40 Name of provider Nunthorpe Nurseries Group Ltd Date of previous inspection 02/10/2009 Telephone number 01642 817165

p.8

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.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.8

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.8

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.9

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.9

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.10

Type of provision

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

p.10