Little Cherubs Day Nursery (Birkenhead) Ltd

Little Cherubs Day Nursery (Birkenhead) Ltd 533 Old Chester Road, BIRKENHEAD, Merseyside, CH42 4NQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/09/2013 23/10/2009

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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

 Children benefit from warm and trusting relationships with their key person and all staff. Therefore, the children are happy and secure.  A well-developed knowledge of each child's needs ensures that staff effectively promote children's welfare and learning.  Well-established partnership working with external agencies, professionals and parents are effective in ensuring children's individual needs are met.  Children are well protected in the setting because staff have a good knowledge of their role in safeguarding children. This includes the knowledge and confidence to act should they have a concern about adult behaviour.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children do not have the opportunity to explore or visit places of interest in their local community. As a result, their knowledge of different people and communities is not extended to its full potential.  Children's understanding of all areas of mathematics is not supported or used in all areas of learning.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector toured the premises indoors and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, providers and staff. The inspector also took account of parents' views spoken to on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the Early Years Professional in the toddler room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including policies and procedures and children's records.

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Information about the setting

Little Cherubs Day Nursery (Birkenhead) Ltd was registered in 2009 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in a semi-detached property. It is one of two nurseries that are privately owned by a limited company and is situated in Birkenhead. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from six playrooms and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 16 members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications ranging from level 2 to level 6. One member of staff holds Early Years Professional Status.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 88 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 English as an additional language and special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 plan visits to places of interest in the locality to develop children's knowledge of different people and communities

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

 extend opportunities for children to explore all areas of mathematics by introducing resources and visual aids across all areas of learning.

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who attend

Children are happy and relaxed in the lively, welcoming environment. They play an active part in the nursery and enjoy making independent choices about their activities. The bright, airy and spacious environment and good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities offers challenge and motivation to children. Staff interact very well and new children soon settle and become confident to choose activities for themselves. Staff are very enthusiastic and have a good understanding of child development and how children learn through play. They skilfully judge when to become involved and when to allow them to independently explore. As a result, children become active learners, confidently initiating their own play and learning. Staff record regular and accurate observations of children and use the information to plan for individual children. They transfer these findings on to trackers, which enable them to follow children's progress and identify areas

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who attend

for further development in their learning. This includes the progress check at age two.

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who attend

In the baby room, staff arrange the environment effectively, so that children have full access to equipment by wriggling, crawling or toddling to each area of the room, gaining confidence and skills to enable them to become inquisitive learners. Mirrored surfaces on the wall help children develop self-recognition and staff continually support this by using names when speaking to them or their friends. Older children enthusiastically join in activities as they sit with staff and play creatively with the interconnecting blocks. Children explore a range of textures through the dough, paint or sand. Other children work co- operatively as they sit at the computer supported by a member of staff. Regular access to the outdoor area enables children to practise their physical skills as they learn to take safe risks on the climbing frame or balance the crates and planks to walk along. Younger children enjoy using the range of wheeled toys or staff to support their interest as they roll

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who attend

the tyres around the garden, laughing as they follow them and watch it fall over.

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who attend

Staff use mathematics language as they talk about needing 'one more' and ask children to count how many plates they need for snack. However, there is limited opportunities for visual number recognition to develop children's understanding of mathematics. Staff engage children in activities that encourage them to talk frequently and help them improve their language development through modelling these behaviours. For example, staff skilfully ask the children questions that encourage their thinking skills. For example, at story time, a member of staff asks the children, who has brothers, like the three little pigs. Time is given to think and answer, with the member of staff responding to every comment. Later she asks 'are we little pigs?' 'No' came a quick reply 'we're little people'. Staff use incidental teaching opportunities to extend children's understanding, for example, talking about flowers and where people can buy them or if they are in the wild,

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who attend

Activities and support are adapted to ensure those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and/or those with English as an additional language are fully included to enable them to reach their full potential. Children are developing an understanding of the natural and wider world through experiences, such as looking at insects, they find in the garden or sharing information with each other about where milk comes from during a discussion at snack time. However, first-hand learning experiences about their local community and the local people are given less priority. This impacts on children's ability to identify themselves as part of a community or to build relationships with different people and places within their local community.

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who attend

Staff gather comprehensive information from parents at settling-in visits. They use this information to ensure activities are developmentally appropriate for the different starting points of children as they enter the nursery. Staff continue to involve parents in their children's learning through regular updates, input into their records and daily verbal exchanges of information.

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

All children, including babies show a strong sense of security and belonging within the nursery. Children grow in confidence as they form warm relationships with their key person and other staff. For instance, babies relish close contact from their key person when showing signs of tiredness. Staff give the children kind words and encouragement and the children respond warmly. Children support and care for each other, they sit sociably together and chat to each other or adults as they play and during their snack time. Staff work closely with parents to ensure the children settle quickly when they first start at the nursery. When the children move rooms and on to other settings, transitions are well managed because the staff share useful information with children's new carers.

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

Staff talk with children increasing their awareness of being healthy, for example, explaining why it is important to have regular drinks to stay hydrated. This is supplemented by the freshly cooked healthy meals or the lunch boxes from home. Drinking water is available at all times, encouraging children to think about their own self- care needs. Behaviour across the rooms is good, because staff give clear explanations as to what is acceptable and role model respect to each other and the children. Children are patient and take turns with resources during both inside and outside play because adults reinforce sharing, with well-deserved praise. They make a positive contribution to routines by tidying equipment, which encourages them to understand about taking responsibility for their nursery.

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

Staff promote children's understanding of safety as older children descend the stairs to access the outdoors. Children demonstrate their understanding when using knives as they talk about being careful because it could cut them. The use of safety gates and secure highchairs for babies further supports children's safety. Children understand the need to follow rules to keep themselves and others safe, with staff giving reminders if required. A good range of resources supports children's all round development. Effective team work ensures that children's well-being is prioritised and the positive atmosphere contributes to a nursery that is warm and welcoming. Children's independence and cooperation is supported as they develop the skills and attitudes they need to move on to the next stage of learning and eventually to school.

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provision

Children are protected through staff's good knowledge and understanding of their role in safeguarding children. This includes their knowledge and confidence to act should they have a concern about a child in their care or concern about adult behaviour. The providers have a full understanding of their role and responsibility to keep children safe. Robust and effective recruitment ensures that all staff are knowledgeable and suitable to work with children. A rigorous induction process for any new staff and student ensures they are aware of their role and responsibility within the nursery. Staff ensure the environment indoors and outdoors is safe and secure through regular risk assessments and take appropriate action if required to eliminate possible risks. Consequently, children move freely and safely throughout the setting. The Early Years Professional effectively and consistently monitors the planning,

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provision

assessment and delivery of the educational programmes. Consequently, this information along with good role modelling for staff is used as the basis for planning and improving practice and provision. Other interested parties within the nursery are involved in the continuous evaluation process. Supervision is based on consistent and focused evaluations of the impact of staff's practice. Training is identified through staff interest and the needs of the nursery and any underperformance is identified and support and guidance given. Regular team and/or room meetings along with appraisals further support staff in their role and practice.

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provision

All documentation is well organised and all policies and procedures are in place to meet the needs of all children. These are reviewed to ensure that the nursery continually meets the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and are in line with current best practice. This includes full emergency contact details and the clear procedure to follow for children, who fall ill during their time in the nursery. Regular reminders about the importance of informing the nursery of any changes to contacts are included in newsletters. Parents' evenings and notices on the parent board further support these. The manager and providers confidently discuss when to inform Ofsted of concerns or change. Leadership and management are effective in ensuring that all staff understands their roles and responsibilities. Staff are supported through regular supervision, team and room meetings and annual appraisals in which everyday issues or needs are discussed.

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provision

The special educational needs coordinator has established effective links with outside agencies, such as speech and language support. This means that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified and extra resources are secured effectively. The nursery has established links with the local schools to support children when the time comes for them to leave for school. Parents say what they like especially about the nursery is the availability and friendliness of all staff. They appreciate their upbeat enthusiastic welcome and the delight that their children want to come to nursery every morning.

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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 EY391276 Local authority Wirral Inspection number 925827

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 55 Number of children on roll 88 Name of provider Little Cherubs Day Nursery (Birkenhead) Ltd Date of previous inspection 23/10/2009 Telephone number 01516 448 479

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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

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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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