Little Swanswell Nursery

Little Swanswell Nursery Cornerstone Family Centre, Howard Street, COVENTRY, CV1 4GE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/09/2013 25/05/2011

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early years provision

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

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This provision is inadequate

 Staff do not use discussions during adult-led activities to ask questions that extend children's language or give sufficient time for them to think about their answer before responding.  Some children are not effectively supported in developing skills as they use tools; with specific reference to their use of cutlery at lunchtime.  Children's safety is not secured as required information about staff's suitability is not maintained and parents are not aware that mobile phones and cameras cannot be used within the setting. Required records are also not kept.  The educational programme for expressive arts and design is not sufficiently secure in practise to enable children to express their own ideas.  The use of self-evaluation is not embedded in practice. The views of parents and children are not sought in order for the clear identification of areas of strength and weakness of the provision.  Routines are not in place to encourage families and children to feel included within the

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This provision is inadequate

nursery, for example, there are no positive images or labelling in their home language.

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It has the following strengths

 Children have formed relationships with staff and they are happy and confident. Their self-esteem grows through the praise and encouragement they receive.

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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 compulsory part 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 spoke to the registered person, manager and staff at appropriate times throughout the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities taking place in the playrooms and complete joint observations with the manager.  The inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journals, the setting's policies and procedures and attendance registers.

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Information about the setting

Little Swanswell Day Nursery was re-registered in 2010 on the Early Years Register and compulsory part of the Childcare Register and is privately owned. It operates within the Cornerstone Family Centre in Coventry. Children have use of five main group rooms and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open from 7.30am until 6pm all year round with the exception of bank holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 74 children attending who are in the early years age group. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 15 practitioners. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 4, including one with Early Years Professional Status. Six practitioners have appropriate early years qualifications at level 2. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 ensure children are cared for by people who are suitable to do so by implementing an effective system of checks, including obtaining an enhanced criminal records disclosure in respect of every person who works directly with children

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must:

 ensure the appropriate use of mobile phones and cameras in the setting is included in the procedure to safeguard children, and that this can be clearly explained to parents, carers and others

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must:

 develop the educational programmes for communication and language for example by ensuring that when questions are asked they are open ended and children are given thinking time before they are expected to answer

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must:

 devise and implement a thorough self-evaluation process, which includes the views of parents and children, to identify strengths and areas for development. Devise an action plan to overcome weaknesses that have been highlighted as a result of the process

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must:

 ensure all required records are held and available for inspection at all times to ensure children's needs are met.

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

 provide further opportunities for children to develop their understanding of different languages and to see their home languages by, for example, displaying them within the nursery

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

 consistently enable children to use appropriate equipment effectively and safely; with specific regard to using appropriate cutlery at mealtimes

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

 develop the educational programme for expressive arts and design further by: providing opportunities for children to explore their own creativity and express their own ideas.

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who attend

Staff are all involved in planning activities for the children and an annual plan of themes are in place for the whole nursery. They meet together to discuss information gained through activities alongside general issues, therefore, keeping all staff up-to-date with information about the nursery. The transition from home to nursery is encouraged through the gradual settling in visits that take place. Staff speak with parents at the start of their child's placement to gain basic information about their child's starting points in their learning, their likes and dislikes. Observations of children at play are used by staff to identify learning needs and plan for the next steps in their learning. Staff prepare the playroom before children arrive to ensure there are toys for them to play with. They understand how children develop through play and there are a variety of resources to support children's learning. Children's artwork is displayed, which is also shared with

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who attend

parents. Older children talk each day about the things they have enjoyed at home.

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who attend

Staff share children's learning journals with parents and encourage their comments. Children make informed choices with regard to their play as staff inform them of the activities provided. Toys are stored in low-level boxes that are labelled and have corresponding pictures for all to see what is inside. Children can also ask for specific toys if they cannot see them. Children have daily access to the outdoor play area where they further their physical skills as they balance on bars and climb on the large wooden train. This enables them to learn control and coordination while gaining plenty of fresh air. Children enjoy the activities and are eager to become involved, for example, when completing a painting. However, although staff ask questions to encourage them to think about what they are doing and extend their language they do not give them sufficient time to think about their response. This means children's communication and language is

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who attend

not promoted with full effect by all staff. Children enjoy art and craft activities, however, too much structure is in place which does not enable children to explore the textures and experiences. For example, a child wanting to paint her hands during a painting activity was discouraged from doing so as it was not the aim of the activity.

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who attend

Children learn about the living world and how to care for living things as they have access to a large African Snail. Children are encouraged to feed the snail and care for it and enjoy feeding the cucumber they have left after snack. Children enjoy technology and with the support of staff move through games and programmes on the computer gaining increasingly good control of the mouse. Younger children and babies have many activity toys, which have buttons to press and flaps to lift to gain a response, such as flashing lights and music. All children access books appropriate for their ages and enjoy reading these with staff, alone or with their friends. Labels and flashcards reflecting their names are used, encouraging children's understanding that print has a meaning.

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who attend

Children attend the setting from wide and diverse cultural backgrounds and many have English as an additional language. Staff celebrate cultural events with children to encourage their understanding of their community and some resources are provided that help them develop an understanding of similarities and differences. Staff speak to parents about the language their children use at home, with particular regard to personal care. However, families are not encouraged to feel valued and included in the setting as there are no positive images of their home language and any labelling in place within the nursery is in English. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive supportive care and staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure they make progress from their initial starting points.

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

Children are happy in this environment and settle into the activities. Each child has a key person who is aware of their individual care routines which are incorporated into their day. Children receive lots of praise and encouragement from staff and, as a result, behaviour is good. Older children are encouraged at circle time to listen to what their friends have to say and take turns in sharing their experiences. Children benefit from plenty of fresh air and enjoy lots of time outdoors each day. They enjoy lots of physical play as they use climbing, running and wheeled toys and equipment.

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

Children's dietary needs are respected and they benefit from fresh fruit each day and fresh water is freely available at all times. Meals are freshly prepared each day and include foods from around the world. Older children help themselves to cutlery and their cup and plate at lunchtime and their independence is encouraged as they serve their own meals. Younger children are either fed or given cutlery to feed themselves. However, staff practice is inconsistent, for example, toddlers are given a fork, which enables them to gain some skills while feeding themselves but then have to use their hands to help push food onto their forks rather than a spoon. While this is seen as appropriate other, younger children are consistently told they must not put their hands into their mouths when being fed. Therefore, this is not consistent practice and does not help in developing children's independence skills. Lunchtime is a social occasion and most children sit together. Children

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

learn appropriate hygiene routines and access the toilet independently. They wash their hands at appropriate times throughout the day, although staff provide support and guidance if needed. Babies care needs are met by staff who ensure nappies are changed throughout the day to maintain children's comfort.

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

Minor accidents are dealt with appropriately and clear recording of accidents take place and parents countersign any records made. Therefore, parents are informed of any health needs. Children learn about their own safety as they practise the fire drill periodically and staff remind them no to run indoors. Staff prepare the playrooms before children arrive to ensure there are toys for them to play with that interest them and encourage their involvement. This makes the transition from home to the playgroup as easy as possible. Staff help prepare children for the transition to school through discussions and books that help prepare them for change. Teachers have contact with the setting and can visit to talk through children's development and become a familiar face to the child. Staff work closely with other professionals involved in the children's lives, for example, speech therapists, which ensures continuity of care for the child.

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provision

Children safety is not maintained as most records of suitability completed for staff by the setting are not available. Records are held for the registered person, manager and one other member of staff but the majority of staff have no records. This is a breach of requirements on both registers and fails to keep children safe. Also, although staff are aware of not using mobile phones in the setting there is no policy in place for parents and visitors to the setting. This fails to keep children safe. Staff demonstrate an understanding of their role and responsibility with regard to safeguarding children from abuse and neglect and who to report their concerns to. Routines are in place for the recruitment of new staff and an induction process ensures they become familiar with policies and procedures that reflect the care provided. Staff work together as a team and share information they have gained from training to keep their knowledge of childcare and

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provision

legislation up-to-date. Annual appraisals take place enabling staff to identify any interests they have with regard to their future training needs and clear procedures are in place for dealing with disciplinary action and staffing issues. Staff plan as a team with annual themes and topics being used throughout the year. Systems are monitoring the educational programmes are not fully embedded in practice to ensure all children can adequately explore and express their own ideas through art and craft activities. Also, some required records are not in place, such as attendance records and accident records, which means children's safety is not reported on as well as possible.

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provision

Partnerships with other professionals involved in children's lives are in place and support children. For example, staff work closely with speech therapists, which ensures continuity of care for the child.

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provision

The setting shares information with parents about their child's day and they in turn are happy with the care provided and feel they are kept up-to-date with their child's progress. Those written policies and procedures that are in place are shared with parents. However, routines for actively seeking parents opinions and feelings are not in place and, therefore, no information is available for the setting to identify areas of strength or weakness in the provision. Consequently, staff cannot effectively reflect on the care they provide and identify clear action to continually improve the provision. This was raised at the last inspection and has not been addressed. Written risk assessments are made of the setting, both indoors and outdoors. Security measures include the use of finger print recognition locks on the main gate and access to the nursery building is only via a member of staff.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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

 have effective systems to ensure that any person caring for, or in regular contact with children is suitable which must include obtaining an enhanced DBS check (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep records of the following, a daily record of the names of the children looked after and their hours of attendance and accidents which occur on the premises (compulsory 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 EY414744 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 879835

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 74 Name of provider Paradise Mobile Creche Ltd Date of previous inspection 25/05/2011 Telephone number 07777665146

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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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