West Park Kindergarten

Noah's Ark Nursery West Park Road, SOUTH SHIELDS, Tyne and Wear, NE33 4LB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/09/2013 05/08/2013

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early years provision

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

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children are eager to come into nursery and are used to the routines of choosing activities freely. They show positive attitudes to learning, and happily participate in the activities on offer.  All staff prioritise children's welfare and safety. Effective policies and procedures are in place and implemented by staff. This means children are well protected.

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It is not yet good because

 The manager of the setting does not hold a full and relevant level 3 qualification.  Staff working with the pre-school children do not always maximise the potential of outdoor learning.  Opportunities for children to play imaginatively are not fully supported due to limited resources within the role play area and there are few opportunities available that offer young toddlers physical challenges indoors.

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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 throughout the nursery in both indoor and outdoor spaces.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the nursery owner, manager, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation including children's records, learning and development information, staff records and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents through discussion and from written questionnaires sent out by the nursery.

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Information about the setting

Noah's Ark Nursery was registered in 2000 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in Wrekendyke, South Shields in South Tyneside. It is one of three nurseries managed by a private provider. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a converted building and there are four main rooms. The babies are cared for on the first floor, which is accessible via a flight of stairs. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 13 members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above; one member of staff holds a relevant degree. The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year from 7am until 6pm. There are currently 99 children attending, 81 are within the early years age group. Children attend for a variety of sessions and full days. Wrap around and out-of-

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Information about the setting

school care is also available each weekday from 7am until 9am and 3pm until 6pm during term time. A holiday club is available from 7am until 6pm in the school holidays. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 ensure the manager of the setting holds at least a full and relevant level 3 qualification

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

 provide equipment indoors that safely challenges young toddlers to climb and explore their physical skills

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

 support those children who learn best through activity and movement by giving them as much opportunity as possible to access the outdoor environment

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

 improve the role play area by ensuring that children have access to resources that are linked to their play, and which stimulate their interest and imagination.

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who attend

The manager and staff are secure in their knowledge of the learning and development requirements. They are able to provide children with a range of interesting and challenging activities to engage and motivate them. As a result, all children including those who have special education needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language make steady progress. Systems for observing children, recording their progress and identifying priorities are good and staff regularly reflects on how this process moves children onto their next steps for learning. Staff maintain regular and accurate assessment of children's achievements which are fed into planning systems. A progress check at age two is in place and is completed by staff in consultation with parents. This enables staff to identify any individual falling behind their peers or below their expected achievement levels. Staff regularly discuss children's learning with parents to obtain

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who attend

information about activities children enjoy at home. As a result, the continuity between the home and the nursery contribute positively to children's learning. Children's development is initially discussed when they start in the nursery, and parents fill in an 'all about me' form that shows what children can do and know. This ensures that staff have a clear understanding of children's preferences to plan for their learning and to build on their existing skills.

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who attend

Staff support children in all aspects of their learning well. Babies who are becoming aware of their surroundings are stimulated by staff who maintain eye contact and model early words for them. They are attentive to their needs and listen carefully to children's responses. Through this, children are happy and their individual needs are well met. Younger toddlers are curious and keen to participate in activities on offer. For example, they relish the experience of getting messy using gloop and enthusiastically smear and squash it between their fingers. This shows some of the characteristics of effective learning. Indoors young toddlers are keen to test their growing physical skills and are adventurous, attempting to climb on the furniture and open shelves. Staff deter them and redirect their play however, they have not fully considered how to channel and promote this by providing equipment that they can climb safely.

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who attend

Children's communication and language skills are promoted well as staff playfully interact with them. They provide activities that encourage children to listen such as, reading stories that capture their attention and introduce new words through discussions, songs and rhymes. Staff take advantage of spontaneous activities and routines to maximise pre- school children's conversational skills. For example, snack time is an occasion when staff clearly attempt to make links with what children already know. They encourage children to name a selection of fruit and give constant guidance on using knives correctly for cutting their chosen fruit. This also enables children to be challenged appropriately to take risks under supervision. A suitable selection of activities and resources are set out for the children to play with and staff encourage them to pursue their own interests. Consequently, children are able to make independent choices about what they play with.

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who attend

Most children listen and participate well in the story telling session. The provision and easy access to writing tools encourages children to make marks and practice their early writing skills. Staff satisfactorily promote children's awareness and understanding of people's differences and provide some opportunities for them to explore and celebrate their own and other cultures and beliefs.

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who attend

Children's creative development is promoted because they can participate in a range of singing activities and explore a variety of mediums, such as shaving foam, jelly, sand and water. Older children express their creativity as they paint at the easel. However, staff do not always ensure that the role play area is well resourced with items that would stimulate and ignite children's interest. For example, two children wore florescent jackets and hardhats and explained they were workman however, their interest was soon lost as they had no resources to use as tools. As a result, the many learning opportunities and the scope they have to re-enact familiar scenes they see in their lives is reduced. Some pre- school children count spontaneously when playing, for example, counting fingers and singing action rhymes. They are able to name simple shapes, such as circles and triangles. Staff maximise learning opportunities for example, during a baking activity the staff teach

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who attend

the children about weights and measure. They help children to recall how many grams of flour they need and encourage them to work together to weigh out the ingredients using the scale. Children eagerly call out when they see the scales reaching the correct number. They confidently complete jigsaws, as they are carefully encouraged to fit the shapes into the inset tray. Displays include numbers and aid children's number recognition. This helps children to develop their mathematical skills, and demonstrate a good approach to learning. In addition, it also supports them in developing some of the key skills they need for the next steps in their learning as they move onto school.

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who attend

Children have daily access to the outside play area where they enthusiastically pursue energetic play and show great enjoyment in being physically active. They manoeuvre their scooters and bikes skilfully and with ease around the pathway, taking care not to bump into others. Balance beams add challenge and the good level of support from staff provides them with confidence to 'have a go'. Children actively engage in making marks outside with the large chalks. They experiment dipping the chalks into water to create a different texture. Staff have created a mesh wall which children use to weave various strip of paper through it, successfully prompting their small physical skills.

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

Staff collate relevant information about children's care needs from parents. This means that staff understand each child's specific needs, routines and interests. The settling-in process, which is tailored to meet individual children's needs, means that all children are well supported. Consequently, this ensures a smooth transition for children from their home to the nursery. Children feel secure and are settled as they are supported by the consistent routines and the effective relationships with their key person. Whilst there have been staffing changes, resulting in some disruption to the key person system, several staff members are long serving and offer consistency. The use of a buddy system means there is consistent support and as a result children's care routines are managed well.

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

Children play and learn in a welcoming, mostly well-resourced nursery where they make choices and decisions about what they want to do. They develop some of the skills necessary for future life. For example they form friendships with their peers and staff provide experiences that require children's cooperation and communication. Staff model good behaviour and promptly intervene if there are disagreements between children. They praise children generously when they agree to share, take turns or help to tidy away toys. Consequently, children are learning about the boundaries of behaviour, are generally well behaved and learn to treat others with respect. However, there are times in the pre-school room when some of the boys become boisterous and loud. This in part is due to the much under used outdoor environment. The children do have spells of outdoor play but this is not maximised and used to take account of the different ways children learn. The

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

arrangements for moving through the nursery support children generally well. Key persons spend some time with children when they are ready to move from one base room to another, and parents are kept informed and involved.

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

Children are developing appropriate independence skills. For example, they are encouraged to serve their own lunches and help themselves to snacks and drinks. Overall, lunchtime is a social time where the staff sit with the children and supervise them while they eat their lunch. Meals are varied, healthy and nutritious. Staff follow stringent procedures to ensure that children's dietary requirements are catered for well. Hygiene routines are good and routinely reinforced through discussion and everyday practice. Oral health is also promoted as children understand the need to brush their teeth after their meal. Children's safety is suitably enhanced. They learn about road safety when they are out walking in the local community and through participating in practising the fire drill. They are also encouraged to think about their own safety and the safety of others during their play. Consequently, they are learning how to keep themselves safe.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward due to information received by Ofsted in the form of concerns regarding the health and safety of children, and the qualification held by the manager. The inspection found that good arrangements are in place to ensure children are not able to access restricted areas, and that all hazardous liquids are stored appropriately out of reach of children. The staff have a thorough understanding of children's individual dietary requirements and cater well for them. Evidence shows that all staff working directly with the children is suitable to do so, and all hold relevant childcare qualifications to at least level 3. However, the manager does not hold the required qualification for the post. As a result, a specific legal requirement is not met. This also relates to the Childcare Register. The nursery manager is currently working towards a level 5 childcare qualification and is expected to complete this in approximately three

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provision

months time. The nursery owner is keen to support his manager and in this interim period he proposes to second a senior member of staff from within the organisation into this post.

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provision

In spite of the lack of qualification relating to early years the manager has a suitable understanding of his responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the Statutory framework. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of child protection procedure, and their understanding of their role and responsibilities towards the children in their care. Risk assessment are carried out and staff are vigilant with regards to potential hazards for example, on the day of the inspection the automatic doors in one of the play rooms were slow to open. This was reported immediately to the manager who took steps to ensure that this is repaired. A collection of clearly written policies and procedures help to inform staff and parents and reinforce good practice. All staff have had their suitability appropriately checked. Clear records, containing all necessary paperwork, to ensure safe recruitment including taking up references are kept. All staff are suitably qualified and

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provision

staff folders contain evidence that they are suitably vetted to work with children. The manager conducts appraisals and identifies appropriate training needs for staff, which form part of individual training plans to ensure continued professional development. The effectiveness of staff's teaching and of the educational programme is monitored through regular evaluations of activities and accurate tracking of children's progress. As a result, gaps in provision or in individual children's learning are promptly identified and addressed.

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provision

The setting has established positive relationships with parents and shares information on a daily basis about children's routines and the activities they participate in. Parents receive detailed information about the setting, and have access to the policies and procedures. They build secure links with their child's key person, enabling good information sharing to support children's developing needs. Staff value parent's communications which help them to provide consistency and link children's experiences at home to those they enjoy within the setting. Parents comment that they are happy with the progress children make in their speech and language skills and that their children are happy in the nursery. The manager and staff work equally well with other professionals who attend the nursery to give guidance, for instance, regarding the promotion of children's development. The staff have established positive links with schools to help children to make good progress in

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provision

developing skills for the future, and that the move from nursery to school is well supported when the time comes. The management and staff team has a clear vision for the setting. This is share with the parents and the children who are invited to make their contribution and express their views. The staff team have successfully addressed the recommendations from the previous inspection. The nursery owner and the staff team are committed to implementing the necessary changes to sustain improvement.

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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 Met

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

 ensure the manager has a qualification at a minimum of level 3 and is relevant to the role (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 EY305369 Local authority South Tyneside Inspection number 937038

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 78 Number of children on roll 99 Name of provider Eamonn Patrick Gribben and Susan Julie Gribben Partnership Date of previous inspection 05/08/2013 Telephone number 0191 4543223

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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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