The Play Hut

The Play Hut 347 North Road, DARLINGTON, County Durham, DL1 3BL

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/10/2013 04/09/2008

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

 Children are happy, motivated, confident and eager to learn because staff provide a vibrant and challenging indoor and outdoor environment, which promotes children's self-confidence and self-awareness.  Safeguarding and health and safety practice is firmly embedded and consistently applied across the nursery by all staff. This helps to ensure that children remain safe and protected whilst in the nursery.  The key person process is very well embedded and used effectively to ensure that all children make good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning.  Partnership with parents is strong. Engagement is embedded and effective, which ensures that all children receive a good level of support and consistency in their care and learning.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Independence and development is not routinely promoted during daily routines and in some self-initiated play.

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 toured the premises and the outside area and observed a number of children and groups involved in play activities.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed policies and procedures, risk assessments and the monitoring and assessment procedures.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the manager and spoke with staff and children at appropriate times during the day.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and evidenced on children's and staff records.  The inspector reviewed children's assessment records and planning documentation.  The inspector discussed the performance management system.

p.2

Information about the setting

The Play Hut opened in June 1994 and is owned by a limited company. It is registered on the Early Years Register and compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a two-storey property with a large two-storey extension. To the rear of the property there is a separate building for the out of school provision. Children aged under three years are located on the ground floor and three and four-year-olds on the first floor. There is an enclosed outdoor area. The nursery is situated on the north side of Darlington within easy distance of Darlington town centre serving the local and surrounding community.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery employs 15 members of staff, all of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification, including an Early Years Teacher and a Level 6 practitioner. The nursery opens five days a week, Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 8am to 6pm. There are currently 75 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

p.3

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

 extend children's learning and independence during activities they initiate and by allowing them to dress themselves for outdoor play and select and serve their own food at mealtimes.

p.3

who attend

Children make good progress in the seven areas of learning because the quality of teaching is good. Resources are plentiful and staff use them effectively to develop children's knowledge and understanding. The staff make themselves available to challenge children's thinking by asking questions, providing additional resources and joining in their play when invited to do so. All staff focus on making children feel cared for, safe and secure. They teach children to communicate, to develop their language and physical skills and find ways to encourage children to care and share with each other without arguments and friction.

p.3

who attend

The staff plan exciting and interesting activities which enthuse children. For example, an exploratory activity for two-year-olds held their concentration for 10 minutes. They are encouraged to investigate what happens when they use their hands to move a layer of glue around on a table. A member of staff put her hands into the glue and attempted to move them around. The children were fascinated by the texture of the glue, the tackiness on their hands and the shapes they could make on the table. Later they are encouraged to wash their own hands and tidy away the things they played with.

p.3

who attend

Both the indoor and outdoor environment are used well to promote children's learning. Staff use assessment information effectively to ensure that children progress in their learning. However, there is scope to develop children's independence even further by allowing them more opportunities to develop self-help skills such as dressing themselves and serving their own food at mealtimes.

p.4

who attend

All staff know their children well and value the shared knowledge and opinions parents have about what their children know and understand, including what they do at home. The staff use this information to help them during observations and when they assess children's progress and plan for their next steps in learning.

p.4

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

The provision for ensuring the well-being of children is good because the nursery provides a warm, safe and secure environment in which children are protected and nurtured by staff who know them well. The key person role is very effective because it supports a strong working partnership between staff and parents. Staff value the contributions made by parents and other professionals and use this information to shape how they manage children's learning, development and personal, social and emotional needs during activities.

p.4

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

Transition arrangements and managing the diverse needs of new children are very good. Parental and other professional involvement is welcomed and used effectively to support how children settle into nursery. Parents are extremely happy that their children have settled into nursery life so quickly. Parents with children who needed enhanced support during induction report that their children are always eager to come to nursery in the mornings. The arrangement nursery has with the main feeder school is excellent. For example, the children are collected after school and come into nursery to do homework set by school, supported by nursery staff. They then engage in activities and play until parents collect them. The nursery share information on progress with the next provider which maintains continuity in learning for children.

p.4

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

The behaviour of children is very good. They play well together and share resources and tasks, often with older children helping younger children. For example during an imaginative outdoor play activity, involving the creation of a fire station, an older boy helped a younger girl to lift the play mats to create the roof. He did this without prompting. In another instance another boy helped a child to traverse a series of crates they had built together to form a bridge. As she climbed higher she became nervous. He saw this and said 'hold my hand', which she did as he supported her safely down. A member of staff watched these activities only intervening when her support was necessary. In doing this she allowed children to develop confidence and self-awareness in their own abilities and provided opportunities and open-ended resources which enable them to challenge their own learning. The children were making choices which build the

p.4

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

emotional resilience they need to progress to the next stage in their learning and development.

p.5

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

Health and safety and effectively managing risks is a strength of the nursery. The staff ensure that daily routines like snack time, ascending and descending the stairs, and accessing the outdoor play area from the first floor playroom are managed effectively. They use these tasks to teach children healthy eating, personal safety, physical skills and hand and eye coordination. Children have good opportunities for physical exercise and are beginning to understand the importance of healthy eating.

p.5

provision

Leadership and management of the nursery are very good because the management team are committed to providing a safe, secure and high quality learning experience for all children. The named person has a clear understanding of her legal role and responsibilities in fulfilling the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and is effectively supported by the nursery manager. Self-evaluation is good. The management team employ a range of effective strategies to identify nursery strengths and weaknesses, which they use to inform changes in policy and practice in order to improve outcomes for children. Parents, staff, children and external professionals contribute to improvement through informal discussion, meetings, questionnaires and feedback on children's progress.

p.5

provision

There are robust health and safety and safeguarding policies in place, and adherence to these is monitored through discussions with staff and observation of practice. There are very good systems in place to ensure that children are protected and safeguarded at all times. This includes appropriate checks in keeping with the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, the management team fund staff to sign up to the on-line Disclosure and Barring Service check service, which helps staff to confirm their continuing suitability to work with children.

p.5

provision

Performance management is good. There is a comprehensive staff recruitment, induction and training process in place. The staff training policy is robust and linked to supporting staff to improve their early years practice. Staff are encouraged, through supervision and appraisal, to assess their own development needs and are supported to do this through coaching and mentoring. The management team collect data and information on children's progress, which they use effectively to help staff to improve outcomes for all children. For example the management team are supporting a number of staff who are doing GCSE mathematics because staff felt they needed additional training in the area. This was identified as a development need through monitoring of children's learning outcomes.

p.5

provision

Professional relationships between parents, staff and management are respectful and a particular strength of the nursery. They work together to support nursery improvement by contributing to things like the provision of resources, which are plentiful, in good condition and suitable for the age and stages of development of the children using them.

p.5

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 301135 Local authority Darlington Inspection number 867294

p.8

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 61 Number of children on roll 75 Name of provider Play Hut Limited Date of previous inspection 04/09/2008 Telephone number 01325 362526

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