Springwood Nursery & Link Club

Springwood Nursery & Link Club 50 Chapel Road, Penketh, WARRINGTON, WA5 2NU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/09/2013 23/10/2012

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early years provision

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

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This provision is satisfactory

 The learning programme for communication and language in the pre-school is very effective and as a result, children's listening, speaking and language skills are effectively progressed.  Good relationships with parents help children to make progress, as the staff work hard to ensure there is a joint approach to children's learning and to promote the importance of home learning.  Children settle happily at the nursery and enjoy secure and trusting relationships with the staff. They provide children with praise and reassurance, which boosts their confidence and helps them to become self-assured individuals.

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It is not yet good because

 The new manager and registered person have failed to ensure that staff know about, understand and implement the safeguarding policy and procedure in respect of the use of mobile phones while on outings. This means that children are not fully protected from possible abuse.  The after school provision is not as well organised as the rest of the nursery and has not been effectively monitored to ensure that practice is consistent and meets the needs of all children.  Partnerships with parents of children attending the after school club are not fully effective because information from teachers is not always passed on appropriately.

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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 the after school club as they collected children from the local school.  The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with individual staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked all relevant documentation and scrutinised requested policies and procedures, including safeguarding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of staff's suitability to work with children and those of visitors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's records, learning journals, observation, assessment and planning documentation.

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Information about the setting

Springwood Nursery and Link Club has been registered under the present arrangements since 2007. They became a Limited Company in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a purpose built premises in the Penketh area of Warrington and is privately owned. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, 10 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2, 3 and 4. The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 78 children on roll. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. The setting also offers an out of school and holiday club provision for children aged four to 11 years. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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must:

 ensure that policies in place to safeguard children, specifically around the use of mobile phones, are fully implemented and understood by all staff

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must:

 strengthen the monitoring of staff performance to improve consistency in the quality of practice and children's learning experiences, specifically in the after school club, for example, by introducing peer observations to identify and share effective teaching skills.

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

 strengthen partnership working by ensuring there are robust communication links with all the settings children attend, so that children fully benefit from a shared understanding and common approach to supporting their progress.

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who attend

Overall, children make steady progress in their learning and development. Staff plan a suitable range of activities to meet children's needs and interests and practice is generally sound. However, teaching skills are variable across the provision. For example, pre-school staff interact very well with the children; organising purposeful activities and using skilful questioning to extend their learning. They also provide good opportunities for children to work in smaller groups, for instance, listening and responding to stories that they enhance using props. This contributes positively to encouraging children's communication and language skills. However, this good practice is not as strong in the after school club because staff are less effective in managing children's behaviour and sustaining their interests in activities. Consequently, children are not fully engaged in activities and do not always listen to staff, which puts them at risk. For example, they do not look where they

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who attend

are going or hold the hand rail when walking downstairs, despite reminders from staff.

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who attend

Staff and managers are secure in their knowledge of the seven areas of learning to provide children with a good range of highly interesting and challenging activities. As a result, nursery children are well supported in the prime areas, and therefore, better prepared for the next stage in their development. Through the comprehensive observation and assessment procedures, future planning for children under five is informed and reflects children's identified learning needs. Therefore, younger children continue to make good progress across all areas of learning. However, planning is less effective for children attending the after school club. Planning is not informed by observations and is not linked to children's interests. Consequently, older children are easily distracted and do not fully engage with activities.

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who attend

Staff working with children under five engage and focus children in good quality conversations, resulting in their vocabulary and language skills being developed. Additionally, children delight in practising their language skills as they are constantly chattering during their play. In pre-school, children's early listening, reading and writing skills are very well promoted. Staff in the pre-school room support children who speak English as an additional language very well. They provide opportunities for children to use their home language in play and learning. This helps to ensure that children reach a good standard in English ready for the next stage in their learning. The effective teaching methods include the use of sound opportunities for children to write for a purpose as they practise their writing skills across all areas of play. They delight in listening to stories and talk about their experiences as they make up their stories and repeat familiar story lines.

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who attend

Staff effectively promote children's mathematical understanding, for example, describing objects as bigger or smaller than. Children are helped to learn about volume and capacity as they pour and fill containers in the water. They are encouraged to count steps and demonstrate their knowledge by counting from one to five and above. Children put cups out for their drink, deciding how many cups are needed to ensure there is one for each child.

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who attend

Staff develop strong relationships with parents of children attending the nursery to support children's learning and development. Parents are consulted with and add their contribution to their children's assessment and learning needs. Learning journal records and information are passed on, in order to meet and support children's individual welfare and learning needs, in order to prepare them for the next stage in their learning. Additionally, children are well supported in their transitions within the nursery. However, partnerships with parents of children attending the after school club are not as effective. Information from teachers is not always passed on, which affect the continuity of care that children receive and means that their individual needs are not always met.

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

Most children are happy and settled in the nursery, exhibiting caring relationships with staff members. For example, babies make their needs known by crawling over to their key person for a cuddle when they are tired. This shows that children feel comfortable with staff and that secure attachments are in place. However, activities provided in the after school club do not engage the children as well or ignite their interest. Consequently, they are less settled and ask when they can go home. There is an effective key person system in place and children are placed into key groups, so that they can benefit from focused group time.

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

Children generally behave well in the nursery. They listen to staff and play cooperatively with their peers. Younger children stay safe, as they are cared for in a safe environment by caring staff. Risks to children attending the nursery part of the provision are minimised through the vigilance and care of the staff. Young children are learning about safety through staff gently reminding them of safety rules. For example, while using balancing equipment outdoors children are reminded to take turns and give each other plenty of space. However, children's safety is less well promoted in the after school club. The nursery is under new management and the manager has not yet provided enough support to this aspect of the provision to maintain the good standards now set in the nursery. Consequently, there is a lack of organisation which means children are not sure what is expected of them. For example, when children are collected from school, they are unsure

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

of who to report to and where they should wait. Children frequently leave after school staff to go and talk to their friends on the playground and need constant reminders not to walk away. This impacts on children's safety because it is difficult to supervise them effectively without clear boundaries. The manager has recently begun attending the school pick-ups with the after school staff because she is aware that this aspect of the provision requires improvement.

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

The nursery offers flexible settling-in sessions to new children and the transition from home to nursery is smooth for every child. This is because staff obtain useful information from parents about each child's care and learning needs. The nursery is cheerful and well equipped, most of the resources are stored at low level and so children independently select the toys they want to play with. The outdoor area offers opportunities for children to explore and experiment. Staff encourage children to move in a range of ways, by being on hand to support them, if required. For example, children are helped to negotiate a balancing beam they have made out of crates, they ride bikes and balance on tyres. Consequently, children display the characteristics of effective learning.

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

Food is freshly prepared daily on the premises and includes a varied menu, which allows children to experience different tastes and textures. Healthy eating is promoted through displays in the hallway, which provides information to parents. Children develop their self- care skills through accessing drinking water, using tissues and washing their hands at appropriate times throughout the day. Children are prepared for change and transitions as systems support them in being prepared for the next stage in their learning. For example, each child's key person meets with other staff members as children move between rooms and teachers of new schools visit the nursery before they move into school.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward by Ofsted following concerns raised around the safety of children attending the after school club. Staff in the after school club lack organisation to ensure that children are effectively supervised when collected from school. This puts children at risk of harm. For example, not all children are willing to use the walking aids used by the staff to ensure adequate supervision of large groups of children. Consequently, they walk too far ahead of staff and too near to the road. Children are frequently reminded to wait for staff and younger children and to not attempt to cross the road unsupervised. The manager is aware that this needs to be addressed and has been attending the school pick-ups to monitor its effectiveness and make improvements. However, this is still very much in its infancy and as yet, no changes have been implemented.

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provision

Overall, managers and staff show a suitable understanding of their responsibilities to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Recruitment and vetting procedures are secure, which helps to ensure children are cared for by suitable adults. Students are appropriately supervised and relevant policies and procedures are available to support staff in managing the nursery. Staff demonstrate a satisfactory understanding of their role in safeguarding children from harm. However, the safeguarding procedure is not implemented effectively. The manager has only recently been appointed and has not yet reviewed existing policies. For example, the nursery policy on the use of mobile phones states that staff must not use their own personal phones around the children at any time. However, staff have been allowed to use their phones to call the nursery while on outings. Staff responsible for the after school club also take their phones when with

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provision

them when they collect children from school. This means that not all children are safeguarded effectively.

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provision

The manager reviews children's profiles and talks to key staff about their children, which helps her to monitor the educational programme and gain an overview of children's learning and progress. However, strategies for monitoring staff performance and sharing good practice among the team are not fully secure because some of the strong practice in the nursery is not implemented in the after school club. Managers are aware of this and are beginning to introduce some measures to address inconsistencies in practice, such as conducting six weekly reviews with the staff and helping them with ideas to extend activities. Some staff are in the process of enhancing their qualifications and regular team meetings and annual appraisals also contribute to supporting staff to develop their skills.

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provision

Staff in the nursery develop suitable links with other settings the children attend, in order to share information and promote continuity in children's care and learning. However, staff in the after school club do not fully support children's transition to school, for instance, by liaising with teachers and sharing information with parents. Overall, engagement with parents is developing well and parents speak highly about the nursery's flexibility in meeting their needs. They comment that staff 'know their children well' and that their children have made good progress since attending the nursery.

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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

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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 EY448400 Local authority Warrington Inspection number 911232

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 73 Number of children on roll 78 Name of provider Springwood Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 23/10/2012 Telephone number 01925 722080

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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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