Tummyticklers

Tummy Ticklers Childcare Centre Everard Ellis Centre, Mill Lane, BILLINGHAM, Cleveland, TS23 1HG

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/09/2013 09/07/2012

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is inadequate

 The key person system is ineffective and children are unable to form secure attachments. Parents are not clear who their child's key person is or understand the role of the key person.  Children's activities are not consistently and accurately observed to enable staff to plan appropriately for their individual needs, interest or stage of development. As a result, realistic and challenging learning experiences are not always offered.  Children's language and communication skills are not consistently promoted. Staff do not take advantage of all opportunities to engage in conversation with children, or ask open-ended questions and give time for them to respond.  Arrangements for monitoring staff performance and practice are not sufficiently robust or effective and, therefore, practice is inconsistent and on occasions inadequate.  Flexible routines are not always fostered to enable children to pursue their own learning

p.1

This provision is inadequate

and complete activities to their own satisfaction.

p.1

It has the following strengths

 Children are supported in their move from the nursery to school, due to the close working relationships that exist with teachers at the local school.

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 observed activities throughout the nursery in both indoor and outdoor spaces.

p.2

Inspection activities

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

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation including children's records, learning and development information, staff records and a selection of policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents through discussion.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the nursery owner and manager.

p.2

Information about the setting

Tummy Ticklers Childcare Centre was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is owned by a private individual and operates from the main hall and annex room in the Everard Ellis Centre in Billingham. The setting is accessible to all children and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The setting opens Monday to Friday all year round, with the exception of bank holidays. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. Staff drop off and collect children from the local schools and nurseries. There are currently 150 children on roll, of these 44 are in the early years age group. The setting employs nine members of childcare staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above.

p.3

must:

 improve the use of the key person system to support children's personal care and learning so that each child's care is tailored to meet their individual needs and offers them a settled relationship in which to learn and build better relationships with parents

p.3

must:

 consider the individual needs, interests and stage of development of each child and use this information to plan realistic but challenging and enjoyable experiences for each child in all areas of learning and development

p.3

must:

 improve the educational programme for communication and language by: ensuring that all staff actively engage with children, use open-ended questions to encourage children to think and to give them time so they can respond

p.3

must:

 develop effective supervision arrangements to ensure that staff performance is closely monitored, and to improve their understanding of their roles and responsibilities particularly concerning their interactions for supporting children's development or well-being.

p.3

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

 improve opportunities for children to pursue their own learning by making sure that the daily routine is sufficiently flexible, so that children's self-initiated play is not interrupted.

p.3

who attend

Overall staff have basic knowledge, understanding and skills to promote the learning and development of young children. The educational programmes do not have sufficient depth and breadth across the prime areas of learning to enable all children to make progress. Staff plan activities for the whole group. This means that planning is not clearly matched to the individual needs of all the children. Observation and assessment is still in the early stages. A new method of recording observation has recently been introduced but is not fully embedded. Children's interest is not routinely sustained because staff do not effectively engage with them. This is because staff are pre-occupied with general duties and provide little interaction to help extend children's learning. They have developed a functional approach to childcare and education rather than an educational approach, which restricts children's learning and development. Consequently, the quality of teaching

p.4

who attend

is ineffective and children's development is not as good as it should be given their starting points. Staff have an understanding of completing the required progress check at age two and gather information and make a report, which is shared with the child's parents.

p.4

who attend

Communication and language is not promoted with full effect by all staff. Children enjoy some of the activities and are keen to become involved. However, staff are not able to sustain their interest by asking questions to encourage them to think about what they are doing and extend their language. For example, during a planned activity staff ask, 'what are you gluing?'. However, they quickly answer the question themselves or move away before the child has attempted to respond. This means that children do not have the opportunity to think freely and express their ideas using extended language. Staff read some stories and sing songs with children supporting some communication and language development. However, they miss valuable learning opportunities to promote babies' early communication skills. For example, as they feed babies in their high chair they do not always engage verbally or through facial contact as staff are standing up to feed them or

p.4

who attend

are constantly distracted by the needs and demands of older children. Therefore, babies have few opportunities to develop communication and social skills.

p.4

who attend

Some staff lack knowledge of the characteristics of effective teaching and learning. This results in staff, generally, sitting with children with no clear learning focus. In addition, sometimes small group activities are not organised well. Staff have some idea about what they want to achieve. For example, the focus of small group time was aimed at developing children's understanding of their emotions. However, the activity was not pitched at a level that enabled all children to sustain their interest or develop their understanding. This results in children quickly losing concentration and becoming distracted by others. Children enjoy looking at books independently and settle comfortably on cushions to relax. However, they are interrupted to take part in circle time, and then interrupted again for snack time. This does not allow children to pursue their own learning and complete activities to their own satisfaction. Older children show an awareness of size and length.

p.4

who attend

For example, as children explored the dried spaghetti a member of staff asked them which one they thought was the longest and which was the shortest. They were keen to answer and proud when they received praise for their effort. However, staff do not use the opportunity to extend children's learning about shapes, weights and measures. This demonstrates that opportunities to promote children's interests and learning are not fully utilised and does not fully support their readiness for school when the time comes.

p.4

who attend

Children enjoy planting seeds, such as sunflowers and radishes. Staff help them to nurture them as they are encouraged to water their crops. This helps them begin to understand about living things. Children's creative skills are adequately promoted as they participate in some messy activities using paint brushes, sponges and their hands. Older children and toddlers develop suitable physical skills because staff encourage and support active play outside. For example, they ride bicycles and scooters, crawl through the tunnel and have the space to run around. Indoors babies have a partitioned and safe area to play. However, they have limited space to crawl, stretch and cruise along low-level furniture. Although, the manager is aware of this and is planning to reorganise the space, she has not accurately anticipated their need. Therefore, their development in this key area is hindered.

p.5

who attend

Staff gather some information from parents when their children first start at the nursery. This includes details of the child's family members, care routines, favourite toys and foods they like. However, this information is not robust enough to enable staff to make an early assessment of children's individual starting points or to plan effectively for their stage of development. Parents are provided with detailed information about the children's day and care routines, and have access to their child's development book. This provides parents with feedback about their child's learning and the activities they have joined in, and enables them to continue children's learning at home. In addition, children take home the nursery teddy bear 'Fudge bear', which further develops the partnership between children's families and the nursery.

p.5

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

Settling-in processes are flexible for children joining the nursery and reflect their needs and those of their parents. This helps children to gradually become familiar with staff, routines and the environment. Initial information is gathered from parents with regard to children's individual dietary and health requirements. Staff make insufficient use of the key person system in order to support children's overall well-being and welfare. For example, staff deployment does not support the role of the key person and is not well defined or implemented. Parents are not always informed about who the designated key person is for their child. In addition, children's intimate care is not always carried out by their key person, even when they are available, and babies are not fed or comforted by their key person. This is because the manager has taken on the role of key person for a large number of the toddlers and babies. Albeit a temporary role, this is not realistic. As a result,

p.5

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

children fail to make secure attachments, and staff are not ensuring that all children's learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs. Despite this, staff greet children and parents warmly when they arrive at the nursery, which creates a friendly atmosphere. Children's transitions are suitably supported.

p.5

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

Resources are organised accessibly throughout the setting so children can make some choices about their play. Children's independence is supported by some of the resources being stored at their height to encourage them to choose for themselves. Staff show a satisfactory understanding of how to deal with behaviour issues which take account of the children's ages and stage of development. For example, to avoid squabbles they intervene sensitively and offer children alternative toys. Staff mostly act as a positive role model, occasionally encouraging children to use their manners and offer some praise during their play experiences. This helps to promote children's social skills and boosts their self- esteem. The environment is open planned and this helps children to become familiar with staff, and so aids the transition as they move to the age group.

p.5

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

Parents provide their child with a packed lunch and this is complemented by healthy snacks and drinks offered by the staff. However, meal times are not used effectively to promote children's social skills or awareness of healthy eating. Staff seem to spend much of their time asking children to sit on their chair, or to turn around at the table. This is because they do not sit with the children and use the time to engage in conversation about what they are eating or to model good social skills. Some staff call over to children to offer different items from their lunch box; this does not help to create a calm and relaxing meal time. Children are beginning to understand the importance of hand washing before eating and do this routinely. Staff follow appropriate hygiene routines when changing children's nappies to prevent cross-infection. They have robust systems in place to record all nappy changes, indicating the time that this is carried out, and the

p.6

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

information is recorded and shared with parents. However, nappy changes are completed on the floor in the playroom and do not fully promote respect and dignity for children. Children regularly use the outdoor areas and learn about the benefits of exercise and fresh air. They are beginning to develop an understanding of keeping themselves safe. They know they must line up sensibly as they move outdoors and tidy up after themselves to ensure safe clear floor space. Arrival and collection procedures are secure and help to keep children safe. The nursery uses an effective password system which is adhered to at all times. For example, staff ask for the password, even if the person has collected the child previously. This is particularly useful if parents have not notified staff on arrival that someone else will be collecting their child.

p.6

provision

Management and staff understand their responsibilities to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Appropriate routines are in place for the recruitment of new staff and an induction process ensures they become familiar with policies and procedures of the setting. All staff are checked thoroughly before being employed. Children are safeguarded and protected as the manager and staff understand their responsibilities towards the children at the nursery and know what steps to take if they have concerns about a child. The owner and the manager have attended safeguarding training and relevant guidance documents are in place to support practice. The nursery building is safe and secure and risk assessments along with daily checks are conducted, which ensure that any possible hazards are identified and minimised for children. For example, they ensure that the garden is free from brambles and nettles. All

p.6

provision

confidential records are maintained and store appropriately. Visitors are required to sign in and out, and the provider takes time to outline the setting's policy with regard to the use of mobile phones. This helps to keep children safe. Children are supervised appropriately in the nursery. However, for a short period during the morning the ratio requirements were not met. This was a result of children arriving whose parents had not confirmed they required the place for that day. Further evidence indicates that this is not a regular occurrence and as the period of time was short the impact on children's safety is minimal.

p.6

provision

The manager and staff have a basic understanding of the learning and development requirements. However, the manager does not implement sufficiently rigorous monitoring of the education programmes and assessments to ensure that children are sufficiently challenged and motivated. As a result, children do not make sufficient progress. There are systems in place for regular staff appraisals and staff development is encouraged. However, this is not effective. This is because for most of the time the manager works directly with the children. As a result, she has not had the capacity to develop a system to monitor the quality of teaching and learning, and to evaluate the impact of training. This has led to inconsistent poor practice and gaps in staff's knowledge of the learning and development requirements. The written policies and procedures and informative noticeboards provide parents with a suitable range of information regarding the service

p.7

provision

provided for their children. Staff also spend time as children are collected to share with parents about their child's care routines and experiences. Some of the parents speak positively about the nursery. They comment that they are able to talk to members of staff about their child's care, learning and development. However, some parents are unclear of the role of the key person and who the designated key person is for their child. This does not ensure that positive relationships with all parents is established. Children that attend more than one setting are supported as the staff liaise with the teaching staff at other nurseries in order to provide consistency in their care.

p.7

provision

Self-evaluation lacks rigour and fails to ensure that children's needs are met. The provider and manager have started to collect examples of how they are improving the nursery. For example, photographs show the improvements that have been made to the outdoor provision. Nonetheless, methods used by the provider and manager to review and improve everyday practice are not sufficiently effective. Staff do not always follow good practice, despite regular meetings with management and attending various training sessions. The lack of monitoring of children's progress and quality of teaching has a negative impact on children's overall well-being and learning. The provider and manager recognise some of the weaknesses within the nursery. For example, they have attended training on peer observation, and staff are to undertake this training soon. They are working with the local authority development officer to help improve the quality of observation and assessment

p.7

provision

and this demonstrates their willingness to improve. However, the progress is slow and more needs to be done to drive improvements that have the most impact for children. Methods, such as parental questionnaires and discussion are used to involve parents in the evaluation process. This ensures that their views are expressed.

p.7

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.7

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.8

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.8

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.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY438503 Local authority Stockton on Tees Inspection number 936217

p.9

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 150 Name of provider Lisa Jane Smith Date of previous inspection 09/07/2012 Telephone number 07712124568

p.9

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.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.9

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.9

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.10

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.10

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.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11