Brightsparks Day Nursery

Brightsparks Day Nursery The Colonnades, 619 Purley Way, Croydon, CR0 4RQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/09/2013 25/02/2013

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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

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This provision is good

 Children are effectively safeguarded. All staff are well informed about child protection issues and the premises are safe. The management team ensure that all staff fully understand how to keep children safe and follow all necessary guidelines.  Staff plan a range of interesting and exciting activities based on children's interests. Consequently children are motivated, keen to learn and make good progress in their development.  A highly effective key person system helps children form warm and secure attachments, promoting their well-being and ensuring they feel happy and safe.  There are good systems to make sure that staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities, which results in children being well cared for.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always embrace opportunities that arise during children's play to use shared thinking to help children to think critically, explore ideas and make links.

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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 children in the environment both in the play rooms and outdoor areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and spoke to the members of staff and children during activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's progress records, daily communication diaries, planning documentation and operational files consisting of policies, attendance registers, staff qualifications and suitability documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector considered the views of several parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Brightsparks Day Nursery has been registered since April 2007 and is one of four privately owned nurseries. The nursery is open from 7.45am until 6pm, five days a week all year round, excluding bank holidays and one week at Christmas. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery operates from a single storey, purpose-built building, located within a leisure complex on the Purley Way in the London Borough Of Croydon. There are ample parking facilities to assist the safe dropping off and collection of children. Children are cared for in four age-appropriate rooms including a baby room with separate play and sleep areas. There are three fully enclosed outdoor play areas and laundry and kitchen facilities on site. There are 68 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four

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Information about the setting

years. There are 12 members of staff of whom 11 hold suitable qualifications in childcare and education. Staff from the other nurseries cover sickness and/or holiday absence. A qualified cook is also employed to provide meals on site on a daily basis. The nursery receives support and mentoring from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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

 provide greater opportunities to promote children's critical thinking, through shared thinking, encouraging them to explore ideas and make links.

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who attend

Staff have a very good understanding of child development, the areas of learning and the characteristics of effective learning. They use this knowledge extremely effectively to plan and support children's progress through a range of teaching methods. Staff are enthusiastic and engage well with the children, which influences children's motivation to play and learning. As a result, children are confident to access resources independently and sustain their concentration while being engaged in activities. Even though some children are new to the nursery, careful assessment and planning ensures that activities provide suitable challenge for the children. This significantly contributes to the good progress they are making in relation to their starting points. Activities are planned to build on children's interests and individual needs. For example, children show great interest in playing with the small world castle. Staff extend the activity by introducing some new

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who attend

words and mathematical ideas, for example, helping to describe the type of castle visitors as 'stronger' and 'taller'. However, not all staff are confident in spontaneously using opportunities that arise to help children to think critically and link ideas. For example, a child names a toy animal correctly. The child is praised for knowing it is a horse but the member of staff fails to extend the child's learning, using suitable questions or discussion. All children receive good opportunities to make marks using a range of materials and resources available to them. This helps them to develop early writing skills. Children have planned opportunities to choose between indoor and outdoor play, with staff providing an exciting and challenging outdoor environment. Children develop good physical skills as they confidently ride their bikes and use other resources such as balls and cones while taking part in well planned physical play activities.

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who attend

Children are motivated and keen to join in with the play activities and resources offered. Staff support children well and ensure they enjoy their activities, joining in with their conversations and sharing their interests. Consequently, children are learning to make independent decisions and they become absorbed in their activities and begin to develop good concentration skills. Children independently choose books from a well-stocked reading area where they sit turning the pages, sharing the story with staff and their friends. They enjoy 'snuggling up' in the comfortable, cosy area in the baby room. Staff encourage children to take part in stories by allowing them to choose the book the want to have read to them. These activities support children's early language development and literacy skills and promote their personal, social and emotional development. As a result, children are developing the skills and attitudes needed to prepare them for their next

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who attend

stage of learning. They have good opportunities to gain an awareness of diversity as they use a wide variety of resources that reflect positive images of difference. Children learning English as an additional language are well supported. Staff ask parents for key words in children's home languages and they use them to aid children's communication. There are some dual languages books that staff use with the children and children can also take them home to read with their parents. Staff also use a picture exchange communication system to support these children and those with delayed speech and language.

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who attend

Parents are actively encouraged to be involved in their children's learning in many ways. For example, they are invited to the nursery's parents evening where they can see their children's progress records and share information with the children's key persons. Parents are also encouraged to give their feedback on how they feel the nursery is performing and what they can do differently to meet their child's need. These arrangements are highly effective in helping parents to be fully involved in their children's learning and development. Parents comment that they are happy with the progress their children make in their learning and development. They say that their children are 'really settled and happy at the nursery' and comment particularly positively about how friendly and approachable staff and management are.

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

Children's personal, social and emotional well-being is nurtured by kind and caring staff who provide a warm, welcoming and inviting environment. Effective arrangements for settling-in new children mean that they make the move between home and the nursery with the minimum of upset. Children are happy and secure and are confident to explore and try out new things. An effective key person system is in place and helps children to form secure attachments with the staff who care for them. The key persons carefully plan for children's individual learning, spending time during the day supporting them in specific activities, as well as looking after their care needs. Relationships between staff and children are strong and parents say their children are always keen and happy to come to the nursery. High standards of hygiene are maintained throughout the nursery. Very good procedures are in place to prevent the spread of infection. Surfaces are thoroughly

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

cleaned before snacks are served. Children learn to manage their personal care well with good support from staff. For example, they are learning how to wash and dry their hands thoroughly and are beginning to know when they need to do this. Children are offered a wide range of healthy, nutritious snacks. They sit together to eat their raisins and bread sticks, enjoying the sociable experience.

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

Staff are attentive and use effective strategies to support children's behaviour, consequently children behave well. For example, staff have made changes to the room which has improved the way the children interact with the environment. The children move confidently as they carefully manoeuvre items of resources and skilfully avoid obstacles and each other. Children develop a good understanding of personal safety. They eagerly help tidy toys off the floor so they do not trip and walk when indoors. Children have frequent opportunities throughout the session to experience fresh air and to be active. This supports their physical health and development.

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

Children independently make choices from a well presented range of exciting activities and equipment. The easy accessibility of the resources and the ability to move freely between the indoor and outdoor environment enhance the children's overall learning and development. Staff equip the children well with good skills to support them in their next stage of learning and school.

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provision

The safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are clearly understood by the staff and management team. The designated persons with responsibility for safeguarding clearly understand their roles. Staff have attended safeguarding training and are well informed about the procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child. Records, documentation, policies and procedures are comprehensive and reviewed regularly to ensure they reflect current guidelines and practice. The nursery keeps thorough records of accidents and attendance to further protect children and promote their welfare. Effective systems are in place to ensure that all staff working with children are suitable to do so. Robust risk assessment takes place and associated records are monitored to ensure safety is maintained at all times for the children. For example, immediate action has been taken following recent vandalism that

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provision

caused damaged to the building. However, the provider failed to notify Ofsted of the incident, as required. On this occasion Ofsted does not intend to take any further action. Children's safety was not compromised. Fire safety is prioritised and access to the provision is secure. The thoughtful organisation of indoor and outdoor space, good adult to child ratios and suitable deployment of staff means that children are closely supervised at all times. All staff have suitable paediatric first aid qualifications. Consequently, children are well protected in the event of a minor accident.

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provision

Managers and staff are very motivated, enthusiastic, and committed to the continuous development of the early years practice. Regular staff meetings effectively support staff well in their daily work with the children. There are good systems in place for monitoring and evaluating practice through staff supervision and appraisals. This helps to ensure that all staff understand their roles and responsibilities. Staff receive good support and training. They attend a range of training courses provided by the local authority and update the way they work according to knowledge gain. This has a positive impact on the outcomes for children. There are clear systems in place for self-evaluation and both the management team and staff are motivated to seek further improvement. They successfully identify strengths and areas for development and have clear plans in place to bring about improvement. These take into account the views of staff, parents and

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provision

children, as well as advice from the local authority. For example, parents are successfully encouraged to complete questionnaires enabling them to share their views. The manager has a good overview and knowledge of the educational programmes, so she can monitor that all areas are covered within planning and assessment and any gaps in children's learning are identified.

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provision

The partnership with parents and others involved in the children's care is good. Parents and carers receive feedback and other information through policies, procedures, daily diaries, verbal discussion and children's progress records. In this way parents are kept fully informed about the nursery. Parents are consulted regularly about the service to help the staff consistently meet children's individual needs. Parents spoken to report that they feel very supported by the nursery and that they are very happy about the care and education their children receive. They say their children 'are always happy at nursery and look forward to going'. The range of activities provided and the good two-way flow of information between staff, parents and outside professionals is well developed and helps to ensure continuity of care and support for children's learning.

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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 EY348872 Local authority Croydon Inspection number 934914 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 58 Number of children on roll 68 Name of provider Brightsparks Day Nursery Partnership Date of previous inspection 25/02/2013 Telephone number 0208 6670687

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Setting details

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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