Wetherell Nursery

Wetherell Children's Centre 17 Iveagh Close, LONDON, E9 7BW

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/10/2013 20/01/2012

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

 Staff know children well. They use information from their own observations and from parents to provide stimulating activities which are tailored to children's individual needs.  The management team successfully uses a range of method to reflect on the provision and identify areas for improvement.  Staff in the baby room are committed to providing activities which develop babies' natural instincts to explore their environment.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to provide a wider range of activities in the outside areas so that older children can develop their interest in technology.

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 carried out a joint observation with the deputy manager.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records, policies, attendance records and staff tiles.  The inspector observed activities in all rooms and the outside play area.  The inspector spoke to managers, staff, children and parents.

p.2

Information about the setting

Wetherell Children's Centre registered in 2011 and is operated by Barnardo's, a voluntary organisation. The centre is situated in Homerton, within the London borough of Hackney. The children have the use of five rooms, in addition to associated facilities. There is a large enclosed outdoor play area for children's use. The centre is registered on the Early Years Register, and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The centre also operates a crche service for parents attending classes. There are currently 98 children on roll, all in the early years age group. The centre provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The centre supports children who are learning English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The centre is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm throughout the year, except bank holidays. There are 22 members staff including the manager, all of

p.3

Information about the setting

whom hold relevant early years qualifications and have childcare experience.

p.3

who attend

The nursery provides a positive learning environment for all children. Children choose from a good range of age appropriate toys and equipment which encourage their development in all areas of learning. Staff are knowledgeable about how children learn and use this knowledge to enhance children's learning and their enjoyment of their time at nursery.

p.3

who attend

Activities for babies support their interests and instincts to explore. For example, babies investigate different textures and sounds with everyday equipment. They enjoy feeling different items such as cones and soft fabrics and extend their play by putting these items into different containers. Staff support these activities by describing the children's actions and this helps children become familiar with new words. All children, including those learning English as an additional language, are helped to successfully develop their spoken language. Staff support older children's language development with a range of stimulating activities and group times. Children enjoy story sessions and staff skilfully ask questions so that children can engage with the story and enjoy small group discussions. Staff respond to younger children's emerging language as they indicate when they want to look at pictures in a story.

p.3

who attend

Planning for children's individual learning is a strength in the nursery as it is based on children's interests and abilities, and provides appropriate challenges. Observations are carried out regularly and from these, staff effectively identify the next steps in children's learning. Staff meet weekly to discuss the observations they have made on children and how they are planning activities for the following week. This means that children's current interests are followed and, as a result, they make good progress in their learning. For example, staff note that children enjoy making cakes in the role play area when they proudly tell their friends what they have been doing. Staff then plan cooking activities for the next week and children delight in taking their real cakes home with them. Staff enable parents to contribute to children's learning in a number of ways. They provide staff with information about family holidays and celebrations so that staff can use this information in

p.3

who attend

their planning. Staff plan various activities around these events, for example, children enjoy using construction toys to build a lighthouse after they have seen one on holiday. These valuable contributions from parents and the skilful ways staff use the information mean that children have continuity in their care.

p.4

who attend

Staff value children's comments and actively engage in conversations with children. They take time to talk and explain things to children and use daily events in the immediate outside area to develop children's knowledge. For example, staff explain to children about how the trees in the park are being cut and how furniture is sometimes made from wood. Staff talk to each other about children's needs and achievements, demonstrating a desire to provide a nurturing environment for all children. This caring attitude is evident in all rooms, and meets children's emotional and well-being needs well.

p.4

who attend

Staff effectively monitor the progress of all children in the nursery. They provide regular written progress reports and arrange meetings to discuss children's progress at the age of two with their parents. Health visitors also attend these meetings and this means that parents can use these opportunities to raise any concerns they may have. This effective partnership working means that health visitors can also observe children's progress and suggest different activities for parents to share with their children.

p.4

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

Children have formed close bonds with the key person who is responsible for monitoring their development. They show their pleasure at seeing these key members of staff as they greet them with a cuddle. Children of all ages happily sit with staff as they enjoy song and story times. Caring staff fully support children as they make the move from one room into another. They take time to introduce children gradually and make sure that children's favourite toys are available for them to play with. Staff from different rooms work together to allow children time to become familiar with new people and surroundings. Staff manage children's behaviour in an age appropriate way, explaining to children in a sensitive way why some behaviour is unacceptable, for example.

p.4

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

Staff teach children about healthy lifestyles at the nursery. They enable children to spend large parts of the day in the outside area and this access to daily fresh air supports their healthy development. Children are provided with a good range of equipment to develop their physical skills and staff gently remind them about safety rules when playing on the slide. Staff provide healthy meals and snacks for children and use snack times to encourage children's independence skills appropriate to their ages and stages of development. Older children are taught to wash their hands independently and younger children are helped by staff to clean their hands with individual flannels to prevent cross infection. Children are learning how to pour their own drinks and make choices in the food and drink they prefer. All these practices help children develop skills for the future.

p.4

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

Children can choose from a selection of activities in the outside area. They explore textures with sand and enjoy quiet time as they sit and look at books in the play house. However, while younger children play with interactive toys outside, there are missed opportunities for older children to develop their knowledge of technology and how equipment works.

p.5

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

Staff supports children's move to school well and the manager is planning to build stronger partnerships with all local schools. Children are prepared for school with activities to develop their pencil control and awareness of letters and sounds. Children who attend school for half days tell their friends all about it and this helps younger children prepare for the move.

p.5

provision

Managers have a good understanding of their responsibility to meet the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. They provide a range of stimulating activities for children of all ages and monitor their provision in a range of ways to make continuous improvements. For example, role play themes were recently varied to provide interesting opportunities for all children, with an emphasis on encouraging boys to take part. The manager has a development plan and this is effective with realistic goals and targets. She has a number of improvement projects planned including the development of the outside areas with the help of community groups.

p.5

provision

Staff make children's safety a high priority at the nursery. They are vigilant in their care of children and make daily checks on the outside areas and in the rooms to make sure that the environment is safe. Suitability checks are completed on all staff and this means that only those who are cleared to work with children do so. Procedures are robust in making sure that only persons authorised to be in the nursery are admitted.. All visitors are greeted individually and are only allowed in after being vetted by staff. Staff talk confidently about safeguarding and describe the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child in their care. Regular training and updates in staff meetings mean that staff have the knowledge they need to safeguard children.

p.5

provision

Regular supervision meetings are carried out with all staff. These meetings give staff opportunities to identify any training needs and staff and managers set targets for the coming year which are monitored well. Managers use these meetings to review children's individual progress and how the setting is performing in giving children opportunities to learn in all areas. These additional methods of self evaluation demonstrate a further commitment to continuous improvement and are successful in identifying priorities for further development. In addition, managers are clear of their responsibilities to ensure the staff are competent to carry out their roles and take swift action to address issues as and when they arise. The managers promote good links with other agencies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery's special educational needs coordinator liaises with paediatricians and speech therapists when necessary to support children's

p.5

provision

development. Partnerships with parents are strong. As well as contributing to their children's learning with observations and photographs, parents are always keen to join in with local trips and charity events. This means that there is a friendly atmosphere and children benefit from the positive aspects of this shared care.

p.6

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 EY428907 Local authority Hackney Inspection number 937748 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 70 Number of children on roll 97 Name of provider Barnardo's Date of previous inspection 20/01/2012 Telephone number 02085257090

p.8

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.

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