Learning Curve Day Nursery

Learning Curve Garabrecan, Brinkworth Road, Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN4 8DS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/10/2013 29/04/2010

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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 form positive relationships with each other and the staff. Children are happy and settled at the nursery.  Staff respond positively to children and provide plenty of warm praise and encouragement to support their self-esteem and confidence.  Children progress well in their learning and development. Staff effectively monitor children's progress and identifies their next steps of learning.  The nursery has strong partnerships with parents. This promotes consistency in meeting children's care and learning needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The key person system is not fully embedded throughout the nursery to ensure all new children receive full support and security as they are settling in.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed the nursery premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector undertook a joint observation with the deputy of an activity between a staff member and a small group of children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector asked the staff and the leadership team questions about their roles and responsibilities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled paperwork including some of the nursery policies, educational plans and children's progress records.  The inspector spoke to children and parents during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Learning Curve Day Nursery opened in 2004. It operates from purpose built premises on the outskirts of Wootton Bassett. Children have use of three rooms depending on their age. All children have use of the fully enclosed outdoor play area and garden.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. The nursery is open weekdays from 8am until 6pm for 52 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays. The nursery serves the local area. There are currently 67 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 18 staff to work directly with the children. Of these, 16 staff including the manager hold an appropriate early years qualification. In addition, there is the director, an administrator and chef.

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

 strengthen the key person system so it is embedded in everyday practices, especially in the toddler room, to help new children settle in.

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who attend

Staff skilfully support the children's communication and language throughout all activities. Staff talk to children consistently and ask a good range of questions. Staff model language well during activities, such as when using tweezers to remove the seeds from the sunflower head. Staff model language such as, 'there are lots in here now', and 'well done you are pulling the seeds out'. This helps widen children's vocabulary. Babies' communication is well promoted by staff as they interact with them purposefully and adapt their voices, using lively tones. Babies respond to staff with giggles and high-pitched noises, demonstrating they are learning to communicate and take turns in conversation. Staff support children who learn English as an additional language well. Staff gain key words from parents and use these alongside English. This values children's home languages and encourages their understanding of English. Staff gain support for children

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who attend

with any additional needs and link closely with outside agencies and parents to gain any advice and implement extra activities. This means all children are helped to reach their full potential.

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who attend

Children enjoy exploring a variety of activities that enable them to make good progress in different areas of learning. These include activities to develop their physical skills, such as dancing and shaking musical instruments for 'music bugs'. Outside children are well supported to develop their moving and handling skills as they use the climbing frames and explore the ride on toys. Children develop positive social skills as they interact with each other, play together and take turns. They have access to a good range of interesting natural resources. For example, in the baby and toddler room there is a broad variety of sensory resources to explore and investigate. These stimulate children's senses as they explore the sand, water and conkers.

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who attend

Children enjoy a good range of books, which are readily accessible throughout the nursery. Staff create cosy corners to encourage children's interests in books. Staff enhance literacy skills and mathematical understanding throughout the nursery by labelling everyday objects, and displaying posters that show numerals. The older children practise forming letters and are beginning to understand that print carries meaning through writing their names on white boards. As a result, children are developing the skills they require to be ready to start school.

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who attend

Staff monitor the children's progress as they observe them during their play. This helps staff gain a clear picture of what children are learning and where they may need support. Staff share developmental records with parents and gain information about the children's abilities from parents when they start. This helps promote a shared approach to children's learning and development between the nursery and home.

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

Staff have good processes in place to find out about children's individual needs. For example, staff meet with parents and make effective records of children's needs. The key person system is in place and is generally understood well by most staff. However, the implementation of the key person approach is not always fully effective, especially in the toddler room when children are new. For example, children do not always benefit from having their care routines carried out by their new key person to support children to develop their relationships with them. Despite this, children have regular settling-in sessions with the key person from their base rooms as they move to new rooms within the nursery. This supports their self-confidence as they progress throughout the nursery.

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

Children receive plenty of praise and encouragement from the warm, caring staff who speak to the children with respect. Staff have a good understanding of appropriate behaviour strategies and they work closely with parents to promote a consistent approach. Staff are caring and children enjoy the cuddles and comfort they receive. This supports children's positive behaviour well. Children develop good independent skills. Babies and toddlers learn self-care skills by helping to clean their own hands and faces. The older children pour their own drinks and see to their own toilet needs. Children who are developing their self-help skills in toilet training are well supported overall and any incidents are dealt with positively.

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

Children benefit from balanced and nutritious food and drinks at the nursery. The chef incorporates the children's home grown vegetables from the garden and provides healthy meals, which all the children enjoy. By growing vegetables, children learn about making healthy choices, and know where their food comes from. Children's social skills are promoted well at meal and snack times. They sit around tables together with staff. This makes meal and snack times a sociable occasion where children interact well with each other and staff. Good use of displays and collages, including children's art work and pictures make the nursery bright and welcoming.

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provision

The staff have a secure awareness of their responsibilities to safeguard children in their care. All staff have recently undertaken in-house safeguarding training and this ensures they are up to date with current safeguarding practice. Safeguarding information is easily accessible to staff. For example, all staff have access to the nursery's policies and procedures and a flowchart is on display to enable them to take the correct steps in the event of a concern. This promotes children's safety and well-being effectively. There are robust vetting, induction and appraisal systems in place to support staff and maintain the children's safety. Regular risk assessments are undertaken, and staff are vigilant to ensure that the rooms and outside play area are safe and suitable prior to children's arrival. As a result, children play in a secure, safe environment. Children's understanding to maintain their own safety is well supported by staff as they regularly practise fire evacuations. The

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provision

majority of staff undertake paediatric first aid training and there are effective procedures in place for recording accidents and the administration of medication. These procedures further protect children's welfare.

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provision

All staff demonstrates a strong understanding of their responsibilities to meet the learning and development requirements. They are well supported by the leadership team, who offer regular supervision meetings and training. The nursery is well organised and staff work effectively together to provide an environment which is inclusive to children's learning and development. Staff are suitably qualified, and are proactive in updating their knowledge and skills through attending regular training. This means they plan and provide a good range of activities that help children make steady progress.

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provision

Self-evaluation processes are effective. Staff all contribute to the nursery's evaluation processes. The nursery effectively identifies its strengths and areas to develop and improve. They put in place action plans to address further improvements, which as a result means that the nursery implements improvements and evaluates the impact of them. Staff form positive partnerships with parents. Discussion and a sample of questionnaires viewed at inspection show that parents are happy with the service on offer. Parents benefit from detailed daily and written feedback about their children's days and achievements. This keeps parents well informed about their children and the nursery's practices. Staff have a good understanding of the importance of working closely with other professionals and do so confidently.

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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 EY251887 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 938049 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 72 Number of children on roll 67 Name of provider LC2 Ltd Date of previous inspection 29/04/2010 Telephone number 01793 851495

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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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