Giggles Day Nursery

Giggles Day Nursery 25 Essex Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2AU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/10/2013 13/11/2008

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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 develop good communication skills because the quality of teaching is effective and staff use questioning skilfully to help children to think.  Children enjoy a wide range of activities and experiences that help them make good progress in relation to their starting points.  Parents are effectively involved in their children's learning and development because there is good two-way communication with their key person.  Effective self-evaluation, that includes all users, ensures that the nursery is continually working towards improvements that benefit the children most.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The way mealtimes are organised means that the older children have limited opportunities gain independence to serve their own food and learn about portion size.  The constant background music played in the baby room distracts children from fully concentrating on what they are doing.

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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 made observations of children while playing both inside and out.  The inspector viewed documentation and looked at children's individual records.  The inspector held discussions with staff and parents.  The inspector interviewed the providers/managers of the nursery  The inspector carried out a joint inspection with the provider

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Information about the setting

Giggles Day Nursery is a privately run organisation, operating from a converted house in Dartford, Kent. The nursery registered in 2006 and is registered on the Early Years Register. The nursery operates weekdays from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round. Children over two years use the ground floor area, which is open plan. It consists of two rooms with steps leading to the back room. There are toilets, changing area, hand washing facilities and a kitchen for food preparation. There is a separate entrance for children under two years and stairs lead to the first floor. There is a room for parents/staff with kitchenette for the preparation of milk/ food for very young children. More stairs lead to the play area for children under two and there is a changing area. There is secure outdoor play areas to the front and back of the nursery. The staff team consists of 12 adults, five of whom are qualified to Level 3, five at Level 2

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Information about the setting

and one working towards Level 3. The manager is has BA (Hons) degree in Early Childhood studies. Children from the local community attend the nursery. The nursery supports children with learning difficulties, physical disabilities and those with English as an additional language. The nursery free early education funding for children age three and four and receives support from the local authority.

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

 reassess the use of music in the baby room so that there is less background noise to enable young children to concentrate more

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

 consider ways to further promote children's good independence skills; for example, by involving them in the choice and serving of food and drinks at meal times.

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who attend

Children make good progress in all areas of learning because staff clearly understand how children learn through play. All staff have or are working towards a recognised early years qualifications. As a result, they have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. An effective key person system means that children and parents get to know one member of staff very well. There is also a buddy system to ensure that children do not just form attachments to one person but receive good support from all staff too. The key person liaises with parents during settling in visits by completing a form of children's individual needs, dietary requirements, family background and their current abilities. This provides a firm base for establishing children's starting points. Staff make regular observations of the children to assess their progress. This information is added to each child's unique learning journey. The key

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who attend

person shares this with parents who add details of the progress they see their children making at home. This joint information is evaluated to find the priorities in children's learning and development. As a result, children's individual learning plan is tailored to meet their needs, can be extended in the home and ensures parents are suitably involved in their children's development. Children who have additional needs are supported effectively. Staff work closely with other agencies to secure the extra support that children need to close any gaps in their achievements. This means that all children make good progress, at their own pace, in relation to their starting points.

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who attend

Children enjoy a good range of purposeful activities that continually promotes their learning and development. They have good opportunities to play outdoors because a 'free flow' system works well. For instance, a child finds a snail, makes a 'home' for it and spends time observing it move about. Staff support this effective learning opportunity by asking the child questions about what they can see and discuss the information they know about snails. This helps the children to learn about the living things around them. The children learn about information communication technology by using a computer with age appropriate programmes to aid their learning. The accessories are particularly good for children so they can manipulate the mouse and keyboard well. The staff support the children effectively as they play, sitting back to let children try and offering support where they see the need. For example, helping the children move onto the next stage of the

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who attend

computer programme by suggesting the right places to click onto on the screen. They talk with children about what they are doing, naming the animals they see and asking what their babies are called. This extends children's learning effectively.

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who attend

The young children in the baby room have a comfortable and stimulating area to play in. Staff create a safe and secure environment where children can learn. However, the constant playing of nursery rhyme discs means that the young children are not always able to concentrate on what the adults are saying. Although, on a one to one basis staff foster children's language development well. For instance, young children show interest in books and staff are on hand to read with them, repeating the activity as children request. This kind of repetition, of something children like, mean that they start to learn new words to build their vocabulary. The young children have good opportunities to move freely and can make choices about what they play with. Staff support them to gain skills such as hand and finger control as they encourage the children to place wooden rings onto a stick. As a result, the young children learn to control their movements well. Overall, staff use

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who attend

effective teaching methods to promote children's learning and development well, consequently, children gain the skills needed to move smoothly onto the next stage in their learning.

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

Children's physical and emotional well-being is fostered well. Children form good attachments to staff, are happy, and settle quickly. Each room has a wide range of toys and resources freely available for children to make choices. Young children show they are settled and have confidence in nursery as they move to explore the areas around them with the support of a familiar adult. The nursery is bright and inviting with displays of useful information for parents and examples of children's artwork, therefore children feel valued as they see their creations. Safety within the nursery is given high priority. The staff carry out daily checks of all areas where children play to make sure they are safe and secure. There is a good range of equipment in place to minimise hazards, for example, all doors have protection on them to prevent children's fingers becoming trapped. Children demonstrate an understanding of their own safety as they use scissors safely in the play

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

dough and negotiate steps in the pre-school room well. They take part in regular fire drills so they learn how to react in an emergency. This means children learn how to keep themselves safe at all times.

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

Children benefit from outside play everyday. They move around the space, digging, hunting for bugs, using wheeled toys and stepping stones to develop balancing skills. This helps children learn to control their bodies and develop good physical skills. Overall, children enjoy a healthy balanced diet. They enjoy a good balance of foods including fruit and vegetables with all meals. However, children are not encouraged to serve their own food, which limits their opportunities to further develop independence, make healthy choices and learn about portion control. Staff manage children's behaviour consistently. They get down to children's level and talk quietly to them about why the behaviour is not acceptable. Staff remind children to be kind and polite to each other using prompts, such as 'remember kind hands' to remind children not to physically hurt others. Staff reinforce good behaviour with lots of praise and encouragement. Any ongoing behaviour issues are

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

discussed with parents and strategies are devised to help the children learn to manage their own feelings. The staff have good links with local advisors who add their support by discussing suitable behaviour management practice with the staff. This aids consistency and means children develop well and gain the attitudes required to transfer to school.

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provision

The leadership and management of the setting is good and the team demonstrates a strong commitment to offering a high standard of care. Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development and welfare requirements. Secure policies and procedures, in particular the safeguarding policy, supports them should they have a concern about children in their care. Staff training in safeguarding is a priority and the provider makes sure the designated person attends the appropriate training for their role. All staff have regular training to ensure that have secure knowledge of child protection and use a suitable system to record all accidents or incidents that happen in the nursery. These are given to parents to sign so they are aware of what has happened and can follow this up with any treatment at home if required. As a result, they are well equipped to protect the children from risk of harm and neglect. The comprehensive range of polices

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provision

and procedures are reviewed regularly and shared with staff and parents. There is a clear procedure for parents to follow should they have a complaint about the service they receive with contact details displayed throughout the nursery.

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provision

There is a good induction, recruitment and vetting system in place that is successful in ensuring staff are well qualified and effectively checked upon employment. The manager monitors staff performance through regular supervision and appraisals. This helps to identify training needs, support key workers and to monitor the effectiveness of the observations and assessments. It supports all children in making progress as expected for their age and stage of development. The management and staff team demonstrate a good understanding of the nursery's strengths as well as areas for further development. Through a system of reviewing and evaluation, they target priorities for development. For instance, the garden area is about to be developed to provide more outside space for all children, which will benefit those who learn well in the outdoors. The management team have addressed the recommendations set at their last inspection well demonstrating the

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provision

nursery has the capacity to improve its methods of self-evaluation.

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provision

The nursery fosters a positive relationship with parents by providing them with regular feedback on their children's learning and well-being. Parents report they are well informed of the progress their children make through the effective contact book system. They explain they have good relationships with their key person and feel this helps them to help their children make good progress in their learning and development. Children benefit from clear partnership working with a range of outside agencies and services. Staff have good links with the local special needs advisors and early years advisors to help parents in obtaining the right support for their children.

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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 EY331794 Local authority Kent Inspection number 935883

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 29 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Linda Ford & Joanne Wardale Partnership Date of previous inspection 13/11/2008 Telephone number 01322 289662

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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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