Dimples Day Nursery Limited

Dimples Day Nursery Green Street, Green Road, Darenth, Kent, DA2 7HT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/10/2013 16/04/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children are happy and engaged in their learning. Staff make a wide range of resources readily available for children's choice, particularly outdoors, so they are able to learn and make good progress.  Children are developing good self-care skills; they manage their own toileting needs, wash and dry their hands with minimal support.  Children are effectively safeguarded. All staff are well informed about child protection issues and the premises is safe. The management team ensure that all staff fully understands how to keep children safe and follow all necessary guidelines.  There is regular sharing of information between parents' and other professionals which helps to promote children's care and learning needs.

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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 activities, both indoor and outdoor, and completed a joint observation with the nursery manager.  The inspector held meetings with the manager/owner.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentations, including children's records, learning and development information, staff record and a selection of policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Dimples Day Nursery registered in 2002. It operates from nine rooms in purpose built premises in Darenth, Kent. Children share access to secure enclosed outdoor play areas, including three surrounding fields for outdoor play. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm all year round. The Nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 250 children aged from birth to under five years on roll, attending a variety of sessions. The setting receives early education funding for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 58 staff, of whom 46 staff, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications. The manager has completed her EYP and degree qualification. The

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Information about the setting

nursery achieved the Kent Quality Mark in 2012.

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

 review the organisation of the routine towards the very end of the session to continue to fully engage children while they wait to be collected.

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who attend

Children are very happy and confident individuals who benefit from the good care, activities and play opportunities provided outdoors. Staff implement the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage effectively in their practice. Therefore, children are developing and make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff have high expectations of the children and each child's progress is checked regularly. Assessment and the nursery's effective tracking system, show how well each child is doing. Activities are well planned, matched and adapted to meet the needs of individual children. However, for a short time at the end of the day staff do not engage children, who are waiting to be collected, fully in activities.

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who attend

Staff have completed the progress check for children at the age of two with parents. This is effective in highlighting any gaps in learning and also enables them to secure early intervention to ensure that no child gets left behind in their development. Children clearly enjoy making choices and learning both indoors and outdoors. This enhances progress in all areas of learning and, above all, makes it fun to be in the nursery. The high level of interaction between adults and children at most points in the day is largely responsible for the quick development of children's language skills. Adults talk constantly with children. This, combined with the use of imaginative interaction strategies and timely support and intervention of staff means that staff match activities to children's individual needs accurately. For example, in a small group session staff use messy play in a gentle way to engage children in different textures. Staff encourage children to participate by showing

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who attend

children what to do to reassure the children and engage their interest.

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who attend

Children engage enthusiastically as they play in the garden. They confidently walk and crawl engaging with the different resources. As a result, children develop their awareness of texture, their large and fine motor skills and confidence to explore different materials. Staff effectively use spontaneous experiences to give the children opportunities to make independent choices. For example, the children in the toddler room are given the opportunity to choose the activity they want to take part in. The children's learning is further enhanced by allowing them to choose an object from a song box. The object inside is used to engage the children in the nursery rhyme. This develops the children's personal, social and emotional skills as well as their communication and language skills. This helps children to make very good progress in these areas and prepares them very well for the next stages in their learning.

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who attend

Staff show high levels of skill, observing children's play and judging just how and when to intervene to extend learning. They often join in play, helping to maintain children's enthusiasm and showing them how to do things. For example, a staff member joins a child in the garden with a drum, she makes a musical pattern and the child joins in. A good range of art and craft materials are easily accessible so that children can explore colour and texture and produce original pieces of artwork. Children's awareness of their own and other cultures is nurtured through discussion, stories and creative activities. Children's awareness of mathematical concepts is developing well through fun activities, such as using different size cylinders in water play. They measure the water, estimate how much they need to fill the cylinder and when it is half. They use large wooden blocks to make elaborate constructions and use measuring tape to see how tall the tower is,

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who attend

learning about height. Staff provide children with lots of access from a young age to the outdoors, where the children can dig the soil and plant their own vegetables. As a result, children understand where food is from and the process of growing your own food, developing their understanding of the world. The outdoor area, with its exciting equipment and imaginative layout, ensures that children have every opportunity to develop their physical skills. They also have opportunities to write, draw, paint, make models, measure, count and play.

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who attend

Parents are kept well informed about their children's achievements as there are daily opportunities for discussions with their key persons. They have access to their children's learning journal book and receive regular development reports, which give them information about their children's progress and how the staff intend to meet their learning priorities.

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

The very good relationship between staff and parents begins when the child first starts in the nursery. There is a settling in period and during this time, children's starting point and other relevant information is gathered from parents. This helps staff to learn about the children's capabilities, likes and dislikes and contributes towards their tailoring of the provision to meet their individual needs. As a result, activities are offered at just the right level to challenge the children without overwhelming them. Staff have a loving and caring relationship with children who form strong attachments to familiar adults. An example of this was observed when one child, who recently started the nursery woke from his nap, was upset and his key person knew exactly how to comfort him. The nursery is generally set up to enable the children to explore and investigate their surroundings. Low level units and clearly labelled resources enable children to select activities and resources, promoting

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

their independence and decision making skills from an early age.

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

The nursery gives parents very effective advice and information about children's behaviour. As a result of this strong partnership working, children's behaviour is very good, they tolerate each other as they play and share their resources. Children in the pre- school room share and take turn politely in the role-play area, negotiating which role they will take on. Developing their self-confidence and conduct during their time in the nursery. Parents report that these improvements continue at home. Staff are positive role models, thanking the children for their help, recognising their efforts and offering praise and encouragement to develop the children's self-esteem effectively.

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

Children develop their independence and excellent self-care skills as they wash their hands before lunch. The older children serve themselves at lunch and snack time with the gentle guidance of staff. They feed themselves using a knife and fork while the younger children use a spoon and fork. This promotes the children's understanding of health and self-care skills and how to develop healthy habits for the future. They are provided with fresh drinking water and learn about the importance of a nutritious diet as they are provided with a hot meal. Children enjoy plenty of fresh air and exercise that enhance their physical development and help them to develop a healthy lifestyle. Children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe is excellent, as they are actively involved in devising and implementing positive rules to ensure their safety in the environment. There are robust systems in place to manage any accidents at the nursery and these demonstrate that staff

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

have an extremely high regard for children's safety.

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provision

Children are safeguarded effectively because all staff are fully aware of child protection procedures and know how to implement them to protect the children in their care. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure all staff working on the premises are suitable to do so. Risk assessments are carried out and are reviewed regularly to ensure children enjoy a safe, secure play and learning environment. The staff team demonstrate a very strong understanding of their role in meeting the learning requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents receive a good range of information regarding the nursery and their child's welfare, learning and development. Staff work hard to promote parental involvement in children's learning. For example, parents are invited to join in celebrations such as Diwali. They are also encouraged to take home ' teddy travels

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provision

and bags of families' with a book for feedback. The contents of the bags include useful resources along with ideas and suggestions that parents can use to extend and consolidate children's learning at home. The information staff receive from parents about their children's learning at home is used fully to contribute to the assessment procedures. Staff include this information in their planning as they promote children's development to their full potential. Parents confirm that their children are making very good progress. They comment, 'my child's confidence has improved massively' and 'my child has improved in how they play with other children'. The nursery has developed very good links with a variety of other professionals supporting children and their families. For example, health visitors and the local Children Centre. This contributes significantly in helping staff to meet children's individual needs.

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provision

The management team and staff are committed to improving the quality and standard of education and aspects of care through continuous self-evaluation. As a result, there are effective systems for checking how well the nursery is doing and for identifying what it could do better.

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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 EY229801 Local authority Kent Inspection number 934922

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 174 Number of children on roll 250 Name of provider Dimples Day Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 16/04/2013 Telephone number 01322 285885

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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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