Bright Horizons North Cheam Day Nursery and Preschool

Kidsunlimited - North Cheam North Cheam Sports & Social Club, 660 London Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM3 9BZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/10/2013 20/09/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Staff are kind and caring towards children in the nursery. Babies benefit from cuddles and eye contact from staff and children behave well.  Staff have taken considerable steps to involve parents in their children's care and learning and they are able suggest things for their children to do at nursery.  There are lots of opportunities for children to explore healthy eating and to develop healthy lifestyles in the nursery.  Staff are aware of their role and responsibility in reporting safeguarding concerns and are aware of the steps to take in the case of a concern to promote children's safety.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff and managers do not fully monitor children's assessments. As a result, staff do not always identify the most appropriate next steps in children's learning.  Many changes to the key person system in recent months means that key persons do not always have the best knowledge of their individual key children in order to meet their needs.  Staff do not always fully challenge children's communication skills and do not always use questions well, to fully develop their language skills.  The management have not used their processes of self-evaluation well to identify all the most useful areas for development.

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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

 Two inspectors completed this inspection.  The inspectors observed practice in all rooms in the nursery.  The inspectors spoke to staff, parents, children and the managers of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors viewed documents relating to the running of the nursery, including the self evaluation documents, staff files, policies and procedures and children's records.

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Information about the setting

Kids Unlimited North Cheam is one of a large number of provisions run by Kids Unlimited Nurseries under the Bright Horizons parent company. This provision opened in 2006, and operates from a single storey purpose built building situated in North Cheam, close to a supermarket, shops and community resources. Children are grouped into one of three double aspect base rooms for babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm all year round excluding bank holidays. Most children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There is also a separate outdoor area for babies. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who learn English as an additional language are welcomed. A total of 25 staff are employed, which includes the manager and the deputy who are supernumerary, and three room leaders. Of these staff, all but four hold appropriate early years qualifications. Two

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Information about the setting

members of staff are working towards their degree in early years. There are also three support staff who take reasonability for domestic matters. There is a staff room, kitchen and laundry, ancillary areas, a meeting room and a reception area. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the early education of children aged three and four years. There are currently 76 children on roll in the early years age range.

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must:

 improve the monitoring of observations and assessments to ensure that staff observe children effectively to fully understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles, to then shape learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations

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must:

 improve the stability of the key person system, to ensure that every child's learning is tailored to meet their individual needs and to give children greater consistency in their care.

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

 support children's communication and language development further by giving them longer to answer questions and by listening carefully to their responses

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

 further develop self-evaluation systems, to more accurately identify areas of weakness and to develop more targeted plans for improvements.

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who attend

Staff plan an appropriate range of activities to support children's needs overall. There are some staff in the nursery who use effective teaching techniques to engage and support children. For example, staff focus on children's early writing skills in all rooms as they give babies paint and foam to draw in and explore. Babies are able to see the marks they make and enjoy developing their hand coordination, ready to use pencils and pens. Older children enjoy making shapes and patterns on large pieces of paper and boys especially enjoy the large scale of this activity. Staff make eye contact with children and talk to them often, to engage them in conversation and to encourage them to make recognisable sounds. Babies particularly enjoy singing with staff, as they link the words and actions and move to the rhythm of the music. All children enjoy listening to stories read by staff and staff use some questions during story time to extend children's thinking. However, not all

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who attend

staff are as confident to encourage children's language development and problem solving skills, particularly those children who are more able or more confident speakers. For example, when some staff question children they do not give them space to answer, instead asking another question and another. This sometimes means that children lose interest in the conversation and walk away. Also, this means that staff do not always give children plenty of time to form their own answers, to develop their language to express their thoughts.

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who attend

Older children enjoy opportunities for imaginative play as they jump in puddles in the garden, wearing wellies and waterproof clothing. They link their words and their actions as they shout 'jump, jump, jump' and splash in the water. Children have plenty of opportunities to play outdoors and staff join in with children's play and have fun with them. Children enjoy playing with their friends and look at books together. They enjoy making up their own stories as they look at the pictures in books. Staff encourage older children to link letters and sounds as they read stories and children are able to point out the letters in their name on keyboards and in books. This shows that they are beginning to learn that written words carry meaning. Older children have opportunities to develop their thinking skills, as staff encourage them to work out how they can make the two sides of a balance scale the same. Children correctly work out that they can achieve this if they take

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who attend

one object away from the lower side. This shows that children are developing mathematical ideas, identifying when things are heavier and lighter.

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who attend

Staff observe and assess children's progress soundly overall and this is the responsibility of children's key persons. However, because there is not always strong stability in the key person system, there are gaps in the assessment of some children's learning and development. Also, handovers between key persons are not always well managed. While staff are aware of some things that children can and cannot do and identify some next steps for children's learning, these do not consistently relate to children's individual needs. For example, staff sometimes miss that children are emerging into their next stage of learning and consequently planned activities do not always challenge them well. Identified next steps do not consistently relate to areas that children are not working as well in. Equally, when staff identify that children are working above the expected level of development, they do not always plan well to continue this rapid progress. This means

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who attend

that while children all make appropriate progress, this is not as strong as it could be. Staff do carry out useful starting point assessments, working well with parents to gather information about their children's development when they first join. Staff share information about children's development with parents on an ongoing basis and this does give some useful continuity in children's care and education.

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

Children are settled and broadly secure and happy in the nursery. Staff are gentle and kind to children and as a result children behave well. The named person in charge of behaviour management is appropriately qualified and all staff receive behaviour management training when they first join the nursery. This enables staff to promote children's positive behaviour throughout the nursery. There is a key person system in place and this generally supports staff to meet children's care needs. However, some children have had several different key persons in a short period of time and this disrupts some continuity in their care as the new person takes time to become more familiar with their needs. This also disrupts the rate at which children are able to bond with one special person. Staff are attentive to the needs of newly settling children, especially babies. Staff cuddle and soothe children if they become distressed. Generally, throughout the nursery,

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

children are confident. Older children approach visitors and introduce themselves. They are clearly interested in changes in their surroundings and enjoy playing with their friends.

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

There are strong systems in place to enable children to learn about healthy lifestyles. All children play outside every day. The garden is inviting and interesting and has an all weather surface. This means that children are eager to run and jump in the wet weather and do not slip. Children enjoy digging in the mud and sand outdoors and there are low steps for them to climb and develop their ability to balance on one foot. Staff provide children with a healthy range of freshly cooked food and menus meet children's nutritional needs well. Staff sit with children at mealtimes and encourage them to eat their food. There are robust procedures in place, such as the provision of colour-coded plates, to protect children who may have food allergies, or other nutritional needs. Children clearly enjoy their meals and eat these eagerly. However, because staff are not always fully aware of what children can already do, they do not always challenge their existing skills

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

well during mealtimes, for example by supporting them fully to feed themselves.

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

There are some effective arrangements in place to encourage children to make smooth moves to school. Staff in the pre-school room focus on developing children's confidence and their friendships with others. This means that older children are well equipped to adapt to a new group of people when they move to reception classes. Staff support children to concentrate as they read books in the cosy book area and develop their writing skills as they draw and paint. As a result, children are learning how to spend more time on individual tasks, in preparation for their next stage of learning.

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

Staff monitor the indoor and outdoor environments and these are safe and secure. The secure entry system means that staff can vet people who come to nursery. There are risk assessments in place for all areas of the nursery and staff use these to minimise hazards to children. Staff are all thoroughly aware of the procedures to follow to administer medication and they do so to promote the well-being of children in the nursery. Many staff have attended paediatric first aid training, to enable them to treat children safely in the case of minor accidents.

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provision

This inspection took place as the result of a notification from the provider about an incident involving a member of staff. The inspection found that the provider met their responsibility to report and investigate the circumstances of the incident and that children were appropriately safeguarded during the investigation. There are appropriate systems in place to train and induct new staff. All staff receive training in safeguarding children and behaviour management when they first join. Staff are confident to identify, record and report any concerns that they have about children in their care, including any concerns related to child protection. All staff are aware of the whistle blowing procedures in the nursery and are able to share any concerns they may have about children and staff. As a result, staff are able to promote children's safety. There are appropriate opportunities for staff training during their employment and support systems in place for staff who are

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provision

returning from leave. This helps to develop staff practice in most areas on an ongoing basis. The manager uses appraisals and supervisions to monitor staff performance and she is able to tackle under performance when she finds it. The manager is supported by a wider management team from the parent company, and they are a regular presence in the nursery. This means that she is supported in her role and is able to seek advice and help when she needs it.

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provision

There is a system in place to monitor the quality of the educational programmes and observations and assessments of individual children. However, the monitoring is not always effective as there are some inconsistencies in the quality of how individual key persons monitor and assess the children in their care. Staff identify next steps for children's learning but these are not always firmly rooted in what children specifically need in order to progress. Therefore, subsequent plans do not always promote children's good progress. Also, while staff are generally deployed well to meet children's needs, there is some inconsistency in the key person system. This means that children's particular learning and development needs are not always prioritised during the handover from one key person to another.

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provision

The manager has made some plans for the future development of the nursery and where she has focused on planned improvements she has brought these about successfully. For example, there have been many changes to how parents are involved in the nursery. Parents have opportunities to attend meetings with staff and to join in social events. The manager seeks parents' views throughout the running of the nursery and makes changes that respond to their needs. As a result, parents feel welcomed and children benefit from this continuity between the nursery and home. Parents enjoy the opportunity to extend things that children have been doing at nursery and there have been some recent improvements in this area. For example, staff use a system of 'ask me about' stickers, where children go home with stickers that give areas of further discussion. This prompts some useful shared learning experiences between home and nursery. However, current

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provision

plans for improvement do not consider all areas of weakness to bring about all useful improvements to the nursery.

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provision

There are some strong links in place with other settings that children attend, any agencies involved in the care of children, and schools that children move on to. This means that staff are able to provide some effective continuity of care and education for children. This also supports older children as they make the move to school, and they are well prepared for this move.

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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 EY336120 Local authority Sutton Inspection number 935650 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 76 Number of children on roll 125 Name of provider Kidsunlimited Limited Date of previous inspection 20/09/2010 Telephone number 0845 365 2962

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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

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’.

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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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