Karetakers Day Nursery

Karetakers Day Nursery Drayton Road, Longton, STOKE-ON-TRENT, Staffordshire, ST3 1EQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/11/2013 17/01/2011

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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 are happy and relaxed within this warm and welcoming nursery. They form strong attachments with staff, which helps them to settle quickly and enjoy their learning.  Teaching is good because staff fully understand how to promote children's learning. Throughout the nursery, staff have high expectations for children and support them well. As a result, children make rapid progress.  Children's safety is effectively promoted through the implementation of very good safeguarding and welfare procedures. Children are constantly supervised and cared for by suitable and skilled staff.  Effective partnership working with parents and others means that there is a united approach to meeting individual children's needs. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are fully supported.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is room to develop further the already good planning of activities for babies so that they have more regular access to the outside area during autumn and winter.  There is scope to improve the deployment of staff in the pre-school room during circle time and snack time so that all children remain consistently engaged and learning is maximised during these activities.

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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 in the four playrooms, the dining area and the outside learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the qualified teacher.  The inspector held meetings with the owner and manager of the provision.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included in the nursery's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

Karetakers Day Nursery opened in 1994 and is on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare register. It is privately owned. It operates from a single story building in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. The nursery serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. The nursery opens five days a week, from 7.30am until 5.30pm, all year round, except on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 103 children on roll, 73 of whom are in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 14 staff working directly with the children. Seven are qualified to level 3, while two members of staff are qualified to level 4. A further two staff have achieved a foundation degree in early years practice. One member of staff is a qualified teacher. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 consistently plan outdoor activities for babies so that they get frequent access to the outside area throughout the year

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

 revise the deployment of staff in the pre-school room so that children are consistently engaged and learning is maximised during routine activities such as snack time and circle time.

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who attend

Children are confident and relaxed in this friendly and welcoming nursery. Older children show that they feel secure and settled as they help themselves to toys and chat to staff confidently. Babies show strong attachments as they snuggle up to staff during bottle feeds and while listening to stories. Staff effectively ensure all children are able to enjoy a wide range of activities that stimulate and engage them. Babies explore their senses as they investigate treasure baskets, rolling the glitter balls around and experiencing different textures with a scourer and brush. They have great fun playing with 'gloop', letting it run through their hands and even crawling through it. Toddlers enjoy the challenge of pushing shapes into shape sorters, playing musical instruments and searching for their favourite toys that are buried in shredded paper. In the pre-school room, older children enjoy the freedom of being able to regularly move freely between the indoor and outdoor area.

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who attend

They challenge themselves as they walk along benches and attempt the climbing wall, developing a good sense of balance. Their imagination is stimulated as they use the foam bricks to build a wall and pretend that they are on a construction site. Indoors, they play creatively in the home corner, pretending to iron sheets and vacuum the floor. They chat away to each other as they play, developing their communication skills and learning to share and interact positively.

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who attend

Staff support children extremely well. They successfully teach them new skills and children quickly master the ability to use scissors as they are shown how to cut out pictures from a catalogue for their 'santa list'. Staff guide them superbly, showing them how to open and close the scissors to cut the paper. Special resources, such as double ringed scissors, enable staff to help children practice and then plenty of time is given for children to develop this skill. Children beam with pride as they finish their cutting independently. Children also develop key skills, such as counting, as staff teach them to recognise number. They count out coloured bears and match them to a corresponding number card and discuss whether there are more or less of each colour. Staff skilfully encourage children to show what they know through the use of good questioning. All activities are made fun as staff do not hurry children. For example, during a story about fairies, time is

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who attend

taken to allow children to consider how fairies fly and what they might wear. Children get up and twirl around the room before returning to hear the story conclude. This excellent approach ensures children become willing learners. Routine events, such as circle time, are also used to teach children. In the pre-school room, children learn to follow instruction and take turns as they wait for the 'shaker' and make loud or soft sounds as directed. This helps them develop key skills for future learning, such as concentration and turn-taking, as well as helping them to be confident in other group situations, such as the classroom. However, some of the younger children are unsure about the activity and become distracted as they wait, making it hard for others to hear the instruction. Similarly, during pre-school snack time, staff are busy with preparing food and some children become bored. There is scope therefore, to optimise the way staff are deployed during routine

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who attend

events to maximise every learning opportunity.

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who attend

All children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. This also helps to prepare them well for their future learning and the move onto school. All children's achievements are recorded and the key person for each child regularly monitors their development, to ensure that they are continually making good progress. Staff successfully identify ways to help children move forward and use this to inform the planning of future activities. This ensures that planned events are of interest and are challenging to children to promote development. However, during the autumn and winter months there are fewer outdoor activities planned for the baby room. Therefore, babies do not get the regular fresh air and outdoor play that they enjoy during the rest of the year. Planning is shared with parents and they are aware of the activities their children undertake. Staff consult with parents at the start of a placement to determine children's starting points and ensure

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who attend

that parents are kept informed as to their child's progress through very detailed diaries, which include children's individual targets and information about the songs and books they are using. Parents also have the opportunity to complete their own observations, which are fed into their children's learning journeys. For instance, they complete observations of how their children are managing the stairs at home to demonstrate to staff their child's physical development. Staff also provide resources to enable parents to promote children's learning in other areas. Each child takes home a book to enjoy and older children also have a key-ring with letters on relating to the phonics they are beginning to recognise. This contributes to children's swift progress as their learning continues at home.

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

Children display positive relationships with the staff and each other. They are helped to settle in as the nursery offers settling-in sessions, where parents slowly build up the time they leave their children. Staff use these sessions to find out about each child's personality, likes and dislikes. They provide favourite activities to help children settle to play and consequently, by the time parents are ready to leave their children, they are usually fully engaged and happy to be left. As a result, children are emotionally secure. Information is also collated on registration forms to ensure that staff are aware of any special requirements. Dietary or medical needs are fully discussed to ensure that all activities are safe and suitable for each child. Where children with special educational needs and /or disabilities are identified, staff work in partnership with other professionals and parents to ensure that a consistent approach is taken. For instance, where speech and

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

language delay is identified, staff follow the techniques suggested by therapists, making sure they repeat back words and encourage children to vocalise rather than just allow them to point to resources they want. This helps all children to make the best possible progress.

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

Children are kept safe. All exterior doors are kept secure and effective risk assessments ensure that all areas and equipment are fit for use. Children also learn how to keep themselves safe. They know how to respond swiftly during a fire drill as these are regularly practised and discussed. Children behave well. They know the rules of the nursery and understand that these are in place for their own well-being. For example, they know not to run indoors as they may slip and get hurt. Children are reminded to use their manners and this is rewarded through the 'manner tree' where their good behaviour is recorded and displayed on the large tree display in the corridor. Children take pride in seeing their name on the 'apples' on the tree. They are also taught to use good table manners and to handle knives and forks properly during mealtimes. Children receive encouragement and praise from the staff throughout the day, which effectively builds self-

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

esteem. Any unwanted actions are dealt with calmly.

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

Children's good health is well promoted through sensible routines and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Active plays is effectively encouraged both indoors and outdoors, as children dance to music indoors and enjoy a range of songs with actions. They learn about how exercise is good for them and about how their bodies work during themed work, such as 'all about me'. They draw round each other with chalks and measure themselves to see how much they grow. Children are provided with a range of nutritious meals, which are all prepared on the premises. They tuck in enthusiastically to fish fingers with carrots, peas and potatoes and enjoy snacks of fresh fruit such as oranges, apples and bananas. Drinks of milk or water are offered throughout the day.

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provision

Robust recruitment procedures are followed to ensure staff are safe and suitable to work with children. They all have a current Disclosure and Barring Service check and regularly sign to say that there have been no changes to their circumstances which could affect their ability to work with children. Staff are also well qualified. They attend regular training and are all required to complete key courses, such as safeguarding level one. Consequently, safeguarding procedures are fully understood by all staff. They understand the signs and symptoms that may indicate abuse and are clear about how to follow up any concerns. Their practice is underpinned by a full written policy, which also covers the use of mobile phones in the nursery. Staff know to keep their phones in the kitchen and all visitors to the nursery are requested not to use their phones on the site. This protects children effectively. New staff benefit from a full induction, which ensures they are quickly

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provision

aware of the routines, policies and procedures that apply to the nursery. Annual appraisals are in place to discuss strengths and weaknesses in practice and to identify any training needs.

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provision

The management team are fully committed to providing a high quality service for children. They are focused on driving the nursery forward and have addressed the recommendations set at the last inspection. Risk assessments are now in place for all rooms and children are provided with water rather than juice at snack times, to encourage healthy options. The nursery has employed a qualified teacher to help raise standards in the delivery of the educational programmes and this has improved the use of observations throughout the nursery. The progress of all children is effectively monitored to ensure that staff are accurately assessing each child and providing appropriate activities to help them make the best possible progress. Room observations and peer observations are also regularly undertaken to help all staff improve on their practice. Self-evaluation is used to good effect and future goals have been identified to promote continuous development. For

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provision

instance, all staff are being trained to complete room observations and to observe each other delivering activities, in order that they recognise and build on best practice.

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provision

Staff build positive relationships with parents and chat to them on a daily basis about their child's achievements and well-being. They get to know parents well and work with them to help them overcome any difficulties they may have. For instance, they discuss any medical issues that may arise or offer support for parents with dyslexia so that they are able to fill in forms accurately. This caring approach enables staff to support families and children more effectively as they take account of the issues that may impact on daily life. Notice boards around the nursery provide parents with additional information about childcare issues and about the Early Years Foundation Stage in particular. This helps parents to support and develop their children's learning at home. Key policies and procedures are shared with parents, ensuring that they are aware of the standards to which the nursery operates and provide details of how to make a complaint if they need to. Parent

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provision

comments show that they are very happy with the care provided. They report that their children 'have learned so much' and are 'always very happy here'. The nursery also builds good links with other providers. Teachers from the local schools visit in the summer term to see the children who will join them in September. This enables them to see children in an environment that is familiar and comfortable to them and ensures that children know their new teacher prior to moving to school. Health visitors also attend the nursery on a regular basis and staff work with parents to access this service, so that children's health can be assessed at this time if parents find this easier.

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 224654 Local authority Stoke on Trent Inspection number 871345

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 104 Number of children on roll 103 Name of provider Karetakers Private Day Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 17/01/2011 Telephone number 01782 331167

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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

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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