Rhymetime Northampton

Rhymetime Nursery Connolly Lodge, St Crispins, NORTHAMPTON, NN5 4BW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/11/2013 04/09/2009

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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

 Teaching is good overall. Practitioners understand how to promote children's learning by organising the environment and resources to enable children to develop independence, curiosity and the ability to explore.  Children are cared for in a safe environment. All areas and equipment used by children are risk assessed regularly to ensure they remain suitable. Leaders and practitioners understand their role and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and child protection.  Leaders and senior practitioners are suitably organised to manage the setting well. Delegated duties are monitored thoroughly to ensure that the provision runs smoothly and efficiently.  Partnerships with parents and carers, other professionals and agencies are well- established to enable practitioners to support individual children's needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is further scope for the younger children to build up their vocabulary to reflect their experiences.

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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 all the playrooms and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation in the pre-school room with the Early Years Teacher.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the provider, the manager of the provision and the early years teacher.  The inspector looked at children's records, planning and assessment documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and action plans.

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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

Rhymetime Nursery Northampton is one of six nurseries owned by Avenue Nannies Limited. It was registered in new premises in 2009 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is situated at Connolly Lodge; a grade II listed building, which is part of the old St. Crispin's hospital site in Northampton. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 12 members of child care staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above including one with Early Years Teacher Status.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens from 7am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round except for bank holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 70 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery also operates an out-of-school provision from the site called the Smart Club. It is open before and after school during school term times and during some school holidays, depending on demand.

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

 enhance the already good opportunities for younger children to build up their vocabulary to reflect their experiences.

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who attend

Teaching is good overall across the nursery. Practitioners understand how to promote children's learning by organising the environment and resources to enable children to develop independence, curiosity and the ability to explore. They recognise that children learn through play and that they have differing learning styles. Adult focussed activities engage the children's interests and support their learning needs well. Children, in the pre- school room particularly, often engage practitioners in their play. For example, a child playing close to the mark making table, sees the sheets of paper and asks for help in making an aeroplane. The resulting activity satisfies the original child's learning needs and also completely engages several other children over a lengthy period of time. They are taught how to make an aeroplane so that it will fly and they enjoy taking part in a competition to find out whose aeroplane will fly the farthest. The activity incorporates

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who attend

most areas of learning and provides plenty of new skills and friendly rivalry which the children relish. Later in the day several children return to recreate the activity they enjoyed so much.

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who attend

Children under the age of two participate in a variety of activities to develop basic skills which will support their future learning. They are taught how to safely climb the steps to the climbing frame and to wait for the baby in front of them to move before coming down the slide. These younger children experiment with paint using their hands and fingers to feel and move the paint around. They also start to use appropriately sized tools to extend their creativity. Practitioners talk to the children as they experiment. They introduce new words and sounds and listen as the children respond in their own way. Children in the toddler room aged between two and three years have by now acquired many basic skills and are becoming independent. They easily move between the activities which practitioners plan to support the children's learning needs. The children experience sensory play in a darkened room, some seeking reassurance from their practitioners as

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who attend

they learn that tapping the baton makes its lights flash on and off. However, a few practitioners after listening to what a child has to say miss opportunities to offer a reply which includes new words to increase their vocabulary.

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who attend

Children's starting points on entry are obtained from discussions between key people and parents and initial learning targets are agreed during the settling-in visits that support children's transition from home to nursery. Regular observations are made to assess children's progress and update next steps in learning. Parents are encouraged in a variety of ways to share information about their children's experiences and achievements so they can feel included in their children's learning. Practitioners have established links with the nearby primary school which supports children's transition when they move into the reception class. Some children continue to attend the nursery when they are at school by using the out-of-school club. These links are invaluable in supporting children's early school life.

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

The successful implementation of the key person system ensures that children form strong emotional attachments. These support their settling-in and transitions throughout the nursery enabling them to become independent learners. Children show a good sense of belonging and many display high levels of confidence and self-esteem. For example, when a practitioner who recently moved to another room, visits the baby room, children are pleased to see her. Children learn to co-operate and negotiate with their peers because practitioners implement a consistent behaviour management system that takes into account children's level of maturity and understanding. Those children who struggle to understand and follow rules about, for example, sharing and using kind words are supported well.

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

Children start to learn about self-care from an early age and become very independent as they move through the nursery. For example, children as young as two years of age collect their cutlery, beaker and plate from the serving station and place them in the washing up bowl when they have finished their meal. Children are taught how to stop the spread of germs by washing their hands at appropriate times. They learn about healthy eating as they try to guess what they are having for snack. Health and dietary needs are well-supported. Practitioners are fully briefed on children's individual medical and dietary needs and these are taken into account by the chef when parents order a cooked lunch for their child. Children are cared for in a safe environment. All areas and equipment used by children are risk assessed regularly to ensure they remain suitable. As children progress through the nursery they are taught more about how to keep themselves safe. For

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

example, children know not to run inside to avoid slipping or bumping into furniture.

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

Children experience outdoor play throughout the day. They have a good variety of activities to engage with and toys and apparatus which supports physical development, understanding the world and imaginary play. For example, when children select a tricycle from the parking bay, the bay and the tricycle are numbered so that the child learns to identify the numeral, but also that tricycle two should be returned to bay two. As the children cycle round, they follow the road signage. This helps them to become accustomed to road safety rules which may protect them in the future. Other children prefer to use the play house as a nursery and pretend that they are involved in a popular children's television programme by singing the signature song and re-enacting aspects of the story they watch at home.

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provision

Leaders and practitioners understand their role and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and child protection. Thorough recruitment practices by the leaders ensure a strong, motivated workforce who work together well. Suitability checks are undertaken on all adults working with children to ensure children are safeguarded. Leaders and senior practitioners are effectively organised to manage the setting well. Delegated duties are monitored thoroughly to ensure that the provision runs smoothly and efficiently. Induction and probation programmes support new practitioners as they become familiar with the workings of their new setting. Regular supervision meetings and appraisals take place to further support them and to discuss and assess training needs.

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provision

The provider fully understands her responsibilities with regard to the implementation of the learning and development requirements. She has appointed an early years teacher to develop teaching across the nursery. As a result, the quality of the learning environments and planned activities are well-matched to each child's age and stage of development. This means that children are effectively supported to make good progress in their development and learning. Monitoring of children's learning is effective in identifying individual children's needs and is in the early stages of being used to track and identify groups of children who may need extra support to close gaps in learning. An early years educator course has been devised to support practitioners who are inexperienced, recently qualified or who would benefit from a refresher course in a relaxed environment. Those attending the course are very enthusiastic about the content and of how it has enhanced

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provision

their practice. Partnerships with parents, carers, other professionals and agencies are well-established to enable practitioners to support individual children's needs. Parents comment that they are 'very grateful for the support given to them by the nursery and cannot fault it and would definitely recommend it to other parents'.

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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 EY389531 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 918896

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 90 Number of children on roll 70 Name of provider Avenue Nannies Limited Date of previous inspection 04/09/2009 Telephone number 01604 586416

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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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