The Day Nursery

The Day Nursery Church Road, Rawreth, Essex, SS11 8SH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/06/2013 15/12/2008

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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 have a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use observations and assessment to plan for children's next steps in their learning. This means that children make consistent progress in relation to their starting points.  Children enjoy daily access to the outdoor learning environment. This supports their good health and well-being.  Children are happy, settled and show a secure sense of belonging in the nursery, as they have formed warm and trusting relationships with the staff who care for them.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff do not hold suitable qualifications to be involved in serving and handling food, as they have not attended food hygiene training.  Mealtime arrangements for babies are not calm or unhurried, as all children in the nursery eat together in the dining room. This results in a busy and noisy environment, which some babies find unsettling.  Younger children do not have any dedicated book areas, or free access to a wide range of books, to help them to develop a love of books and enjoy sharing books with adults or friends.

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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 playrooms and the outdoor learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the managers, and spoke to staff, parents and children.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked a sample of policies, procedures and risk assessment documentation.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager of the nursery.

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Information about the setting

The Day Nursery registered in 2008 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a converted school in the village of Rawreth, near Wickford, Essex. The nursery is privately owned. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 17 members of childcare staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least level 3.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. There are currently 127 children on roll who are in the early years age range. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 ensure that all staff involved in handling food have training in food hygiene.

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

 support the youngest children to enjoy their food by providing a calm, unhurried environment, which encourages children to learn to feed themselves

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

 create attractive book areas where children can freely access a wide range of books to share with adults and their friends.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage as they provide a wide range of activities. They carry out regular observations on what children can do, which ensures that planning covers children's next steps in their learning. Children's interest and parents' comments aid the planning of activities, which means that children have plenty of choice and can offer their ideas each day.

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who attend

Teaching is effective in supporting children's learning, as staff make use of children's emerging interests to enable them to learn through play. For example, children find a bird's egg on the ground. Staff encourage children to think about how to keep it warm. The children decide they need to make a nest, and set off around the garden to find leaves and twigs. Staff add some shredded paper, and the children put the egg in the nest to keep warm. Staff and children go off around the garden to see if they can find the nest and put the egg back. This enables staff to talk to the children about feelings, and supports their personal, social and emotional development, as they talk about how the mummy bird is feeling after losing her egg.

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who attend

Children have opportunities to develop their language skills through discussions and talking about what they are doing. Staff working with the youngest children respond warmly to babies as they babble, which encourages them to use their voices to interact with their special person. Toddlers enjoy learning about letters and their sounds through singing and using flash cards. These activities help children develop the key skills for their next steps in their learning. All children are able to choose from a wide range of resources, which are easily accessible from the various low-level storage shelves and baskets. However, children have limited opportunities to develop a love of books, as there are no dedicated, cosy book areas. In addition, children are unable to independently choose books as they are kept on shelves out of their reach. This means that children are unable to relax and share a book with an adult or their friends.

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who attend

Children enjoy plenty of daily fresh air in the outdoor play area. They practise climbing on the climbing frames, and enjoy pedalling bikes around on the tarmac. A football coach comes in during the summer, which provides children with opportunities to develop their kicking and ball control skills. Staff ensure that there are plenty of opportunities for children to enjoy messy play as they take trays of shaving foam outside. Children use the shaving foam to create patterns, which supports their early writing skills.

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who attend

Parents contribute to their children's learning journals by adding comments based on what they have observed their children doing at home. This enables staff to understand what children can do at home, which is especially important for the youngest children whose learning and development changes quickly. The staff have links with relevant professionals, such as special educational needs coordinators, which means that they are able to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This supports enables all children to make consistent progress in relation to their starting points.

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

Overall, children have a secure sense of belonging as most have strong bonds with their key person. Recent staff changes have meant that some children have had a change of key person. However, an effective 'buddy' system means that the impact of the staff changes are minimal, as children have the security of their 'buddy' to approach for cuddles and reassurance. Key persons assist children settling in to new rooms, as they stay with them. This enables children to explore their new surroundings from the security of their special person. Consequently, children move into the next stage of their learning and development easily. Babies show that they are happy and settled, as they put up their arms for cuddles. Staff respond with loving and warm care, which means that babies' personal, social and emotional needs are well met.

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

Children play well together, as staff support them to learn how to share and take turns. Staff model the use of good social manners by saying 'please' and 'thank-you' when interacting with the children and each other. This means that children are consistently polite while in the nursery. Staff use positive behaviour strategies to support children to share resources and take turns. They praise children for good behaviour, which supports children to develop high levels of self-confidence and self-esteem.

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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 effective hygiene routines and plenty of fresh air. All food that children have while in the nursery is freshly cooked on site. This means that snacks and meals are nutritious, healthy and balanced. Children grow their own fruits and vegetables in the nursery's vegetable patch, which they are able to try at mealtimes. This encourages children to try new foods. All the children join up at mealtimes and eat in the dining room. This supports older children to become used to the routine of eating their lunches in large groups, as they will at school. However, some younger children are unsettled by the noise level, and clearly find the experience at little too much as they need cuddles from the staff to reassure them. Furthermore, the time constraints mean that staff feed the babies, rather than supporting them to learn to feed themselves. The nursery cook has appropriate food handling and hygiene training and serves up the

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

initial portions of food for the children. However, staff serve second helpings of food without having undertaken a food handling and hygiene qualification. Details are gathered through the child records forms about children's individual dietary needs. This means that children are not given any foods which may cause allergic reactions or are against religious beliefs. Parents inform the staff of any change to individual children's dietary requirements, which enables them to have the most up-to-date information.

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

The nursery has made links with the local primary school, which enables them to support children as they move from the nursery environment into school.

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provision

The management have a suitable understanding of their responsibility in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. The inspection took place following concerns received about high staff turnover and supervision of children. Arrangements for safeguarding children are satisfactory. A recent incident, in which a child was left out in the garden, has resulted in concise action plans. Staff have re-read the policy regarding taking children out into the garden, which has refreshed their knowledge and understanding of safety procedures.

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provision

Risk assessment and through daily checks ensure that all areas of the indoor and outdoor environments are safe for the children to attend. Systems are in place to ensure that any repairs required are noted, which means that they can be addressed immediately. All required child record forms and documentation are in place to support children's well- being and maintain confidentiality. The manager and staff understand their responsibility in implementing the learning and development requirements, which they do well. All children receive appropriate support, which means that they make steady progress towards the early learning goals. This prepares children for the next steps in their learning and/or their move into school. Partnerships with parents are positive; parents arrive at the nursery and share a range of information with their children's key person. This supports continuity of children's care routines, especially for the youngest children, whose routines frequently change. Parents

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provision

comment that they are happy with the care their children receive and like being able to see the learning journals regularly.

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provision

Robust recruitment procedures are in place to ensure that all staff go through the necessary checks to be working directly with children. New staff have trial days, which enables the management and room leaders to observe their interactions with children and ensure their suitability for their role within the nursery. The management monitors staff performance through regular appraisals and checks on the children's learning journals. This ensures that staff are able to correctly monitor and identify children's current stages of learning.

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provision

The management seeks the views of the parents through verbal feedback. Staff have opportunities to put forward any suggestions through staff meetings and appraisals. This enables plans for the continuous improvement of the nursery to be formulated. For example, work is underway for a new self-contained baby unit. Wider partnerships work effectively to support children's care, learning and development. This enables staff to seek advice or support, which ensures that all children make consistent progress in relation to their starting points.

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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 EY367083 Local authority Essex Inspection number 918337

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 55 Number of children on roll 127 Name of provider Glenda Mitchell Date of previous inspection 15/12/2008 Telephone number 01268 769522

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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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