Fire Station Day Nursery

The Old Fire Station Day Nursery Manchester Road, Mossley, Ashton-U-Lyne, OL5 9BB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/10/2013 17/07/2013

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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

 Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements and how children learn. Therefore, all children make good progress given their starting points.  Children play and explore in an extremely stimulating environment. The educational programmes provided are challenging and imaginative. As a result, children are highly motivated and busy learners that demonstrate all the characteristics of effective learning.  Partnerships with parents are firmly embedded. As a result, parents state that they feel fully involved in their child's learning and development.  Self-evaluation is used well to drive improvements forward. This results in a good quality environment and a knowledgeable workforce that are committed to bring about improvements that benefit the children the most.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children take part in some planned activities, such as discussions about new resources that are undertaken near to where other children are playing. Therefore, they become distracted by all the other games going on at the same time. This does not ensure children can always fully engage with the stimulating activities on offer.

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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 had a tour of the premises and held a meeting with the manager of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and the manager jointly observed a member of staff as she engaged in an activity with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the parents to ensure their views were taken into account.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at some paperwork, including the setting's policies, children's development files and safe recruitment processes.

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Information about the setting

The Old Fire Station Day Nursery was registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a converted fire station in the Mossley area of Tameside and is one in a group of three nurseries owned by a private provider. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There are enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 29 members of childcare staff. Of these, 26 hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 2, 3 and above.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm and children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 148 children attending, who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children, who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 enhance opportunities for children to engage with activities by minimising distractions during planned activities.

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who attend

Staff provide a wide variety of experiences for the children and demonstrate that they have a secure knowledge and understanding of how children learn. They have high expectations for the children and demonstrate a good knowledge of each child and how to engage and motivate them. As a result, all children enjoy vibrant and well-planned educational programmes and are valued for their individual uniqueness. The quality of teaching is very good, based on precise assessments of each child. These are monitored by the room leaders and management team to ensure they are used effectively to support each child's learning and development.

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who attend

Staff complete the progress check at age two years, when required and provide parents with a written summary. This reassures parents that their children are meeting their developmental milestones and ensures they have the opportunity to support their child's learning at home. Any child with special educational needs and/or disabilities is referred to the nursery's special educational needs coordinator. She works alongside parents to ensure the appropriate support is put in place to support the child. As a result, all children make good progress in their learning, given their starting points. Staff have implemented numerous strategies to engage parents in their child's learning and development. For example, 'home link' diaries and weekend news are completed by parents and staff. In addition, parents are invited to 'workshops'. These sessions are regularly available for parents to spend a couple of hours at the nursery interacting with their child and speaking

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who attend

to staff. As a result, parents state that they feel very involved in their child's learning and development.

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who attend

Within the baby and 'waddlers' rooms, staff show they are knowledgeable regarding the prime areas of learning and they plan a rich variety of activities to support babies' progress. For example, babies develop strong muscles as they use a wide range of movements in the soft playroom. Babies are very motivated and eager to join in the many sensory experiences that are available to them. They enjoy exploring the lights in the sensory room and laugh with delight while they investigate the texture of jelly. Young children's independence is fostered well. They choose the resources they like to play with and feed themselves.

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who attend

Each child's communication and language skills are supported well. Everyday activities facilitate communication as staff ask lots of open-ended questions that challenge children and encourage them to think. For example, while children investigate a compact disc player, staff ask them 'what's this button for' and 'what does this do?' Children enjoy these activities but not all were consistently focussed. This was due to the organisation of the activity, which was close to children playing other games alongside them, which some children found distracting. However, overall, children throughout each of the rooms are busy enthusiastic workers, with staff who constantly interact with them, supporting and encouraging their good progress. Children for whom English is an additional language are well supported by staff. They work in partnership with parents to learn a good range of key words in children's home language and use bilingual books to support their developing

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who attend

skills. As a result, all children develop a very good acquisition of language.

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who attend

Mathematics is very well promoted through a wide range of planned and spontaneous activities. The nursery environment is rich with numbers for children to refer to. Children in the pre-school rooms routinely use mathematical language in their play. For example, they state 'I have been shopping with fifty pounds' or that there's a number six on the table. In addition, children categorise and organise with sorting teddies and connect and play with shapes to form flowers and other objects with construction materials. There are plenty of opportunities for children to practise their early writing skills. They sound out and stencil letters at the writing table. Older children take part in regular letters and sounds sessions and the younger children enjoy the sensory experience of making marks in gloop. Children in the pre-school rooms enjoy drawing their favourite superhero characters and talking about their creations. For example, children state that their super hero is pink with

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who attend

blue hair and that they have a curly 'C' in their name. Children's imaginative skills are extremely well supported; they skilfully dress themselves in their favourite costumes or ask adults to mind their 'baby', while they take its big brother for a walk. Furthermore, children benefit from the regular access to the 'Toy town' room, where they have the opportunity to try out different roles in their community, such as shop keeper.

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who attend

The importance of physical activity is evident. Staff have planned an excellent range of activities to ensure every child thrives. Children benefit from activities, such as dance and movement and sports sessions. Daily access to the outdoors, where children use tools in the digging areas or play on the large climbing frame, provide children with very good opportunities to test and challenge their physical skills. In addition, there is ample space for children to run around.

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who attend

Equality and diversity is very well promoted. Children play and learn in an inclusive environment. They enjoy looking at the photographs that are displayed of their families and talking about them to the staff and other children. Therefore, children learn about similarities and differences between their own and other children's families. In addition, a good range of resources further support children to develop a good understanding of the diversity of the world in which they live. As a result of all the activities and experiences on offer for children, they acquire the necessary skills for their future learning at school.

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

Staff have successfully created a calm and supportive environment in which children are very well settled. This is due to the individualised settling-in programmes and the support children receive from their key person. She sensitively helps them form secure emotional attachments and provides a strong base for them to develop their independence and explore their new surroundings. Staff obtain a wealth of information from parents during initial visits to ensure they know each child well and how best to support them. Children are confident, extremely sociable and form strong relationships with their friends and other adults. For example, children tell adults that they 'are working as a team to move the sand off the sand box, which is a hard job'.

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

The safety of children is paramount for staff and they have implemented numerous systems to keep children safe and for children to learn to keep themselves safe. For example, gentle reminders, stop signs to encourage children to wait for an adult and a coloured circle to make lining up fun. As a result, children know to wait at the stairs and hold the hand rail as they walk up and down the stairs to prevent an accident. In addition, planned activities, including visits from the local fire fighters and regular evacuation practices, further contribute to children's understanding of being safe. Staff are excellent role models and manage children's behaviour sensitively. Therefore, children are extremely well behaved and are learning to respect themselves and each other.

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

The good health of children is effectively catered for by the staff. The dining room is an excellent environment, which ensures that mealtimes are extremely social occasions. Children chat away to their friends and inform adults that they have eaten all their dinner, so will have lots of energy to run fast. Children are served well balanced and nutritious meals and lots of fresh fruit. They develop an awareness of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle due to the clear messages staff offer children and by taking part in planned activities, such as growing their own fruit and vegetables. Children's independence is supported very well by staff at mealtimes. For example, older children line up to choose their dinner in preparation for school and young children competently feed themselves.

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

There is an extensive range of safe, well maintained, accessible and age-appropriate resources to promote children's learning and effectively challenge them both indoors and outside. Children display high levels of self-esteem and motivation as they confidently select from them. The child's key person works alongside parents to ensure internal transition arrangements for each child are smooth. Therefore, children settle into their new rooms with ease. Once children are ready to move onto the next stage in their learning, such as school, there are good arrangements in place to support them and ensure teachers are well informed to support their individual needs.

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provision

The leadership and management team of the nursery have a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Security at the nursery is robust, such as the closed circuit television system that monitors the indoor and outdoor environments and the biometric system that prevents any unwanted intruders from entering the building. Child collection procedures are equally robust and all staff are very clear of the procedure they would follow if unfamiliar adults arrive to collect a child from nursery. Staff have attended child protection training and have a very good understanding of safeguarding children. All staff have a secure knowledge of how to respond if they had any concerns regarding a child in their care. They know the procedure they would follow if there were any allegations of abuse regarding the adults at the nursery. Risk assessments are used robustly to monitor the premises and ensure they are safe for children to play

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provision

and explore in. In addition, procedures for administering medication and recording accidents are firmly embedded and understood by staff.

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provision

The manager monitors the performance of staff through regular appraisals. This ensures that staff are supported, can reflect on their practice and their training needs are identified. The educational programmes are monitored weekly to ensure planned experiences for the children are challenging, stimulating and age and stage appropriate.

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provision

The manager and staff team share a clear vision and commitment to maintaining a good standard at the nursery and ensure the views of parents and children are valued and included in the process. Self-evaluation is well documented to drive forward improvements that benefit the children the most. For example, digging areas have been created to support children's physical skills and staff and parents are currently collecting resources for a new mud kitchen.

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provision

Partnerships with others are good. Parents are extremely complimentary about the staff and the nursery. They state that they feel very involved in their child's learning. Parents say that they feel supported by the staff and they are very pleased with the progress their children make. For example, parents' comment that their children are willing to try new foods and eat a much more varied diet since starting the nursery. Parents feel they are fully informed about their child's day through informal discussions at the beginning and end of the day and through attending the workshops. The manager has implemented many ways to establish and maintain relationships with parents. Parents regularly look through their child's development records and they receive regular newsletters.

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provision

Staff have a good understanding of the advantage of liaising with other early years providers and local schools. This gives staff the ability to meet children's individual needs and ensures that there is continuity in their learning.

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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 EY370162 Local authority Tameside Inspection number 939375

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 150 Number of children on roll 148 Name of provider Kids Zone Mossley Limited Date of previous inspection 17/07/2013 Telephone number 01457834890

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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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