Discovery Day NurseryOfsted inspection, 10 Oct 2013

Discovery Iddesleigh House, 97 Heavitree Road, EXETER, EX1 2NE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/10/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Key person systems are not effective in helping children to feel settled and secure.  The provider does not ensure that staff deployment is effective in providing all children with appropriate levels of supervision and support at all times, to meet their needs.  The organisation of play and learning opportunities fails to provide children with sufficiently interesting and challenging activities to keep children involved and help them move onto the next steps in their learning.  The provider has not ensured that staff are sufficiently thorough in making sure that all risks to children are identified and minimised in the play areas, to keep them safe, with particular regard to the younger children's play resources and trip hazards for all.  The management's systems to monitor and evaluate the overall quality of the provision and staff practice are insufficient to identify weaknesses and drive improvement.

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It has the following strengths

 Children benefit from regular opportunities to play outdoors to promote their good health and well-being.  A range of nutritious and healthy meals are freshly cooked on the premises daily and any special dietary needs are catered for so children remain in good health.

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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 children's play and staff interaction, indoors and outside.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation including a sample of children's records and staff suitability records.  The inspector talked with staff and parents.

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Information about the setting

The Discovery Nursery registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a detached building in the Heavitree area of Exeter, Devon. The various rooms are organised to provide space for younger children on the ground floor and older children on the first floor. It operates from Monday to Friday 7.30am to 6.15pm all year round. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play and a parking area for parents. The nursery employs 10 members of staff, including the manager. Eight staff hold appropriate childcare qualifications. The manager has an early years degree and holds Early Years Professional Status. The nursery provides funded early education for children aged two, three, and four years. There are currently 21 children on roll in the early years age range.

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must:

 improve the arrangements for assigning key persons, to help children feel settled and secure and to ensure that key staff understand children's individual needs fully

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must:

 improve staff deployment arrangements to ensure children remain well supervised and supported at all times to make sure their care and learning needs are consistently met

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must:

 improve organisation of play and learning opportunities to support children's learning and development and help them move onto the next step in their learning

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must:

 implement thorough systems for self-evaluation so that priorities for improvement are based on rigorous monitoring of practice

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must:

 make sure that all risks or hazards in regard to the younger children's play resources are identified and steps taken to minimise these, and encourage all children to care for their environment, so that they do not leave toys as trip hazards around the playroom floor.

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who attend

Children's learning and development is not well supported. The children's play and learning experiences are restricted by the staff's lack of organisation of the resources and activities. At times, all children of differing ages are cared for in one room. This means that the activities fail to provide sufficient challenge for all children as the equipment and resources are generally more suitable for younger ones. Many of the younger children are unsettled and upset. This means that staff have little time to support the other children. Therefore, some children have to occupy themselves and staff do not engage them in purposeful play.

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who attend

Staff do not make good use of areas designated for creative play activities to offer children a range of exploratory play experiences. For example, when children go into the adjoining creative room to play in the sand, staff immediately put the cover back on as soon as they walk away. This action restricts the ability for children to extend their play and revisit activities that interest them which hinders their learning.

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who attend

Staff have begun to make observations to help them assess and plan for children's learning. However, staff do not share information so they can all help children take the next steps in their learning. For example, some staff do not know that certain children are being supported in learning to feed themselves and they continue to feed them. This means that children are not consistently encouraged in taking the next step in their learning.

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who attend

Staff sometimes get involved in children's play, sharing picture books and introducing some songs and rhymes. Children listen and join in the actions of familiar rhymes. Staff become involved in the role-play when children pretend to have a picnic, helping to promote conversation appropriately. However, opportunities to model language and introduce new words to help build on all children's vocabulary are not always taken.

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who attend

Children are developing confidence as they climb and balance on the low climbing frame. Younger children learn that by pressing the buttons on the musical toys they can create different sounds, repeating their actions. This play contributes towards their physical development and increases their interest in technology. Some children are confident to move around the play environment and choose their play activities, such as selecting books from the low bookshelf.

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who attend

Parents are kept suitably informed about how children have been during the day through informal discussion at handover times. The use of a communication book for the younger children provides a further two-way exchange of information between parents and staff. Parents comment on how they like use of these books for sharing information. This system gives details of children's sleep times, nappy changes and food eaten. Some information is shared about children's development, which gives parents an understanding of the progress children are making. Staff have not implemented the progress check for two-year-olds, but through discussion demonstrate that they aware of the requirement.

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

Many of the children are new and still settling. Key person systems, whereby individual staff take responsibility for a group of children, are not working effectively to meet children's needs. Children who are upset are passed around between all members of staff throughout the session. As a result, children are not receiving the consistent support that they need to help them form secure attachments to adults who understand their needs. Staff are caring and provide children with cuddles, such as when feeding them their bottles of milk. However, when all the children are cared for together, there is sometimes a chaotic feel within the playroom because staff struggle to deal with all the children's individual needs. This is unsettling for younger children in particular and makes them feel insecure.

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

Staff complete appropriate risk assessments that are reviewed monthly to help identify potential hazards to children's safety. For example, following liaison with the local authority a yew tree was removed from the outdoor play environment to improve children's safety. The effective security systems and procedures followed by staff make sure that no unauthorised person can enter the premises, which helps keep children safe.

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

Selections of clean, good quality resources are stored in low units. This enables children to make some independent choices about their play. Staff stay close-by as young children explore the low climbing frame, helping them gain confidence in developing new skills. However, staff are not effective in minimising all hazards to children, as some equipment with small pieces are easily accessible for babies to put in their mouths, risking choking. At times, too many toys are scattered over the floor and this causes the younger children to stumble and trip. This weakness hinders younger children's ability to move around the environment freely and safely. Clear evacuation procedures are practised with staff but the children have not taken part in these, so older ones can gain some understanding of what to do in emergency situations.

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

Children's health is supported appropriately. Children have daily use of the nursery garden providing them with regular fresh air and exercise. Staff make sure that all children wear their coats when going outside to play to keep children warm. Children also go on trips outside the nursery, such as to the beach, which provide different play and learning experiences. Children are learning about the importance of washing their hands before eating snack, which teaches them good hygiene routines. A nutritious range of meals, including a vegetarian option, is freshly prepared on the premises. Staff liaise with parents about children's specific dietary needs and make sure that these are followed. This communication contributes towards keeping children healthy. Staff sit with children during meal times, making sure that the cutlery provided is suitable for the differing stages of children's development.

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provision

The inspection was brought forward due to a number of concerns received by Ofsted about the nursery, in particular, concerns about the supervision of children and a high number of accidents. The inspection found that staff deployment is ineffective and, at times, children do not have appropriate levels of supervision. Staff move between the different rooms and on occasions they walk out of a room and leave young children unsupervised. This compromises children's safety and causes the children to become upset. As a result, the provider is required to take action to improve in relation to the concern raised about supervising children appropriately at all times. Furthermore, this inspection has found that not all hazards to children's safety are identified and minimised, putting children at risk of accidents from trip hazards or the younger children playing with toys that are unsuitable for them, Additionally, the key person system does not work

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provision

effectively to meet children's needs. These are breaches of requirements for the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage that place children's well-being at risk.

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provision

Policies and procedures, which include safeguarding and complaints, are in place to support the running of the nursery. Clear recruitment and vetting procedures are followed to determine the staff's suitability to work with children. Most staff have completed online safeguarding training and know to report any concerns about a child in their care to the designated safeguarding officer. Generally, appropriate use of records and documentation help to support children's on-going welfare. A clear record of children's and staff attendance, along with records of any visitors to the nursery, is maintained.

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provision

The nursery has only been open for a few months and many aspects are still being developed. Staff are well qualified, and are developing as a team as they become familiar with their individual roles. All staff go through a clear induction process to help them understand their roles and responsibilities. However, the key person arrangements are not effective in helping children to settle and form secure attachments. At times, there is too little support from the management team as staff struggle to cope with the needs of children who are still settling.

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provision

The management team do not have effective monitoring systems in place to ensure that all areas of the educational programme are covered. The play and learning experiences provided by staff do not regularly incorporate all areas of learning. This means that children receive insufficient support to enable them to progress appropriately and develop necessary skills for the future. Systems of self-evaluation are ineffective. A practice manager works across the different nursery settings, but has not been involved in looking at the nursery provision to evaluate and support the team in identifying weaknesses, and taking action to make improvements.

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provision

Parents receive appropriate information about the nursery provision through the welcome pack, termly newsletters and informal discussions. Parents are made aware of the nursery policies and procedures and that they can approach staff to discuss any issues. There is a procedure in place for dealing with any concerns and complaints from parents. Staff liaise with external agencies, knowing how to gain additional support for any child who may need it. There are suitable systems to link with other early years providers caring for children as staff share information about the children's progress. This liaison contributes towards promoting some continuity for children's care and development.

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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 EY461033 Local authority Devon Inspection number 935984 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 80 Number of children on roll 21 Name of provider Exeter Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07557272285

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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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