More Grace Day Nursery and Out of School Club

More Grace Day Nursery and Out of School Club Eversley Leisure Centre, Crest Avenue, BASILDON, Essex, SS13 2EF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/11/2013 27/06/2013

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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 requires improvement

 Staff use their routine observations of children's achievements to plan a broad range of activities that cover all areas of learning and enable children to make steady progress.  Children feel emotionally safe and secure in the nursery because there are flexible and personalised settling-in procedures, which mean they from warm bonds with their key persons from the outset.  Well-established links exist with local schools and other professionals to promote smooth transitions and continuity in children's learning and development.

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It is not yet good because

 Risk assessment is not always consistently rigorous enough to identify all the potential risks to the youngest children's well-being at the start of the day.  The quality of teaching is variable as the organisation of routines, the presentation of resources and staff deployment are not always effective in maximising children's full participation and engagement in learning.  The strategies for encouraging parents to share information about their children's learning at home are not always successful, so key persons do not always have a clear all-round picture of their progress.

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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 indoor and outdoor learning environments.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the registered provider, manager, staff and children.  The inspector viewed a sample of children's development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector saw evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff, self-evaluation, risk assessment, policies and procedures and other documentation in relation to health and safety checks.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and from their comments on display in thank you cards.

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Information about the setting

More Grace Day Nursery and Out of School Club opened in 2008. It is one of three settings privately run and managed by the same owner. The nursery operates from rooms on the ground floor of a leisure centre in Basildon, Essex. It serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are between 7.30am and 6.30pm and children attend for a variety of sessions. Children are cared for in three play areas and have access to an enclosed area for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 42 children attending, who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children for whom English is an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are currently eight staff working directly with children, six of whom staff hold an appropriate early years qualification. There are five staff that hold an appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The manager hold a qualification at level 5. The nursery also employs a cook. It receives support from the local authority. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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must:

 ensure that the risk assessment of the premises is consistently applied, with particular regard to the robust completion of the early morning safety checks and by making sure that the baby room is maintained and ready for children when they arrive

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must:

 review the planning of routines, presentation of resources and deployment of staff, to ensure that children are sufficiently challenged in their child-initiated play and consistently inspired to make the most of all learning opportunities, so they make good progress.

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

 strengthen the opportunities for parents to contribute to children's ongoing learning, for example, by recording their own observations on progress reports and in children's development records, so that a more all-round picture of each child's development is gained.

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who attend

Staff have an appropriate understanding of how young children learn and plan a suitable range of activities each day, which ensures children make steady progress. There is an acceptable blend of adult-led and child-initiated experiences across the seven areas of learning, to support children's play and ideas. The key persons take the lead in delivering focused activities to support children in developing the knowledge and skills they need in readiness for starting school. For example, children enjoy working in small groups, practising pencil control or demonstrating their growing skills in using scissors to cut out shapes. They are fascinated by numbers and some of the older children recognise numerals up to 10 and beyond. Information is displayed about the continuous child- initiated provision, so that all staff and parents are beginning to understand the benefits of why certain activities are provided and what children will gain from them. As the storage

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who attend

in the playrooms is limited, children have access to a photograph album that enables them to select toys stored out of sight in the cupboard. However, children are not always inspired to make the most of their child-initiated opportunities as the resources are not imaginatively presented to encourage children to develop their own creative ideas or try new things. In addition, although, most children enjoy listening to stories read by staff, some books accessible to older children are well used or torn. This means not all children are encouraged to take care of their resources and look at books for their own pleasure.

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who attend

There is a positive system in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who speak English as an additional language. When staff identify that children have speech and language difficulties, they seek advice from outside agencies to ensure all children get the additional support they need. The majority of children are becoming confident communicators and eagerly engage in conversations about their home lives. They are also inquisitive and want to know what visitors are doing. When staff use effective questioning techniques, children respond well by giving interesting answers. For example, they particularly enjoy recalling previous learning experiences when they look at photographs in their development records. Children have opportunities to be creative in adult-led activities. They explore colour using paint and experiment with sounds and tempo when using musical instruments. Children's artwork is

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who attend

displayed, so they know their efforts are valued and consequently, they develop a sense of pride in their work. However, teaching is variable as sometimes staff are more involved in dealing with domestic tasks, such as cleaning, rather than directly being involved in children's activities.

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who attend

Parents provide initial information about children's interests and capabilities to help the key person plan activities right from the start that meet children's needs. Each term parents have the opportunity to meet with their child's key person to discuss progress and staff have started to recommend activities that parents can use with their children at home. The nursery also organises 'stay and play' sessions, so that parents can share activities with their children. The required 'progress checks for children at age two', are shared with parents. However, the key persons are not maintaining a record of parents' contribution to this process. In addition, they are not ensuring that parents are consistently encouraged to contribute comments and observations of their children's learning at home to the ongoing development records. This means that planning for children's learning is not sharply focused, as staff are not consistently obtaining a

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who attend

complete all-round view of their interests and achievements.

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

Staff have positive relationships with children, this is because they work hard from the outset to bond with them and their families. Children and have a number of settling-in visits before they start at the nursery, which helps them to feel secure. Overall, the key person system is sound and staff know about children's individual needs. There have been recent changes to staff's responsibilities and this has involved in some changes to the key persons for some children. However, this has had minimal impact on children, as parents know who they need to talk to if they want to pass on information about daily care needs. Children and toddlers enjoy frequent cuddles with their key persons, which helps them settle if they feel uncertain and ensures they develop a sense of belonging. When children move rooms, transitions are well-managed. This is because staff work closely with parents, to help children settle in their new group. When children move to school, staff

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

share information and teaching staff visit the nursery to ensure that there is continuity of care and learning.

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

Children learn to adopt healthy lifestyles when they are taken to the outdoor area at allotted times during the day. This means that children have daily opportunities to move energetically and develop their physical skills in the fresh air. Children demonstrate agility as they climb apparatus or crawl through a tunnel and skilfully steer and ride wheeled toys. Staff maintain an acceptable level of cleanliness in the nursery and ensure that tables are clean before children eat. The nursery kitchen has been inspected by an environmental health officer and has been awarded five stars for food hygiene. Wholesome and nutritious snacks and meals are provided and staff sit eating with children and this provides a sociable occasion. Parents get to see the menu each day and staff are knowledgeable about any individual dietary requirements. Children learn to manage their personal hygiene needs independently as step stools are provided, so they can reach the

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

hand basins for themselves. They also learn to put on coats by themselves before they go outside and pour drinks or serve their food at snack times.

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

Children mainly behave well and play cooperatively. They learn to take turns during games and are encouraged to be polite and say 'please' and 'thank you' when making requests. However, the routines are not always efficiently organised and this sometimes impacts on children's emotional well-being. For instance, they have unproductive time while they sit waiting in groups for the next activity and become restless when they find it difficult to maintain concentration. Children gain an understanding of risks and how to keep themselves safe as safety rules are discussed as children play. This means that they learn to hold scissors and cutlery safely and staff gently talk to children about why it is not safe to bump in to others when riding wheeled toys. Fire drills are practised at regular intervals. This means that children and staff learn how to safely evacuate the premises in an emergency.

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provision

The management of the nursery has a sound understanding of the requirements of the Statutory framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Safeguarding is appropriately supported and staff know what to do if they have concerns about a child. Staff also undergo relevant recruitment, vetting and induction procedures, which helps ensure they are suitable to work with children. The minimum required staffing ratios are met to ensure that children are never left unsupervised indoors or outside. Staff work hard to overcome the constraints regarding the premises. All equipment and furniture in the main playroom has to be packed away at the end of each day and staff usually check the toys for damage or cleanliness. However, risk assessment is not always robust, particularly at the start of the day. This sometimes means that the playrooms are not effectively organised and not all the appropriate safety measures are in place when the youngest children enter the

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provision

baby room. However, there is no evidence that children are at significant risk of harm, as staff are responsive and react promptly when any omissions are pointed out.

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provision

The manager is currently involved in managing all three settings run by the owner due to other key staff leaving or taking maternity leave. This means that she is fully stretched dealing with administrative tasks, as well as taking the lead responsibility for many aspects of the three provisions. Nonetheless, the manager is appropriately monitoring the performance of staff through appraisals and supervision meetings and is responsive when any underperformance is identified. When it has been identified that there are gaps in the monitoring of children's progress, the manager ensures that staff get additional support to develop their confidence when assessing children's achievements. The deputy manager has started to take on additional responsibilities for mentoring the trainee staff and acts as a confident role model for staff to follow in their interactions with children. Training opportunities are provided and the courses are chosen to specifically benefit children that

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provision

attend. For example, the staff team recently updated their first aid training and have received additional guidance on dealing with specific medical needs.

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provision

The management team describe effective systems for sharing information with other agencies where relevant. The area special educational needs coordinator and outreach workers from the children's centre visit the nursery to offer support to children. Links are also made with other early years professionals at learning community meetings to share good practice and to obtain ideas for developing the educational programmes. There are strong relationships with the local primary schools to help provide continuity of care and meet children's individual needs. Parents and carers are made to feel very welcome. Information is displayed in the entrance lobby and they are kept up to date with changes through newsletters and verbal feedback. Daily diaries for babies and toddlers provide information about what individual children have eaten, sleeping arrangements and nappy changes. Parents speak very positively about the care provided and appreciate the

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provision

sensitive way staff welcome and settle children into the nursery.

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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 EY374563 Local authority Essex Inspection number 944241

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 42 Name of provider Olapeju Yetunde Olagundoye Date of previous inspection 27/06/2013 Telephone number 01268 559788

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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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