Towcester Tots Day Nursery Ltd

Towcester Tots Day Nursery 2 Watling Street East, TOWCESTER, Northamptonshire, NN12 6AF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/11/2013 22/02/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Teaching is good overall with some outstanding elements. The manager and senior staff fully understand how to promote children's learning and use accurate assessments of children's progress to plan activities that enable children to achieve their starting points and capabilities.  Children are cared for in a safe environment. All areas and equipment used by the children are risk assessed regularly to ensure that action is taken, when necessary, to keep children safe. Management and staff understand their role and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and child protection.  Management and senior staff are suitably organised to manage the setting well. Delegated duties are monitored to ensure the provision runs smoothly and efficiently.  Partnerships with parents and carers, other professionals and agencies are well- established to enable staff to support individual children's needs effectively.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to disseminate the excellent teaching skills observed throughout the nursery, to all staff.  Displays and mobiles can be better positioned to enable the younger children to engage with them more effectively.

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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 compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all the rooms and outdoor areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation in the pre-school room with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the provider, the manager and talked with all members of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's records and planning and assessment documentation both in hard copy and on the electronic system.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff, the latest self-evaluation form and action plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included in the nursery's latest parent survey.

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Information about the setting

Towcester Tots Day Nursery was registered in 2006 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a two-storey building on Watling Street in Towcester, Northamptonshire. It is privately owned and managed. The nursery serves the local area, is accessible to all children and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including one with Early Years Professional Status. All other staff hold early years qualifications at level 2 and are working towards a qualification at level 3. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.45am until 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 53 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early years education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a

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Information about the setting

number of children with special educational needs.

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

 disseminate further the excellent teaching skills found throughout the nursery, to support all children's learning to the very highest level

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

 enable the younger children to better engage with displays, mobiles and pictures, for example, by having them at a lower level.

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who attend

Teaching is good overall across the nursery with some outstanding elements, particularly in the pre-school. There is scope to disseminate these excellent teaching skills to all staff so that children are best supported to the very highest level to excel in their learning. For example, although speech and language is well-supported across the nursery, this is not always to the optimum because a few staff do not naturally ask open questions to challenge thinking and extend learning. The manager and senior staff recognise that children learn through play and that they have differing learning styles. They fully understand how to promote children's learning by organising the environment and resources to enable children to develop independence, curiosity and the ability to explore. However, displays and mobiles in some rooms are positioned too high for the younger children to benefit from them as effectively as the older children. The use of accurate

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who attend

assessments of children's progress to plan activities enables children to achieve very well given their starting points and capabilities. Adult-focussed activities engage the children's interest and support their learning very well. Children also often engage staff in their play. For example, a child looking through their family book invites a member of staff to look to and goes on to explain who everyone is in the photographs. Another example is when a child with a particular interest in dinosaurs, involves staff and other children in an ongoing activity to find the dinosaur eggs.

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who attend

Children under the age of two years participate in a variety of activities to develop basic skills which will support their future learning. When outside, they learn to negotiate the steps to the small slide and to wait until the baby in front has reached the bottom before they start to slide down. They smile as they sit in a bath of pasta and couscous and use their hands and feet to explore the texture. Staff talk to children as they experiment and some introduce new words and sounds and listen as the babies respond in their own way. Children in the toddler room have by now acquired many basic skills and are becoming independent. They easily move between the activities and at times during the day are able to access the activities in the pre-school areas as well as their own. This benefits all children. It enables the younger ones to play with and learn from their older friends and also teaches the older children about being considerate to the younger ones.

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who attend

Children's starting points on entry are obtained from discussions between key people and parents and by parents completing a booklet about their child. Initial learning targets are agreed after the child has settled in. The close partnerships that develop between staff and parents actively support the child's transition from home to nursery. Regular observations are made, including the taking of photographs, to assess children's progress and then update next steps in learning. Parents are encouraged in a variety of ways to share information about their children's experiences and achievements outside the nursery. This helps them to feel included in their children's learning. Staff have well- established links with local primary schools, which supports children's transition when they move into the reception class. Some children continue to attend the nursery before and after school. These links are valuable in supporting children's early school life.

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

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

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

Children start to learn about self-care from an early age and become very independent as they move through the nursery. For example, children as young as two years of age select their snack from the serving plates. Children are taught how to stop the spread of germs by washing their hands at appropriate times. Children's health and dietary needs are well- supported. They learn about healthy eating as they try to guess what they are having for snack and children learn from the staff that sit and eat with them at lunchtime, often talking about what they have on their plates.

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

Children are cared for in a safe environment. All areas and equipment used by the children are risk assessed regularly to ensure that action is taken to keep children safe. As children progress through the nursery they are taught more about how to keep themselves safe. For example, people such as police community support officers, are invited into the nursery to talk about their role, which often involves looking out for children. Children experience outdoor play throughout the day. There are a good variety of activities for them to engage with and toys and apparatus which support physical development, understanding the world, literacy and imaginary play. For example, children enjoy telling each other stories as they sit on the car and lorry tyres.

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provision

Management and staff understand their role and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and child protection. Robust recruitment practices ensure a motivated workforce that work well together. Suitability checks are undertaken on all adults working with the children to ensure children are safeguarded. The manager and senior staff ensure the nursery operates efficiently. Induction and probation programmes support new and returning staff as they become familiar with the workings of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Regular meetings and appraisals take place to further support staff and discuss and assess their training needs.

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provision

The provider and manager understand their responsibilities with regard to the implementation of the learning and development requirements. The manager is an early years practitioner and is responsible for monitoring and developing teaching across the nursery. Monitoring of children's learning is effective in identifying individual needs and is also starting to be used to track and identify groups of children who may need extra support to close the gaps in learning.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and carers, other professionals and agencies are well- established to support individual children's needs. Parents comment that they appreciate the support they and their children receive from the nursery staff.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY414844 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 940835

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 57 Number of children on roll 53 Name of provider Towcester Tots Day Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 22/02/2011 Telephone number 01327354007

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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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