Kids Planet Warrington Town Centre

Kids Planet Ebenezer Chapel, Ebenezer Place, Legh Street, WARRINGTON, WA1 1UL

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/11/2013 18/03/2009

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 The nursery provides an inspiring, welcoming and stimulating environment. The enthusiastic and caring staff team ensure that children are exceptionally well supported and as a result, make extremely good progress from their starting points.  Highly effective, teaching strategies are in place to help children develop early language and communication skills and to support their physical, personal, social and emotional development. As a result, all children are extremely well prepared for their next stage in learning.  The ethos of the nursery is evident in all areas both inside and outdoors. As a result, children attending have a strong awareness of their own self-worth and belonging.  Leadership is inspirational. Robust management systems are in place, based on focussed, in-depth evaluation of staff practice. An astute and well-targeted programme of professional development means that staff are constantly seeking to improve their

p.1

This provision is outstanding

already excellent understanding of how children learn and how to meet their individual needs.  Children's behaviour is exceptional because staff are exemplary role models. This ensures that children are well motivated, eager to join in all activities and clearly demonstrate enthusiasm for learning.  Highly effective, respectful partnerships with parents and other professionals, means that children's individual needs are exceptionally well met.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector checked all relevant documentation and scrutinised requested policies and procedures, including those for safeguarding and recruitment of staff.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's records, learning journals and observation, assessment and planning documentation.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of staffs' suitability to work with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and the development and action plans in place to secure improvement.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the nursery manager, nominated person, individual staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection and carried out a joint observation with the nursery manager.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers and other professionals spoken to on the day and from written comments.

p.2

Information about the setting

Kids Planet was registered in 2008 under the current private ownership of Kids Planet Day Nurseries Limited on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It operates from a converted chapel situated in the centre of Warrington and is part of a chain of registered settings owned by the current provider. Children are cared for within five rooms located on three floors with no lift access to the second or third floor. There is an area available for outdoor play.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery is open five days a week from 7am to 7pm for 52 weeks of the year and a small number of school aged children are cared for during the summer holidays. Children attend from the local community and surrounding areas. The nursery supports children with English as an additional language. There are currently 116 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery employs 19 members of staff, including the manager and the chef. There is one member of staff who has Qualified Teacher Status, 18 staff hold early years qualifications at level 3 and above and the manager holds a qualification at level 6. The nominated person has the Early Years Professional Status. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

p.3

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

 maintain the already strong links with the local community, so that children continue to benefit from the exceptional educational programmes already in place.

p.3

who attend

Teaching is outstanding. Staff have excellent skills and knowledge of the learning and development requirements and a superb understanding of how children learn. As a result, children thrive and are well motivated to learn in this extremely high quality nursery. Staff provide an exciting, stimulating and extremely well-organised environment, both indoors and outdoors. This ensures that all children make rapid progress in all areas of learning and development. Children consistently demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning. There is an extremely sharp focus on helping children to acquire communication and language skills and supporting physical, personal, social and emotional development. Furthermore, very strong links with parents, who fully contribute towards learning activities, means that children are exceptionally well prepared for school and their next stage of learning. However, there is scope to enhance the already strong links with the

p.3

who attend

local community, in order to further enrich children's learning.

p.4

who attend

Staff really value the way children choose to move and provide lots of opportunities for them to be outside in all weathers. Babies engage in varied physical experiences as they bounce, roll, squeeze and throw. Staff support and encourage them to stand and walk using furniture and toys in their base room. Older children show good control and coordination in large and small movements. They move confidently in the outdoor area and handle equipment, tools and resources effectively. For example, with pencils, paint brushes, construction kits and making 'mud pies', in their mud kitchen outdoors. As a result, they develop their physical skills extremely well. Children develop their knowledge of technology and understand that information can be retrieved from computers. For example, they competently use the interactive board to use the paint box, follow their favourite story and make their own creative drawings with pens and their fingers. Staff

p.4

who attend

provide an excellent range of resources and there is a sharp focus throughout the nursery to promote all areas of learning and development.

p.4

who attend

Children develop their communication and language skills as they show interest in familiar sounds. Staff encourage them to repeat familiar words and give opportunities for children to speak and listen in their own language, in order to participate fully. Babies understand what is being said to them as they begin to point and gesture and use single words to communicate. This is because staff use highly effective resources, such as the 'mini me' families game, with photographs of parents and people who are familiar. A range of resources, to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or English as an additional language, ensures that all children's language and communication needs are met. Older children read and write as appropriate for their stage of development and they particularly enjoy using their own alphabet system, which consists of photographs and letter sounds matched to the children's interests. Consequently,

p.4

who attend

children are highly motivated to learn, which means that they consistently display the characteristics of effective learning. Teaching is extremely effective and assessment procedures are rigorous, meticulous and highly comprehensive. Staff are dynamic and enthusiastically plan learning using the information gathered from parents on entry to the nursery. Each child is assigned a key person to be responsible for their development, routine care practices and liaison with parents. Every child has an individual profile and a record of learning that is first class. Staff have a wealth of knowledge of every child's needs and future needs. Relationships with parents are exemplary and make a highly innovative contribution to meeting all children's needs. Parents talk on a daily basis and during regular parents' evenings. They contribute to learning booklets that are sent home on a regular basis as a communication tool. As a result, excellent relationships are actively

p.4

who attend

contributing to children's learning and development.

p.4

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

Staff support children to feel extremely secure and comfortable with routines and there are superb, close relationships with children and their key person. Children respond to appropriate boundaries with dynamic encouragement and support. They fully engage in their activities and experience very rich, varied and imaginative learning opportunities. To help prepare children getting ready for school, staff work closely with local schools and have devised very effective transition strategies in partnership with parents. Relationships with parents are exemplary and make a highly innovative contribution to meeting all children's needs. Parents chat on a daily basis either before or after a session. They contribute to learning diaries that are sent home on a daily basis as a communication tool. Parents contribute to their child's learning through the learning journeys, the communication books and staff plan activities based on information from parents. As a

p.4

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

result, excellent relationships are actively contributing to children's learning and progression. Children form strong, secure emotional attachments, which provide a solid foundation to develop their personal, social and emotional skills. The sensitive, caring interaction between staff and children ensures that all children form positive and trusting relationships. Children settle well because staff find out good information from parents about their child to ensure all children's needs are known and effectively met.

p.5

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

Staff effectively promote children's independence and sense of responsibility through a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led experiences. For example, at mealtimes, children help to serve their own meals and choose from a healthy varied menu. Children enjoy the meals and all eat competently, using appropriate cutlery. Staff act as good role models, helping children to learn how to be healthy, such as washing their hands before lunch and positively promoting healthy foods. Children are able to manage their own self- care appropriate to their age because staff provide good guidance and give them time to complete tasks. For example, children competently serve themselves a range of foods and pre-school children take it in turns to be lunch monitors, which helps them prepare for school.

p.5

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

Staff are excellent role models and use positive communication strategies, to help children understand about acceptable behaviour. Behaviour management training is very well embedded and staff share their good knowledge to support parents' understanding of positive behaviour management. Consequently, children's behaviour is outstanding. Children learn about keeping safe through highly effective teaching strategies. For example, children are encouraged to develop their own risk assessments, using visual aids, such as smiley and sad faces, linked to their own ideas about what is acceptable behaviour. For example, children decided, with staff support, that pushing one another would be a risk, therefore, children are gaining a deep understanding of the need to keep safe. This ethos is consistent throughout the nursery, resulting in outstanding progress in personal, social and emotional development for all children.

p.5

provision

Safeguarding procedures are outstanding. All staff prioritise children's safety and have an excellent awareness of safeguarding issues. They are competent in the procedures to follow and who to contact in the event of any concerns about children or colleagues. Staff are fully aware of the nursery's designated child protection managers and the process to follow if they are concerned about any issues within their practice. Managers continue to monitor staff performance within the nursery rooms and ensure that staff are deployed effectively according to qualifications and experience with specific age groups of children. All staff have undertaken safeguarding training externally and all staff follow strict procedures and policies to protect children at all times. An extensive range of policies and procedures successfully underpin daily practice and regular reviews are carried out. Extensive risk assessments for all areas of the building, the outdoor area and resources

p.5

provision

ensure children's safety remains paramount. Robust recruitment and vetting systems ensure all adults working with children are suitable to do so. Extensive support and liaison with a wide range of professionals has enabled practitioners to implement the Early Years Foundation Stage with confidence. As a result, they have an excellent understanding of the requirements to effectively monitor all children's skills, abilities and progress. Interventions are sought at the early stages to identify any group falling behind their peers or below their expected achievements, which results in children's needs being met effectively and relevant support services involved.

p.6

provision

Leadership is inspirational and self-evaluation is well documented and highlights the strong emphasis on maintaining high levels of achievement for all children. Strengths and weaknesses are clearly identified and focused improvement plans are in place to secure continuous improvement. The process for self-evaluation within the nursery incorporates the views of staff, children and parents. The staff team share a vision to provide an excellent service for the children and their families, thus, making a positive difference to their lives. They are highly motivated in their continuous professional development and are continually seeking ways to improve. Effective systems are implemented to enable staff to continually evaluate their practice. This is achieved through high quality systems for professional supervisions, peer observations, staff's self-appraisals and discussions during meetings with the managers and the early years teacher. The system of evaluation

p.6

provision

of staff performance through peer observation is robust and fully encourages staff's continued professional development, in order to learn through honest and critical reflection. A wealth of training for all staff has contributed towards the successful implementation of the Every Child a Talker programme and Health Promoting Early Years award. Furthermore, the nursery has won a number of national awards since the last inspection, including manager of the year, practitioner of the year and pre-school of the year.

p.6

provision

Highly effective partnerships between parents, external agencies and other providers are evident and well established. These contribute to meeting children's individual needs effectively. There are excellent relationships with local schools. Teachers visit their prospective children to get to know them. The nursery works closely with the local early years team who provide training and support. Other professional agencies are involved with the nursery. Staff have excellent relationships with parents. Effective communication systems ensure that parents are kept fully informed of their children's progress. Photographs and informative displays cover the walls. These illustrate the breadth of activities that children are actively involved in during their time at the nursery, accompanied by explanations relating to how children learn. Parents' contribute extensively to the initial assessment of their children's starting points on entry. They are

p.6

provision

also provided with a variety of opportunities to support and share information about their children's learning and development at home. Children are extremely well prepared for their next stage in learning and well prepared for their transition to school. Targeted learning programmes and children's development is shared with other providers. As a result, there is consistent, secure support for children with any special educational needs and/or disabilities and therefore, all children's needs are very well met.

p.6

The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY381916 Local authority Warrington Inspection number 939000

p.9

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 94 Number of children on roll 116 Name of provider Kids Planet Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 18/03/2009 Telephone number 01925417350

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.10

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,

p.10

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’.

p.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11