Klas Childrens Day Nurseries

Klas Childrens Day Nurseries The Farm House, Bell Plantation, Watling Street, TOWCESTER, Northamptonshire, NN12 6HN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/01/2014 19/06/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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 because all staff fully understand how to promote and extend children's learning. As a result, children progress well given their starting points and capabilities.  Children's personal, social and emotional development is promoted well by staff. Children are happy, settled and secure and the interaction between staff, children and their peers is very good.  Management and staff successfully minimise potential risks within the nursery and outdoors. Children are continually safeguarded as staff are fully aware of their responsibility to supervise them and protect them from harm.  Children benefit from plenty of fresh air each day as they access well-resourced outdoor play areas. They use a wide variety of age-appropriate play equipment that encourages their large muscle skills and helps develop their balance, control and coordination.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children do not have the opportunity to develop their understanding of different languages and to see their home language in written form as labels within the setting are only in English.

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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 spoke to staff and children present and observed activities taking place both indoors and outdoors.  The inspector looked around the premises and discussed aspects of safety.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation, policies and children's learning journals and checked staff's qualification and suitability.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views and opinions regarding the service provided.

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Information about the setting

Klas Children's Day Nurseries is run by Klas Children's Day Nurseries Limited. It was registered in October 2003 and operates from a converted farmhouse which comprises two floors and a separate single-storey building, within the grounds of The Bell Plantation on the outskirts of Towcester, in the south of Northamptonshire. The ground floor rooms are accessible. Each nursery room has its own separate enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open from 8am until 6pm, all year round, with the exception of bank holidays, Christmas and New Year. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 77 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 17 childcare staff. Of these, one holds a qualification at level 5, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including one with Early Years Professional Status. Three members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and one is unqualified. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 provide further opportunities for children to develop their understanding of different languages and to see their home languages, for example, by displaying them throughout the nursery.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and the seven areas of learning. Each child is supported very well by all staff, especially their key person, who evaluates the information gained from regular observations and assessments to plan a wide variety of play experiences that promotes their future learning needs. This enables staff to quickly identify where there are gaps in children's learning and where additional support may be needed. Staff and parents work in partnership to ensure continuity of care. Parents are actively encouraged to share what their child knows and can do from the start of their child's placement. Strong systems for communication ensure staff and parents are kept informed about each child's achievements and progress at home and at nursery. Staff secure good relationships with parents from the start of their child's placement and their views are valued by staff.

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who attend

Information from children's learning journals and observations is used to complete the progress check at age two, which parents then share with other health professionals as required. Children are supported very well through routines and activities which encourage their independence and developing skills in readiness for reception class in school. Children are motivated, enthusiastic and eager to become involved in the activities provided. Photographs of children's families are displayed, encouraging discussion about the special people in their lives and the similarities and differences between families. A range of resources and activities help children gain awareness of diversity and the wider world, including role play, dolls and food tasting activities, books and small world figures. Staff understand the importance of working closely with parents where English is an additional language and children enjoy learning French during the week. Children attend

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who attend

from different cultural backgrounds and staff gain key words from parents to enable them to communicate with the children and their families. However, although staff gather words in children's home languages, these are not used within the environment to help children recognise different languages and encourage their feeling of inclusion.

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who attend

Children play extremely well together and understand the need to share and take turns in play. Communication and language is promoted very well. Staff skilfully ask questions that encourage children to recall past events and extend their language skills further. Children's understanding of the wider world is extended extremely well. They are currently learning about Chinese New Year and excitedly talk about the dragon they are making for their parade, explaining how they made it and how the dragon roars. Staff use open-ended questions to encourage them to recall what they spoke about the day before, including the important colours of the celebration and why the Great Wall of China was built. From this children identify China on a world map and make their own wall using large and small bricks. Children enjoy the outdoor learning environment where there is an abundance of resources. Each room has their own garden so resources are appropriate for their ages

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who attend

and abilities. These include climbing frames, bikes, tents and a variety of stilts, balls and push-along toys. Children are actively involved in growing and planting vegetables in their garden including potatoes, beans and onions. They learn the importance of watering and caring for the plants, talking about the changes they can see, then dig them up, wash them and pass to the kitchen to be used in the nursery meals. They learn simple addition and subtraction through many activities. For example, through number songs and rhymes and adding and taking away small items from the weighing scales until they balance equally, such as the potatoes they have grown. This encourages their reasoning and problem skills very well. Older children are involved in the nursery's 'Forest School' where they learn the importance of keeping themselves safe when using equipment, such as potato peelers to whittle wood, while exploring the natural world .

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who attend

Babies have many opportunities to develop their early walking skills as there is ample space for them to move around safely. Low-level furniture and push-along toys enable them to pull themselves to standing and steady themselves, gaining their balance. A large comfortable chair within the room enables them to sit quietly with a member of staff for a cuddle, or when having their bottles. This confirms their feeling of comfort and security. Large cushions enable non-mobile babies to lie or sit watching their peers play, while accessing activity toys and rattles. They develop their senses, as they explore water and sand, as well as gloop and have lots of opportunities to be creative with paints. Pictures are displayed around the room, which make it a bright, vibrant environment for them to enter. Toddlers early independence skills are encouraged with regard to their personal care needs, through the routines that are in place. They thoroughly enjoy role play, re-

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who attend

enacting familiar events such as making staff a cup of tea or caring for the babies. They enjoyment of books is encouraged as staff read to them and they can choose books freely to look at alone. Staff are very supportive of all children to ensure their independence is continually nurtured and their confidence grows.

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

Children benefit from clear settling-in procedures as time is spent getting to know them, their families and their individual needs. As a result, the transition from home to nursery is relaxed and encourages their feeling of security. Home visits also take place where it is felt to be beneficial to the child. This enables children to start to build relationships. Information is shared between parents and staff, at the start and end of each day to ensure any changing needs are known and addressed. The use of communication books aids this further and parents are invited to add their own comments and ideas. Children become familiar with the routines within local schools as teachers come into the nursery to meet the children. Staff talk to the children about the changes that take place as they move on to school. This aids the transition from nursery into reception class extremely well. Children's independence is promoted very well by staff and their confidence

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

continually grows as they select a good variety of resources both indoors and outdoors. Children's personal care needs are met effectively. Staff ensure babies and young children remain comfortable through regular nappy changing and bathroom routines which include potty training in line with parent's wishes and the child's developing awareness. Older children confidently use the bathroom and help themselves to their snacks and meals with support from staff where needed.

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

Staff seek detailed information from parents about particular dietary requirements and children enjoy a wide variety of freshly prepared, nutritious meals each day. Children are also involved in making their own sandwiches at tea time and enjoy various cooking activities, using foods they have grown in the garden. Mealtimes are very social occasions and staff and children chat about the morning and recall things they have done with their families. Staff are very aware of the individual needs of the children and support them as needed. Children have plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables each day at snack and meal times. Children occasionally have yoghurts and are encouraged to clean their teeth after meals, further promoting their understanding of being healthy.

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

Behaviour within the setting is very good. Staff use positive strategies when dealing with any behaviour and children have a good understanding of sharing and taking turns during activities. Staff are very good role models and children's confidence and self-esteem continually develops through the praise and encouragement they receive from staff. Older children's confidence is further enhanced as they take it in turns to be helpers, preparing the tables for mealtimes and helping in little tasks throughout the day. Children learn how to keep themselves safe both indoors and out, for example, by practising the fire drill so they know what to do in the event of an emergency. Staff remind them about their own safety, for example, when using gardening equipment outdoors. Staff ensure the environment is safe and suitable. Staff are vigilant at all times, checking all areas prior to the children arriving or accessing them, for example, checking the garden prior to going

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

outdoors. Comprehensive written risk assessments are completed which identify potential risks within the nursery and outdoor play area and appropriate steps are taken to minimise these. Consequently, children remain safe. Children's good health is promoted each day as staff encourage them to be physically active each day. Each play room has their own garden which has direct access and a wealth of resources that excite interest and encourage children to explore their environment. They confidently climb and use wheeled toys and the outdoor play areas are accessed in all weathers as children have suitable clothing and footwear so they remain warm and dry in inclement weather.

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provision

Management and staff follow good procedures with regard to health and safety. They are fully aware of their responsibility with regard to supervising children to ensure they are not left unattended with any person who has not completed all suitability checks. They have a very good understanding of safeguarding children in their care and their role and responsibility in protecting them from abuse and neglect. Thorough written policies and procedures are in place, known by staff and shared with parents. Staffs ongoing professional development is a priority as they strive to continually enhance their knowledge and skills in the childcare field. Peer observations completed by staff enable them to talk about the good practise they see and share their ideas of how they can continually be developed. The manager and deputy monitor the quality of practice within the nursery, completing observations of practise, looking at children's learning journals to

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provision

ensure their learning needs are being correctly identified and that the next steps in their learning are appropriately targeted. Consequently, children progress well.

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provision

Robust recruitment and selection processes ensure that all staff working with children are safe and suitable to do so. All required checks are completed to ensure all children remain safe. Clear planning ensures that staff to child ratios are exceeded at all times and staff deployment is effective in ensuring children are supervised appropriately at all times, which maintains children's safety. Staff benefit from individual supervisions and team meetings enabling them to share current good practice they have learnt from any training courses they have attended and share new ideas. Advice and support is welcomed from early years advisory staff. There were two actions raised at the last inspection relating to staff deployment and monitoring suitability checks for new staff. Both have been addressed very well resulting in clear, concise record keeping which ensure children are safeguarded. The staff team have formed clear partnerships with local schools and other

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provision

professionals involved in a child's life enabling them to continually meet the needs of the children. As a result, all children's individual needs are well known and incorporated into their day.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff are fully aware of the importance of gaining comprehensive information from parents about their child in order to effectively meet their needs. Good communication between staff and parents ensures that children's care and learning needs are met well. Management and staff value the comments of parents using their service, as self-evaluation is an important part of the ongoing development of the provision. Through the use of questionnaires, verbal discussion and communication booklets staff gain a good understanding of parent's ideas and wishes. Evaluation of their practice enables them to clearly identify strengths and weaknesses to further enhance the service. Parents have a high regard for the staff and the friendly, approachable service they provide. They feel that time spent getting to know their child and the online information sharing of photographs and their child's learning journey, enables them to

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provision

clearly see the fun and enjoyment their child is having during the day and add their own comments. They also recommend the nursery to others which further reinforces their delight with the care their child receives.

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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 EY277096 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 928371

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 70 Number of children on roll 77 Name of provider Klas Day Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 19/06/2013 Telephone number 01327 358876

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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

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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