Childcare on Domestic Premises, Full day care in Hampshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/11/2013 17/06/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Children are happy and settled and show good levels of enthusiasm and self-esteem as they confidently join in activities in small groups and are equally happy to play independently with their chosen resources.  The nursery has an established key person system that helps children form secure attachments and promotes their well-being and independence.  Partnerships with parents and other agencies are good. This helps to ensure that children are given good levels of support to meet their individual needs and that parents are fully informed in their children's learning.

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It is not yet good because

 The provider has not made sure that the premises are always fully secure to protect children's welfare, which is a breach of a requirement.  Children's independence is not always promoted at mealtimes, as staff miss opportunities to enable them to serve themselves,

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with available staff, some parents and held discussions with the manager and the owner.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation, including a sample of children's records, development plans and staff suitability records.  The inspector observed children's play and staff interactions.  The inspector invited the manager to conduct a joint observation.

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Information about the setting

Tree Tops Day Care registered in 2011. It operates from a house in Langstone, near Havant, in Hampshire. Apart from the owners' living accommodation the whole of the home is registered for childcare. Access is via a buzzer at the front door and a flight of stairs leading to the first floor. All children have access to two large playrooms and an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery serves the local area and is open every weekday from 7.30pm to 7pm, all year round. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 26 children on roll, of whom 23 are in the early years age group. The nursery employs six members of staff; of these four hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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must:

 ensure the premises are kept secure so that unauthorised persons are prevented from being able to enter the premises.

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

 support children's independence skills further by providing opportunities for them to practise these skills, for example during meal times.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy attending this nursery, which provides them with a welcoming, vibrant and stimulating environment where they learn through play. Resources are appropriate, well maintained and accessible for all children. The staff motivate children's learning well, creating enticing activities designed to spark their curiosity. These have a positive impact on children's learning and development, so that all children make good progress. Children are able to find the equipment they require and make independent choices. For example, they have access to a good selection of craft resources where they can independently select paper, paints and glue to create their own pictures to display in the room or take home with them. Babies are inquisitive and active learners as they take part in a broad range of activities. For example, babies, supported by attentive staff, clearly enjoy the sensory experience of using their fingers to make marks on paper with

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who attend

paint. Staff have a good knowledge of how children learn, which means that they use effective questioning and intervention during children's play, encouraging them to discuss and think about their learning. Staff foster children's understanding and respect for books and reading well within the setting. Staff who are skilled at story telling engage children well. For example, the children listen attentively as they animatedly tell them the story about pirates. Staff promote children's enjoyment and participation in story telling further by providing them with props. As a result, children enthusiastically act out the characters' roles. Children happily engage in imaginative play with their friends and enjoy dressing up in various costumes. Lively conversations often take place in different parts of the nursery. Children speak confidently to adults and their peers. They are also beginning to link sounds to letters; some are naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet, gaining skills

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who attend

that will be useful when they move on to school. The effective use of exciting range of programmable and push-button toys mean that children are developing very good technological skills. Staff considerably enhance the children's learning through many outdoor activities. For example using leaves and other items collected on walks to make imaginative collages.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are well developed. There are strong key person systems in place to meet children's and family needs. Staff proactively support these links and use information to extend children's progress as they encourage parental involvement in children's learning and development. A good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities ensures that children are the prime instigators in their own learning. They are regularly involved in contributing to setting their own goals for their future learning. Staff successfully notice and record areas of interest and use these observations to extend activities. As a result children make good progress in relation to their developmental starting points. Staff write detailed progress checks for two-year-olds, which highlights how children are progressing towards developmental milestones.

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

The nursery has established a positive key person system, which supports children to form secure emotional attachments. Practitioners gather information from parents about their likes and dislikes. They discuss children's home routines so that these can be followed within the provision. This provides a positive base for children to develop their independence skills. Overall, children demonstrate a sense of belonging. The indoor environment contains resources, which are appropriate, well maintained and accessible for all children. These include a variety of resources that positively reflect our diverse world. This supports children to quickly gain an understanding of how people and families differ.

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

Staff are attentive and responsive to children's individual care needs. They comfort children when they are tired and create a calm and soothing environment when children need to rest. Staff have a sound awareness of children's allergies and dietary requirements and they encourage children to follow appropriate hygiene practices, which protects children from the risk of cross infection. They understand the importance of regular hand washing and as children get older they become increasingly independent in their self-care. Nutritious hot meals are cooked on site daily and staff are careful to meet children's individual dietary requirements. Children independently choose their snacks but their lunch meals are served for them, so they miss the chance to take on this additional responsibility and gain further independence.

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

Children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise during outdoor play, which supports their healthy lifestyles. Children demonstrate a secure understanding of space, especially when skilfully manoeuvring the wheeled toys to avoid riding into their friends or play equipment. They use a range of climbing and balancing resources outdoors, ranging from small to large pieces of play equipment. This enables children of all ages and abilities to develop climbing and balancing skills. Children gain some understanding of risk through planned activities and involvement in risk assessments.

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

Children are delighted as they receive continual praise for their efforts and achievements. This enhances their confidence and self-esteem positively. Children overall display positive behaviour; they cooperate with their peers and understand the need to respect others. Older children are supportive of the younger children and demonstrate their affection towards them. Staff quickly identify if children require any additional help to meet their needs and promote equal opportunities. They work closely with parents sharing any concerns, and they secure support from appropriate external agencies to assist in closing any gaps in readiness for the children's transition to other settings or school.

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provision

The manager and staff have a sound understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The manager has an awareness of the need to notify Ofsted of significant events. However, she did not notify Ofsted about the building work taking place at the premises at weekends. Even though no children were present when building work took place, it is a requirement of that Ofsted is notified of all significant events that may impact on children's welfare. In this instance Ofsted is taking no further action as the impact on children was low. The arrangements for the security of the premises were compromised which meant that for a certain period of time, the premises was not secure. However, this did not have an impact on the children because they were closely supervised at all times. Detailed risk assessments of the premises help to protect children from harm and visitors

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provision

are carefully monitored and logged. In addition, all the records and documents required for the safe and secure running of the nursery are in place. Staff are well deployed, which helps to ensure that children are safe and supervised appropriately. Staff recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure adults working with children are suitable to do so. New staff are not left alone with children until their vetting procedures have been completed. All staff working within the nursery are qualified and experienced to work with children. Most staff hold a current paediatric first aid certificate to enable them to treat any minor accidents children have.

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provision

Children and parents are welcomed and greeted warmly on arrival. Children are valued as individuals and staff and parents exchange sufficient information to develop an understanding of each child's needs. Staff use this information to assess starting points and plan activities according to the children's interests and abilities. Staff keep parents informed about their child's progress and achievements and are proactive in encouraging parental involvement in their child's learning. The nursery seeks their views through discussions and involvement in children's records of learning and questionnaires. Parents benefit from an array of information displayed on the parents' notice board and regular updates in newsletters. Discussion with parents demonstrate that overall they are very happy with the care and learning opportunities available to their children.

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provision

Staff have regular supervision which is used to identify strengths, areas for development and training needs. Staff continue to develop as they are encouraged to gain further qualifications and extend their knowledge, improving outcomes for children. They work well together as a team to evaluate provision and make improvements where necessary. In-house training is also used to enhance practice. The manager and proprietor of the nursery demonstrate a positive approach to promoting improvement for children. They have developed their educational programmes in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.

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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 EY427979 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 942252 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childcare - Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 26

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Telephone number

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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