Our Lady's First Steps Pre-School

Our Lady's First Steps Nursery and Kids Club Clincton View, WIDNES, Cheshire, WA8 8JN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/12/2013 26/06/2013

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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

 Children benefit from warm and trusting relationships with their key person and all of the staff in the setting. As a result, all children feel safe and secure and explore the nursery with confidence.  Teaching is strong, particularly in pre-school. Staff effectively organise activities which excite children and support their literacy skills. Many schemes and initiatives to boost children's speech and communication development are employed.  The management team make very good use of outside support, such as the local authority early years team, to tackle developments needed to raise standards so children benefit from a strong commitment to improvements.  Children are well protected in the setting because all staff have a good understanding of their role and responsibility in safeguarding children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to provide more opportunities for two- and three-year-old children to develop their independence skills during lunchtime routines and to learn more about caring and showing concern for their environment.  There is scope to further extend children's rapidly developing literacy skills, particularly in the stimulating outdoor environment.

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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 all of the rooms and in the outside area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability of staff working with the children and looked at induction and staff training procedures. The inspector also looked at policies and children's records.  The inspector spoke to the managers and staff in the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked through children's assessment records and planning documentation, and discussed these with staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of children and parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Our Lady's First Steps Nursery and Kids Club was registered in 2004 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated within the grounds of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School in Widnes, Cheshire, and is managed by a committee and a nursery manager. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a single-storey building and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 26 members of staff, including the manager. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 4, 21 hold level 3 and two hold level 2. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. During term time, the kids club is open to children attending the host school and operates each weekday from 8am to 9am and 3.15pm to 6pm. During school holidays, the club is open to the wider community and operates each weekday from 8am to 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 102 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year- olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 create additional opportunities for two- and three-year-old children to develop their independence and self-help skills further and to increase their awareness of taking care of their environment, for example, by pouring their own drinks and serving themselves at lunchtimes

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

 enhance the outdoor environment to include opportunities for children to access print and image in the environment, to build on their very good literacy skills.

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who attend

The management team have worked hard to address the issues that arose during the nursery's pervious inspection. They have successfully implemented a number of changes in the way that children's learning and development is monitored. For example, parents are encouraged to share information about what children can already do before they start at the nursery. Effective tracking systems are now used by staff help to clearly identify starting points and areas where individual children may need additional help. Therefore, staff provide targeted support to close gaps in achievement. Staff are very familiar with children's individual stages of development and their next steps in learning are effectively reflected in planning for individual children. Staff work well in partnership with other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They follow advice on how to adapt their teaching methods to take account of individual

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who attend

children's capabilities and starting points. As a result, all children are making good progress in preparation for their next stages of learning and gain the key skills required in readiness for school.

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who attend

Children are fully engaged in their learning and are very happy to take part in the activities on offer, because good quality teaching is consistent across the nursery. The good quality practice in the pre-school room is a key strength of the nursery. For example, knowledgeable staff plan fun, interactive games to teach children to recognise letter sounds. Children successfully name initial letter sounds for their own names and sometimes those of their peers. Staff reinforce children's knowledge about letters and what they look like by ensuring that the children's main playrooms are rich in print. However, the outside play area does not offer opportunities for children to see print in the environment, therefore, children are not able to increase their good literacy skills while accessing the garden. Staff effectively teach children the correct sounds for different letters and play games with children that introduce rhyme and alliteration. For example,

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who attend

children make 'silly soup' and choose items, such as a rat and a hat, as ingredients for their soup. Staff encourage children to attempt their own rhymes and sensitively correct the mistakes they make. Consequently, children make good progress in their literacy skills and learn to self-correct, which is an essential part of effective learning. High quality key group activities promote positive relationships, turn taking and well-being and are regularly incorporated into the pre-school routine. For example, children enjoy small group sessions with staff where they learn about size and shape as they take turns categorising items. Staff then support children's communication and language skills well by role modelling to children how to speak in complete sentences and introducing mathematical language. For example, they say 'I have got four green teddy bears' and children have a go at counting how many of each colour they have and saying the sentence themselves,

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who attend

adding the correct number. Consequently, pre-school children feel a strong sense of belonging in the group; they are learning to take turns, count and categorise, and develop good communication skills.

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who attend

Babies' language development, as with all other children at the nursery, is very well promoted as all staff have a clear understanding of how to effectively communicate with children. They get down to children's level and speak clearly, giving them time to answer. Two- and three-year-old children gain an understanding of how they use their senses as they go on a nature walk around the school grounds. Staff encourage children to listen for birds that 'tweet' and aeroplanes that 'buzz' in the sky.

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

Throughout the setting, thoughtfully laid out rooms, support all children to make choices about their activities. Low-level units, soft play equipment and floor-level sand and water trays mean that babies' and toddlers' independence is suitably supported because they help themselves to the range of resources. For example, the babies explore treasure hidden amongst leaves and twigs and find pine cones that encourage sensory exploration. However, there is scope to provide further opportunities for two- and three-year-old children to develop their independence skills during lunchtime routines and to learn more about caring and showing concern for their environment.

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

Each child's key person works closely with parents to ensure that that they are well informed about children's individual care needs, likes and dislikes. This helps children to settle quickly and eases the transition from home to nursery. Babies and younger children are encouraged to play together with support from staff. All children show a strong sense of belonging and emotional security within the setting and develop a good awareness of their personal safety. Children interact confidently with all staff members as well as their key person. For example, babies, seek reassurance from all staff when an unfamiliar adult enters the room. Staff model good manners and acceptable standards of behaviour, helping children learn right from wrong and to take account of the feelings of others. For example, staff remind children to follow the one way system when using the bicycles outside and encourage children to use good manners at all times. Physical exercise and

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

fresh air are promoted positively and all children benefit from playing outside on a daily basis, where they develop their physical skills as they learn to pedal, hop and balance.

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

The nursery cook provides very nutritious and healthy snacks and meals so children receive a balanced diet. Any allergies or dietary requirements are adhered to and effectively meet children's needs. Staff work closely with parents regarding children's dietary requirements and ensure that each child has their health needs met. All children enjoy mealtimes and the social aspect with their key persons. They share experiences about what they have been doing at home and talk about how nice the food tastes. Babies and younger children who need to rest or sleep during the day have space provided in calm, darkened rooms. Babies have cots when very little, and progress on to floor mats, with their own set of bedding, as they grow. Sleep routines, along with food consumed, nappy changes and any observations made by staff, are communicated daily either verbally or on a daily diary sheet, which parents can choose to take home and also

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

contribute to if they so wish. This aids the two-way flow of information so staff can care for children correctly and understand their unique needs.

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provision

The nursery has made very effective and positive changes since the last inspection and has embraced all changes and updates to the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage very professionally. Overall, it offers a good standard of care and learning to children. The success is largely due to the senior management team's commitment to continuous improvement, and their willingness to recognise areas that need development and tackle these effectively. Consequently, all children are now able to make good progress in relation to their starting points in this highly stimulating and supportive nursery environment. Additional advice and guidance are obtained through quality reviews completed by the local authority early years team The dedicated staff team demonstrate an enthusiastic approach to delivering a high quality care and learning experience to children. Regular monitoring and supervision of staff, including an annual

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provision

appraisal and tri-monthly supervision sessions which address any training needs, give them the opportunity to reflect on how well they are doing and ensure their continuous professional development. As a result, the staff team work well together, take on the challenge of new ways of planning and teaching, and continually reflect on and evaluate what they are doing.

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provision

Children's safety and protection are assured because the managers have a secure knowledge and understanding of safeguarding. Ongoing safeguarding training ensures that all staff have a good knowledge of child protection issues and the procedure to follow should a concern arise. Robust recruitment and induction processes are securely in place and ensure support for new staff. Thorough comprehensive risk assessments are effectively implemented, both for the nursery and for outings, which further supports children's safety. All staff are trained in paediatric first aid and therefore are able to appropriately and safely manage any accidents or medical emergencies should they arise. Records of all accidents and injuries are maintained and shared with parents. The manager ensures that the correct staff-to-child ratios are adhered to at all times and that staff are effectively deployed. This results in children being well supervised and helps to

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provision

ensure that their individual needs are well met.

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provision

Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully informed about children's progress and the plans in place to support them. They comment during inspection that the nursery team 'do everything they possibly can' to help and 'have been a huge support'. The setting is committed to working in partnership with other providers and external agencies to ensure that all children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and their families are given the support they need. The manager and staff constantly encourage the sharing of information with the other settings children attend. This ensures consistency in children's teaching and learning and a smooth transition to other settings, such as school, so that a combined approach is maintained to competently assess children's all-round development and to ensure early intervention is swiftly secured.

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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 EY244150 Local authority Halton Inspection number 940060

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 105 Number of children on roll 167 Name of provider Our Lady's First Steps Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 26/06/2013 Telephone number 0151 424 5500

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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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