Happy Days The Playbox

Playbox Nursery Playbox Day Nursery, 9a Treyew Road, TRURO, Cornwall, TR1 3AN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/12/2013 27/01/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 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

 Skilled reflective staff deliver a good balance of adult/child led activities based on their observations and assessment systems, which encourage children to develop and extend their play. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development.  Key persons develop strong attachments to their key children showing strong commitment to their well-being. This makes sure children feel secure and confident at the nursery.  The welcoming and stimulating environment encourages children's growing independence and cooperation with their friends.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Proving opportunities for children to write for a purpose is not an integral aspect of activities and staff do not have expert knowledge of how to teach children about the sounds that letters make.

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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 talked with the manager, her development officer and her staff, she checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playrooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector looked at assessment records and planning documentation.  The inspector carried out a joint observation alongside the manager.  The inspector spoke with parents and took account of their views.

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Information about the setting

Playbox Nursery is one of several nurseries owned by Happy Days Day Nurseries Ltd. It registered in 2007 and runs from its own detached premises. The nursery provides care for babies and toddlers on the ground floor and pre-school children on the first floor. Toilet facilities are situated on both levels. Accessibility is improved through use of a gentle slope up to the front entrance. The nursery is situated in the city of Truro, Cornwall. It is open each weekday from 8am until 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a large secure garden, enclosed woodland area, vegetable patch and separate 'Rumpus' room. Children come from a wide catchment area.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 113 children on roll, in the early years age group. Some of the children also attend other early years settings. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of early education sessions for children aged two, three and four. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and English as an additional language. There are 21 childcare staff employed, 19 of these hold National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) in childcare from level 3 to 7. The remaining two are working towards their NVQ at level 3. The nursery receives support from a qualified teacher employed by the nursery chain.

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

 increase the staff's existing knowledge and understanding of educational schemes such as phonics and the value of incorporating opportunities for children to practise early writing skills throughout the setting.

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who attend

The educational programme is strong and means that children make good progress in their learning. Staff plan and provide a wide range of activities and experiences that children enjoy. These activities support children's development and learning in all areas of learning. At enrolment, staff seek information from parents about their child's development. They quickly establish children's starting points using this information and their own observations of children. With this knowledge and their awareness of children's interest's key persons identify next steps in children's learning and plan and provide activities to promote their progress. Parents contribute information about their children's learning and achievements at home. The staff track and record children's achievements and progress in record systems, which they call 'Learning Gardens'. These show how individual children make good progress over time in all areas of learning. Key persons

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who attend

identify any areas where children are either exceeding or need additional help to meet their next steps and plan activities to provide appropriate challenge for them. These ensure that all children make good progress in their learning and development. Staff use these records to produce regular progress reports to share with parents. These include progress summaries for two-year-olds. These and daily discussions with key persons, ensure that parents know about their children's achievements and next steps. Staff liaise closely with other agencies and professionals, such as Portage workers, physiotherapists and the local children's assessment centre to support and address children's needs and promote their development.

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who attend

All children benefit from being able to choose to play outdoors where their stories come to life as staff encourage children act them out as adults read them to them. Children develop the plot as they use props such as binoculars to look for bears as they enthusiastically join in a bear hunt. Adults encourage and value children's imaginative contributions as children explain how they have found bears and even dragons. This enables children to extend their play eyen further as they go off to fight the dragon. Outdoor resources and encouragement from staff enables children to develop their confidence, balance and coordination. Children walk over logs set out as stepping-stones and around the rim of a large tyre and challenge themselves to jump down. They experience changing seasons, explore, and learn about their environment as they climb trees and walk through wicker arches and run through areas of long grass. Weekly

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who attend

sessions with a football coach help children develop confidence and ball skills. They proudly and happily tell nursery staff about their achievements. These experiences help develop children's confidence and enjoyment of exercise and games. Children enjoy practising their early writing skills in a variety of ways, outdoor painting with water, painting and drawing and recreating letter shapes in sand and staff skilfully reinforce this skill by encouraging older children to write their names. However, as staff quickly label most of the children's work, they do not encourage children's early attempts at writing for a purpose, by enabling them to identify their own work.

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who attend

Older children follow rules and staff support children in taking turns as they enjoy playing fruit dominoes, matching and counting different fruits. Staff praise children as they confidently count up the different fruits. Staff attempt to increase children 's knowledge of the sounds that letters make, but lack of expert knowledge in this field leads to some confusion as to whether they are learning the name of the letter or a specific sound linked to the letter.

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who attend

Staff teach toddlers to develop their balance and walking skills as they walk across varying slopes. Staff provide them with a variety of media to explore and handle. As child delight in handling ice cubes and seeing them melt, staff talk with them about the sensations, so raising child's awareness of vocabulary and their understanding of the world. Staff know children well and their responses to young children's attempts to communicate through actions and gestures encourages further communication. Young children enjoy sitting comfortably with adults as they read stories and explore books together. This supports children's interest in and awareness of the skills they will need for reading in the future. Observant staff quickly spot potential areas of conflict and successfully intervene, encouraging and supporting young children in negotiating and sharing resources together. Children enjoy varying and beginning to control their speed as they manoeuvre wheeled

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who attend

Staff work well with parents, sharing information about their cultures and languages and including other languages in the nursery environment, to celebrate and support children with English as an additional language. Staff encourage children to themselves dress appropriately for outdoor play and to pour their own drinks and serve out their meals. Children begin to recognise their own names and indicate their choices and wish to play out doors by moving their name labels and sticking them on the exit doors. These activities help children develop the skills that they will need in the future.

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

Staff establish warm and caring relationships with children. This leads to children being confident and secure in the setting. Staff take note of and use information from parents to meet child's needs. For example, when they know toddlers are teething, they ensure that teething rings are available for children to use as needed. Staff show respect for children, explaining what they are doing and responding to their requests. This awareness of and respect for their needs gives children a good sense of self-esteem and confidence explore resources and activities available.

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

Staff keep floors in the baby room clean for crawling babies by either using shoe covers or not wearing outdoor shoes there. They teach children to follow good hygiene routines. As a result, they happily wash their hands at appropriate times. Their use of individual flannels to clean their hands and faces after meals reduces the risk of cross infection. Key persons support children as they progress into their next group. They accompany them on visits to their next room and share information about children's routines and needs.

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

The nursery is a participant in 'Nipper's Nutrition', a programme supporting nurseries in providing well-balanced meals for young children. Staff involve children in mixing food for birds and for Santa's reindeer, when they and children talk about the different foods and their benefits. At mealtimes, staff enable children to confidently serve themselves their nutritious lunches and staff provide positive role models encouraging children to eat their meals.

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

Labelling in the playrooms includes all languages of children attending the setting, so celebrating and raising children's awareness of difference and diversity. This along with the provision of dual language books supports the development of literacy and communication skills of children with English as an additional language. Staff encourage parents to share information with them about their families languages and culture to enable them to support and meet their children's needs. Staff meet children's additional needs very well. They liaise and consult with a wide range of professionals and other early years providers to meet individual children's needs. Use of specialist equipment enables all children to stand or sit at the same height as their friends and access the same resources and activities. This enhances child's sense of belonging and growing friendships and social skills. Parents praise the warm interactions staff have with their children and appreciate

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

the support that they receive from them. These relationships and effective communication enables parents and staff to provide children with consistent care.

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

Risk assessments and procedures keep children safe. Staff analysis of accident records enables them to identify any areas or activities of high risk and take steps to address them. They carryout risk assessments in response to any changes in circumstances to ensure that the resources and areas children use are safe. Children learn about fire safety, through their participation in regular fire evacuation drills.

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

Staff support children well as they move on to school, sharing information with their feeder schools. They prepare children by adding school uniforms to the role play area, enabling children to practise and grow accustomed to dressing and undressing themselves in them. Staff's links with schools, along with children developing independence skills in all areas of learning, help prepare children for their future learning.

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provision

Systems are in place to support staff in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. In house training refreshes and reinforces the staff's existing understanding and awareness of safeguarding procedures and their knowledge of signs and symptoms of child abuse. They are aware of their responsibilities to act appropriately if they have any concerns about a child's safety or welfare. The premises are very secure, with staff monitoring and controlling access. Staff analyse accident records to monitor and identify any areas or activities of high risk. They carry out risk assessments in response to changes in circumstances. The majority of staff have current first aid training and management monitor when training needs to be updated. Staff are committed to the welfare of children , they work effectively together, offering support where needed. The provider meets children's needs well, because they have effective partnerships with other agencies.

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provision

Regular management and staff meetings, supervision and appraisal systems enable the management to support staff in their professional development and address any difficulties or concerns. Following a recent lapse in following protocols management quickly identified and addressed the issue by reviewing and reinforcing existing policies and procedures, reminding staff of procedures; in particular the need for confidentiality. The management team learn from their experiences and plan for future development, demonstrating their commitment to and capacity for improvement of the provision.

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provision

The staff have a very good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. Key persons monitor children's progress towards the early learning goals, linking their observations to development frameworks, identifying and planning well for their next steps. Senior staff use cohort records to monitor and analyse the effectiveness of the educational programme for all children at the setting. Parents and carers praise the approachability of staff and the information they receive. They feel fully informed about their children's progress and contribute to their children's learning records.

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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 EY363646 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 945086

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 113 Name of provider Happy Days Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 27/01/2011 Telephone number 01872 222571

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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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