Milestones Day Nursery

Milestones Day Nursery Milestones Day Nursery, Tongue Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 4QE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/07/2013 24/09/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff effectively share information about children's welfare through regular daily feedback and newsletters.  Children receive a warm welcome from staff, which means they settle well and enjoy the time they spend away from their parents.  Children have ready access to the outdoor area throughout the day, which means they benefit from lots of fresh air and physical exercise. This plays a significant part in keeping them fit and healthy.  Children are offered a good range of activities that capture their interest. As a result, they want to be involved and progress well in their learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to improve the arrangements for parents to share information about their children's learning at home with staff.

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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 children playing in all rooms and observed a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with the owner and manager and looked at some documentation throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at some children's learning records.

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Information about the setting

Milestones Day Nursery registered in 1993 and had a change of ownership in 2003. It operates from three rooms in a single-storey building, situated in the grounds of St Urban Primary School in Meanwood area on the outskirts of Leeds. All children have access to enclosed outdoor play areas.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open each weekday, from 8am to 6pm, all year, except for bank holidays and a week between Christmas and New Year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 77 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age group. Children attend from surrounding areas. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with English as an additional language. The nursery employs 22 members of staff. The majority of staff, including the manager, hold recognised early years qualifications at levels 2, 3 and 4. The owner has Early Years Professional Status.

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

 strengthen the arrangements for parents to share their children's learning at home with staff, so they have a full picture of the development of all children outside the nursery, to aid them in planning even more precisely for their next steps.

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who attend

Children are provided with a good range of resources and activities that cover all areas of learning successfully. These are rotated throughout the day and easily accessible to children. Consequently, children are engaged and keen to learn. This means they make good progress and are well-prepared to move onto school when the time comes. Staff provide ongoing opportunities for children to direct their own play and also plan activities that are targeted at supporting children's individual development needs, such as exploring a mix of cornflour and water, to encourage them to engage in messy play. This supports children's creativity and broadens their understanding of textures. Children make their own choices of where to play. For example, a very young child delights in being outdoors and using a wooden spoon to make different noises as he hits a metal tray suspended from the fence. This enables children to develop their creativity and understanding of

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who attend

cause and effect in their own way. An older child shows sustained concentration as they try to stand a funnel up in a small amount of sand. After several attempts the child enlists the help of the child next to them by asking them to hold it while they pour more sand in. This shows children have good opportunities to become independent thinkers, who learn how to solve problems. Staff interact well with children at all levels. They know when to sit back and give them time to explore for themselves and when to join in to extend their learning. For example, one member of staff gives children time to paint freely before asking if they would like to add glitter to their pictures. Some children choose to do so, which enables them to extend their creativity and develop their ideas.

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who attend

Staff observe and assess children's learning as they play. They use what they know about each child to plan enjoyable learning experiences. Parents spoken to at the inspection feel all staff are approachable. Children's learning records are available to parents at all times and parent consultation sessions enable them to discuss their children's progress with their key person in detail. The required 'progress check at age two' is completed in detail by staff and shared with parents, to ensure early intervention is implemented if children are making less than the expected level of progress. However, the arrangements to enable parents to share what children have achieved at home are not highly effective. This means that staff do not have a precise picture of the progress all children make outside the nursery, to aid them further in planning sharply for the next steps in all children's learning.

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who attend

Babies enjoy joining in with action songs and confidently copy the actions that staff model. This successfully helps to promote their early social skills. Staff successfully support children to learn about capacity as they play with water. For example, they emphasise words, such as 'pouring', 'full' and 'empty' as children use various containers. This successfully supports children's communication, language and mathematical development. Pre-school children enjoy practising their graduation celebration and sing songs confidently about colours of the rainbow and also count the monkeys in the action song. They independently and confidently sing out loud and complete the actions. This promotes their self-confidence and singing skills through remembering the songs on their own. Toddlers thoroughly enjoy playing with shaving foam placed on the table; they make different shapes and marks with their fingers and then proceed to smear it across their

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who attend

face. Children and staff laugh as children smile as the shaving foam is wiped off. This activity promotes younger children's experiences of different textures and also of making marks with their fingers.

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

Staff make good use of information they obtain from parents about each child's health requirements, allergies, special dietary needs and their food preferences to meet children's unique needs. A good range of fresh food that is prepared and cooked on the premises ensures children eat healthily. Children learn to develop their independence as older ones serve themselves food at lunchtimes and all children have access to drinks throughout the day. Babies are encouraged to try and use a flannel to clean themselves up after messy play and they confidently rise to the challenge as they wipe their own hands and legs. Staff praise them as they do so, which very effectively promotes children's self-care skills and raises their self-esteem as they gain confidence in their own abilities. Children's behaviour is promoted well at all times because staff are positive role models for them to follow. For example, they encourage children to use good manners at

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

mealtimes, such as saying thank you when they receive their food. Children are actively encouraged to make decisions, which promotes their independence well. For example, older children decide what activities they would like to see set out on the tables after lunch. Staff have a good understanding of how to promote the safety of children in their care. They complete daily risk assessments for all areas of the nursery prior to children arriving. Fire drills are practised regularly with all children and staff. These procedures help to ensure a safe environment. Staff are deployed well to ensure children are supervised at all times, with members of the management team providing cover and support where necessary. The premises, toys and resources are maintained in a clean condition, to further promote children's well-being.

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

All children can access their own outdoor area where they play with a range of toys and learn to balance and climb. Children go out freely throughout the day to ensure that they receive regular fresh air and exercise. A policy is in place to ensure children are protected when going out in the sun and this is followed by staff. For example, they ensure children wear a hat and have sun cream applied. Babies confidently crawl around outside on the soft play surface and staff encourage them to develop control of their bodies as they help them climb onto soft play blocks. Babies also have a large space indoors where they can crawl, move about freely and use push-a-long toys, to encourage them to practise and develop their walking skills.

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

On entry into the nursery parents are given essential information about the service when their child enrols. They are offered settling-in times, which are flexible and children are assigned a key person that they are seen to bond with. This ensures that children settle well and separate from their main carer with ease. When it is time to move up to the next room, children are well-prepared and supported. The new key person is provided with a transition report, so that they are aware of important information about the child. Parents are involved as they meet with the new key person and visit the child's next room. Children become familiar with their new room as they visit with their key person, who is close by for support if required. The nursery has effective arrangements in place for managing children's transitions to other settings, such as nurseries and school. They invite teachers to visit them in the nursery and fully recognise the benefits of sharing summaries

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

of children's learning and development. This means children's starting points are known on entry to school, so their learning is a continuous process. The nursery is fully supportive of children who speak English as an additional language and regularly has other agencies come into the setting to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, physiotherapists, speech therapists and other local authority support. This ensures that all children are supported to reach their full potential.

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provision

Staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of how to keep children safe from harm. They can confidently discuss the signs and symptoms of abuse and the course of action they would follow if they had any concerns regarding children's welfare. The owner and deputy manager have attended safeguarding training and deliver in-house training for all staff. All staff undergo enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks to ensure they are suitable to work with children. The reference numbers of these are recorded. All required policies and procedures are in place and are regularly updated, to ensure that staff and parents are kept fully informed of any changes.

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provision

Staff attend regular staff meetings and appraisals when they discuss their training needs. Discussions between staff during the day focus on children and appraisals provide opportunities to seek additional training courses to develop their knowledge and understanding in specific areas. Self-evaluation is fully implemented and includes the views of staff, parents and children. This means strengths and weaknesses are clearly identified, so action plans can be drawn up to ensure continuous development within the setting. Staff ensure that all planning is completed on a daily basis and is adapted to meet all children's interests. This ensures children's skills and abilities are monitored and that they continue to make good progress in their learning. 'Tracker sheets' are completed by key persons and reviewed by management on a regular basis to judge the effectiveness of the educational programmes. Management make regular observations of staffs' practice to

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provision

assess the quality of their teaching and ensure they interact positively with children at all times.

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provision

The manager and staff work well with parents and keep them up to date through the ongoing sharing of information. Daily feedback is provided, regular newsletters are sent home and noticeboards have relevant information for parents. For example, the insurance certificate and photographs of children participating in activities are displayed. On collection staff discuss what children have enjoyed participating in and children regularly take home pictures and models they have made, to share with their parents. Parents make positive comments about the nursery. For example, they explain how staff support their children in their physical development, how they work together during potty training and that they are welcoming.

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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 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. 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 the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

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 EY273848 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 922726

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 56 Number of children on roll 77 Name of provider Childcare Strategies Ltd Date of previous inspection 24/09/2012 Telephone number 0113 2957677

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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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