Kindercare

Kindercare Ltd Kindercare, Kearsley Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 2RN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/01/2014 22/03/2013

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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 staff fully understand how to promote children's learning and have high expectations for their achievements. As a result, children make good progress.  Children settle quickly into the nursery because the key person arrangement is well established. Consequently, children are forming secure attachments and staff provide good levels of emotional support.  Children's safety and well-being is promoted well, as there is a very effective recruitment process. Staff induction and performance management are used well to support staff in improving their knowledge and practice. This ensures that all safeguarding and welfare requirements are fully met.  Children's development in communication and language is given high priority. Lots of opportunities are provided for them to develop their skills through activities, conversations, songs and stories. Consequently, they become confident communicators.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is room to further extend the resources freely available to children which support their developing understanding and interest in technology.

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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 spent time in all areas of the nursery and observed staff and children in their base playrooms, the sensory room and the outside play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager. She also talked to children and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection and discussed children's progress with key persons.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager of a group activity that involved children baking biscuits.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents, including policies and procedures, children's records, evidence of staff suitability and safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from written comments they have previously shared.

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Information about the setting

Kindercare Ltd was registered in 2005 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is one of nine nurseries owned by Kindercare Ltd. It is situated in the former university campus in Ripon, North Yorkshire, and operates from 10 rooms in purpose-built premises. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 22 members of childcare staff who work directly with the children. Of these, 20 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 120 children on roll, of whom 89 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:

 enhance the opportunities children have to freely access resources which support their understanding of the world, with particular regard to technology.

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who attend

Staff display a good understanding of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, are well qualified and are extremely confident and competent in the quality of their teaching. Planned and spontaneous observations are completed for every child and are effectively used to measure children's progress through ongoing, precise assessment. Staff interact well with children and they use effective teaching opportunities to extend children's thinking and learning whenever possible. For example, children and enthusiastic staff from the pre-school room go on a nature walk in the designated area of the garden. They use a good range of tools to find worms, snails, pine cones and conkers. These exciting finds are put into the treasure basket and taken back to the playroom to examine further. Staff link children's learning to their interests and follow their own ideas. They draw pictures on the playground, paint snails in the playroom and use the snail

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who attend

shells as part of a display of a favourite book. Younger children are provided with good opportunities to explore and expand their skills predominantly in the prime areas of learning. Sensory play forms a key part of their learning, both in their base play room where they enjoy digging in the sand, and in the designated sensory room where they discover natural products, lights and sounds. Young children also enjoy free play with the musical instruments; they bang the drums, press the keys on the pianos and wave the shakers about, squealing at the sounds they make.

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who attend

All children's communication and language skills are effectively supported. The nursery displays extensive written words in all areas. Staff talk to children to promote their vocabulary; they develop their conversational abilities and support their critical thinking by asking open-ended questions. Stories and songs form part of everyday routines, which further enhance children's aptitude for language and literacy. Younger children's listening skills are also promoted through a good use of puppets and props, with more able children using actual resources. For example, they pour out the bowls of porridge oats as a member of staff reads a story about three bears. Providing well for children in these key areas effectively supports their preparation for school. Overall, children are supported to develop their understanding of the world. For example, they recognise and celebrate differences and have good opportunities to learn about the natural world as they feed the

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who attend

birds each day. There is, however, room to further enhance the opportunities children have to freely access resources which promote their use of technology, particularly the more able children, through providing access to a computer. There are effective working relationships between staff, parents and other professionals involved in the care of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This ensures that they are making the best possible progress given their starting points in a fun and stimulating environment.

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who attend

Staff effectively use observations to identify children's individual next steps in their learning and development. This information is incorporated into the planning of future activities, which also includes children's interests. Adult-led activities are planned around themes and topics, such as 'people who help us', which is the upcoming theme. Staff encourage children's physical development well by providing and encouraging them to explore and use equipment and their bodies with construction materials, dance and action rhymes. Additionally, outside the children use a range of slides and climbing frames, ride- on toys and natural materials. Partnerships with parents are well promoted because staff encourage them to be a part of their child's learning. Staff obtain a range of information from parents, which enable children to settle quickly. Children's ongoing progress is effectively shared with parents, who speak with staff on a daily basis. Parents are

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who attend

encouraged to share progress that they have seen at home and talk about their children's achievements. Parents' comments compliment the nursery on their children's good progress in their learning and development. As a result of good partnerships, children's learning and development are effectively promoted.

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

Children are forming very close bonds and attachments with staff and other children. Each key person has a detailed understanding of the individual needs of each child in their care. Staff display a nurturing and reassuring approach, which results in children settling in quickly and showing enthusiasm as they explore the resources and investigate the environment. In addition, children show they are happy and content as they freely give affection to staff and go to them for comfort. Staff respond warmly, which supports children's safe emotional attachments. They are skilled in implementing successful plans which ensure that children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Positive relationships are built during initial visits to the nursery. Parents and carers share detailed information on the children, which enables key persons to gain an accurate knowledge of the individual characteristics and abilities of each child. Parents comment that they feel

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

their children are very happy and making good progress. Babies and toddlers progress and move on to more challenging rooms when they are ready, with excellent transition processes to fully support them to settle and integrate happily and without any stress. Parents and the key person decide together when the children are ready, and short visits to their new room are built up gradually until children are comfortable and secure. These visits are specifically tailored to meet children's individual developmental needs.

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

Children's personal, social and emotional skills are very well supported. Their independence is growing as they begin to serve themselves at meal and snack times and access their own coats for outdoor play. More able children visit the toilet independently and routinely wash their own hands, with staff close by to assist them if needed. Children learn to care for and respect their friends, and show this by offering them a cuddle if they become upset. Staff successfully support children's well-being and this means they are confident and capable. This results in children welcoming new challenges as they continue to make good progress and gain confidence in their own abilities. Children learn to behave well because staff skilfully support them to express their needs and feelings. Staff have attended behaviour management training, and a designated officer works closely with the nursery's special educational needs coordinator to give staff and children the support they

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

need. Children have secure and consistent boundaries so they know what is expected of them. This means they learn to respect one another, share and take turns, and as a result, this gives them confidence, raises their self-esteem and prepares them for school.

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

Staff promote children's good health very well. For example, children wash their hands before eating and understand the reasons for this. Staff's good support and guidance mean children follow good hygiene routines and develop confidence in their self-care. Children have free-flow access to the outdoor area, which means they are able to make choices about where they play. Children relish being outdoors, which means they benefit fully from lots of fresh air. They thrive with the added dimension outdoor play brings to their day, and gain good control of their bodies as they use a wide variety of equipment. For example, one child perseveres as he uses his feet to pedal his tricycle. Children confidently negotiate their play on the large climbing frame, and together with their friends use their imagination as they pretend they are on a train to the seaside. Staff give good attention to promoting children's understanding of following safe practices. For

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

example, daily routines are used to talk about how to play and keep safe. More able children actively help to tidy the playroom to keep it safe when they have finished with toys. The younger children hear the newly introduced tidy-up song and although they begin to respond to this, many of them use it as an opportunity to dance and move to the music. Staff consistently give children safety messages, regularly practice the emergency evacuation drill and talk about road safety. This means children are supported well in understanding how to keep themselves safe as they move through the nursery.

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provision

Staff at the nursery effectively meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements and demonstrate a very good understanding of how to protect the children in their care. Daily risk assessments are completed within the nursery and outdoors, to ensure that children can play safely. Additional assessments are completed for all outings. All staff have completed safeguarding training and they are aware of the procedures to be followed in the event of a child protection concern being raised. In addition, the very strong management team, including the nursery owner, coordinator and manager, ensure that suitability checks are carried out on all staff to ensure that they are safe and suitable to work with children. Robust recruitment and induction procedures ensure that staff working with children are well qualified and experienced. Staff show a clear understanding of their individual responsibilities and the procedures in place to record and report any concerns.

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provision

As a result, children are effectively safeguarded.

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provision

There is a clear staff structure within the nursery and the responsibilities of each role are clearly known. Monitoring and evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning are taken on board by all staff and overseen well by the manager. Newly introduced peer observations have strengthened the quality of teaching, and as a result, improved the learning opportunities for the children. The manager continues to observe staff practice and carries out regular supervision meetings and appraisals with each member of staff. Additionally, along with the head of each section, she monitors and evaluates children's learning journeys to ensure that observations are completed effectively and linked to planning, and that information is shared with parents, supporting children to make good progress. This results in a good quality learning environment where the activities provided are well matched with children's needs. Since the last inspection, the nursery has met the

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provision

raised actions and recommendations very well. They have enhanced how they record children's arrival and departure times, reiterated with staff and parents the nurseries entry procedures and have improved systems to monitor visitors in the setting. Furthermore, the range of activities and resources provided are very broad and age appropriate, offering good challenge to children. Staff observe, assess and plan for children's ongoing development very well. All children have daily access to the outdoor play area, their behaviour is consistently and efficiently managed, and children who speak English as an additional language are very effectively supported. These improvements have had a very positive impact on children's safety, well-being and learning.

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provision

Partnership with parents is good because the staff place a high emphasis on working together. Parents are able to access information and discuss their children's progress at any time. Regular consultations and opportunities for parents to be involved in their children's learning are provided, for example, through learning records, home link books and extensive information around the nursery. The manager and staff have a good understanding of working in partnership with other settings delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage. Information is shared between all adults, which promotes a consistent approach in children's learning. The nursery is very effective in regularly evaluating their practice through staff discussions each day, as well as regularly holding small and full team meetings. This enables staff to be involved and have an accurate view of the quality of the provision. In addition, the nursery has focused plans of what improvements they

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provision

want to make, and this demonstrates that they have a good capacity to improve further.

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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 EY300452 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 915985

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 124 Number of children on roll 120 Name of provider Kindercare (Harrogate) Limited Date of previous inspection 22/03/2013 Telephone number 01765 698869

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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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