Cleverkidz

Cleverkidz Tithe Farm Road, Houghton Regis, DUNSTABLE, Bedfordshire, LU5 5JB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/12/2013 10/09/2013

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 Outdoor play is planned well to provide children with a variety of opportunities to be active, to explore and investigate and develop their imaginative ideas. During these sessions the staff successfully motivate and build on children's learning.  Children's health is supported by a healthy eating programme. They are provided with freshly cooked, nutritious meals.  There is a broad programme of training to build staff's knowledge, skills and confidence. This is leading to improvement in the quality of the practice.  There are well-established partnerships with external agencies, professionals and the local children's centre. This helps meet children's individual needs and provides valuable support for families.

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It is not yet good because

 The nursery has failed to comply with a legal requirement to provide a complainant with a summary of the outcome of an investigation within the timescale.  The procedure for managing head injuries to children is not clearly defined. This means parents are not always informed in enough detail about the circumstances of the accident and how injuries are monitored.  Teaching is not always consistently good and this affects the quality of children's learning. Questioning techniques do not fully support children's thinking and some creative activities are too focused on the end result rather than the learning experience.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all the play rooms and the main garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector made a joint observation with the manager of an activity in the Genius and Shining Stars rooms.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies, procedures and records, including evidence of staff suitability and training.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the management, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at children's profile records and planning documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents by holding discussions with them during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Cleverkidz was registered in 2004 and is on the Early Years. It operates from purpose-built premises within the grounds of Tithe Farm Lower School in Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire. The nursery is operated by Cleverkidz Limited. It is accessible to all children and there are enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, with the exception of two weeks at Christmas and bank holidays, from 7am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 91 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 16 members of childcare staff. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and two at level 2. One of the managers is working towards a qualification at level 5.

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must:

 provide all complainants with a clear summary of the outcome of any investigation following a complaint within 28 days of receiving the complaint.

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

 review the way that accidents to children are recorded and reported to parents so that facts are absolutely clear, and broaden the accident procedure to include a more clearly-defined process for managing head injuries

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

 develop more effective questioning techniques to encourage children's thinking and language by consistently using open questions and giving children more time to respond

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

 provide children with more beneficial, age-appropriate creative experiences. Avoid the use of pre-prepared resources and adult's ideas and instead allow children to freely explore and experiment with sensory materials such as paint and different textures.

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who attend

Staff make regular observations and assessments of children in order to plan activities that reflect children's current interests and learning needs. These are largely reliable and mean that children make steady progress based on their individual starting points. Children with special educational needs or those needing additional support are provided for well. The nursery has well-established links with a range of professionals and agencies which provide specific support tailored to children's precise needs. The nursery is developing resources and strategies to support children who speak English as an additional language. These include greater use of signs and words in children's home languages. Parents are actively encouraged to share information from home about their child's learning and interests and they are given regular opportunities to view their children's learning records and to discuss their progress. The nursery has begun to post information on a private

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who attend

social media page about the benefits particular activities have on children's learning in order to reach out to more parents.

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who attend

The quality of the teaching across the nursery is often good. For example, staff make learning fun as they encourage children to explore and investigate using a range of resources and activities in the outdoor play area. Children eagerly find different ways of using a selection of large outdoor blocks and construction items. The staff introduce the language of size, encourage children to count the blocks and set challenges to build towers of different colours. Staff demonstrate that large circular draughts discs can be stacked or rolled but allow children to use them however they so wish using their own ideas. Children develop gross motor skills as staff help them to steer and pedal bikes and balance on scooters. Staff encourage children's communication and language by engaging with them in role play. When children climb aboard the play train in the garden the staff sit with the children and ask them where they are going and encourage them to recall

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who attend

past experiences. Children learn about the world because staff encourage them to gather handfuls of autumn leaves and watch them blow down in the wind. They examine individual leaves and describe their shape and size. Therefore, children are motivated to learn and gain some of the skills and knowledge required to prepare them for the next stage of their learning in school.

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who attend

At times, teaching is not challenging or well matched to children's needs. While staff provide sensitive support and guidance during activities at the table, such as when children make marks with pencils and paper and use play dough, they do not fully extend what children know and can do. This is because they do not consistently use open questions or given children enough time to think and respond. Children regularly use paint and different creative media but sometimes there is too much focus on producing an end result to take home or to use in nursery displays. For example, babies and young children are expected to follow adults' ideas by decorating pre-cut shapes representing Christmas puddings and stockings with paint, glitter and fabric. This is not age-appropriate and does not give children the sensory experience of freely exploring and experimenting with these materials or the chance to represent their own ideas.

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

The key person system adequately supports children's emotional well-being. All children have a key person who takes responsibility for exchanging information with parents and planning for children's personal care needs. Some recent movement of staff between the rooms means that some children have not had a consistent staff group or key person. However, overall children show that they are comfortable and secure in the company of all familiar adults. There are suitable arrangements to help children make the move to the next room. The key person accompanies children on visits to the next room and the new key person spends time with the child to build relationships and help the child feel emotionally secure. Children in the pre-school are helped to cope with the change of moving onto school. Where possible, the nursery invites their school teacher to the setting so the child and teacher can begin to get to know each other, and activities are planned

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

into the curriculum to prepare children for the school routine. Small group activities, such as, song and story time, are planned into the day for pre-school children so that they are prepared for more structured learning when they move on to school. Staff encourage children to join in and praise them when they do so in order to build children's confidence.

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

Children are supported to lead healthy lifestyles. The nursery follows a healthy eating programme and provides nutritious, freshly cooked meals and snacks. Children are encouraged to be independent during meal times and when managing their personal care and hygiene. Older children enjoy the responsibility of handing out cups to their friends and pouring their own water to drink. Younger children are positively encouraged by staff to feed themselves and given lots of praise when they manage well. This approach helps build children's confidence and willingness to keep trying. Children sleep or rest according to their needs and take exercise each day, which is essential to their good health. Babies do not always use the garden because there is no matting or soft surface for them to use if the ground is wet. Instead the staff take them out in the buggies to ensure they benefit from fresh air. Children become aware of their safety when using the steps to the garden

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

because staff provide close supervision and consistently remind them to go slowly and hold on to the hand rail. This encourages children to take care and to recognise potential dangers within the environment.

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

The nursery environment is suitably equipped overall to encourage children to make independent choices in their play. Babies have plenty of indoor space and some interesting resources. This motivates them to explore their surroundings and develop confidence in selecting what to use. The range and variety of resources in other rooms is being expanded to provide greater choice and opportunity but all available resources are arranged so that children can access them freely. Children show a developing sense of cooperation when playing in small groups in the garden as staff help them to share and take turns in using resources. Staff intervene, using mostly effective techniques, when children need additional support to manage their behaviour and feelings.

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provision

The inspection took place following a complaint about accidents to a child in the garden. The inspection found that there was appropriate supervision at the time and that the accidents could not have been prevented. Although the nursery carried out an investigation and met with the complainant to share its findings, they failed to provide the complainant with a written outcome summary of the investigation within the legal timescale. This is a breach of a safeguarding and welfare requirement. Furthermore, the inspection found that the procedure for dealing with head injuries is not made clear to parents and the written record of accidents does not reliably provide parents with enough information about the nature of the injury, the treatment given and how head injuries are monitored. Following this incident, the nursery managers have identified the need to simplify the management of their risk assessments. Other safeguarding duties are

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provision

understood and implemented well. The nursery managers have particular expertise in working with child protection agencies and staff have a solid knowledge of their role in recognising and reporting any concerns. This means swift action is taken in order to safeguard children. The nursery follows safe recruitment procedures in order to ensure that all adults working on the premises are suitable to do so and that they have suitable qualifications. The majority of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications to level 3.

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provision

Through self-evaluation and action planning, the nursery continues to make steady progress towards continuous improvement following earlier inspections within the last year. Although there is evidence of progress in some areas, the nursery acknowledges that improvement is ongoing. The managers continue to strengthen the staff team by providing regular supervision and training opportunities. They make regular observations of staff and monitor their practice to identify where further development is needed. Recent training and guidance from an Early Years Professional at the children's centre is beginning to have an impact on the practice. For example, staff who do not have children of their own attended a positive parenting course which gave them a better insight into some of the difficulties of parenting and how to manage children's behaviour more effectively. The staff are encouraged to reflect on the practice in their rooms by

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provision

considering where improvement is needed and how this can be brought about. The managers regularly monitor children's progress records to ensure that any gaps in learning are identified and that the planning is modified.

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provision

Partnership working with a variety of agencies and organisations is well established and makes a positive contribution to improving the outcomes for children, particularly funded two-year-olds. The nursery is receiving support from the local authority to launch a new initiative aimed at strengthening children's speech and language and developing staff's skills and knowledge in doing so. The nursery encourages open communication with parents and provides tailored support for its families. Parents spoken to on the day were largely complimentary about the nursery. They described positive relationships with the management and are satisfied with the progress that their children make.

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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 EY278278 Local authority Central Bedfordshire Inspection number 945790

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 79 Number of children on roll 91 Name of provider Cleverkidz Limited Date of previous inspection 10/09/2013 Telephone number 01582 868000

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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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