Little Owls Nursery Harehills

Harehills Children's Centre Daycare Cowper Terrace, Harehills, LEEDS, LS9 7BA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/01/2014 17/03/2011

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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

 Staff have a thorough knowledge and understanding of each child's background, individual needs and family values. Consequently, all children are effectively supported to make good progress in their learning and development.  Children communicate well with their peers and staff because high priority is given to listening to children's ideas and engaging and encouraging regular conversation.  Partnerships with parents are strong because staff share information about activities and children's progress regularly and listen carefully to the information parents provide.  Staff have a very positive attitude to developing their practice and knowledge. This means the capacity to continuously improve the setting is strong.  The management team regularly review the settings safeguarding policies and procedures. As a result, staff are subject to a rigorous recruitment and induction procedure and fully understand any revised safeguarding procedures.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Ways for children to enhance their independence skills are not always fully maximised.  There is scope to enhance group times for younger children in order to maintain consistently high levels of concentration.

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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 in the three base rooms and in the outdoor area.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the teacher of the setting.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager, deputy manager, teacher, staff and four parents.

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Inspection activities

 A range of documents was inspected including observations, planning and tracking of children's progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of staff suitability, training certificates, policies, procedures and the setting's self-evaluation documents.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Harehills Children's Centre was registered in 2006 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in purpose built premises in the Harehills area of Leeds, and is managed by Leeds City Council. The setting serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The setting employs 23 members of childcare staff. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including one member of staff with Qualified Teacher Status. The setting opens Monday to Friday all year round and sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 121 children attending who are in the early years age group. The setting 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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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 enhance opportunities for children to develop their already good independence skills for example at mealtimes

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

 review the organisation of large group activities for younger children to ensure all children are fully engaged on the task at all times

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who attend

Staff know children very well and tailor their individual learning to their specific needs. Staff ensure resources are in place for children to freely choose from and plan activities to support children's progress across all areas of development. For example, children choose to practise their counting by putting coloured pasta tubes into pots and working with staff to count in sequence. Older children practise writing their name and work with staff to recognise the phonetic sounds of letters. These skills successfully help children to prepare for their future learning at school. Children are also developing positive skills in their ability to communicate with each other and adults. For instance, children ask for support to find their name cards and talk to each other while playing. Staff listen to children's ideas and encourage their learning through play to become active in their learning. However, on

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who attend

occasion younger children's concentration is not always supported to its full potential because group sizes are often too large to keep children engaged and on task at all times.

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who attend

Regular observations of children's achievements are recorded in their individual development files. Staff link these observations to the seven areas of learning and carefully plan children's next steps. All children are individually planned for and their needs very well met. For example, children with English as an additional language are supported to acquire good spoken English through interactive story times. In addition, staff celebrate children's home language during play and by learning several words to support children and make them feel safe, secure and motivated to learn. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included in the life of the setting. Activities are differentiated for them to ensure the quality of care and education provided to them is in no way compromised. For example, non-mobile children are supported to play outside using specially adapted apparatus and staff work closely with a range of professionals to

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who attend

ensure all children make good individual progress from their starting points.

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who attend

Parents feel very included in the setting because staff are warm, welcoming and share information about each child daily and the activities they have enjoyed exploring. Staff listen to parents who provide information about what children have enjoyed doing during the Christmas holidays. They discuss how they will use this information in their planning for children. Regular parents evenings allow staff to discuss children's progress and share children's development files. As a result, parents are aware of children's next steps in the setting and staff and parents work together to consolidate children's learning. Parents are very pleased with the progress their children are making in the setting and feel that staff are keen to share children's achievements. Consequently, relationships with parents are strong.

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

Children are settled and happy in the setting and even those who arrive a little upset at the start of the day following the Christmas break are reassured by staff and quickly find their friends to play with. Children show good levels of confidence and self-esteem because staff praise their behaviour and role model behaviour expected of the children. Children are reminded of the rules and boundaries of the setting and parents comment that their children have learnt to share with others while attending. These skills support children to develop good levels of personal, social and emotional development.

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

Children's individual routines are followed by staff who spend time getting to know each child and their families well. Home visits and time spent talking to parents during settling in visits mean that staff learn about children's home lives, their cultures and traditions. Consequently, staff use this information to plan for children's learning as well as supporting children to learn about what is important to their family and within in their local community. Children are developing respect for others and staff support them to become socially responsible and kind to others. For instance, children sing to the local residents at the local community centre, which is enjoyed by all.

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

Children thoroughly enjoy exploring the outdoor area, even in inclement weather. They are provided with daily opportunities to access the fresh air while developing their physical skills as they run and enjoy the large outdoor space. Younger children practise climbing and balancing on age appropriate equipment, which means they are starting to adopt healthy practices. In addition, a range of nutritionally balanced snacks and meals are provided for the children. Meal times are a social occasion and staff sit with children to encourage a family style mealtime. Older children pour their own drinks, however, opportunities for children to manage their own portion sizes are not yet in place because they are not always encouraged to self serve their meals. This means opportunities to develop their independence skills are not always fully maximised.

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provision

The inspection was brought forward by Ofsted due to a notification made by the provider regarding a child left unsupervised in the setting. Following the incident the child registration policies and procedures have been reviewed to ensure there is a comprehensive signing in and signing out system in place for all children. This is checked daily by management and staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities. All staff have had comprehensive training on safeguarding and vigilance. All staff have been subject to a rigorous recruitment and selection procedure and the manager regularly conducts appraisals for all staff. Staff have all been vetted to ensure they are suitable to work with children and have updated their safeguarding knowledge, including how to recognise domestic violence. Staff know the signs and symptoms of abuse and who to contact if they are concerned about a child's welfare in order to protect their well-being.

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provision

The setting employs a qualified teacher who closely monitors the quality of teaching demonstrated by all staff. She gives staff individual action plans to constantly drive improvement as well as completing regular peer observations to support them to continuously evaluate their practice. Many staff are qualified and each room has a strong room leader who takes responsibility for supporting their colleagues. Regular staff training events are held in the setting and staff also have ample opportunities to attend external training courses. Information is cascaded to all staff in the setting to update their knowledge and understanding of childcare subjects. All staff have a positive attitude to drive positive change, have focused action plans and management support staff to set challenging but realistic targets for improvement. Consequently, the capacity for the setting to continue to improve is good.

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provision

Partnerships with other professionals are secure and staff pride themselves on their commitment to support all children to have a good start in life. Staff attend regular meetings with professionals, such as, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and social service representatives. Communication between the settings and outside agencies is clearly logged and actions are shared in order to provide children and families with a high level of support. Consequently, parents feel well assisted and are quick to praise the care the staff team give to them as well as their children. Parents highly recommend the setting and feel it has given their children confidence and supported their individual progress very well.

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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 EY338756 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 946072

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 79 Number of children on roll 121 Name of provider Leeds City Council Date of previous inspection 17/03/2011 Telephone number 0113 214 3021

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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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