Little Cherubs Day Nursery

Little Cherubs Day Nursery Annexe, St Mary & St George Church, Rutland Avenue, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP12 3XA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/01/2014 25/11/2009

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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 plan a wide range of activities outside that challenge children and encourage them to explore and learn.  Staff build strong relationships with the children and this results in children forming secure relationships in an environment that fosters care and individual need.  Leadership and management is strong. Managers use effective systems to evaluate the provision, seeking views from staff, parents and children to inform decision making, in order to make improvements continually.  Staff provide good support for children with English as an additional language or special educational needs, working hard to ensure their needs are met and that they make good progress in line with their peers.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although staff use good questioning techniques outdoors this does not always consistently happen indoors. Therefore opportunities for children to develop their thinking skills are inconsistent.  The organisation of some group activities does not always target learning as well as it could, particularly for the older and the more able children, which results in some children becoming disengaged.

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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 had a tour of the premises and observed children at play in both rooms and the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the manager and the deputy, talked to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents and carers as they dropped off and collected children.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the deputy manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's records, planning documents, policies and procedures, staff records and the self-evaluation documents.

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Information about the setting

Little Cherubs Day Nursery opened in 2000 and re-registered under new ownership in 2006. It is a privately owned setting and operates from St Mary and St Georges Church annexe in High Wycombe. The nursery has use of two rooms, a kitchen and toilets. The nursery is opened each weekday from 7.45am until 6.15pm for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a large, secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 69 children on roll, all of these are in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four. The nursery serves the local community and surrounding areas. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. There are 17 members of staff who work

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Information about the setting

directly with the children and of these, 14 hold relevant early years qualifications at level 2 or above.

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

 review the organisation of individual group times to provide the best possible challenge for children, particularly for the oldest and the more able children

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

 develop staff questioning techniques, so that these extend children's learning as well indoors as they do outdoors.

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who attend

Staff are well qualified, knowledgeable and confident in their teaching. They provide a range of activities that generally engage children well to enable them to learn successfully in different ways. The planned activities in the outdoor area provide children of all ages with challenge, although the same consistency of challenge is not always present in the activities provided indoors. For example, staff use a range of good questioning techniques to extend children's communication and language outdoors as they constantly engage in conversation with the children but at times they miss opportunities to extend children's thinking during indoor activities. Children are encouraged to explore their surroundings and lots of good questioning allows the staff to gain a thorough understanding of their development. Staff focus on the specific areas of development, such as mathematics and literacy means that children make good progress across all areas of learning. Children are

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who attend

given resources that allow them to make marks from an early age, whilst outside the babies enjoyed trailing glue and adding glitter to decorate their shape pictures. This promotes children's emerging literacy skills from an early age. Children are given time to complete the activity and are not rushed, staff talk to the children about what they are doing and give lots of praise and positive reinforcement.

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who attend

The whole setting, both indoors and outdoors, is well resourced with age and stage appropriate equipment. Bright display boards are used to show the children's work. Resources provide a range of textures and materials, both natural and plastic, for the children to explore and this promotes their sensory development. Children can independently choose the resources they want and play with the appropriately. Both the indoor and outdoor environment provides children with the opportunity to develop in all seven areas of learning and development. The children in Little Saints and Big Saints have a large interactive board which is used in groups to complete activities. Children identify people who help us as part of a bigger activity the children have been looking at. Children in all age groups enjoy song time. This is supported by an outside professional who comes in weekly to run classes. Staff sing with children as they prepare for key points in the day

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who attend

such as mealtimes so the children are aware of what is happening next.

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who attend

Close monitoring of children's development allows staff to set precise learning goals and targets, such as specific planning to help children learn animal sounds. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage although some are more confident in their delivery of this. Children over three focus on school readiness whilst the younger children concentrate on learning through play. Children's starting points are assessed on entry, careful monitoring after this allows staff to ensure children are making good or better progress. Staff use regular observations to inform their weekly planning. Planning is concise and highlights the specific children it is aimed at. Staff work together to involve all children and to ensure that sufficient planning is carried out to ensure all children achieve their potential. Regular assessments of children's progress helps staff identify any areas of

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who attend

strength or weakness for their key children. Key person's set monthly next steps and learning targets for each individual child. These targets are discussed with parents, many of whom request targets based on what their child has been doing at home. Key persons are available to talk to parents at any time and an annual parents evening gives a more formal opportunity to share information. Children's achievements are recorded in scrapbooks and these books provide parents with an insight into what their children are achieving alongside documenting their developmental milestones. A mix of photographs, art work and observations provides a lovely reminder of children's early years at the nursery. Parents and carers are encouraged to contribute to these scrapbooks and to take them home to share with others.

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who attend

The setting works hard to integrate children who have a special educational needs or those who speak English as an additional language. The achievements of these children filters into the main assessment process to ensure progress is being made and the gap is closing. Staff work closely with parents to ensure children are given the support they need. One-to-one activities promote children's communication and language development well whilst also helping to build a secure relationship with staff to help children feel more comfortable at the nursery. Parents who have English as a second language receive and share information with staff and feel their children are supported in their language development .

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

A well-developed key person system is in place. Staff know who their key children are and a large display in the entrance shows parents who their child's key person is. Photographs of children and staff make it easier for those parents with English as an additional language to identify people. Staff have good attachments with all children. This means that children are soothed, reassured and encouraged not only by their key person but also by the other staff working in the room. The key persons' know their children's needs well and work hard to ensure these are met. Staff spend time getting to know children before they start nursery, settling-in visits are encouraged to help the children become familiar with the environment at their own pace. The key person is only decided once a child has settled and any immediate bonds have been identified, as a result children feel emotionally secure and have a feeling of safety from which they can begin to learn and

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

develop. For example a new child quickly waves goodbye to his mum as he holds his key persons hand to go out to play in the garden. He is quickly involved in a role play activity and is confident to let go of his key person, occasionally checking over his shoulder to see where she is.

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

Staff act as positive role models and demonstrate good behaviour. They talk calmly and quietly and this reflects in the children's behaviour. Staff are deployed well to ensure the nursery is adequately staffed to meet children's needs. An accurate rota system ensures that there is always sufficient staff to cover sickness and illness. Staff occasionally move between rooms, this is particularly useful when children themselves are moving up to different rooms. Children and staff from the next room make visits prior to these moves and this helps to prepare children for the move. The nursery has adopted this approach as they identified that children found their first few weeks a stressful experience. Staff prepare children for their move on to school through a focus on school readiness. Children carry out focussed activities in mathematics and literacy to prepare them for their first year in school. The older children are given responsibilities and jobs such as setting the

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

tables for lunch to also help prepare them for their next stage of learning.

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

Staff help children learn how to keep themselves safe. Careful risk assessments and logging of accidents promote a safe environment. Staff are trained in first aid and designated people are on site to ensure children's welfare is paramount during the session. Staff regularly carry out fire evacuations practises so that children know what is expected of them in a real emergency.

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

The outdoor provision has undergone major development since the last inspection. The grounds available to the nursery were considerably increased and funding from the local authority and the setting has allowed three outdoor spaces to be created. Outdoor play is used effectively to promote children's physical development, with shelter and heaters for the babies, a viewing platform amongst the trees and a large open sandpit. Children are encouraged to learn and develop in natural surroundings. Staff provide children with appropriate opportunities to learn to take risk. They work together with the children to help them understand how they can do this safely. The children spend a large portion of the day engaged in outdoor play and learning. They understand the importance of wearing appropriate clothing and all have wellington boots and warm coats. The older children are encouraged to have a go at putting their coats and boots on whilst the

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

younger children are given more support. However. the outdoors has been a focus for the setting and this area is used on a rota system. Whilst one group is indoors the other play out, this does result in some children disengaging from learning as they are cold or not sufficiently challenged. In addition, when the Angels and Cherubs all play out together, all children must be outdoors and this results in children's individual routines not always being effectively met.

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

The nurseries menus reflects the cultural background of the local area. By choosing to serve Halal products all children are given a full and varied diet. The nursery has an onsite cook and all meals are prepared fresh daily. Staff go through children's dietary requirements when they start nursery and these are reviewed regularly to update any changes. Lunchtime is a social experience where children sit in small groups with a member of staff and engage in conversation about their meal and the importance of being healthy. The staff also talk to the children and question them about the morning's activities. This helps promote their awareness of a healthy lifestyle and to recall what they have done so far at nursery.

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provision

A well-trained staff team ensure that children are given a broad range of experiences. A wide range of teaching strategies are used to help children learn regardless of their learning style. Consistent and accurate recording of children's development means the planning of the learning programme is easily tailored to meet each child's needs.Children with English as an additional language spend time with their key person on focussed activities to help them close the gaps in their learning and development. Children enjoy spending time participating in flash card activities and this has shown to help promote their language development. The setting is quick to identify children who may have additional needs. They support children with special educational needs and work as part of a multi-agency team to provide the child and their family with the care and support required.

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provision

A thorough safeguarding policy is in place alongside a system for checking staff suitability to ensure the safety and welfare of the children is the settings paramount concern. Regular feedbacks and a supportive atmosphere mean staff are aware of the policies and how they should be implemented within the setting. Staff work together to keep children safe, they operate within the settings policies and procedures and know what is expected from them. Effective systems are in place for staff to raise concerns about a child or a member of staff. Contact telephone numbers are given to staff and parents should they wish to report any concerns outside of the setting. Individual supervisions give staff the opportunity to raise any concerns whilst open discussion during staff meetings allows for concerns to be discussed as a group and actions to be set. The contact details for the appropriate people, such as the Local Authority Designated Officer, are readily available

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provision

and updated as soon as the setting is advised. Recent safer recruitment training has led to review of the application and interview process. The manager and deputy have implemented an improved system for recruitment and feel this has been beneficial. A rigorous induction process gives new staff the opportunity to ask questions and to get to know the setting. Staff are inducted both into the room they will be working in and the companies general policies and procedures. Regular reviews with the manager or the deputy allows questions or concerns to be raised very quickly.

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provision

Staff give high priority to their professional development. They engage in regular training sessions including staff meetings, twilight training sessions and weekend training. Staff are encouraged to feedback to their colleagues and good practice is shared throughout the setting. Regular performance management provides plenty of opportunity for staff to receive praise for their hard work as well as setting some agreed targets for improvement. Peer observations form the basis of termly reviews followed up by an annual appraisal. Systems are in place to ensure that all staff receive monitoring and feedback. Performance is measured and targets are set and agreed by both the management and the individual staff member, progress towards these is recorded in individual staff documents. The setting drives forward improvements using self-evaluation. The use of sharp and focussed assessments of different areas allow the management to identify any areas of weakness

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provision

and address these promptly. Realistic targets are set within appropriate time scales and an action plan helps drive forward improvement.

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provision

The nursery has worked hard to foster strong partnerships with parents and links with external agencies. Parents are engaging with the setting and their views are sought and taken into account when planning new things. Strong links with the local Sure Start centre help some of the more vulnerable children in the area access the provision through a funded place. Multi-agency links enable families to work together to provide the right help and support for children with identified needs.

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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 EY336661 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 828286 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 69 Name of provider Little Cherubs Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 25/11/2009 Telephone number 01494 451 149

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Setting details

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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