ABC Day Nursery

ABC Day Nursery Derby Yard, Catherine Street, WHITEHAVEN, Cumbria, CA28 7PG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/12/2013 25/10/2011

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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 have a good understanding of how children learn to effectively promote their learning and development. They respond to children's interests and provide challenging and imaginative activities which promote all areas of their learning. As a result, children are making good progress in their learning from their initial starting points.  Children's emotional well-being is well supported throughout the nursery. The strong key person system supports the engagement of parents in their children's learning and development in the nursery and at home. As a result of this, the shared approach successfully contributes to the continued good progress children make.  Children's welfare is effectively safeguarded. This is because staff have a good understanding of child protection issues and follow the required safeguarding procedures. The management makes sure that staff are fully supported in their training

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This provision is good

and professional development. As a result, training is successfully implemented by the nursery staff to improve the outcomes for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities to further support children's awareness of difference, diversity and disability are not fully embraced in the nursery.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children playing in the baby room, toddler room and pre- school room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the owner, manager, staff and the children throughout the session.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the owner, manager and lead practitioner of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents of the early years children attending the setting who were spoken to on the day of the inspection and through written sources, such as parental questionnaires.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's registration records, assessment and progress records, the planning documentation and the systems for the monitoring of children's progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the policies and procedures for the setting, including confidentiality and safeguarding, the nursery investigation documents and the documented self- evaluation systems that support the service.

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Information about the setting

ABC Day Nursery opened in 2004 and is one of three privately owned day nurseries. It operates from two self-contained buildings in the centre of Whitehaven, Cumbria. The nursery serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. The nursery opens five days a week from 7am until 6pm for 51 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children are cared for in the two buildings, of which one is a purpose-built facility for babies. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 90 children in the early years age range on roll. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children for whom English is an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are currently nine staff working directly with the children, all of whom have an appropriate early years qualification. Seven of the staff have qualifications at level 3, one at level 2 and one at level 4. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association and receives support from the local authority. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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

 provide more opportunities to further support children's awareness of difference and diversity in the world around them, for example, by extending the use of visual images of children from other cultures and children with disabilities within the nursery.

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who attend

Teaching is good. All staff have a good understanding of how children learn and develop and so they skilfully facilitate children's learning following their interests. Children are effectively engaged in what they do and enjoy themselves and have fun in the process. Staff effectively monitor the planning of the activities to ensure children's interest is maintained and are further used to develop more associated activities. Staff cover all the areas of learning in children's play and are fully aware of the characteristics of learning to provide all children with a broad and balanced curriculum. Staff closely observe and access children's achievements to clearly identify the next steps in their learning. As a result, activities and resources match what children need to learn next and, therefore they make good progress and develop the skills they need for their future learning. Staff work well with parents and form close relationships with them. They gather information from

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who attend

parents about what children already know and can do when they first register at the nursery. This information gathering continues as children move from one room to another where staff continually ask parents what children like doing or have done at home. Staff complete regular observations of the children at play to accurately reflect on each area of learning. They skilfully use the information parents provide to further identify children's next steps. Staff review children's progress against the expected levels of development in the 'Early years outcomes' document and discuss this with parents at regular intervals. Parents are encouraged to contribute their own observations of their child's development to the learning records by completing the 'special times at home' sheets. This contributes to the good partnership established between them and the staff and promotes children's continuity of care and learning. As a result, children are seen to be making good progress

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who attend

Staff support children's learning well. They are very good teachers and make sure children develop the life skills and learning they require for their move on to school. Staff are very supportive of all children's communication and language development. They engage well with children from a young age to promote language acquisition and continually talk with them during activities and throughout the daily routine. Children learn how to express what they think and feel and contribute their thoughts and ideas into the planned activities. They develop a wide range of vocabulary because staff skilfully use open-ended questions, give children time to respond, and repeat what is said, so children hear the correct pronunciation. For example, as children blow bubbles in the baby room, the member of staff reinforces words, such as 'bubble' and 'blowing'. She encourages the children to blow bubbles themselves to strengthen their facial muscles which helps with

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who attend

word formation and speaking skills. Staff use spontaneous activities to help extend children's learning. For example, as young children make towers using the coloured bricks the member of staff asks them to name the colours and reinforces numbers and counting. Children are motivated in what they do. They concentrate and persist during activities because the staff support children in their self-chosen activities. This extends and further stimulates children's interests well. For example, when a child finds a spider in the toilet it starts a whole section of planned activities linked to bugs and insects. The staff gather the planned records and photographs together and create their 'big books' for parents and children, to read and reflect on later.

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who attend

Children enjoy listening to stories either one to one or in groups. Staff are skilled at telling stories and choose ones that children enjoy with a related topic or theme in the planning. Staff use different tones in their voice and use character voices which help children to engage in the stories they hear. Staff encourage the children to join in and repeat what phrases they know and to point and reflect on what they can see. This inspires children to look at the books on their own in the cosy book den areas in each room. Children engage in different crafts and creative activities. They make Christmas wreaths, baubles and bells with their picture in, Christmas tree cards and mobiles. In addition, children are encouraged to write and work with letters and sounds of the alphabet, to gain good literacy skills. Staff are fully aware of the different learning styles of children. They make sure that there are many opportunities to make marks in each room. Staff provide

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who attend

programmable toys in all rooms for children to learn about technology. For example, the babies enjoy pressing buttons on the electronic activity toys and musical instruments. They press the buttons and see what happens when they do this and repeat again and again. Older children access computers and learn how to use the mouse and keyboards. As a result, staff support the children to learn at their own pace and use appropriate materials and resources. Staff introduce treasure baskets in the baby room for sensory play and exploration, so that children look, touch and smell items related to Christmas. This is continued in the pre-school room in the sand tray where children handle sparkly materials, Christmas beads and fake snow. Children are given opportunities to think for themselves and contribute to activities. For example, the nativity play was planned using children's ideas of what they wanted to do and sing, and the staff pulled all their ideas

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who attend

together to create their play for the parents. Children's understanding of the world is supported in activities. Staff incorporate various cultural celebrations into the planning and make sure that there are some resources and books that represent difference and diversity throughout the nursery. However, there is scope to increase children's awareness of the difference and diversity of the world by providing more visual images that support similarities, difference and disability.

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

Key staff support children's emotional well-being well throughout the nursery. Therefore, children are happy and content and enjoy their time spent with their friends. They build a close bond and secure relationship with a designated member of staff, who sees to their individual needs and plans effectively for their learning. The key person for each child oversees their development, supports them in the routines of the day, and works closely with the parents to provide continuity of care. All staff are very caring and approachable. They handle the children in a kind and caring manner and are sensitive to their needs. Children are effectively supported during settling-in times to ensure they experience a smooth transition from home to the nursery, and in their moves from room to room. They are encouraged to settle at their own pace, through a gradual introduction to the nursery routines and environment. Each child's settling-in period is tailored to meet their individual

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

needs and the parents' work commitments. Parents and children are warmly greeted on arrival at the nursery and welcomed into the nursery rooms by all staff. The staff take the time to get to know the parents and the children, so that they can support their care and welfare routines to ensure continuity. Staff organise the learning environment in all nursery rooms to maximise children's independence, choice and decision making. They use children's identified interests to effectively plan activities which engage them in their play. Children's craft work adorn each room and there are some photographs of them taking part in activities that prompt further discussion and recall of past events. A wealth of good quality resources are available which are shared within the nursery, and additional resources are obtained from the other nurseries owned by the provider. Children are well behaved because they are engaged in their play. Any conflict is managed appropriately by

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

staff by distracting and explaining to them the consequences of their actions so that they start to consider the feelings of others. As a result, children learn to tolerate each other and as they grow older they learn to share and take turns. Staff are good role models and constantly praise children for the wonderful things that they do, which helps the children develop good self-esteem. This also builds up their confidence to become independent learners and learn good social skills. Staff effectively support children's move on to school at the end of their pre-school year. They have established links with the feeder schools in the area. Staff talk to children about their move and they look at books. Teaching staff are invited into the nursery. Parents take children for sessions in their designated school so that they become familiar with their new classrooms and teacher. Staff ensure that children engage in plenty of exercise

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

and outdoor activities. Children play outdoors in the fresh air daily, where they enjoy a wide range of activities that support their physical development. For example, they have access to a range of wheeled toys to ride on or sit and push themselves around the play area. Children are provided with soft play equipment where they can walk up steps and down the other side. They develop their small muscle control during activities by using scissors and glue sticks in craft activities. Children manipulate modelling dough and learn the art of building with a range of wooden and plastic large and small bricks.

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

Staff manage meal times effectively. They encourage children to become independent in self-help skills. Children eat a range of healthy snacks and enjoy their packed lunch meals. Meal times are a sociable occasion with staff supporting children at each table, where they engage them in conversation about the activities they have completed and what they do at home. Staff support children to become increasingly independent which is gradually built on as they grow older and progress through the nursery rooms. For example, children find their name cards in the pre-school room before they sit at the table. They choose what they are going to eat from the snack selection provided and learn to pour their own drinks by themselves. Children become very independent in their personal hygiene and have good personal care skills. For example, they learn from an early age basic hygiene routines of washing and drying their hands, learn to put on their coats and

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

eventually to fasten their zips and do up buttons. Staff help children to understand about safety and to keep themselves safe from harm. For example, children are reminded not to run in the nursery and to sit on chairs nicely. They learn to keep themselves safe in an emergency situation by practising the fire drill and learn how to cross the roads safely when they go for walks and outings into the community. Children learn to care for and become more responsible for their environment. Staff encourage children to help sweep up the sand dropped on the floor and to tidy up the toys at the end of the session. As children get older, this not only helps them to feel safe and secure and builds their confidence and self-esteem, but it also prepares them for further routine changes when they move on to school.

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provision

The owner, manager and all the staff members have a good understanding of the learning and development, and safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result of this, children are protected at all times and kept safe and secure in the nursery. All staff hold an early years qualification and access further training to constantly improve their own personal development. Some staff hold higher level early years qualifications and others are working towards additional qualifications. This further supports their good understanding of how children learn and impacts on their already good practice. Staff, after attending training, cascade what they have learned to the management and staff and they also complete feedback forms. These ask how the training will improve their understanding and impact on their practice. As a result, the management monitor staffs' training to ensure that they keep themselves up to

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provision

date with new early years issues and core subjects, such as safeguarding and first aid. In- house training takes place to ensure staff follow the nursery policies and procedures. For example, maintaining the confidentiality of the children and their family members, and the use of mobile phones and social media sites. The management ensures that staffs' understanding of the safeguarding policy and procedures is kept up to date. They undertake safeguarding training annually and discuss child protection at staff meetings. As a result, staff are constantly aware of the procedures to follow if they are concerned about any of the children in their care. Any allegation made against a staff member is fully investigated and documented, and the safeguarding procedure is fully implemented by the management. The staff are confident to approach the management with any concerns or incidents that occur involving them or other people associated with the nursery. The

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provision

manager follows procedures and seeks advice from the appropriate authorities. All the required record keeping documents for the continued smooth running of the nursery are maintained and available for inspection. Children's records are available and kept secure on site. This includes all registration forms, containing all the required information that is gathered from parents on starting, including parental responsibility and all the required consents. All safeguarding information is logged and provided to the children's social care team, when requested by them, in support of allegations and other incidents concerning the nursery. The management ensure that robust recruitment and suitability checks are completed for all childcare staff in contact with the children. This ensures that they are suitable to work with the children. This is followed by an effective induction process. Staff also benefit from ongoing support in the form of supervision and appraisals meetings,

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provision

where they can request to attend training which interests them and will help them in their practice. These meetings are also used to assess the staffs' quality of teaching and to build on their existing strengths or areas of development. The management and staff implement all the required policies and procedures, including maintaining confidentiality when dealing with concerns.

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provision

Children are well cared for in a safe and secure environment. Staff make sure that children are well protected and kept safe and secure. All the rooms are monitored daily to ensure children's safety at all times and hazards are minimised through thorough safety checks and risk assessments. Therefore, children play in a safe and secure, well-organised and well-resourced nursery environment. All visitors are escorted round the premises so that they do not have any unsupervised access to the children, including the visiting Father Christmas and parent helpers for the Christmas party. Identity checks are enforced and all visitors sign in and out. The owner and manager monitor and oversee the educational programme, the planning systems and tracking of children's overall development. They carefully monitor the progress of all the children attending the nursery to make sure that any gaps in their development are recognised early. As a result, help is obtained from

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provision

other professionals, to continue to raise children's achievements so that all children reach their full potential.

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provision

The management and staff team implement a reflective self-evaluation of the whole nursery. This ensures that the nursery continues to deliver good quality childcare for families attending. The strengths and areas for improvement are highlighted and effectively addressed through action plans. Since the last inspection both previous recommendations have been completed to improve the outcomes in children's learning. The nursery action plans are clear and concise and show the nursery's strong commitment to continually improve. Parents are involved in the self-evaluation process through discussions and the use of parent questionnaires. They are also aware that they can request to see all the information held by the nursery on their child. The nursery complies with this when it is requested. Parents state that they are very happy with the care and learning opportunities that their children receive. They state that their children have made

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provision

good progress since starting and really enjoy attending. Parents praise the 'flexible, approachable, friendly and caring staff team' and say they 'feel valued because they are constantly asked for information and their opinion'. The nursery works effectively in partnership with parents to meet their individual needs and their work requirements. Staff demonstrate their understanding of the importance of working closely with any other early years provisions that children attend to ensure that information is shared. Parents are fully informed about all aspects of the nursery through regular informal discussions, newsletters, noticeboards and displays throughout the nursery. The management welcome parents to come into the office to speak with them if they are worried or upset about any aspect of the nursery and the care they provide. Staff obtain the permission from parents to share information with other professionals that are also working with the children again

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provision

to support and enhance continuity in the children's care and to maximise their learning opportunities.

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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 EY278445 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 943594

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 54 Number of children on roll 90 Name of provider ABC Early Learning Limited Date of previous inspection 25/10/2011 Telephone number 01946 691 700

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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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