Seashells Early Years Centre

Seashells Early Years Centre The Annexe, Grange Road, EAST COWES, Isle of Wight, PO32 6EA

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/02/2014 Not Applicable

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

p.1

This provision is good

 Staff have good, secure understanding of the areas of learning and consistently provides a broad range of educational experiences to successfully improve children's learning.  Children have a wide range of opportunities to make choices and decisions during their play. This rapidly increases children's practical skills and helps them to gain independence.  The key person system in place strongly increases children's level of attachment and very effectively supports the children's transition between the nursery rooms.  Children have ample opportunities to choose active and interesting outdoor play experiences that stimulates and encourages independence and cooperation.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 The records of children's learning and the plans for their next steps in development do not fully show parents how they can promote learning at home and in this way encourage parents to contribute to children's progress.  Some children wait for longer periods to use the toilets during the lunchtime routines, resulting in younger children not fully understanding how to manage their social and emotional behaviour.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed a range of activities throughout the nursery rooms and spoke with staff and children.  The inspector viewed all documentation required for the inspection.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the provider and interviewed parents as they delivered and collected children.  The inspector gave the inspection judgements and provided feedback.

p.2

Information about the setting

Seashells Early Years Centre Limited registered in 2013. The early years centre has re- registered following a change in the organisation of the company. The setting has sole use of the premises situated in a residential area of East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children play and learn in age related rooms with dedicated secure outdoor play areas and toilet facilities. The early years centre provides a full range of childcare including a day nursery and after school care and a holiday club. The setting operates from 7.45am until 5.30pm during week days for 50 weeks of the year. The centre closes for two weeks over the Christmas period. The setting provides funded educational places for children of two, three and four years. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported and staff also support children learning

p.3

Information about the setting

English as an additional language. There are currently 21 staff working with the children. All staff are qualified practitioners in childcare and early years learning. Children can attend the setting from birth. There are currently 265 children on roll, of these, 225 are in the early years age group.

p.3

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

 simplify the next planned steps in children's learning records to encourage parents to easily use opportunities at home to promote children's learning

p.3

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

 reorganise the routines for toileting before lunch to reduce the waiting times for some children and in this way promote their understanding of social behaviour.

p.3

who attend

The nursery staff have strong levels of knowledge and understanding about child development and they successfully provide for children's learning and progress across all age groups. All staff are very well deployed and they demonstrate a competent ability to involve children in activities to promote specific areas of learning. For example, staff encourage older children to think of words associated with winter and they help children to form the letters and create the written word. Children spontaneously think of 'snow' and 'snowflake'. Children respond well to the individual attention and persevere to cut out patterned shapes to display their words. Staff very effectively use large format books at story time to enable all children to see and talk about the pictures. Staff hold all children's attention well through dialogue and questioning about who is travelling on the bus. What the people in the picture are doing and where they are going. Children are engrossed and

p.3

who attend

skilfully recognise and remember what is happening from previous pages and they confidently respond and increase their levels of communication. Staff show they know children well by encouraging them to understand and laugh at humorous characters in the pictures; this builds relationships and strengthens their belonging when they all laugh together. Children also sing well together and they instantly respond to what comes next in the song, showing they regularly learn words and recognise rhythms.

p.4

who attend

Staff develop play with younger children through their continual encouragement to dig in the sand and fill containers. Staff encourage children to talk about how the sand felt during outdoor play, saying it was cold and wet and how different this sand feels. Staff appropriately and automatically include mathematical language about size and shape. They encourage children to recognise when their containers are full or empty. Children eagerly join together to play because staff stimulate and motivate children through their focused levels of interaction. Children have a very broad range of play experiences available and these include items from the natural world. For example, wood, hay and fir cones. They have pretend bugs to move between the natural play materials and this encourages their imaginary play, their language and their understanding of the world.

p.4

who attend

Staff in all areas of the nursery thoroughly promote choice for children and this encourages and increases children's decision making skills. The babies move freely and learn to crawl and walk. They seek toys and play equipment at floor level to challenge and encourage their physical development. There are high staff ratios across the nursery and especially for the babies attending, who have plenty of close contact and stimulation. All babies and toddlers show interest and learn to communicate through sounds and gestures. They clearly demonstrate a positive understanding through interaction and in this way staff successfully promote children's early learning skills.

p.4

who attend

All staff share regular responsibility for planning activities and they base these on children's individual interests and learning needs. The activities for learning are often based on seasonal events such as winter or Chinese New Year. Staff clearly demonstrate strong skills of including learning opportunities during all play and daily routines. They use information from parents to gauge children's starting points in development and they fully observe and assess children's progress. This enables staff to provide a progress check for parents when children are over the age of two years. Staff show high levels of commitment in closely monitoring children's progress and in order to fully recognise any particular learning needs. They work closely with parents and professionals to ensure the progress of individual children. This level of commitment is also strongly evident in the planning for children learning English as an additional language. Staff prepare in advance

p.4

who attend

for families to effectively support children's settling and develop their communication. The learning records provide clear examples of all children's ongoing development and concisely show how staff plan for children's next steps in learning. Staff share the learning records frequently with parents; however they do not clearly show parents how they can promote learning at home and in this way contribute to children's progress.

p.4

who attend

Staff work closely with local schools to arrange visits for children who are ready to transfer and they share children's records of learning. They also invite teaching staff into the nursery to meet children and see the activities and experiences provided. These events prepare children for moving on to school as well as the daily opportunities for listening and responding to routines. For example, older children manage their own coats and personal care, they find their lunch boxes and they are clearly taking responsibility for learning and following the rules and boundaries.

p.4

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

The key person system is competently organised across all nursery rooms and dedicated staff share responsibilities in adjoining rooms. This purposefully supports children's level of attachment and fully prepares children for moving between the nursery rooms as they develop. Staff are closely involved with children's play and they continually use suitable questions and interaction with children of all ages. This motivates children's growing independence, fully encourages their confidence and increases positive behaviour. Staff are successfully deployed at all times during activities and children are supervised well during daily routines, although some children queue for longer periods to use the toilets before lunch time. This results in some younger children feeling confused and unsettled.

p.5

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

All children have a very wide selection of activities and resources to encourage their all round development. These are organised in all nursery rooms for children and babies to self select and gain independence. Children show they are building relationships with each other when they use the role-play area and develop imaginary ideas. They also wear dressing up clothes and pretend to be animals with furry hands and feet. These pretend play times increase opportunities for children to share their thoughts and develop friendships. Children learn to follow all daily routines and they respond to staff well. They recognise the music for tidying their play equipment and they listen attentively to staff requests. The high levels of engagement between staff and children fully promote positive relationships and enable all children to gain an understanding of managing their own behaviour.

p.5

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

Children are eager for outdoor play and staff plan the use of areas outside on a rota basis, especially to meet the needs of the babies and toddlers. Children's health is clearly promoted through this daily physical exercise as they climb and clamber and use tools for digging. Children learn to propel themselves on wheeled toys and they learn to manoeuvre their bodies and increase their strength when they carry items. Staff fully supervise all children and especially babies and toddlers who eagerly show interest in new experiences, for example, using the low slide. Children's physical play is also encouraged indoors through using steps of different heights placed in a circle. Children show their enthusiasm for jumping from one to another expertly using both feet and balancing. This clearly provides a strong challenge and fully encourages children's perseverance. Staff continually encourage children to understand about hygiene and cleanliness to ensure their good

p.5

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

health. All children learn the importance of washing their hands before meals and staff use individual flannels for babies and toddlers. Older children are encouraged to be responsible for putting their own used tissues in the bin. The daily snack and meal time routines fully prepare children for increasing their independence and their physical skills. There are opportunities for cooked lunches if required and staff use discussion time with older children to increase their awareness and understanding of healthy foods. Children successfully learn about safety and managing risks during their play because staff are diligent in their continual supervision. For example, during regular fire drills to evacuate the premises, staff use a hand bell and as children grow, they learn to recognise and respond to this sound. Staff build children's knowledge and gain their support through the daily routines and through explanation. This results in older children clearly

p.5

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

demonstrating their understanding of safety as they instantly tell each other there is no running indoors.

p.6

provision

The provider maintains a strong commitment to meeting the requirements for children's learning and development. She works diligently with all staff, parents and other agencies to ensure that children continually achieve and make progress across all areas of learning. The provider is currently introducing detailed analysis systems to ensure that staff further improve their systems of narrowing any gaps in children's achievement levels. The provider has developed a full range of policies and procedures, which staff and room leaders regularly review. All staff sign to confirm their understanding of these and all procedures are available for parents. There is ample information displayed for parents in the entrance area and staff welcome all parents into the nursery rooms at all times. Full documentation is in place and this demonstrates the provider's responsible attitude to meeting the welfare requirements. There are rigorous procedures for safeguarding

p.6

provision

children and for checking the suitability of staff to work with children. The provider has fully planned induction and appraisal systems and she regularly provides time for staff supervision. All staff working in the nursery are fully qualified and there are high levels of staff continuity. This promotes good team work and shared aspirations for the children and parents attending. The staff training record shows that a wide variety of continual learning is planned and prioritised. All staff have attended child protection training and show a competent understanding of recognising any signs and symptoms of concern. They clearly know their duty to respond to children and how to follow the nursery procedures. Staff are dedicated to maintaining safety at all times and they follow the risk assessment processes daily to provide a safe and secure environment. They have clear and well-organised roles and responsibilities. Staff are very well deployed at all times and

p.6

provision

The provider has a clear commitment to self-evaluation and she fully demonstrates her willingness to make improvements by using a variety of wider systems to analyse the nursery facilities. She recognises and follows suggestions readily and uses the regular staff meetings to share information and ideas. The provider regularly maintains links with the wider community and fully uses the support of other agencies to improve children's development.

p.6

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

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY464518 Local authority Isle of Wight Inspection number 928895 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 110 Number of children on roll 265 Name of provider Seashells Early Years Centre Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01983 290575

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.10

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,

p.10

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’.

p.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11