Wind In The Willows Childcare (Sefton)

Wind In The Willows Childcare (Sefton) Ronald Ross Avenue, BOOTLE, Merseyside, L30 5RH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/12/2013 08/04/2013

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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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The leadership and management team are always looking for ways to improve the nursery and successfully plan for its further development.  The nursery provides very good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, they make good progress.  Lunchtime is a pleasant social occasion. Children enjoy healthy lunches cooked on the premises from a good balance of nutritious food.  Staff positively encourage and support babies and children to become confident in their ability to do things for themselves and develop high levels of self-esteem.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always sufficiently focus on what children are to learn from the good quality resources available to them. As a result, children's learning is not consistently at the highest level.  Staff are beginning to obtain good information from parents about what children already know and can do at home, although this is not consistent.  There is scope to develop some partnerships with other settings children attend to gain a fuller picture of children's learning, to support even better continuity.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the three play areas and one of the outside learning environments.  The inspector observed lunchtime in the baby area and pre-school area.  The inspector conducted two joint observations with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision and spoke with some staff and children.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the provider's self-evaluation file and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included in the setting's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

Wind In The Willows Childcare (Sefton) was registered in 2008 and re-registered as a limited company in 2012. It is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in a single-storey, purpose-built building in the Netherton area of Liverpool and is one of eight settings operated by Wind In The Willows Childcare Limited. The nursery serves the local area and has strong links with the local school. There are separated areas in the open-plan space for each age group. There are two enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 19 members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 6, one at level 5, 13 at level 3 and two at level 2. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 95 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery has achieved the Investors in People Silver status.

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

 review the organisation and planning to ensure children learn at the highest level from freely-chosen activities, indoors and outdoors

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

 monitor the consistency with which children's starting points and learning from home are established with parents, in order to ensure learning is always built from a clear knowledge of children's abilities

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

 build on the existing strengths of the partnership working to obtain a fuller picture of children's abilities at other settings they attend, in order to identify learning opportunities and agree next steps.

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who attend

From the moment children start at the nursery, staff observe and begin to accurately assess their abilities. They make good use of their findings, with some information from parents, to plan suitably challenging activities. Following the introduction of a useful form, which focuses on the prime areas of learning, more detailed starting points are recorded for some children. Staff speak daily with parents, which is a good opportunity for parents to share what they know about their child's learning at home. Parents' comments are not fully included in the child's records to provide the fullest picture of each child's learning. However, staff clearly record children's progress at nursery, which they share with parents. Many parents take up the opportunity to look through their child's learning journal with the key person at meetings held twice a year. This, with other forms of communication, keeps most parents well informed. Staff support parents to improve

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who attend

children's speaking and listening skills through sharing books and by lending story sacks and activity boxes. Newsletters are translated into other languages to ensure parents whose home language is not English are as well informed as the other parents. Staff learn key words in the children's home language and caption displays in the languages of children who attend the nursery.

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who attend

Children's progress is tracked so that any gaps in their learning are identified early and action is taken to secure support where appropriate. Children make good progress in their learning and development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported to improve consistently, often with one-to-one staff support. Assessment records indicate children progress consistently. This is confirmed by parents and carers spoken to at the inspection. As a result, by the time children move on from nursery, they are all generally working comfortably within the typical range of development expected for their age, taking account of any special educational needs and/or disabilities. All staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how to promote the learning and development of young children through play. Children freely choose activities from a wide range of accessible toys and books. In addition, a key person individually

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who attend

plans interesting and challenging activities for each child based on their good knowledge of the child's abilities. Staff are confident in their teaching and most of the time, they support children's learning very effectively. The quality of teaching during planned activities is good and sometimes outstanding. However, during free choice activities and when outside, although a wide range of good quality equipment is readily available, staff are less focused on what children are to learn. As a result, although children are happily occupied, they are not always learning at the highest level. For example, when digging in the outdoor area, staff do not remind children to use investigative equipment to help in their search for worms.

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who attend

Children are interested and keen learners. From the baby room upwards, children confidently explore technology. They push buttons on toys to activate sounds and lights. They are adept at using a paint programme on a large screen computer. Children develop good mathematical skills as they play and through routines, for example, as they count how many children are sat at their lunch table in order to give the cups out. From the moment children arrive, staff purposefully encourage children's speaking and listening skills. Children make good progress in communication and language and in their physical, personal, social and emotional development. This provides them with the key skills needed for the next steps in their learning, such as school. Children paint, write their names to label their work, freely chalk on the ground outdoors and make marks with sticks in soil. All these experiences effectively promote children's early writing skills and their creativity.

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who attend

Children enjoy experiences, which relate to their own culture and sometimes the culture of others, for example, by tasting Chinese cuisine at Chinese New Year.

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

Staff establish extremely secure emotional bonds with children due to the organised way they help children to settle in. Staff organise space and resources to create a highly stimulating nursery in which children develop strong self-help skills. For example, children easily help themselves to toys and books and help themselves to water bottles when thirsty. Children become highly confident in their ability to do things for themselves and develop high levels of self-esteem. Older children choose when to have snack, help themselves to fruit and pour their own milk. Children actively serve themselves lunch and clear away their plates afterwards. Even babies are helped to sprinkle a spoonful of cheese over their nutritious pasta and chicken in freshly made tomato sauce. Staffs' calm and polite manner sets an exemplary example to children. They use excellent strategies to promote good behaviour. As a result, children learn to respect and tolerate each other's

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

differences and display polite, courteous behaviour. They are kind to each other when, for example, a two-year-old notices another child struggle to make a train track and stops to show her how to do it. Children learn to care and consider the needs of others through raising money for national charitable events.

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

Children confidently interact with visitors, which demonstrates they feel safe and extremely self-assured. Staff use stories and photographs to help young children learn about a range of different emotions. Indoors and outdoors, writing is visible in the home languages of children attending, which provides all children with a strong sense of belonging. Staff effectively support children's growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy. Children develop an excellent understanding of how to manage risks relative to their age. They are fully involved in the risk assessment of activities. For instance, they identify hazards relating to water play and how these can be minimised. Their discussion is recorded in the risk assessment. Children learn about fire safety as they listen to stories about fire fighters. Children develop an exceptional understanding of healthy lifestyles as they enjoy experiences based around the teaching of

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

health and the benefits of physical exercise. Children learn how food is grown as they plant, tend, pick and eat foods, such as strawberries, onions and potatoes. Children cook their nursery grown potatoes in different ways to taste them. For example, they try boiled and mashed potatoes and potatoes that they have made into crisps. Children learn about the care of teeth and follow a tooth-brushing routine. Staff are fully aware of each child's individual health or dietary needs and maintain clear records, policies and procedures to ensure that these are addressed appropriately. Babies are supported to feed themselves at lunchtime. During lunch, children discuss the health benefits of foods as they talk about food giving you muscles. Children gain an understanding of the need for physical exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Babies are encouraged to crawl and explore their surroundings to learn about the world. They exercise and develop coordination as they

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

clap hands and join in action songs led by a visiting music teacher. Children rapidly improve in ability and confidence as they use a range of outdoor equipment. They successfully extend their physical capabilities as they walk across tyres balancing carefully. Children enjoy additional activities, such as sports sessions led by a visiting sports coach, which promote their physical development.

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

Children are emotionally extremely well prepared for each stage of their learning and for moving on to school due to the strong support from their key person. Children visit the next group to develop bonds with their new key person as they make the transition from each group to the next stage of their nursery life. The key person receives a summary of the child's abilities so far from the previous key person. This ensures each child's good progress continues as they confidently settle into their new room. Similarly, children are emotionally very well prepared by staff to move on to school. There is a strong and close working relationship with the school next door and effective partnerships with other professionals and services. This ensures children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully supported to ensure they are not disadvantaged.

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provision

There are good arrangements for safeguarding children in the nursery. The premises are kept secure at all times and access to the building is carefully monitored by staff and through closed-circuit television. Regular risk assessments and fire risk assessments are carried out. Robust recruitment and vetting, followed by in-depth induction and appraisal, check and monitor each staff's suitability to work with children. On a daily basis the well- established policies and procedures are implemented consistently by staff, which protects the children well. All staff have a good awareness of the safeguarding and welfare, and learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff are confident about the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. This is because they regularly update their training and some staff are trained at a higher level to support them.

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provision

The provider has a strong commitment to continuous improvement and has achieved an Investors in People award at silver level. The solid leadership and management team are totally committed and extremely passionate about their work with children. They effectively identify the nursery's strengths and areas to develop and, as a result they have positive improvement plans. Children benefit from the dedicated and caring staff team who help them to enjoy learning. Children are regularly asked what they like about the nursery and parents' views are actively sought verbally and through questionnaires. Parents spoken to at the inspection are pleased that their children enjoy coming to the nursery and with the progress they are making in their learning. Parents have access to a wealth of information about the nursery on noticeboards and through newsletters. A suitable written procedure for dealing with concerns and complaints is shared with

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provision

parents. Any concerns and complaints received are dealt with promptly and any action taken is appropriately logged. The manager conducts regular supervision sessions with all staff members, which enables them to reflect on their practice and identify future training needs. Training programmes are specifically devised to meet the needs of the nursery and the staff team. Opportunities for staff to develop professionally are also good, which in turn enhances the outcomes for children's learning as they put into practice what they have learnt. Peer observations are beginning to further help staff to learn from each other's best practice. Staff display an accurate understanding of children's skills, abilities and progress. The manager monitors the tracking records with staff to ensure these are accurate. The progress of individual children or groups of children is identified and appropriate action is taken to identify and close any gaps in learning. This supports all

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provision

children to make good progress given their individual starting points and helps to prevent them being left behind.

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provision

Positive links with other agencies and professionals, such as physiotherapists and speech and language therapists, make a strong contribution to meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Appropriate information is shared and this secures any support children need. Staff work particularly well with the local school to support children and families. They drop off and collect children from this school nursery, join events, such as sports day and have regular meetings to discuss each child's progress. The management team have identified that this high level of partnership is not currently as strong at other settings children attend. They are taking self-identified steps to improve all partnerships.

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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 EY447151 Local authority Sefton Inspection number 941845

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 54 Number of children on roll 95 Name of provider Wind In The Willows Childcare Limited Date of previous inspection 08/04/2013 Telephone number 01515211555

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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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