Pebbles Nursery

Pebbles Nursery @ The Lighthouse Children's Centre The Lighthouse Childrens Centre, Linden Road, GLOUCESTER, GL1 5JA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/02/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children are excited and motivated by the wide range of stimulating activities that take account of their leaning needs and interests. They are engaged in their learning and make excellent progress, taking into account their starting points and capabilities.  Children are extremely happy and settled, as staff are kind and caring and give the utmost priority to children's health and well-being. Staff involve parents in helping children to learn about healthy food choices.  Children's behaviour is exceptionally well managed. Highly effective behaviour management strategies help and support children to manage their own behaviour.  Meticulous record keeping and the implementation of highly effective policies and procedures means that children are extremely safe at all times  Inclusion is given very good priority and excellent provision is in place to secure timely intervention and support for children with additional needs to ensure they achieve well.

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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 compulsory part 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 activities in the playrooms and the outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of staff suitability, training certificates, inductions, accident records and the setting's self-evaluation documents.  The inspector took account of the view of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Pebbles Nursery @ The Lighthouse Children's Centre re-registered in 2103 under the ownership of Barnardo's. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The setting operates from a purpose built building on the site of The Lighthouse Children's Centre. Children have access to four playrooms and a quiet room. There are covered outside play spaces, with a forest area, grass and paved areas for outside play. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery is open all year round, except Bank Holidays and a week at Christmas, from Monday to Friday. Full day care provision is from 8am until 6pm, with sessions from 8 am until 1 pm and from 1 pm until 6 pm. The setting also has 'new for two' sessions that are from 9 am until 12 noon all year round, when two-year-old children may attend for three sessions a week.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 135 children on roll aged between two and four years. A team of 24 staff, all work directly with the children. There are currently eight full time members of staff. The other staff offer support to the full time staff, working part-time through the week.

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

 enhance the excellent use of information and communication technology resources and programmable toys to continue to sustain children's rapidly progressing interest.

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who attend

Children thrive and make excellent progress in their learning and development in this enriching and inclusive setting. Staff have an excellent understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and how children learn. The systems for observation and assessment of children's progress across all seven areas of learning and development are very sharply focused. Staff use their observations to identify next steps for children, and recognise their individual interests with accurate precision through excellent communication with parents. This meticulous approach results in focused and targeted planning. For instance, parents are fully aware of their child's development and any further areas where their child's progress is less than expected. This information is used exceptionally well in order to gain appropriate support at an early stage. As a result, all children are developing excellent skills for their future learning, such as moving through

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who attend

nursery and on to school. The staff's interactions and teaching techniques are exemplary and they show an excellent understanding of how to fully engage and capture all children's interests. They provide exemplary experiences, with strong emphasis placed on the children exploring and investigating, interacting and leading their own play. For example, children pretend to 'sail away' in a large cardboard box and make 'apple pies' in the 'mud kitchen'. Children are very confident and expressive speakers. New vocabulary is introduced during activities, for example, children learn words associated with ships, developing an understanding of the meaning of words, such as 'portside' and 'starboard'. Children engage very well with practitioners, who ask them questions to make them think and encourage them to consider what it is they are trying to achieve. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported very well, as staff work closely with parents and other

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who attend

professionals, such as, a speech therapist, health visitors or staff at local children's centres. Staff use visual timetables, signing and individual play plans, in order to meet children's needs and include them in the life of the nursery. Children are extremely settled as a result and make very good progress.

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who attend

Staff encourage children's problem-solving skills as they complete puzzles and build models using a wide range of natural construction bricks. Children use numbers and counting as they play, and develop an excellent understanding of shape, space, size and colour. Children constantly initiate and extend activities as they want to, with a member of staff stepping in when appropriate to drive the activity forward and add in extra challenge. The way in which the staff steer the conversations with children is exceptional. They include all children in conversations as they each listen to what others have to say, and develop their confidence in speaking in large and small groups. For example, children recall a story they have been reading at nursery as part of a current theme. Staff introduce this to a group as they sit on the carpet and, with support, a child is asked by their key person if they know what the large rock in the story is called. The child says

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who attend

'Goulder', for which they are praised and then the member of staff develops this language further by repeating the correct word, 'boulder', and extending the sentence. This excellent teaching strategy promotes children's memory, recall and extends their language skills.

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who attend

The doors to the outside garden are continuously open and children relish the opportunities to extend their play outside. For example, on the hard surface children are highly motivated and delight in acting out real and imagined experiences. They develop their physical skills extremely well through their use of the exciting climbing and balancing equipment in the garden. Staff enable them to have first-hand experience of caring for living things and finding out about the natural world. Children plant their own vegetables and hunt for mini-beasts and many natural objects in the wild garden area. This excellent practice enhances all areas of learning. Children have many very good opportunities to use information and communication technology resources and programmable toys to explore why things happen and how things work. However, very occasionally staff miss opportunities when extending these resources to the younger children to continue to

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who attend

sustain children's highly-developed interest. This means that they do not always fully maximise children's learning potential at such times.

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who attend

Children who learn English as an additional language have many opportunities to feel included. Staff display words around the nursery in children's home languages and parents are asked to contribute some basic words for the staff to use. This helps to ensure that all children value their own language and those of others. All staff have high expectations of children and as a result, children make significant progress towards the early learning goals. There is a daily verbal two-way exchange of information between parents and staff to ensure each child's needs are identified and met extremely well. Parents add to their children's learning records and also contribute to their own children's planning. This demonstrates they are fully engaged in their children's learning. Staff also ensure that there are extremely detailed progress checks at age two and these cover children's development in all seven areas of learning. All parents contribute to these to ensure

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who attend

excellent continuity of progress in both learning and care.

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

Children feel extremely secure as the staff ensure that strong, trusting relationships are formed through a highly effective key person system. Staff are sensitive to children's needs and develop initial relationships during settling-in sessions. This enables children to identify the staff member that they bonds with most effectively in order to place them with the most suitable key person. All children show a strong sense of belonging in the setting as they move freely in the environment. Children's well-being and safety is the priority in this child-centred nursery. Staff work very closely with parents to gain an excellent insight into children's particular needs, interests and characteristics. Children are very self-assured and demonstrate a high level of self-discipline, for example, by playing exceptionally well together. Children take turns spontaneously and treat others with respect by talking politely to peers. Children confidently assist staff to identify potential

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

hazards in the environment and complete their own checklist risk assessments. Staff are highly effective in monitoring this to feed into the rules for play, particularly outdoors. This highly impressive procedure ensures children learn to keep themselves safe indoors and outside.

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

Throughout the nursery, staff create an outstanding environment that is welcoming, safe and stimulating, and where all children are highly motivated to enjoy their learning. Space and resources are exceptionally well planned and used to create wonderful experiences throughout. Children thoroughly enjoy spending time outdoors and the resources and activities provided to enhance their physical development and well-being are exceptional. They are able to access their own planting and growing area and use the 'muddy kitchen' which has been created by staff to provide them with an exciting and invigorating way of learning to keep healthy. They enjoy splashing in muddy puddles or making mud pies, which they 'cook' in the outdoor microwave.

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

Staff encourage children very effectively to be independent in their personal care routines, to put their own coats on and to make choices in their activities and resources. Children have good manners, and are frequently praised for their exemplary achievements. This gives them a highly-developed sense of self-esteem and helps them to gain confidence. Children use the toilet with self-assurance and ask for help if needed, while those in nappies receive effective care by their own key person. The staff feel that it is very important for those who are closest to a child to attend to their personal needs. This secures the close bonds they have with the children. Every child, from the youngest to the oldest and those of differing abilities, receives an outstanding early years experience that secures their future learning and ensures they are ready for school.

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

Children are provided with healthy snacks, prepared on the premises. They really enjoy their food and ask staff what they have for lunch. They are encouraged to serve themselves at their tables and manage their cutlery very well. Children have excellent opportunities to discuss and grow fruit and vegetables, so they find out where their food comes from. Staff sit with the children at mealtimes and act as excellent role models as they demonstrate social skills and create a warm and pleasant occasion. Staff chat with children about what they have been doing and what they would like to do later, maybe after their lunch or story time. Children's specific health and dietary needs are documented and followed in great detail by staff. Children develop an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves healthy. At 'snack time' children talk about what they need to stay healthy and how eating fresh fruit ensures they can 'play all day'.

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

Excellent attention is given to planning the snack menus and the nursery has asked parents for ideas about the type of food their children enjoy. Meals provided meet all cultural and religious requirements and take into account any allergies children may have.

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

Links with parents and carers are outstanding. This has a very positive impact on the care and well-being of children, and the progress they make in their learning. The excellent links parents have with their child's key person ensures children's needs are met, and supports parents in becoming involved in their child's learning, within the nursery and at home. Careful consideration is given to supporting children when they move rooms. The parent, key person and new key person are all involved in the transition to make it as smooth as possible for the children involved.

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provision

The leadership and management of the provision are outstanding. The safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are fully understood and all staff follow these. The management team has high aspirations for continuous improvement and this underpins all aspects of care and education. Regular appraisals and supervisions mean that the manager and staff evaluate their performance and agree targets and training to be set as a result. This is extremely well documented and means that staff continue to shape their professional development according to their own needs and those of the nursery. Staff reflect on and evaluate their teaching and children's progress each week, so that children make very good progress and planning is adapted according to each child's needs. All staff work very effectively as a team to identify and address areas for improvement. This means that children are well protected in the setting.

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provision

Staff complete first aid training and safeguarding training and are well informed about accident and child protection procedures and who to contact should they have any concerns. Close working with parents ensure any medical needs are fully met and children are fully included in the activities ensuring they are confident in the nursery. Policies are reviewed regularly and the effective implementation of these procedures ensures children are substantially protected. Robust procedures ensure that adults are suitable to work with children and ongoing suitability is discussed at the annual appraisals. This means that children's welfare is promoted effectively. Extensive induction takes place to secure a highly skilled and quality workforce who meet the nursery's exacting criteria. Extremely comprehensive risk assessments are carried out on all areas that are accessible to children and staff. These are reviewed regularly, along with daily checks prior to children coming at

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provision

the beginning of the day. Staff are very vigilant about safety within the nursery. For example, fire drills are completed regularly and more frequent should new staff or children start at the nursery. Partnership with parents is excellent from the outset. Parents are passionate about the nursery, actively seeking out the inspector to share stories about the great impact the nursery has had on their own and their children's lives. They speak with high regard and admiration for the staff and of the wonderful opportunities experienced by their children at this exceptional nursery. Parents are provided with a wealth of information, policy documents and monthly newsletters. This ensures they are fully informed about how the provision operates, and kept up to date with information about activities and events. Parents' views are highly valued and sought through the use of questionnaires and informal discussions. This helps to ensure they are fully involved in the

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provision

The working relationship with other professionals is commendable. The management team ensures clear lines of communication are maintained with a wide range of professionals to ensure that necessary interventions are sought to meet children's needs and to continue to close the achievement gap for those children who may be below what is normally expected for their age and stage of development. For example, staff work closely with speech and language therapists from the local children's centre to support children's language skills. The strong management team leads with a clear vision for improving practice, ensuring that all children reach their full potential and are able to engage in all activities provided. Self-evaluation is rigorous and well documented, reflecting the strengths and weaknesses of the setting. This is undertaken as a whole nursery exercise involving parents, staff, children and management within the process in order to gain a

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provision

wide range of opinions, ideas and suggestions for further development of the provision. Consequently, plans for improvement are meaningful and embrace the constant strive for high quality provision. There are excellent links with external agencies which help to ensure that children's needs are consistently met.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY464914 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 933885 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 120 Name of provider Barnardo's Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01452872299

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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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