Midget Gems

Midget Gems Units 6-7, Grandale, Hull, North Humberside, HU7 4BL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/02/2014 12/08/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff plan a range of interesting and challenging activities that help children make good progress in their learning and development.  The manager ensures the safety of all children through rigorous safeguarding procedures.  There are strong partnerships with parents, local schools and agencies.  The manager monitors the quality of teaching and the impact that it has on children's learning and development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 At times, some group activities involve too many children, and this occasionally results in some children losing interest.  There is scope to improve the organisation of some resources so children can always play with the toys and equipment that interest them.

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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 two indoor rooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the owner and manager.  The inspector spoke to parents to gain their views on the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked the evidence of suitability of staff to work with children and a range of policies and procedures to ensure children's health and safety.

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Information about the setting

Midget Gems was registered in 2003 and is on the Early Years Register. It is a privately owned provision and is situated in the Sutton Park area of Hull. Care for children is provided in two separate rooms. There is an enclosed area at the rear of the premises for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open all year round, Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm, with the exception of Bank Holidays. There are currently 51 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. There are eight members of staff who work directly with the children. Of these, two hold a childcare qualification at level 4 and four hold level 3. The proprietor and manager each hold a foundation degree. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 plan group review times for smaller numbers of children so that they can share their learning with each other more effectively

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

 reorganise the outdoor resources to make them more accessible for all children, so they can more easily follow their own interests.

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who attend

The children enjoy a comprehensive range of open-ended resources that interest them, and this means that they are excited to learn. The younger children explore and play, displaying good levels of independence and self-confidence, choosing from the range of stimulating resources. If they want a quiet area there are cosy dens where they can take resources or talk to a friend. The resources are well organised and there is space for the children to play on the floor. A member of staff observes a group of children playing with the trains. She enhances their play by introducing a track for them to put together. This allows them to become more deeply involved in their play. An older group of children use pebbles to make a 'camp fire' and they collect food from the home corner to cook. The staff interact with the children, encouraging them to talk about what they are cooking, for example, eggs and pancakes. This helps the children begin to understand how they can

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who attend

develop roles and stories, which supports their early literacy skills. To further develop these skills there are books to engage children of all ages located in cosy spaces in both rooms.

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who attend

The members of staff observe the children when they start in the nursery to swiftly identify their stages of learning and development, allowing them to effectively plan purposeful and developmentally appropriate activities. This also ensures that children's fascinations are included in the planned activities. The children's progress is comprehensively tracked across all the seven areas of learning to ensure that they make good progress. Any concerns are quickly identified and the staff plan to close the gaps in learning and development. This means that the children are ready for the next stages of their learning, including those children who will soon go to school. The children are encouraged to plan their self-chosen activities and then review their learning. This encourages them to review their own progress, focusing on how they learn as well as what they are learning. However, the group size means that occasionally some children

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who attend

have to wait for some time before they share their learning.

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who attend

The key person system supports effective links with parents and carers. Parents are encouraged to be actively involved with their children's learning in the nursery and to share their achievements at home. Staff communicate with parents on a daily basis through discussion and effective use of a daily diary that supports a two-way flow of information. This approach successfully engages parents in their children's education.

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

The key person system ensures the children's well-being, and this is monitored so that they feel safe and secure in the nursery. Photographs of staff with their key person group are displayed in the rooms to inform children and parents. The staff share information about children in a 'buddy book' kept in the rooms, so that they are all informed about children's needs if the key person is not in the nursery. If children are finding it difficult to settle into the nursery they are given a 'transition bag' to take home. This contains toys they have selected to take from the nursery and play with at home. This helps the children build strong links between home and the nursery. The children behave well, showing that they feel safe in the nursery, and this further supports their emotional well-being. The children are gaining an understanding of risk as they explore the nursery, knowing that the members of staff are there to support them. They enjoy the new challenge of walking

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

along a balancing beam, managing the risks involved. There are a range of exciting, open- ended resources, but some of these are not always fully accessible to the children, which means that some children are sometimes unable to access the toys and equipment they want. The children are reminded about the nursery rules and this provides clear guidance about behaviour so children understand the nursery expectations. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

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

The children enjoy a range of healthy snacks and drinks to develop their understanding of healthy foods. Meals are delivered from a local cafe and there are rigorous procedures in place to ensure that the meals arrive at an appropriate temperature. Children are encouraged to be independent, for example, the younger children are encouraged to put on their 'puddle' suits. The children have daily opportunities to be outside and develop their physical skills. There are good arrangements for children who are moving to a new room in the nursery. There are planned transition visits which support the children to become familiar with the new staff and children. The nursery works in partnership with the local school to support the children who are moving there. This helps the school to meet the needs of these children as soon as they start.

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provision

The manager fully understands the safeguarding requirements and ensures that they are implemented rigorously across the nursery. The manager ensures that all staff are suitable to work with children through vetting processes. The policies and procedures that focus on safeguarding are regularly reviewed and understood by the members of staff. All staff read the policies annually or as they are amended to ensure they fully understand their responsibilities to keep children safe and secure. Recruitment procedures are rigorous and follow the guidance on safe recruitment. New members of staff have a six-month probationary period to show that they have the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the children in the nursery. They are mentored by an experienced member of staff and complete a portfolio to demonstrate that they fully understand their role within the nursery. All staff have attended child protection training and demonstrate a thorough

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provision

understanding of how to keep children safe and secure. Most of the staff have current paediatric first aid certificates and this ensures the further safety of the children.

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provision

The staff are well qualified and experienced, which means that the children are supported in their learning and development.The manager closely monitors the quality of teaching and learning in the nursery. She observes the staff to ensure that the quality of teaching results in all children making good progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The staff receive feedback on the quality of their teaching so that any concerns are shared, and this gives opportunities for the manager to identify appropriate support. The staff are also encouraged to reflect upon their practice and identify their strengths and weaknesses and how they can improve. They access a range of local authority training opportunities to support and develop their knowledge in the delivery of the educational programmes. The manager puts together an overview of the learning and development of all the children in the nursery each term to identify any

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provision

concerns over the progress of children over time, so that interventions are put in place to close the gaps.

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provision

The nursery has well-established partnerships with the local authority and receives regular visits so that practice and provision are evaluated with other professionals, and this helps to focus priorities in improvement. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported as the nursery seeks guidance from professionals, such as speech and language teachers. Parents and children are asked to identify what they want to improve in the nursery, and their views feed into the improvement plan.

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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 EY264910 Local authority Kingston upon Hull Inspection number 938692

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 51 Name of provider Elaine Tweddell Date of previous inspection 12/08/2013 Telephone number 01482 828 189

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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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