Smithfield House Children's Nursery

Smithfield House Children's Nursery 14 West Smithfield, LONDON, EC1A 9HY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/01/2014 07/09/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff interact positively with children, which helps to support their communication and language skills.  Partnership with parents is improving to encourage them to become more involved in their children's learning and development.  The children have regular opportunities to go on local outings, to museums, parks and exploring their environment.  Children have very large play spaces for well spread activities throughout the nursery.

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It is not yet good because

 The deployment of the staff within the nursery environment does not enable children's needs to be effectively met at all times.  The systems staff use for the observation, assessment and planning of activities are not effective and do not help staff provide sufficient challenge for all children across all areas of learning.  The procedures in place for the administration of medication are not sufficient, as staff do not always gain parental consent before they administer medication.  There are fewer opportunities for very young children to support themselves in self-help skills.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed interaction between staff and children of all ages.  The inspector sought parent's views.  The inspector sampled documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation in the toddler room with a member of the management team.

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Information about the setting

Smithfield House Children's Nursery registered in 2011. It is one of two privately owned nurseries and operates from the ground floor of a building in the City of London, close to Smithfield Market. Children have the use of three large play rooms and an extra room designated for physical activity. There is no outdoor play area however, the local facilities are used for outdoor play. The nursery is open every weekday from 7am until 7pm for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 65 children on roll. The setting is in receipt of funding for free early years education. There are 14 staff of those 12 work with the children. One member of staff holds a BA Honours in Early Years Education and 11 staff have an NVQ level 3. The nursery supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an

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must:

 review the deployment of staff in the areas used by the children, to ensure the needs of all children are met throughout the day

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must:

 implement a procedure for observing and assessing children, to help identify the progress they are making and to understand children's learning styles and interests to inform planning for each child reflecting on those observations

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must:

 obtain written permission from parents for each and every type of medicine including non-prescription prior to administration.

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

 further enhance opportunities for children, especially those in the younger age group, to develop their self help skills, with particular regard to ensuring they can access or indicate they want a drink, other than meal or snack times.

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who attend

Staff are in the process of changing the systems to help support them in planning for children's individual needs and tracking the progress they make. Although these systems are developed, they have not been implemented. Staff are beginning to identify children's interests through the process of observation. However, they do not consistently use this information to plan effectively activities that are challenging and exciting to support children's developmental progress. Consequently, children do not learn as much from the experience as possible and therefore do not make good progress. Staff complete summary reports to share with parents which relate to all areas of learning. However, they do not consistently track children's progress to assess their development in line with expectations and share this with parents. Staff complete progress checks for children aged two years. This enables them to summarise children's development in the prime areas of learning, a

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who attend

Staff support children's communication and language skills in a variety of ways. Children enjoy singing songs, follow simple actions and listening to music with staff. They explore a range of musical instruments and dance to familiar songs. Staff model vocabulary as they describe what children are doing. For example as children play in the role play area, staff say '"let's turn the tap on to fill the kettle', which helps children to understand the meaning of words. Staff take children on regular visits to the local library, where younger children enjoy song and rhyme time and older children choose their book of the month, which they share with parents.

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who attend

Staff support children's physical development as they are encourage children to climb up the slide and ride bikes. Staff support children to develop and use smaller physical skills such as using the stick to spread the glue and explore early writing skills with a variety of different materials. Staff make use of local amenities to help children learn about their own environment as well as enjoy other facilties. For example children go to the park where they have access to a range of equipment such as swings. They explore the museum and go for local walks within their environment. Staff promote children's personal, social and emotional skills appropriately. Children are developing their independence skills; they are encouraged to put on their coats and shoes when they go out for walks. Staff support very young children during meal times and encourage babies to self-feed. There are suitable partnerships with other professionals, ensuring that

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who attend

individual needs are met and supported effectively.

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

Babies are given cuddles and staff speak affectionately to all the children, which helps make children feel secure with the staff who care for them. Staff are aware of individual routines and these are supported throughout the day, for example, children rest, when they need to rather than stick to a rigid routine.

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

Staff support children to develop an awareness of how to keep safe. For instance all wear high visibility jackets while on outings and understand the need for that. Children also take part in regular fire drills. Children learn to use tools safely, for example, they use scissors when they cut during arts and crafts. Effective procedures are in place for children who have specific dietary requirements, ensuring that staff are aware during meal times. All children have their own named cups and beakers and staff give these to children during meal and snack times. However, the systems in place do not encourage very young children to indicate if they want a drink during the day. The nursery provide healthy snacks and nutritious home cooked meals for children to enjoy. Alternatively staff serve up meals provided by children's parents. Staff wear gloves while handling food, to prevent cross infection and follow suitable nappy

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

change procedures. There are suitable areas for nappy changes and toileting, staff regularly change nappies, with records maintained. Older children are taken to the toilet throughout the day and staff supervise them while they do so.

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

The play-rooms are divided into designated areas. For example, all rooms have a messy play area, where arts and crafts and messy play are available. The main play area provides floor toys and large open spaces for children to move around play freely. Alcoves within those play areas provide different spaces for role-play. There is a suitable range of toys and equipment, some of which are stored at low level in storage units making them easily available for children.

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

Children generally behave well. However, on occasions, the activities provided do not engage children for long and children become bored. Children's positive behaviour is supported and staff use suitable methods to deal with unwanted behaviour. Staff praise children when they share the trains with their friends, telling them they are being kind. Staff display children's work putting their photo beside it so they can clearly see who designed the creation, which makes them feel valued.

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

There is a reasonable range of age appropriate resources within the nursery. Suitable procedures are in place to support children when they move from one area to another within the nursery, which enables them to settle quickly. Staff are currently developing a transition area in the pre-school to support children who are moving onto school. Children are encouraged to become more independent for moving onto school through the daily routine, for example they put on their aprons for taking part in messy play and put on their coats for going out. Children are beginning to develop the skills they need to move onto their next stage of learning.

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provision

The provider has a sufficient understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The inspection was brought forward as a result of information received by Ofsted. This related to the minimum adult to child ratios not being maintained and staff not sufficiently supervising children. The attendance registers were sampled and ratios were checked during the day. Although the number of staff on the premises overall was sufficient for the number of children present, the deployment of staff was not consistently effective in meeting the needs of the children. There are robust procedures in place for recruitment of staff, to ensure they are suitable to work with children. For example, all staff in the nursery have a DBS check and there is evidence of qualifications they hold. The management team have recently strengthened systems for supervision, although the systems are in the very early stages of implementation. Staff are actively

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provision

encouraged to update their professional development and have all recently attended training in safeguarding, schemas and how children play. This supports and updates their knowledge of key skills. Staff confidently demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of safeguarding issues. For example, they confirm neither, they nor parents can use mobile phones in the areas used by the children. Risk assessments are sufficient; they include the activities children participate in and the areas of the building children use and the outings they participate in. The areas used by the children are safe, although some areas of the rooms are more visible than others, staff are aware of this and located themselves in different areas to ensure that they can see or hear children at all times. Records for accidents and medication are maintained, however staff do not always obtain consent to administer non prescribed medication.

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provision

The management aspires to make improvements to the service provided. Action plans in place identify areas that require further development and the process of self evaluation contributes to the process. The management team works with the local authority advisors who contribute to the process. For example, they suggested that the artwork display is more child orientated, which staff have now begun to implement. The management team review existing systems which has helps identify areas for improvement. As a result, they have updated procedures and some new methods have been implemented. Recently organised parents forums, enable parents to give their views. Staff gain information from parents when children join in the nursery using the 'all about me' formats. This helps staff to know a little bit about the children they care for. Staff regularly update parents both verbally and through means of the daily diary. Parents comment they like this and it

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provision

supports the conversations they have with staff at the end of the day. Key groups are displayed in the play area, enabling parents to be aware of their child's special person. The staff have recently begun to involve parents in contributing information about what their children do when they are not at nursery. They use the 'starting out 'activity sack incentive. This scheme encourages parents to take activities home for their child, use guidance provided and then report on how their child has used the materials. Parents comment that they have seen an improvement in the service provided recently, due to the re-organisation of the staff teams. They feel they receive ongoing support from the management team, which is particularly useful for first time parents in parenting skills and support in difficult situations. They comment their children enjoy coming to the nursery and they do things at home indicating what they have learnt at nursery. Staff share with

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provision

parents their child's progress through regular reviews and ongoing updates on a daily basis.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Not Met

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure there is a record of a parent/guardian/carer's consent for any medicine administered to any child who is cared for on the premises  ensure there is a record of a parent/guardian/carer's consent for any medicine administered to any child who is cared for on the premises

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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 EY425982 Local authority City of London Inspection number 941282 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 100 Number of children on roll 65 Name of provider Smithfield House Children's Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 07/09/2011 Telephone number 020 7236 1000

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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

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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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