Sparklers Nursery

Sparklers Nursery The Watling Centre, 145 Orange Hill Road, EDGWARE, Middlesex, HA8 0TR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/02/2014 12/10/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Babies and children form strong bonds and emotional attachments with their key persons, which help them gain a positive sense of security.  The safety and well-being of children is very important to staff who ensure there are effective strategies to protect them from harm.  Staff know and understand the children in their care and how they learn, which enables them to tailor planning effectively to meet each child's individual learning needs.  Staff work closely in partnerships with parents and other professionals to help ensure appropriate interventions are secured when necessary and all children receive the support they need.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some parents are not always aware of the identity of all the adults caring for their children.  Children are not always given the opportunity to increase their independence at meal times.

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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 activities in the all areas of the nursery, indoors and outdoors.  The inspector spoke with the manager, staff and children.  The inspector took account of parents' views by speaking with them on the day.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the deputy manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled policies and procedures, staff suitability records, children's progress records and other relevant documentation.

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Information about the setting

Sparklers Nursery initially registered in 2006. In 2008 it changed the organisation of the ownership. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery operates from a community centre in Edgware, within the London Borough of Barnet. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff, eight of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications and two of whom are apprentices. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, 48 weeks of the year. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 62 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded free early education for children aged two, three and four years. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 strengthen the two-way communication between parents and the nursery; for example by helping parents to be more aware of the identities of all staff, students and volunteers who work with children

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

 provide further opportunities for children to develop their independence; for example, by encouraging them to serve their own food at every meal and snack time.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of the seven areas of learning and how children learn through play. They provide a variety of activities and experiences to help children make good progress in their learning and development. Children's key persons regularly observe and assess them in order to accurately identify, and plan for, the next steps in their learning. The management team carry out long term planning and tracking of children's development. Key persons carry out weekly planning for individual children, which managers monitor. Planning incorporates children's interests to extend their enjoyment and provide challenge. Parents are fully involved in their children's learning and development as they provide information to help staff identify individual children's starting points on entry to the nursery. Staff work in partnership with parents to carry out the progress check for two-year-old children. The findings from this assessment feed into

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who attend

individual children's planning. Staff ensure that parents are kept well informed about their children's progress to help them to continue supporting their children's learning at home.

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who attend

There is a good balance between child-initiated and adult-led activities and experiences and children benefit from a good variety of routines and play activities. Children's physical development is well supported as they use the climbing apparatus indoors and outdoors. They strengthen their muscles as they manoeuvre around the play spaces on scooters and develop their skills of coordination while balancing on tyres and crates. Children develop their imagination and learn to work as part of a team when they pretend to cook and serve meals in the home corner. They learn about different fruits and vegetables as they discuss the toy food with a member of staff. Children's creativity is supported as they stick shapes onto paper and they enjoy the sensory feeling of the glue on their hands. Children develop skills in communication and language effectively, as staff engage them in conversation and ask open-ended questions. Staff encourage children to talk about books

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who attend

with each other and sing songs together. This supports children's personal, social and emotional development well. Children learn simple mathematics as they sing counting songs and discuss colours.

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who attend

Children learn social skills as they talk together at meal times. They discuss their families and how their mummies are having new babies. They extend their own learning by using dolls to represent babies and cuddle them and put them to bed. Children who are learning to speak English as an additional language and children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported and are making good progress. Older children are prepared well for the next stages in their learning and school as staff encourage them in their mathematical development. They help them to recognise numerals and sequence as they practise writing them.

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

Children and babies form close attachments and bond with their key persons and other staff. The staff give new children a long settling in phase where their development is monitored. A review meeting is held after six weeks to let parents know how their children have settled, and they keep settling in records which they use to support the children's development. Key staff give new children individual attention and support to help them feel at home in the nursery. Babies are cared for well in the nursery. They receive lots of praise and encouragement to try new things. For example, babies are clapped and cheered when they take their first steps and parents are brought in to share in the excitement of the new achievement. Staff praise all children constantly for their achievements and behaviour. Children generally behave very well in the nursery as staff set appropriate boundaries and encourage positive behaviour. Children are taught to care

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

for each other and to apologise for being unkind.

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

Babies and children are encouraged to feed themselves and learn to use appropriate cutlery. The nursery cook prepares healthy and nourishing meals for the children. Children pour their own drinks and serve themselves salad, although staff do not encourage children to serve their own main meals to help support their growing independence. Staff are careful to ensure that children with special dietary requirements only have access to foods that are safe and suitable for them. Children learn good hygiene routines as staff remind them to wash their hands regularly and especially after using the toilet, after messy or garden play and before eating. The nursery staff are kind and sensitive to children's individual needs. Babies' nappies are changed frequently, discreetly and hygienically and parents are informed of their personal care routines through regular daily communication books. The nursery environment is well-resourced, stimulating and

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

Children learn to keep themselves safe as staff remind them to take turns on the slide so as not to trip each other. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported as staff work closely with their parents and other professionals to help ensure their individual needs are met and they make good progress. Children's safety is of great importance to the nursery staff. Nursery doors are kept locked and only opened by staff. Visitors, including parents, must sign in and out of the nursery, particularly when bringing or collecting their children. This ensures that children only leave with their known adults. Children are well supervised as staff interact with children at all times. The management team ensures that adult to child ratios are maintained at all times. Staff, apprentices and students work well together as a team and there is a friendly and happy atmosphere throughout the nursery. Regular fire drills are carried out to ensure that all

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

children and adults know what to do should an emergency occur. When the time comes for children to move on to school, staff ensure they understand the social skills of listening, turn taking and sharing. They have high expectations of children to be independent and emotionally ready for the next stage in their learning.

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provision

Staff have a clear understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff are suitably qualified and understand how young children learn. All the necessary documentation for the safe and efficient management of the nursery is in place. Staff carry out robust risk assessments, indoors and outside to minimise hazards and make sure the children's environment is safe and secure. As a result, children can play and learn in safety. Children are effectively safeguarded because the staff undertake relevant training to protect them. They have a secure understanding of safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they have concerns about a child's well-being. There is a clear safeguarding policy, including a policy restricting the use of mobile telephones and cameras. A clear whistle blowing policy and complaints procedure are known and understood by all adults working with the children to

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provision

help ensure children are protected at all times. The management understands the requirement to fully investigate any concerns raised and to liaise with, and report to, the local authority designated safeguarding officer and Ofsted.

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provision

Recruitment procedures are robust and new staff receive a full and rigorous induction and are supervised throughout their probationary period. All adults working in the nursery are subject to appropriate background checks to ensure that they are suitable to work around children. Effective monitoring of the educational programmes and tracking of individual children's development enables staff to identify any gaps in their learning, and to seek appropriate intervention and professional advice. The management team regularly observe staff practice and appraise their professional development. Staff receive detailed feedback and are supported to receive the training they need to enhance their practice. This results in a strong motivated staff team who are committed to providing good quality educational programmes for the children.

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provision

Self-evaluation of the nursery is effective because parents, staff and children are encouraged to voice their views regularly. Parents make their views known by completing questionnaires and by day-to-day conversations with staff. Children also complete questionnaires appropriate to their stage of development, which helps staff to provide the most effective resources to support their learning. The manager demonstrates a clear drive for improvement and has secure plans in place for the continued development of the nursery environment. For example, she has ambitious plans for the development of the garden area to enable children to have free access to a more effective outdoor learning environment during the summer months and all year round. All actions and recommendations from previous inspections have been addressed. The manager welcomes all feedback and quickly responds by making the improvements suggested. The

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provision

manager extends a warm welcome to parents as they enter the nursery to bring or collect their children. Partnerships with parents and other professionals are strong. However, some parents are not fully aware of the identity of all the staff who currently work in the nursery and therefore do not feel totally confident. Parents say their children are making good progress and enjoy their time at nursery. They comment that their children are learning good skills for the future and for moving onto school.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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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 EY375063 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 954809 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 1 - 5 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 62 Name of provider First Meditation Enterprise Limited Date of previous inspection 12/10/2012 Telephone number 02089593434

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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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