Puffins at Clystheath

Puffins at Clystheath The Old Chapel, Clystheath, Exeter, Devon, EX2 7EY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/02/2014 07/09/2009

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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

 Staff form strong relationships with parents and other professionals, therefore they all contribute and engage well in children's learning. This securely promotes children individual needs and helps them to make good progress.  Children are happy, secure, and explore confidently, while being eager to learn. They have good relationships with the staff and each other.  Staff challenge children's learning through a stimulating environment and good range of well-planned activities that engage and encourage their strong sensory explorations.  Children participate in daily exercise and receive fresh air, therefore they engage in physical activities indoors and outside and this effectively supports their health and wellbeing.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff occasionally miss opportunities to further extend children's physical skills to support and show them how to use tools with control, for example, when young children are independently feeding themselves.  The mark making resources in the two to three year olds room is not successfully replenished to enable children to frequently access and explore a range of mark making tools.

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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 playrooms and outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings at appropriate times with the manager. The manager took part in a joint observations of an adult led activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documents and a sample of documentation relating to children's welfare.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of staff suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of the inspection and of the provider's self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

Puffins of Exeter at Clystheath registered in 1995 and was re-registered under the company's new name, Puffins of Exeter Limited, in 2004. It is one of a group of childcare facilities operated by a company that was established in 1990. The nursery is situated in a converted chapel within the Clystheath housing development on the outskirts of Exeter, Devon. The premises offer two separate ground-level entrance lobbies leading into the chapel. The open-plan accommodation is divided into segregated play areas for three age- groups. There are also children's toilets, staff facilities, a sleep room and two separate kitchens. The children have use of an enclosed outdoor play area, set within the chapel grounds. The nursery is open from 7.30am to 6.00pm on weekdays throughout the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 81 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free

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Information about the setting

early education for children aged two, three and four years old. The nursery cares for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also a number of children who speak English as an additional language. There are 17 staff who work directly with the children, of these, 10 staff hold relevant childcare qualifications of level three and above. The acting manager has a degree and holds early years professional status. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association and has achieved Investors in People status.

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

 further support young children's independence with their self-care skills, for example, during meal times when children learn how to hold and control the cutlery

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

 improve the monitoring of resources to enable young children to frequently access a range of mark marking utensils to further explore and make choices.

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who attend

Children make strong progress in their learning and development, as the staff have a good understanding of how children progress and learn. Good tracking processes and effective planning systems means staff identify and plan well for the children's next steps. The required progress check for two-year-olds is implemented well, and therefore, children make good progress in their learning. Staff enthusiastically engage with the children and plan activities to support all areas of their learning. For example, they introduce exploration of fruits in an adult-led activity, and follow the children's interests well. As result, children are inquisitive and keen to learn; they are sociable and use language well in response to the staff's skilful questions and interactions. For example, they watch and feel the texture of the fruits, while being encouraged to discuss the size, shape and colour. Children are encouraged to problem solve and use improvisation, by using a wooden block

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who attend

as a hammer with good control. Children confidently count the pegs they put in the fruit and are challenged to compare this with each other. They skilfully count and identify whether they have more or less than the other children. As a result, children demonstrate good mathematical awareness and understanding.

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who attend

All children enjoy music sessions, for example, babies become familiar with rhymes and become active. They are supported well to move and explore their body movements. Older children fully engage in music activities and follow instructions. Babies explore many sensory experiences. For example, they are encouraged to smell and touch the scented ice bags as the staff introduce descriptive vocabulary, and experiment with the oats and rice. They listen to the sound the rice makes as this falls through their fingers to the floor. Children engage in stories and sit and concentrate well with good support as the staff use props and puppets. Young children use early language and repeat words because the staff are skilful at engaging and are responsive to their vocal sounds and facial expressions. As a result, they develop good ways to communicate. Children experiment confidently by adding water from their cup to the oats, and this is encouraged and supports their further

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who attend

exploration. Staff encourage young children to make marks and therefore the children feel the oats with their hands and fingers and make early patterns.

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who attend

Parents are involved well in children's learning as they share with the children a joy of books and language. For example, children choose a story to take home in their book bag to share with parents. They are encouraged to contribute to the children's interactive learning journals and are frequently provided with information about the routines and activities, for instance as they receive regular newsletters. Detailed information from the start is gained in the children's 'all about me form', and interests sheets are used and updated to gain further information. These systems effectively support consistency in children's learning and development.

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

Good settling-in processes are adapted to meet the children's individual needs. This includes when they first attend and when moving to a different age group and to school. There is effective liaison between the key persons and parents, which contributes to the children's smooth transitions. Children are settled and happy and have secure, warm relationships with the staff, and this supports their emotional wellbeing and prepares them for the next stage in their learning.

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

Children are responsive to frequent praise and encouragement and the clear focus by staff on acknowledging their achievements. For example, the children work in a group to gradually fill a large water bottle and receive an end reward. As a result, children are well behaved, cooperative and demonstrate high levels of confidence and self-esteem and are prepared for their next steps in learning and their eventual move to school. Children confidently explore a good variety of the well organised resources, which enables them to make choices. The welcoming environment challenges children's learning, through picture displays of numbers and letters, and displays of their work valuing their contributions. However, staff do not always replenish drawing resources for young children frequently. This means children do not always have choices to further explore materials and to enable them to practice their early marks.

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

All children engage in outdoor play, which promotes their health and wellbeing. This includes a covered area where babies engage in stories by sitting on soft cushions. Older children develop good control when riding and manoeuvring the tricycles. Staff encourage children's independence well within the routine; they pour their own drink and serve their own dinner. Babies receive good support and frequent drinks and staff encourage children's independence by using their beakers. This ensures that the children's fluid intake is maintained well. However, on occasions guidance is not always provided to encourage and support young children to skilfully practice holding and using a knife and fork. As a result, children sometimes struggle to feed themselves independently. Staff support children's awareness of good safety procedures as they use redirection and explanation of potential hazards. For instance, when a young child throws the oats, staff

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

engage them in more purposeful play and exploration. Children participate in fire evacuation procedures and this helps them learn how to leave the building quickly in an emergency.

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provision

The leadership and management of the setting is good. The acting manager receives strong levels of support from the senior management team. The manager demonstrates a clear understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage, and her roles and responsibilities. The inspection found that robust policies and procedures support and contribute to the effective organisation of the nursery and meets all the statutory requirements. As a result, safeguarding procedures have been followed well by staff and management when there are concerns. Policies are vigorously followed and information is available for parents, for instance, in relation to the outcome of complaint investigations. These procedures actively promote children's safety and wellbeing and are robust.

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provision

The nursery management follows robust staff vetting and recruitment procedures. Staff receive regular training through the nursery's training company and supervision. As a result, this enhances their knowledge and skills, and effectively supports their continued professional development. There is a high ratio of qualified staff and this contributes to the good level of teaching and means children's make strong progress in their learning. Comprehensive induction procedures for staff and apprentices include using learning logs and a manual. This contributes to their good knowledge and understanding of the setting's policies and procedures. There is a clear managerial vision and commitment to continuous improvement. As a result, the garden continues to be developed to provide access to natural and man-made resources and enhances children's learning outdoors. Systems continue to improve and enhance the parents' involvement. For example, they can

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provision

contribute to the children's learning journal by adding their observations of their progress to the interactive system.

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provision

Staff establish strong relationships with the parents from the beginning and this includes visits to the home and formal reviews. Parent's feedback is very positive about the nursery practice. For instance, they comment about the children's good progress and positive relationships with the staff. Therefore, parents feel fully supported, involved and informed about the children's learning. Parents receive detailed information in a parent's brochure and a comprehensive guide to using the interactive system. This enables them to view the children's good progress. Good liaison with other professionals and early years settings promotes continuity in children learning and development. This means support is accessed effectively through open communications and clear procedures. For instance, links are clearly made with other settings that children attend, and enable a good sharing of information to support the children's future progress. Staff support children's individual

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provision

needs well. For example, pictures of the routine and resources successfully promote children's inclusion, for instance, when English is children's additional language, and help with their communications.

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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 EY300223 Local authority Devon Inspection number 951517 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 81 Name of provider Puffins of Exeter Ltd Date of previous inspection 07/09/2009 Telephone number 01392 446050

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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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