Little Ones - Budlake

Little Ones - Budlake Budlake Hall, Budlake, Exeter, Devon, EX5 3JW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/02/2014 20/10/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 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

 Children show they are happy and secure in the nursery. Children form secure emotional attachments and are ready to learn because of the sensitive and skilful support they receive from the staff.  Both the management and staff team are committed to ensuring children's safety through robust recruitment procedures, staff supervision and appraisal procedures.  Staff know children are making good progress because systems for recording and monitoring their learning and development are robust.  Staff help children develop an understanding of a healthy lifestyles and protect their good health.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always make the best use of the outdoor environment to support children's learning.  Staff do not always take advantage of opportunities to give children more time to develop their own ideas and interests through their play.

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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 main playroom, the baby room and in the outside area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the management, and talked with staff and children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's assessment records, planning documentation, and a range of policies.

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Information about the setting

Little Ones - Budlake registered in 2002. It is a privately owned nursery providing full day care. It operates from Budlake Hall, in Budlake near Exeter, Devon and is one of a small chain of nurseries in the area. The owner/managing director holds a relevant early years qualification at level 3. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7.45 am to 6pm all year round. Overnight care is not provided.

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Information about the setting

Children use two rooms according to age. There is a sleep room, kitchen, toilet facilities and an enclosed outside play area. There is a grassed area on the adjoining National Trust site for outside play. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 38 children on roll, all in the early years age range. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are seven staff who work with the children, of whom six hold relevant qualifications at level 3 or above. The provider also employs a cook.

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

 extend the range of resources in the outdoor area so that all children have more opportunities to solve problems and use their imaginations in the programmes for mathematics, and the expressive arts and design

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

 enhance teaching, such as during group activities, by providing children with more opportunities to develop their own ideas and interests.

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who attend

Staff have a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and plan activities to cover all areas of learning. Children are happy, confident and busy. They share warm, caring relationships with staff and clearly enjoy the time they spend at the nursery as a result. Staff regularly observe children's play to assess what they are learning. Staff keep records including examples of artwork and attempts at early writing in order to track their progress. Staff use these records well to identify what children need to learn next and then plan interesting, inviting and engaging activities to support their development. This process means that learning is progressive and builds on what children already know, understand and can do. Staff record children's starting points when they join the nursery through talking with parents to find out what children can do. Staff develop an individual learning plan for each

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who attend

child which their 'key person' uses to monitor the child's progress and development. This plan is updated regularly and shared with parents. This system results in children making good progress towards the early learning goals. Ongoing assessment includes the progress checks for two-years-olds. Parents are provided with a written summary of this check which is accurate because of the effective assessment systems used.

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who attend

Overall, the quality of teaching is good. Staff promote children's communication and language skills well across the nursery and many children are confident speakers. This is a useful skill to have in readiness for their eventual move to school. Staff understand that this is one of the most important areas of learning and rightly place a clear focus on developing children's speech. Staff who work with the youngest ones copy babies' attempts to talk and repeat words to them clearly. Staff provide a running commentary about what they are doing while they carry out care routines, such as nappy changing. This means babies learn new words and gradually develop their understanding of how to communicate. Staff teach older children new vocabulary through the experiences they provide, such as through planned activities in groups.

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who attend

The staff team promotes children's literacy development well. Staff help children develop good listening skills as they deliver adult-led sessions that teach children about letters and sounds. Children throughout the nursery enjoy books and stories and have many opportunities to look at them on their own, in groups or with an adult. Staff manage story sessions well. They encourage children to join in with stories which they do confidently. They clearly enjoy performing actions as they act out a dinosaur rhyming story, for example. This activity helps children's pre-reading skills. In the baby room staff have created a cosy, inviting area where even the youngest children can use suitable books. These activities help all children prepare for their next stage in learning, including going to school.

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who attend

Staff understand the importance of children learning through exploratory play and investigation. They provide many sensory experiences to encourage children to explore and investigate in which children become engrossed. Children discover what happens when ingredients, such as sugar and flour, are mixed together and water added. They talk confidently with adults about what the mixture feels like and what they can make with it. Adults ask questions such as, 'What will happen if we add more water?' This teaching encourages children to think about what they are doing and to experiment further which promotes learning.

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who attend

All children enjoy playing with a wide range of different media and art and craft materials and they have good opportunities to use different tools and materials, explore different textures, use their imagination and learn new skills. However, staff provide fewer resources in the outdoor area that provide opportunities for children to solve problems and use their imaginations when playing there. This means that children who prefer to learn actively outside have fewer chances to do so. Nevertheless, staff ensure all children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills. They teach children to use cutlery confidently at mealtimes and allow them time to learn to pedal trikes and kick balls outside.

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

Children are clearly happy, settled and have an enjoyable time at nursery. The effective key person system, whereby staff take particular responsibility for a group of children, means that staff know the children really well. They use a range of strategies to quickly settle children on arrival and to comfort them if they become upset or tired. Staff take a genuine interest in what children have to say. Good relationships with parents mean they are aware of important events in children's lives; for example, staff in the baby room talk to toddlers about a new baby at home. This means children form strong bonds with their key person and consequently they feel safe and are ready to learn.

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

Staff praise children often, for example, for taking turns, sharing resources and being kind to others. This praise helps children understand staff expectations, so children behave well. The staff team is deployed well. All are good role models and have a calm, consistent approach to managing children's behaviour. This means that all staff have the same expectations. This consistency helps children become confident, so they choose where they want to play and are becoming independent. Children are aware of the 'golden rules' and have helped to make a display of these with their own drawings. This helps them to understand what is expected of them and promotes their self-esteem.

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

Staff teach children good personal hygiene routines as part of living a healthy lifestyle. Older children manage their personal care without adult support, which is good preparation for the eventual move to school. In the baby room, staff follow good hygiene practices because they wear disposable gloves and aprons when changing nappies, and surfaces are thoroughly cleaned. These procedures help prevent the spread of cross- infection well so children's good health is maintained. Babies and children are able to sleep and rest as needed, owing to the sleeping arrangements provided by staff. Babies sleeping in the cot room are checked frequently and a thermometer and monitor are used to ensure children are comfortable and safe as they rest.

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

Children benefit from a healthy balanced diet prepared by the nursery cook freshly each day on the premises. Parents are informed about what their children have eaten during the day and weekly menus are available for parents to view on the informative nursery website. Staff provide children with fresh drinking water indoors and when they play outside, staff talk to them about why it is important to drink water after exercise. Therefore, children are learning about the effects of exercise on their bodies and the importance of drinking water as part of keeping healthy.

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

Staff teach children to keep themselves safe and to enjoy fresh air. Staff operate a rota system for use of the outside area because different aged children share the same space. This precaution reduces hazards, especially for the youngest ones. Staff teach children not to run indoors because they might fall and hurt themselves; they teach older children to use suitable knives safely. This means children are developing an understanding of risk while practising their hand control too. Children's behaviour shows that they are very secure in the daily routine; consequently, they show confidence as they choose where to play and what resources to use. Overall, staff make effective use of resources, however there are times in the day, for example, during some group times, when children do not always have time to develop their own ideas fully or make decisions about what resources they want to use. This restricts some

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provision

The leadership and management of the nursery are good. It is evident that relationships at all levels are good because staff are well motivated, enthusiastic and are observed to work together well. All staff receive regular opportunities for supervision and appraisal to support their professional development. The manager carries out observations to monitor the educational programmes and the quality of teaching. These processes mean that strengths are recognised but training needs are identified too in order to improve the provision for children. The manager has opportunities for supervision and appraisal with the quality director for the nursery chain; consequently, he is well supported when instigating change to bring about improvement.

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provision

The directors understand their responsibilities to implement the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are fully safeguarded because procedures for safeguarding children are robust. Staff are aware of the possible signs that a child may be at risk of harm and know the procedures to follow if they have concerns because all have attended relevant training.

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provision

The directors have excellent procedures for the recruitment and vetting of staff and they check that staff remain suitable to work with the children. Staff complete daily visual checks of the premises, indoors and outside so that the environment and resources are safe for the children to use. This means that children play freely in a safe environment.

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provision

The staff team's partnerships with parents, other providers and outside agencies are generally very good. Staff keep parents well informed about their children's learning and progress because staff speak to them on a daily basis where possible. They use 'communication books' to inform parents about their children's care routines. Staff offer suggestions and ideas that build upon and enhance children's learning at home which parents can access through an easy to use, up-to-date website. This means that parents and carers who do not come in to the nursery are kept well informed too. Parents spoken to as part of the inspection made extremely positive comments about the nursery. They report that staff are 'friendly and approachable' and that their children enjoy their time at nursery.

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provision

The manager is highly motivated to continue improvement. Evaluation documents clearly show what needs to be done to improve the provision. Staff seek and take into account parents'' views through questionnaires and face-to-face discussions in order to bring about improvements.

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provision

The manager monitors all children's progress and key-persons regularly meet to discuss the children in their group so that all adults are aware of children's interests and stages of development. The manager is aware of any children who may need additional support and has good links with outside agencies, for example, the speech and language therapist, Portage consultants and health visitors. As a result, staff are able to implement strategies to ensure that all children receive the support they need. Consequently, all children make good progress. The nursery works closely with other early years providers by sharing information, which supports children's progress and provides continuity of care.

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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 EY233576 Local authority Devon Inspection number 826423 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 1 - 5 Total number of places 29 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Little Ones Childcare Ltd Date of previous inspection 20/10/2009 Telephone number 01392 882340

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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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