Docklands Day Nursery

Docklands Day Nursery 24/26 Fairlop Road, Leytonstone, London, E11 1BN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/03/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 interact with children in their play and extend their learning and development through good teaching.  Staff help children make good progress from their starting points so that they are well prepared for school.  The manager and staff work well as a team providing children with consistent messages so they know what is expected of them.  The manager and staff effectively engage parents in their children's learning, which supports children's learning at home.  The manager and her staff team are ambitious in their aims to offer a high quality provision. They demonstrate a good capacity to improve what they offer the children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always provide suitable tools and materials that match children's capabilities during arts and crafts activities which children struggle to handle.  Staff miss some opportunities to help children develop valuable skills for the next stage in their learning or for school in the programmes for mathematics and literacy, for example, encouraging counting activities often and engaging younger children's attention in stories.

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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 children at play in a variety of situations, both indoors and outside.  The inspector carried out joined observations with the manager.  The inspector had discussions with the manager, the staff, parents and children.  The inspector looked at a selection of documentation.

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Information about the setting

Docklands Day Nursery registered in 2013. It operates from two rooms in a purpose built building, in the Leytonstone area, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. There is an enclosed outside play area. The nursery operates all day from 6.30am to 7pm Monday to Friday. The nursery does not take children under the age of two years. At the moment there are 12 children in the early years age group on roll. The nursery receives funding to provide free early years education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language. There are eight members of staff working with the children most of whom hold appropriate early years childcare qualifications. The manager has achieved the early years professional status.

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

 develop ways to engage younger children in understanding stories and their characters to keep them better engaged at such times, for example through the use of further resources such as story props and puppets

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

 organise art and craft activities so that all children can find and use materials and tools suited to their capabilities in order to support their creative play

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

 extend the programme for mathematics by including more games around using numbers for counting, in order to help children gain improved skills ready for the move to school

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. They use this knowledge well to help children make progress, enjoy their time and feel happy in their play. This is because staff organise fun activities for them making full use of a wide variety of stimulating resources in their teaching. Staff succeed in helping children to develop new skills and knowledge so that they are well prepared for the next stage in their life, the school. They do this by establishing what children can do on entry, observing and assessing their progress and planning what they need to learn next.

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who attend

Staff understand the importance of developing children's communication and language skills. They plan a variety of ways to help children widen their vocabularies and develop their conversation skills. For example, the children dance the conga while they sing nursery songs, thus practising their speaking skills, learning to play together and be considerate towards one another at the same time. Staff plan specific group times in which the focus is on developing children's language. They use a variety of objects that capture children's interest such as a soft toy crocodile. Staff encourage children to name it and describe it so that they learn new words such as 'squishy'. This teaching engages children in playing with language as they learn to use it to be descriptive. All these activities help children make good progress in their communication and language skills.

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who attend

Staff plan a range of useful activities to help develop children's early reading skills in readiness for school. Staff teach children 'phonics' in fun ways, such as through a song to help them learn sounds of letters of the alphabet. Staff help children develop a love of books. Older children listen well to stories read to them by staff when in a group and learn how to sequence events in stories. However, some of the younger children find it hard to follow the story line at such times, just by listening or watching the pictures. This is because staff do not use strategies to help capture their interest, such as using puppets to represent a book's characters.

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who attend

Staff understand the importance of children learning through active play and exploration. Staff organise interesting activities for children that allow them to learn that things change such as when mixing flour with water. Children enjoy exploring the texture of this wet mixture and enjoy seeing what happens as they add more flour. They create their own play-dough sculptures developing their dexterity and using their imaginations.

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who attend

Staff organise arts and crafts activities which children enjoy and which help them develop their hand control. Children learn to operate small scissors and cut up paper shapes they want for their creations. However, some of the paper is too thin for their little fingers to hold and some scissors do not work easily; as a result, children struggle to be productive in their work.

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who attend

Staff organise a play environment in which children see number labels displayed on the wall and count buttons or small toys. Staff help children count how many scoops of sand are needed to fill the bucket out in the sand pit. However, such games do not make full use of all the play areas organised in the nursery. As a result children miss out on some opportunities to learn to use numbers for counting in their play and develop valuable skills for school quickly.

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who attend

Each child is assigned a key person who is responsible for their progress in learning. Key persons make useful notes of children's interests and levels of learning and development, and communicate these regularly to parents. This means that parents are kept informed of children's progress, so they can support it at home. Parents are invited to participate in the life of the nursery, for example by reading stories to the children, which helps demonstrate the strength of this partnership.

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

Staff establish firm, positive relationships with the children. Children are happy and approach staff if they have a problem of any sort, showing they fully trust them and feel comfortable in their care. This emotional security results in children being confident and independent in their play.

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

The staff team has well-established routines and children know what is expected of them at all times. The team takes a consistent approach to managing children's behaviour, for example. This means that children behave well. Staff model friendly and respectful relationships and, as a result, children are kind towards one another and play well together. These are useful attitudes to have for the eventual move to school.

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

The staff make children's safety a priority. The nursery is securely kept with controlled entrance and an enclosed garden. Staff regularly examine all play areas and equipment for potential dangers, thus minimising risks of accidents. Staff organise the environment in such a way as to enable children be independent in their explorations, without endangering themselves.

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

Staff teach children how to have a healthy life style while in this nursery. Staff prepare fresh fruits which the children enjoy at morning snacks. Staff organise the transfer from story time to the snack table extremely well. Adults show children picture books and engage them in learning animal's names as they wait for their turn to use the toilet area. The children go to wash their hands in small groups of two or three so staff teach them how to wash their hands well. Children learn that they need to wash their hands regularly before eating.

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

Staff organise a variety of games and activities, such as ball games, riding tricycles and playing with sand. These activities help children develop their coordination and gain new physical skills, such as throwing and catching. Staff encourage children to enjoy regular exercise and fresh air. After lunch, staff recognise the importance of children having a rest or sleep. They provide in a separate room, made comfortable and inviting for children. Each child who needs a sleep has his or her own mattress, which makes children feel safe and secure.

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

The children fully enjoy the time they spend in this nursery. The activities organised help children develop their skills, courage and independence in readiness for the next stage in their learning.

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provision

The manager, the deputy manager and the staff work very well as a team. This results in a cohesive approach in all areas of provision, which benefits all children. The manager has a good understanding of young children's needs and interests. This helps her support staff in organising activities which are enjoyable and effectively help children to make good progress. The provider, manager and staff make children's safety a priority and meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Risk assessment procedures are in place to ensure equipment and play areas are safe from dangers. Adults have good knowledge of safeguarding and are aware of the potential signs which may trigger concerns about a child's welfare. This means that children are protected from harm.

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provision

The manager organises regular staff meetings in which staff discuss children's needs and plan activities to further children's learning and development. The manager and the deputy manager are present in the life of the nursery and engage in sessions with the children, which enables them to ensure that the staff assessment of children's progress is accurate. This results in all children making consistently good progress from their starting points, so any gaps in learning are addressed. Assessment systems in the nursery are effective, which helps staff identify any additional needs if necessary.

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provision

The manager offers a range of continuous support to staff in their work and professional development. Staff make use of their new learning, improving the provision. For example, staff have recently reorganised a mathematics play area to help children practise their counting and number skills. The manager regularly observes play and learning sessions and gives feedback to staff, helping them improve their practice if necessary. Senior staff make good use of their qualifications to guide the professional development of the staff team.

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provision

The manager, deputy manager and staff constantly evaluate the provision and plan to develop further. For example, they plan to develop the outdoor learning provision, by adding a permanent planting area.

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provision

The manager is proactive in developing a range of partnerships with outside agencies. The staff work closely with the local authority and visit neighbouring early years settings. This helps them develop new ideas, which enhance experiences offered to children. The manager develops relationships with health professionals, which form a basis for future collaborations if the need arises, in support of all the children.

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provision

The manager is proactive in engaging parents in their children's education. She has developed several strategies and resources to ensure a continuous collaboration between staff and parents. This results in parents being aware of what their children are learning at any particular time, so they can complement their children's learning with activities at home. Such collaborations contribute to children's consistent progress in learning and development.

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provision

The manager, the deputy manager and the staff team are ambitious. They demonstrate a good capacity to further improve the quality of care and education offered children in this nursery.

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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 EY458063 Local authority Waltham Forest Inspection number 929092 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 11 Name of provider Docklands Day Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07852358452

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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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