Scallywags Nursery & Pre-School Limited

Scallywags Children's Centre 11 Moncrieffe Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S7 1HQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/01/2014 09/04/2009

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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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children have an eagerness for learning because staff plan focused activities that extend children's learning through first-hand experiences.  Young children develop attachments with their key person and are given regular comfort and cuddles when needed. This results in children being happy, confident and sociable in the setting.  There is a homely atmosphere where practitioners are confident and positive about childcare; their energy is inspiring, having an very positive impact on both other staff, parents and children.  Children's needs are very well met through highly effective partnerships between the nursery, parents and outside agencies.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is room to develop children's independence skills further by allowing them to make more decisions.

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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 playrooms and the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager and the staff at regular intervals throughout the inspection and made observations of the children present.  The inspector sampled a selection of relevant documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of the parents and carers spoken to on the day of inspection.  The inspector spoke to a variety of children during free play.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and the manager participated in joint observations throughout the setting.  The inspector observed the music lessons.

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Information about the setting

Scallywags Children's Centre was registered in 2003 and is on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in the Nether Edge area in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and is managed by a private company. The nursery serves the local and surrounding areas. The upper rooms are accessible by stairs. It operates from three units and there are areas available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 18 members of childcare staff. Of these, 18 hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 2 to 5. One member of staff holds Early Years Professional Status.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 98 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. 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:

 develop further children's independence skills, for example, by allowing them to make more decisions about where they play and serving themselves during mealtimes.

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who attend

The staff have a good knowledge of child development and the Early Years Foundation Stage. They offer a wide range of exciting, motivating and challenging activities which cover all of the seven areas of learning. As a result, children are making good progress towards the early learning goals and they are well prepared for starting school. Children have individual learning story files which include photographs, some creative work, observations and assessments, and there is an effective system in place to carry out the required progress check at age two. These are all linked to the areas of learning and are used to recognise the next steps in each child's development. Each child's key person works closely with parents to support children's learning from the start. Ongoing discussion and sharing of children's learning profiles ensure that parents remain involved and up to date with their child's progress. Parents contribute to their child's profile and

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who attend

each key person encourages home learning by suggesting activities parents can do at home, including taking home story sacks and the home learning bear.

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who attend

The nursery provides a good learning environment for children covering all areas of learning. All children can easily access resources and equipment as they are stored at a low level. However, there is room to develop children's independence skills further by allowing them to make more decisions about where they play and the amounts they eat at mealtimes, through self-service. Children are praised when they do well and this helps to build their confidence and self-esteem. They learn about the wider society and use resources that reflect positive images of a wider world, such as dolls, books, play figures and dressing up clothes. They take part in activities and learn about different festivals and celebrations, such as Christmas, Hanukah and Chinese New Year. This helps children who speak English as an additional language to feel settled and valued. Children explore a wide variety of creative activities using an assortment of media, which promotes their

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who attend

imagination and curiosity. The multicultural celebrations are also covered in the children's weekly music lessons. The nursery has a specialist music teacher who works with all the children weekly and has been involved in productions and shows for parents and carers. Children play outside daily where they learn to be physically active. The outdoor area is an exciting and motivating area with plenty of activities to engage the children. Staff fully understand the importance of supporting young children to develop their skills in using technology.

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who attend

Younger children enjoy babbling, increasingly experimenting with sounds and creating personal words, and staff listen actively to the different messages young children are trying to convey. They then repeat and model the language to help them build sentences. Babies are encouraged to develop their walking skills by using push-along toys, and the supportive staff praise and clap as the child pulls themselves up using furniture. Young children are given time to explore open-ended resources within the provision. This results in them having plenty of opportunities to explore objects that can be used, moved and combined in a variety of ways. Younger children engage in role play through baby yoga daily. They smile and laugh with delight as supporting staff aid their imagination skills.

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

Children have a very secure relationship with their key person in this friendly, welcoming Nursery. The key person takes time to get to know all the children very well. Children are calm and are fully at ease, and this means their individual needs are effectively met, promoting their well-being. The staff work closely with parents from the start of their child's learning journey, gathering information, including details of any specific needs and information about any allergies or cultural requirements. Daily routines are followed after talking to parents to ensure they are consistent with home routines, such as sleep times. The staff plan effectively to make sure children are happy and have plenty of attention to make them feel special. The relationship between the staff, the children and their parents is highly effective in ensuring very good care for all children. Children feel very secure and thrive because they form extremely secure emotional attachments. They smile and giggle

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

freely and as they get older and enjoy cuddling close to the responsive staff to read books. This gives children a strong, secure base and the confidence and self-esteem to progress and support their transitions to school. As a result, children are highly inspired, inquisitive learners who contribute enthusiastically in games and activities. Children are very confident in expressing their needs and the staff respond promptly. Children are very polite and manage their own behaviour very well because the behavioural rules are rooted in the nursery routine. Sensitive reminders and positive reinforcement from the encouraging staff mean children receive consistent messages, such as 'Please don't run inside as you may fall'. Children build exceptional relationships with their friends. They work together very well to create play. Exceptionally good attention to hygiene practices and healthy lifestyles is apparent at all times. Children enjoy

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

nutritious, healthy snacks, such as fruit, vegetables and cheese. Mealtimes are social occasions and children enjoy pouring their own drinks. They delight in using the local community for trips and outings, which further promotes aspects of their physical play. The nursery is taking part in an 'eco' project where they are evaluating their average use of energy and wastage. Staff have been working with parents to develop growing and planting areas in the nursery and have begun to focus on recycling.

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

The nursery is very well organised with staff deployed extremely well, ensuring children are supervised throughout effectively. The staff are very highly skilled in encouraging children's inclusion and learning during play and daily routines. Staff talk about what they are doing so that children understand risks. They also encourage children to take manageable risks that offer effective challenges. As a result, children recognise dangerous areas and understand the need to do things differently to keep safe. Children conform fully with expectations and learn to keep themselves extremely safe in an emergency through practising the escape plans. Consequently, they gain vital skills and attitudes to support their future move to other settings or to school. Children are enormously well prepared for the move to school and their future learning. For example, staff have developed good links with the local schools, nurseries, childminders and pre-schools. The

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

staff regularly attend meetings with parents and other professionals to ensure children are safe and protected and their individual needs are fully met.

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provision

The nursery is well structured, safe and secure, and all the required paperwork is well maintained, such as risk assessments, health and safety documents, children's information, accident records and a record of their attendance. All policies and procedures are shared with parents so they are aware of staff's responsibilities towards their children. All staff have a good knowledge of the safeguarding procedures to follow in the event of any concerns about a child in their care and who to report any concerns to. They carry out thorough risk assessments of the nursery and they take appropriate steps to keep children safe. Robust recruitment procedures ensure staff are suitable to work with children.

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provision

The manager and senior staff monitor the children's progress well and have a very good awareness of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are aware that children develop at their own rate. There is a well-thought-out planning system to ensure that they cover each area of learning with adult-led activities or supported free play. Leaders demonstrate a good understanding of monitoring and evaluating their service. For example, they value any support and advice provided by the local authority briefing sessions and from training courses. This ensures they continue to provide a high standard of practice and a good quality setting where children are safe and can learn effectively. Effective performance management systems are in place and staff mentor each other and work closely together, bouncing ideas off each other with commitment and enthusiasm. Supervision and appraisals are in place with training programmes for all staff,

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provision

so children benefit from trained and motivated professionals.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are very well established, ensuring children's development is effectively enhanced, while meeting their needs and supporting smooth transitions to nursery or school. Parents can share information about their children with the staff and they discuss children's progress when dropping off and collecting their children. They also have parents' evening every four months. Staff have a clear understanding of their responsibility to work in partnership with other childcare providers and professionals to enhance learning opportunities. They have established very good links with local agencies and schools to support all children to ensure continuity of care and learning for all.

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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 EY256303 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 949476

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 74 Number of children on roll 98 Name of provider Julia Mary Campbell Date of previous inspection 09/04/2009 Telephone number 0114 2582283

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Type of provision

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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