Oak Tree Kindergarten Ltd (Lansdowne Road)

Oak Tree Kindergarten Ltd (Lansdowne Road) 42 Lansdowne Road, LUTON, Bedfordshire, LU3 1EE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 31/01/2014 11/02/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff share children's learning with parents, enabling them to support their learning at home.  Children form close bonds of attachment to those who care for them and are settled as a result.  Staff have a sound understanding of child protection and know how to keep children safe.

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It is not yet good because

 Supervision is not sufficiently well developed to provide staff with clear and well determined targets to enhance their professional development.  Staff do not ensure that children who speak English as an additional language always know what is expected of them or what will happen next in the daily routine.  Activities to develop children's early literacy skills are sometimes too adult determined, meaning they do not engage children's interest.  Staff sometimes tell young children when to drink and use the toilet, meaning they do not begin to recognise their own needs.

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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 all of the rooms and the garden.  The inspector had discussions with parents, staff and children.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including children's records, safeguarding procedures and self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

Oak Tree Kindergarten Ltd (Lansdowne Road) was registered in 2003 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a large, detached converted house in Luton, Bedfordshire. It is privately managed. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. Children use four base rooms and an enclosed garden for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 15 members of childcare staff. Of these, 11 full-time staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery also employs lunch time supervisors, an administration assistant and a chef. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 90 children attending who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 make appropriate arrangements for the supervision of staff to foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and discussion of sensitive issues

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must:

 apply consistent methods for teaching children who do not speak and understand English to understand changes which happen in the daily routine.

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

 extend children's early literacy skills, for example, by providing a wide range of opportunities for children to practise making marks

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

 teach children to recognise and understand their own personal needs, such as using the toilet and drinking when they are thirsty.

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who attend

Staff have an awareness of how to support children's learning and develop activities, which generally meet their needs. Staff talk with children throughout the day and ask them questions where they need to think about their response. This helps children to begin to understand about using discussion to find out information. Young babies use pointing and gesturing to express themselves. For example, they show their excitement at seeing birds on a neighbouring roof and point as these. Staff recognise and value these early attempts at communication and talk at length with children about what interests them. When children are learning English teaching is less effective. This leads to some children being unaware of what staff expect during changes in routine. Children are unable to find ways to fully express themselves and appear to wander at times rather than engage.

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who attend

Children develop their large muscles when they play outside. They slide, ride bikes and balance along planks as they develop the muscles in their legs. Young children enjoy climbing in and out of a large basket as they explore the room when mobile. Children use their smaller muscles when they play with shaving foam and sand. This helps children to strengthen the muscles in their fingers in preparation for early writing. As children gain these skills, staff provide some ways for children to explore their developing ability to use crayons, pencils and pens to draw and create. However, sometimes these tend to be heavily directed by adults. In some rooms, children have pre-printed worksheets and colouring sheets meaning they follow adult expectations and ideas rather than initiating their own. As a result of this, children do not always readily explore these activities. Staff teach older children phonics through practising sounds and letters. This helps them to

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who attend

recognise the letters that spell their name. Group time enables children to listen and share experiences as part of a group. This helps children to develop appropriately in readiness for school. Children enjoy construction activities where they build towers with staff and enjoy counting each piece, raising their awareness of numbers.

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who attend

Staff maintain suitable records of children's development. The information they gather from parents helps staff to determine children's starting points suitably. Staff then build upon this by identifying their next steps in learning and planning activities, which meet children's differing needs. Staff encourage parents to share children's learning from home in regular discussions. Newsletters and parent consultations are formal ways for parents to find out about children's progress. Daily exchanges of information further support parents to build upon children's learning at home, ensuring they have consistent support.

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

Staff support children to settle at the nursery. They comfort them when they are upset as parents leave and this enables children to feel secure. Children form close bonds of attachment to staff who care for them. The exchanges staff share with parents mean that they can follow routines and children's wishes that meet their individual needs. Staff work with some children to help them to name and express their emotions, building their awareness of feelings. Some children use picture cards to further help them to understand. This gives children the emotional readiness they need for learning. When children start school, staff invite their teachers into the nursery. They discuss children's development and provide children with some familiarity with those who will care for them.

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

Children have regular fresh air and active play. They eat healthy balanced meals together, which promotes their personal, social and emotional development and understanding of healthy lifestyles. Staff are aware of children's individual allergies or preferences and maintain a procedure for ensuring their needs are met. Staff minimise the risk of the spread of infection by maintaining good hygiene practices. Their role modelling teaches children to understand about good practice for themselves. Staff encourage children to gain some independence at meal times. However, this encouragement is not consistent throughout the day. Staff sometimes tell children to use the toilet at set times, rather than when children identify the need. On occasion, staff hand out children's drinks instead of encouraging them to drink when they feel thirsty. This means that children do not always begin to recognise their own needs.

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

Children behave well at the nursery and play together harmoniously. When groups of children join together they are considerate and aware of each other. Staff find ways to help children to understand about turn taking and fairness as they use sand timers to measure the length of activities. Children enjoy experiencing challenge as they climb on the climbing frame and balance along a beam, holding out their arms to steady themselves. Children are gaining an awareness of safety as staff remind them about not climbing on the dividing gate in the room and to be careful as they go downstairs.

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provision

The inspection was prioritised by Ofsted following concerns about safety, staff deployment and supervision of children. The inspection found that an incident occurred regarding security of the premises and the nursery had taken swift action to ensure that children are not left unattended by staff. The nursery has policies and procedures for keeping children safe, which they review on a regular basis. Staff are aware of their responsibilities and demonstrate a sound awareness of the signs and symptoms that might cause them concern about children's welfare. They know who the designated officer for child protection is and how to report any concerns to outside agencies if needed. There are suitable procedures for inducting new staff. Staff undergo all required checks to confirm their suitability to work with children. Staff undertake assessments of the areas where children play and take decisive action to overcome any potential risk. Staff have training in

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provision

first-aid treatment, should they need to administer this to children.

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provision

Staff undertake training to update their core skills. Appraisals of staff work is generally undertaken each year. Team meetings help staff to discuss any issues that arise and to share ideas. However, the programme for supervision is not well developed. For example, staff do not have clear ideas about their targets and when targets are set they are not consistently monitored. This leads to there being some weaknesses in teaching and staff's' professional development not being fully supported. Staff and parents share their views to inform self-evaluation. Staff take into account children's ideas to make plans for improvement. The self-evaluation is effective in swiftly tackling some areas of weakness. The manager has the desire to improve the nursery and a positive approach to the ongoing raising of quality for children.

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provision

Staff work closely with parents and this is beneficial for children who make steady progress. Staff track children's learning and are able to make suitable assessments about their development. This enables them to see when children exceed expectations or need extra support. When children do need extra help staff work closely with other professionals. Together they develop plans for children's learning and monitor these closely. Staff work together with the nursery on another site owned by the group. They share practice and draw upon the experience of their early years professional. Staff summarise children's learning, meaning that the progress check at age two reflects their capabilities and achievements. Parents are pleased with the information they receive about children's learning and find staff to be approachable and welcoming.

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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 EY268826 Local authority Luton Inspection number 952609

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 39 Number of children on roll 90 Name of provider Oak Tree Kindergarten Ltd Date of previous inspection 11/02/2011 Telephone number 01582 720 848

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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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