South Leicestershire College Nursery

South Leicestershire College Nursery Bobbin Factory, Canal Street, Wigston, Leicestershire, LE18 4PL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/02/2014 05/01/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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

 Safeguarding procedures are robust because staff recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse and have a secure understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities.  Leaders and managers conduct thorough risk assessments and implement revised safety procedures, following accidents and injuries to secure children's safe care and well-being.  Staff promote children's learning and development very well, taking into account what each child knows and can do to guide and inform next steps planning.  Staff build strong bonds and positive relationships with children and their families, which helps children to settle and develop their confidence. As a result, children are well-prepared for their next stage in learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not yet fully explore opportunities to extend children's learning as they read stories. Consequently, pre-school children and those who speak English as an additional language are not always encouraged to use language to clarify and sequence events and express their thoughts, feelings and ideas.

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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 nursery and conducted joint observations with the acting deputy manager, of a planned story session for younger and older children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings and discussions with the provider's representative and the acting deputy manager and spoke to a number of staff and children present on the day of inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's observation and assessment records and planning documentation, including early years summary reviews and 'progress checks for children aged two years'.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of: suitability and qualifications of staff, quality assurance records, self-evaluation arrangements and improvement plans.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to some parents at the inspection and took account of the views of other parents from written information included in the provider's own quality assurance survey.

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Information about the setting

South Leicestershire College Nursery was re-registered in 2010 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is owned and managed by the governing body of South Leicestershire College. It now operates from the ground floor of the converted Bobbin Warehouse within the campus of the college in South Wigston, Leicestershire. The nursery serves the college and the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed outdoor area for outside play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 13 members of childcare staff. The majority of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. Two members of staff hold Early Years Professional status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 8.15am until 5.15pm, Monday to Thursday and from 8.15am until 4pm on Friday. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 45 children attending, all of whom are in 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.

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

 introduce more visual prompts to extend a storyline or narrative into children's play and learning and encourage them to use talk to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas and to help them clarify, sequence and organise story events.

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who attend

Staff provide a broad range of stimulating and enjoyable activities and resources, which encourage children's active involvement and participation. This successfully fosters the characteristics of effective learning. For example, young babies receive close and supportive attention to encourage their exploratory senses, as they handle a variety of toys and everyday objects. Young children develop the confidence to investigate and make choices, as they move freely around the nursery. Pre-school children develop their own imaginative ideas, as they play with a variety of interesting role play equipment and small world toys, indoors and outside. As a result, children become keen and enthusiastic learners. Staff carefully observe children to guide and inform next steps planning, taking into account children's level of interest and individual preferences. They skilfully question children to help them think and work things out, such as how to use whole and half

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who attend

numbers to add up the price of food in their cafe. Staff introduce children to relevant mathematical language, such as 'half measures' and 'divide', as children pretend to cook their favourite 'sausage casserole' for sharing.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy making patterns and prints with paint. They handle a variety of small tools and equipment, which helps them to gain good control of their fine hand movements. Staff effectively support children's learning by introducing simple shape and colour recognition activities into their creative play. They plan challenging and fun games to develop children's physical skills, by helping children to learn how to roll, throw, catch and kick a ball. They set more difficult tasks so that children learn new skills, such as how to use a racquet to bat the ball to another person. This helps children develop their skills and capabilities in readiness for their next stage in learning. Books are readily accessible to children of all ages to encourage their early literacy development. Babies and young children express delight and joy as they look at bright pop-up pictures. Staff focus young children's attention by introducing attractive puppets to enhance their enjoyment and

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who attend

interest. However, staff do not always use additional visual prompts to extend a storyline or narrative of a well-known and popular story. As a result, pre-school children and those who speak English as an additional language are not always encouraged to use language to express their ideas and feelings. This means that opportunities for them to organise, sequence and clarify their thinking and events are not always fully explored.

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who attend

Staff successfully engage parents in their child's learning by giving them clear and informative details of the meaning and purpose of the educational programmes. Key persons share timely and consistent development information with each child's parent and other professionals, so that they continue to support and enhance their child's progress at home and as they move between settings. Staff welcome and value parent participation in a wide range of learning activities, which enhance children's understanding of different lifestyles, communities and the natural world.

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

Staff provide a warm and welcoming environment, which helps children to feel safe and re-assured. Key persons form strong bonds and trusting relationships with children and their parents from the onset. This ensures that children become confident to stay and play away from their parents when they first start to attend. Staff greet children with welcoming expressions and speak to them with kind and re-assuring voices. They encourage younger and older children to play together as a 'family', to help them develop firm friendships and considerate attitudes. Consequently, children socialise with others and behave well. Staff closely supervise children so that they remain safe at all times. They pay particular attention to children's good health and hygiene by encouraging them to wipe their nose with a tissue and wash their hands afterwards. They follow children's individual care routines, so that babies and young children remain clean, comfortable and

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

well-rested. Children develop high levels of independence because they are encouraged to learn how to manage the preparation of simple snacks and to help themselves to a drink when needed. Younger children recognise their own toileting needs and have good access to the bathroom to support this aspect of development. Pre-school children learn how to dress and undress themselves during the routines of the day and when they play with the dressing-up clothes. This successfully supports their next stage of development and ensures that they can competently manage their own needs when they transfer to school.

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

Key persons exchange detailed information about each child's stage of development within the nursery and with parents and other childcare professionals. This means that children receive consistent support as they develop and progress. Children who speak English as an additional language see and hear some familiar words in their home language because staff recognise the importance of this to help children and families feel welcome, included and valued. Staff encourage children to learn about other customs, traditions and beliefs to help them appreciate different lifestyles and communities.

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

The outdoor environment is freely accessible to all children so that they benefit from regular fresh air and exercise. Following the introduction of more regular outings and staff's sharp focus on the importance of outdoor play, children's healthy growth and development is significantly enhanced. Children's individual dietary and health requirements are carefully considered, so that all children benefit from a healthy diet. In addition, children enjoy nutritious meals and snacks, which include freshly prepared fruit and some 'home-grown' vegetables. Staff help children to understand how to play safely and follow sensible rules. For example, young children learn that it is not safe to ride a bike over the small bridge in the garden because they might fall and hurt themselves or bump into others. This ensures that children develop confident and responsible attitudes towards their own safety and the well-being of others.

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provision

Safeguarding procedures are rigorously implemented to ensure that children are protected from harm and abuse. For example, staff and managers have an in-depth understanding of what to look for and how to refer any concerns about a child's safety and well-being to an appropriate agency. A detailed safeguarding policy and allegations procedure is in place to guide their safe practice. Staff attend regular training events and policy review meetings to consolidate and update their knowledge of their safeguarding role and responsibilities. Recruitment and vetting procedures are rigorously implemented to ensure that all staff and trainees are suitable to work with children. All staff hold a Disclosure and Barring Service check, which is individually reviewed at their annual appraisal and updated after three years. A record of visitors to the nursery is kept and their identity is checked before they enter the premises. This ensures that children are protected from any

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provision

Managers successfully monitor the educational programmes to ensure that children's development and progress is supported in-line with the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. Two members of staff hold Early Years Professional status, which enables them to guide and mentor the strong practice of their colleagues. As a result, children receive good quality learning experiences. Partnerships with parents and other education and health care professionals are well-established. This ensures that children receive good levels of support and timely interventions when additional help is needed. Consequently, all children make good progress towards the early learning goals. Managers conduct successful quality assessments to evaluate and improve practice. Following a recent update of their self-evaluation they have established a clear view of the opinions of parents, staff and children regarding the quality of their provision. For

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provision

example, one of the key findings of a recent parent survey demonstrates how much parents value the exchange of information in their child's diary book, regarding children's home-life and achievements. This strengthens continuity between home and nursery. Parent consultation events have now become a regular termly event, so that summary information is exchanged about each child's progress and next steps. 'Children's voice' contributions are added to learning journey records to capture their thoughts and views. Staff play a pro-active role in the introduction of child development initiatives. For example, they use 'well-being and involvement scales' to support their observations and assessments of children's learning and progress. This has significantly increased their knowledge and understanding of how to plan individualised learning activities. The positive views of external agencies, such as, special educational needs coordinators, early years

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provision

advisors and school teachers emphasises the strength of established partnerships, which has a beneficial impact on children's well-being and progress. The action and recommendations from the previous inspection have been successfully addressed. As a result, the safeguarding policy now includes clear procedures to follow in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff. This safeguards and promotes children's welfare. Staff now use improved observations and assessments to enhance children's learning and progress. They have increased opportunities for parents to share information about their own child's prior learning and development and use this information to guide and inform next steps planning. Effective improvement plans and actions have brought about successful developments in the quality of the provision, so that all children benefit from the self-evaluation process. Consequently, the quality of children's learning

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provision

experiences and use of the outdoor environment has significantly improved. Parents spoken to at the inspection state that they are very pleased with all aspects of the provision and feel that staff have contributed significantly to their child's confidence and learning.

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provision

The inspection was prioritised following a concern being raised regarding children's safety and welfare at mealtimes. An incident occurred where a child suffered an injury as a result of coming into contact with food which was too hot. At the time of the incident the staff followed their procedures and took appropriate action to administer first-aid treatment and record information. The practice of serving hot food has since been thoroughly reviewed and as a result, staff now ensure that cooked food is cool enough to serve to children. Staff also talk to children about how to check that the food has cooled down before they eat it. Therefore, the provider has taken prompt and effective action.

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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 EY410558 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 949213

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider South Leicestershire College Date of previous inspection 05/01/2011 Telephone number 01162885051

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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

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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