Chuckles Day Nursery

Chuckles Day Nursery Trescol Vean, Baldhu, Truro, Cornwall, TR3 6EG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/03/2014 14/04/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Staff successfully provide an inclusive environment where children form extremely secure emotional attachments and rapidly develop their confidence and enthusiasm for learning.  Children are highly motivated by the wide range of stimulating activities, and the quality of teaching is exceptional. Staff take account of children's starting points, capabilities, individual leaning needs and interests. As a result, children are fully engaged in their learning and make excellent progress.  Children are extremely happy and settled, as staff are very kind and caring. Staff place a high priority on promoting children's health and well-being.  There are highly effective procedures to establish and maintain very supportive partnerships with parents/carers and between providers and other agencies, to benefit all children.

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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 compulsory part 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 viewed the premises, toys and equipment.  The inspector engaged in discussion with children, staff and parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed interactions between adults and children and undertook a joint observation of an activity.  The inspector sampled nursery documentation.

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Information about the setting

Chuckles Day Nursery, Trescol Vean is one of two nurseries run by Chuckles Nurseries Ltd. It opened in 2005 and operates from the old school in the rural hamlet of Baldhu, close to the city of Truro, in Cornwall. All children share access to a garden and playground for outdoor play and learning activities. The premises are accessible, as a ramp is available for use at the front entrance. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am until 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year, closing on statutory bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. There are currently 51 children in the early years age group on roll. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of early education for children aged three and four years. Some children also attend other early years settings. The nursery supports children who are learning English as an additional language. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and compulsory part of the Childcare Register. There are eight members of

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Information about the setting

staff working with the children. Of these, one holds Early Years Professional Status, one is qualified at level 4, five at level 3 and one at level 2. In addition, there is a designated chef, who prepares regular snacks and meals for the children.

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

 extend opportunities for children to increase their sense of responsibility and belonging further, for example by introducing an interactive visual time line of the daily routine activities, using photographs of children at play.

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who attend

Staff have a very secure understanding of how babies and children learn and develop. They are highly skilled practitioners, who interact exceptionally well with all children to successfully promote their all-round learning and development. The quality of teaching is excellent, as staff interact effortlessly to engage children in activities at their own level of ability and to challenge them appropriately. This helps children of differing abilities, who are within the same group, develop confidence and reach their full potential. Older children enjoy a whole-group discussion, during which they extend their social skills as they warmly greet one another by name as part of a familiar 'welcome' song. They take turns to choose a 'name card' and attempt to identify who it belongs to, using either the picture or the name printed on it. This daily routine activity successfully promotes children's literacy skills. Some children can correctly identify the name without adult

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who attend

support and others wait for a prompt, but all are successful with minimum intervention. To extend this activity further, staff ask children to use their finger to trace their own name. For those who are fully competent in this exercise, staff suggest they move on from tracing their name, to drawing it with their finger on the surface of the carpet.

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who attend

Staff treat children with respect and their contributions are valued. Older children make suggestions for outdoor activities, which staff act on enthusiastically. They agree that the windy weather is ideal for use of the 'ribbon sticks'. They wave these into the air as they play and observe the way in which it moves randomly in the changing wind direction. Staff have high expectations of all children and ask open questions to extend their thinking further. As a result, they consider and understand the impact that different types of weather have on the type of outdoor play they experience. Recently, they have collected rainwater to measure the daily rainfall. Staff are highly successful in supporting babies in developing their physical skills. They understand the importance of providing appropriate equipment, toys and resources to promote their independence and they actively encourage babies to sit unaided, crawl, pull themselves up to standing and walk with use

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who attend

of push-along toys. Excellent use of Makaton leads to all children being fully included; for example, babies understand when it is time for singing and dancing as they observe staff sign that this will be happening. They become excited at the prospect of this enjoyable session, clap their hands and wriggle enthusiastically from side to side. Babies and children who are learning English as an additional language express their needs very effectively, as they sign that they are hungry, thirsty or tired. In addition to use of their emerging vocabulary, body language and facial expression, all children routinely use signing to communicate with staff and one another. This, in turn, effectively promotes children's personal, emotional and social development as they acquire the essential key skills to support future learning.

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who attend

Assessment of children's progress towards the early learning goals is highly effective. The key person system successfully promotes positive partnerships with parents. This helps to establish an accurate idea of children's individual starting points on entry to the nursery and engages parents in excellent opportunities for shared home learning. Children are encouraged to take toys, books, resources and activities home, in order to enable parents to make a positive contribution to children's learning. 'Wow moments' are recorded by parents and returned to the nursery, to share and celebrate children's achievements at home with staff and other children. Children's individual 'Learning journey' records provide evidence that that they engage in a broad and balanced range of extremely enjoyable, purposeful and worthwhile learning experiences. Staff provide an excellent balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities, which take account of children's unique preferences

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who attend

and abilities. Ongoing written observations, photographs and examples of children's work, help staff to identify appropriate next steps for learning, which they link successfully to future planning. As a result, children benefit from rich, imaginative and varied learning experiences. Therefore, they make rapid progress, which successfully prepares them for their future learning.

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

Children are very confident, independent and form exceptionally secure attachments to their key person. They enter the nursery happily and separate very easily from their parent. Children demonstrate a very strong sense of belonging. The nursery fosters a welcoming family atmosphere, in which children thrive and flourish. Parents express their complete satisfaction at the high standards of care and education provided. They feel fully involved and enjoy the excellent opportunities for shared learning activities at home. Regular meetings with parents take place: daily discussion, diaries and details of each child's routine are shared to ensure that each child's individual needs are identified, respected and met very well. Staff show a high level of concern for the safety and well- being of the children in their care. They are very attentive and sensitive to children's needs. Staff are very positive role models who set excellent examples of expected

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

standards of behaviour to children. Children are exceptionally well behaved, socially skilled, polite, kind and considerate to others. Staff engage children well in ongoing discussion about how to keep themselves and others safe, as they move indoors and outdoors, and handle tools and equipment. Because of these very good practices, children feel safe and secure.

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

The nursery is very welcoming, clean, comfortable and exceptionally well organised. Children of differing ages and abilities are cared for in their own designated rooms, but come together at different times of the day to enjoy social meal times and joint activities. This helps to promote their social and emotional development, as they interact with older and younger children and the staff team. On entering the nursery, there is an attractive display of photographs of children engaged in nursery activities. This helps children and parents to gain an awareness of what the nursery has to offer. It also promotes discussion with staff about how to effectively support children's learning and development through everyday play. Staff use photographs to make books of children and their families, which help to settle new children and provide a strong sense of self worth. However, this effective use of photographs is not fully utilised; for example, to provide children with an

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

interactive visual time line of the day. Staff use daily routine activities exceptionally well to promote learning. Children count how many mats are required for the number of children in the pre-school group to sit on at group discussion time. Staff introduce additional challenge to this everyday activity by not providing enough, so that children must work out how many more are required. They are encouraged to take responsibility for managing their own personal care needs in relation to their ability. Children also prepare their own snack, by cutting a selection of fresh fruits, sharing them out, and pouring their own drinks. They understand the importance of promoting their good health, as they learn about healthy eating, grow their own fruit and vegetables and follow robust procedures to prevent the spread of infection.

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

Children are confident to explore and investigate freely. They ask questions, which are respected and answered fully by staff. Children of all ages cooperate and negotiate to maintain harmonious play. There are excellent visual prompts and learning aids displayed on the walls, both indoors and outdoors. Staff understand that children greatly enjoy outdoor play and enable them to explore the outdoors as and when they wish. An exceptionally well-resourced outdoor play area provides creative and innovative ideas to extend children's learning and promote their curiosity. Low windows in the perimeter wall provide excellent observation panels, through which children have a close up view of sheep and their newly born lambs. Children are currently exploring the changes that take place in the springtime. They collect tadpoles and caterpillars, which they keep in appropriate containers to recreate their natural habitat. This enables them to witness the

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

fascinating process of metamorphosis, as these interesting creatures change into frogs and butterflies, before the children release them back into the wild. Children engage in excellent opportunities to explore their own culture, beliefs and abilities and those of others. They develop a very positive awareness of the importance of helping others less fortunate than themselves, as they regularly raise money for good causes. The positive respect children have for one another increases their confidence. As a result, they are self- assured and demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills. Staff establish exceptionally thorough procedures to establish strong and constructive links with other early years providers and agencies. These excellent practices successfully support children in their move on to other early years settings and school.

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provision

Staff have an excellent understanding of the learning and development and safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The designated safeguarding officer has completed comprehensive training and is competent in her responsibility to safeguard children. All other staff have completed basic safeguarding training and demonstrate a very secure understanding of the local safeguarding procedures and that they are confident to follow these if required. Staff supervise children appropriately at all times, and unvetted persons are monitored very effectively. Recruitment, induction, supervision and vetting procedures are robust. A review of staff suitability takes place during regular appraisals. The appraisal system also identifies professional training and development needs, in order to update and extend staff knowledge and skills. This has a positive impact on outcomes for children. A

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provision

comprehensive written risk assessment is in place and staff complete daily visual checks on the premises, toys and equipment. Children participate in regular emergency evacuation procedures to develop their familiarity and confidence. They also learn how to identify and manage everyday risk through ongoing discussion.

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provision

The registered individual is inspirational, knowledgeable and committed to driving continuous improvement in the childcare practice. Staff are highly enthusiastic, confident and competent in their role and responsibilities. The systems to monitor, assess and plan for children's progress are exceptionally effective. As a result, there is evidence that all children make excellent progress in their learning and development in relation to their individual starting point. Procedures for staff deployment are extremely effective. Partnerships between the setting, parents, external agencies and other providers are exceptionally strong and contribute exceptionally well to meeting children's needs. All staff, including the nursery chef, are actively involved in the regular review of nursery practice. Staff respect the views of parents and children, gathered during discussion and from questionnaires. This helps to identify appropriate areas for future development, such

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provision

as appropriate training needs for staff and additional resources for the outdoor area and sensory room.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY316089 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 845716 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 45 Number of children on roll 51 Name of provider Chuckles Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 14/04/2009 Telephone number 01872 560788

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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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