Little Sunflowers Day Nursery

Little Sunflowers Day Nursery Shirley Crescent, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 4AZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/01/2013 09/01/2012

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early years provision

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

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This provision is satisfactory

 Staff create a calm atmosphere in the nursery room and all children show that they feel safe and confident to move around the room and choose what they want to play with.  Older children are developing concentration skills in their special group time as staff challenge them with literacy and numeracy games.  The day to day manager and her staff team demonstrate a commitment to improvement and are putting into practice recommendations from their previous Ofsted report.  The youngest children show that they are learning from the older children as they watch them play and listen to their conversations.

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It is not yet good because

 The provider's recent changes to risk management are not proving effective. The heavy reliance on staff to identify and minimise risks without guidance fails to ensure that all areas of the setting are safe. As a result some risks in the garden are not identified.  Time, space and planning is not always used effectively. This impacts on the ability of older children to engage in the imaginary games they like to initiate and also planning of circle time does not always take account of the needs of the youngest children in the group.  The skills of staff are not embraced as a way of supporting and coaching less confident staff, to improve practice.

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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 all children at play and at meal times.  The inspector met with the manager and deputy manager.  The inspector spoke to staff, children and parents.  The inspector looked at the safety of the building and premises.  The inspector sampled documentation.

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Information about the setting

Little Sunflowers Day Nursery opened in 2000 and operates from purpose built premises in Cobalt Close to the rear of Marian Vian school in Beckenham. It is a private nursery run independently of the school. The nursery building consists of a main nursery room and smaller room which has alternative use depending of the age of children attending. A disabled toilet, children's toilets, kitchen facilities, office and staff room area are also available. There is access to secure outdoor play space. The nursery generally serves the local urban area of Beckenham and West Wickham but some children attend from a wider catchment area. It is open from Monday to Friday from 8am until 6pm for 52 weeks of the year. Children may attend for morning and/or afternoon sessions and before or after school within the full day. The nursery supports children with English as an additional language. There are 28 children currently on roll and the nursery receives funding for the

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Information about the setting

provision of free education for children aged three and four years. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery receives support from a Local Authority advisor. There are a total of eight qualified staff including the manager. Two members of staff are qualified to Foundation Degree level. Two members of team are qualified to level two and above and two are unqualified. A cook is also employed.

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must:

 ensure there is a clear and well-understood policy and procedures for assessing any risks to children's safety, and review risk assessments regularly. Consider making use of written risk assessments to help inform staff practice and make sure that risk assessments identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked, when and by whom and how the risk will be removed or minimised.

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

 review the routine and organisation of activities, such as circle time to ensure they meet the needs of the full age range of children in the room

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

 reconsider the use of time and space to give older groups of children opportunities to pursue their interests and creative play more easily

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

 foster a culture of mutual support and teamwork; consider making greater use of the skills of staff to provide support and coaching to improve personal effectiveness.

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who attend

The staff and children create a generally happy atmosphere in the nursery room as they read, play or carry out an activity together. Children build trusting relationships with the staff who help them to develop their self confidence. The educational programme is satisfactory in offering a range of activities, materials and equipment for children to make progress in the seven areas of learning and gain skills for the future. Children are able to make some decisions about what they would like to do. However, not all children can pursue their interests fully due to the constraints of the room and routine. Older children, for example, cannot develop their well-planned imaginary game because they are not able to run inside, and in general children are not able to move outside freely either. Likewise, those who want to make construction models, play with trains and cars have insufficient space to do this. Younger children sometimes find it difficult to make best use of the

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who attend

equipment due to their less developed physical skills.

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who attend

Children do however enjoy opportunities to explore their environment. This is evident as children come in from the snowy, cold garden, laughing together. They demonstrate their independence skills as they calmly remove layers of warm clothes and take off their wellington boots. Children engage in role play based on their first-hand experiences, for example, 'cooking' in the home corner and pushing the baby doll around. Children look at books in the inviting book area, or use the materials at the 'making table' to make a prop for their play. For example, some children make binoculars to look for hidden treasure. Every day a staff member plans and leads an activity which they think will be of special interest to children, for example, making 'wish tags' to celebrate Chinese New Year

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who attend

Children's language and communication development is supported adequately by staff through singing rhymes and listening to stories. During routine times staff support children's understanding of language by giving them clear verbal guidance and use good eye contact and body language to convey meaning to younger children. Older children have regular opportunities to tell the group what they have been playing with earlier. They are also given an opportunity for short periods of the day to develop their literacy and language skills in a small group. Children with English as an additional language are supported adequately through partnership working between the parents and key person.

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who attend

The support children receive varies in quality. This is because some staff are more confident than others and insufficient consideration is given to the planning of group activities. As a result some activities such as circle-time are too challenging for younger children.

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who attend

Systems implemented to observe and assess children's progress are developing. The children's key persons make regular observations and assess their progress. Parents are invited to add their own observations of their children's learning at home and this is helping to generate a picture of children's overall learning and development. As these systems have only been in use for one term their effectiveness has not yet been evaluated.

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

The key person system in place provides satisfactory support to individual children and their families. The key person keeps an eye on their key children throughout the day and at snack-time they sit together. They liaise with the children's parents to find out about the children's needs and know the children's preferences and dislikes. As children of all ages play together in one room the key persons for younger children supervise them closely to ensure their safety is not compromised by the activity of older children.

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

Children enjoy meal times. Many serve themselves and pass the food around. The newly appointed cook works closely with the manager to provide nutritionally balanced menus. Fruit is served three times a day and a vegetable dish is served alongside the main dish of fish or meat. Children's special dietary requirements are recorded and there is an alternative vegetarian dish on offer each day. In addition, milk and water are served throughout the day. Staff promote satisfactory hygiene practice and supervise children's hand washing before and after eating. Younger children who are toilet training are supported in learning self-help skills and older, more experienced children use the toilets independently. Children develop their physical skills as they engage in regular outdoor play and learn to use the play resources and tools safely.

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

Expectations for children's behaviour are generally sound and staff show that they understand their responsibility to supervise children at all times. As a result all children show that they feel safe and they show no hesitation to call upon adults to resolve conflict or deal with hurt feelings. In addition all staff have attended paediatric first aid training to help ensure they can respond appropriately to any incidents and accidents.

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provision

The manager demonstrates that she has a sound knowledge of her responsibilities to implement the requirements of the Early Year's Foundation Stage. There is a clear safeguarding policy in place and clear guidance for staff to take action should they have a concern about a child. Staff are checked for their suitability to work with children and undergo enhanced Criminal Record Bureau checks, as required. Overall, the building and premises are safe and secure. External doors are fitted with a fingerprint recognition security system and parents are reminded to ensure they close the doors behind them and do not allow other people to enter unchecked. Recent changes to the way risk assessments are carried out have resulted in some safety risks being overlooked in the garden. This is because the provider relies on staff checking each area but does not provide them with guidance to help them to identify potential hazards.

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provision

The manager and her deputy have clear lines of responsibility and overall the educational programme and assessment systems are satisfactorily monitored. In particular, new resources used for assessing and planning for individual children's needs have been well chosen by the deputy. Full consideration has not been given to impact of having children of a wide age range together in one room; for example, the lack of space for larger activities and how to engage all children in planned group activities. A sound commitment to continuous improvement is demonstrated. Annual staff appraisals are held to discuss their development and some staff are working towards higher level qualifications. However their childcare practice is not routinely assessed and the manager has not considered the benefits of using the skills of more confident staff to support and mentor others.

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provision

The manager has established links with the local authority advisor to drive improvement and also with the adjacent primary school. The school link helps to supports children's transition into this school. Children moving to other schools are provided with a final assessment and report to take with them. Partnerships with parents are well established. In addition to the newly implemented child and key person progress meetings the manager publishes a newsletter each term to keep parents informed about the provision. Parents and carers are given ample information presented on walls and displays about the Early Years Foundation Stage and making a complaint to Ofsted. There is also a well organised system for parents and key people to communicate through notes and letters. Parents spoken to during the inspection say they, in particular, like the friendliness of the staff.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 carry out a risk assessment of the premises and equipment and ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment) (also applies to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  take action as specified for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment)

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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 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. 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 the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

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 137239 Local authority Bromley Inspection number 899367

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 28 Name of provider Jacqueline Clark Date of previous inspection 09/01/2012 Telephone number 020 8663 1835

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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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