Spittal Day Nursery

Spittal Day Nursery St John's Church Hall, North Greenwich Road, Spittal, BERWICK-UPON-TWEED, Northumberland, TD15 1RG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/03/2014 23/02/2009

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

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This provision is good

 Warm, caring relationships have been formed, which results in children that feel happy, settled and secure.  Children display secure attachments with the staff members. As a result, they smile and show obvious delight and pleasure when they spend time at nursery.  Partnership with parents is good and parents are welcomed by friendly staff who are approachable and available to share with them relevant information with regard to children's progress. This ensures a good level of continuity in children's care and learning.  Staff members support children's emerging speaking skills well. They provide close interaction, respond to what children do and say and introduce new words and narrate children's play during activities to help them learn.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities for all children to use books independently are not fully maximised to help build on children's early interest in reading and develop their interest in books further.  Children do not always have sufficient opportunities to explore living things and learn about the natural world by using additional resources in the outdoors.

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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 three playrooms and the outside play area and spoke to members of staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager and held a meeting with her.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included on parental questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

Spittal Day Nursery opened in 1994 and is privately owned. It operates from St. John's church hall in Spittal, Berwick upon Tweed. The nursery serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. The nursery opens five days a week from 8am until 5.30pm all year round except on bank holidays and for two weeks at Christmas. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children are cared for in three main playrooms and have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 86 children in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children for whom English is an additional language. There are currently 13 staff working directly with the children, most of whom have an appropriate early years qualification. One member of staff has a level 6 qualification, one has level 4, seven have a level 3 and two have a level 2 qualification.

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Information about the setting

The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 encourage children's independent interest in books further, to enhance their enjoyment and appreciation of books and to build on their early interest in reading

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

 enhance the use of the outdoors so that children have rich opportunities to investigate the natural world or observe things closely through a variety of means, such as using magnifiers and trowels and to help them learn to take care of living things.

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who attend

Children are settled and feel secure in the setting; therefore, they enjoy attending and are motivated and enthusiastic to engage in the activities and experiences provided. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the prime and specific areas of learning and how children learn though play, therefore, teaching and learning is good. Staff welcome children warmly, giving them time to choose and play freely throughout the day. The staff team have implemented effective systems for observation, assessment and planning and children's interests and next steps are effectively used to inform the planning and the provision of resources. For example, children display a great interest in words and letters and staff work with them well to further support and develop their skills. Children use magnetic letter shapes to spell out their own names and those of family members, and make lists in the role play area that has been designed as a doctor's waiting room to

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who attend

develop their reading and handwriting skills. Children's learning journey records clearly show how children make good progress within all the areas of learning. As a result, they are gaining the skills needed for their next stage in learning and the eventual move on to school. Children with English as an additional language are well supported in their use of the English language through information which has been conveyed in their own language. Translator programmes are available on the nursery computer when required.

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who attend

Children display their pleasure as they take part in planned activities alongside child- initiated activities. They make good progress in their personal social and emotional development as staff use good teaching methods to encourage them to discuss their feelings. The current topic is 'feelings and emotions' and together they look at books which describe how children are feeling and discuss the pictures of facial expressions which are displayed on the wall. Children are able to convey this into their play as they discuss how the toy dinosaur is feeling. For example, they state he is feeling sad because he has no one to play with and identify he will feel happy again when he has some friends. Staff are skilled at responding to children as they communicate with them. They discuss what they can see as they point to the windows, noticing the swaying branches in the breeze and the birds outdoors. This in turn develops and supports young children's

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who attend

interest in the natural world in addition to encouraging their communication skills. Children are confident communicators and confidently make their requests known to the children and adults around them. Babies are also skilful communicators and use non-verbal communication, such as hand waving and eye contact, to interact. They babble with excitement as they explore the resources around them and listen carefully to staff's requests. Staff members skilfully narrate their play for them, repeating words and introducing words and phrases to aid their vocabulary. Children mostly have suitable access to a variety of fiction and non-fiction books, which help them develop their early literacy skills. However, there is scope to develop this further for children in the two-year- old age group by providing improved opportunities for them to select and use books independently to help build on their early interest in reading. Children are making good

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who attend

progress in their mathematical skills as they learn about shape, size and measure. Staff use good questions to further their understanding as they ask them to describe the slide. They use words, such as tall and big, to help children make comparisons to size. Babies learn about shape, size and texture as they explore toys and resources using their hands and mouths. They skilfully construct using the building bricks and smile with pleasure at their achievements. Colourful displays throughout the room provide them with good sensory experiences, for example, they gaze into the display of reflective CDs and take notice of the patterns made in their reflection. Opportunities for outdoor and physical play are good as children have regular access to the outdoors. They run and climb using a wide range of equipment to support this. Children enjoy digging and being creative as they use natural resources, such as water, vegetation and mud. They place the vegetation into

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who attend

large puddles and explain they are washing it to make it clean and exclaim with wonder as they discover worms in the soil. However, children do not always have sufficient opportunities to fully explore living things and extend what they learn about the natural world by using additional resources which will help them investigate further. Babies enjoy regular trips outdoors and benefit from the fresh air as they enjoy local walks along the nearby promenade.

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who attend

Good partnerships with parents and carers are in place and successful strategies engage them in their children's learning both in the nursery and at home. Staff encourage all parents to be involved in their children's learning. For example, they encourage their contribution to children's learning journals and request they bring in photographs from home which display family members. This helps to provide additional opportunities to develop children's communication and language skills and enhance their feeling of belonging in the nursery. The key person system is very effective in establishing positive partnerships with parents to support children's all round development. Parents contribute to the initial assessment of their children's starting points on entry and share information on their child's individual needs, likes and dislikes. Staff use this information effectively and due to this, know all children well. Parents comment positively with regard to the care

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who attend

and learning their children receive. They state that management and staff members are extremely approachable and are good at keeping them informed. They appreciate recent development made to keep them further informed, such as introducing a social media site where they can obtain information with regard to the activities children have participated in and those planned. They also appreciate the informative noticeboards detailing relevant information and discuss how the parents' welcome pack is extremely useful to them. They value the structure and educational programmes which they are confident supports their children in their overall learning and development.

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

Children are supported well as they make the move from home to starting at the nursery. Their individual needs are well considered and reflect the needs of the children and parents at this time. Consequently, children settle well and form secure attachments to their key person and staff and, as a result, children are confident and motivated in their play and learning. Staff review what children enjoy and the resources used, to provide activities that engage and further their interests. They promote an inclusive environment where all children can develop and make progress. Parents of children that are new to the setting are encouraged to bring them for regular visits before they start, so that they can become familiar with the staff and setting. This helps children to get to know other children in the group and to settle really well. This helps to ensure a smooth transition from home to the setting. In addition, transition reports and relevant information is shared

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

between staff as children move into the older age group which further supports them in feeling secure and settled. Good ongoing working relationships with local schools also ensure smooth transitions as children continue their education. All reasonable steps have been taken to ensure the environment is suitable for children's use and resources are clean and age appropriate.

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

Children's behaviour is good. They are polite and display good manners. For example, they state 'thank you' as staff hand them a toy and are happy to share and take turns using the hand held electronic games. Staff are thoughtful and understanding and children feel safe and comfortable within their care. The positive use of praise and encouragement promotes children's sense of value and boosts their self-esteem. This effectively promotes their sense of belonging. Children clearly love active play and enthusiastically access the garden outdoors. Here they have good opportunities to be free and explore as they run around in the fresh air. They develop their climbing and balancing skills as they balance on crates and climb the slides. This all helps to support them in gaining control of their bodies in addition to be providing them with exercise. The Nursery has gained 'a healthy eating pathways' award and children are developing an understanding of healthy eating as they

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

are provided with healthy and nutritious snacks. Drinks are readily available to them which ensure they are fully hydrated. At lunchtime they enjoy packed lunches from home or school meals provided by the local school. Menu details are displayed for parents on the noticeboard. Staff encourage children to try the food provided or if necessary provide healthy alternatives to them. Parents are informed daily of children's food intake through discussion and the completion of the daily reports. In addition, any food which is untouched is sent home to prevent waste.

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

Children develop an understanding of risk because they are free to explore, investigate areas and experiment. For example, they skilfully climb into the mud area and carefully use the tools and resources to investigate. Staff discuss with the children their understanding of safety issues. For example, children are reminded why it is not safe to run indoors and encourage them to line up sensibly as they move outdoors. Children are cared for appropriately following any accidents and staff deal sensitively with any injuries they have. Records are kept of any accidents, as are records of medicines given and these are shared with parents. Staff members have received appropriate training on routines to follow if a medical emergency arises and hold paediatric first aid qualifications.

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provision

The manager has a good understanding of her role and responsibilities regarding the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The environment is checked daily for hazards and robust risk assessments mean children are helped to be kept safe. Secure gates and doors prevent children from accessing restricted areas, for example, a CCTV security system is in place on the main entrance so that all accessing and leaving the premises can be closely monitored. Recruitment procedures help to ensure that staff are suitable and confident in their role of working with young children. Staff are vetted through the Disclosure and Barring Service, further helping to keep children safe. They are fully aware of the steps to follow should they have any concerns about children and understand the procedures to take to help keep children safe from harm and abuse. Policies and procedures are adapted to suit the needs of the nursery environment and

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provision

children attending. They are understood by staff and parents, helping to ensure the safe and efficient management of the nursery.

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provision

The manager acts competently as a mentor for staff during their induction and on an ongoing basis. For example, she holds supervision meetings, in addition to working alongside them, which help to enable and support staff to evaluate their practice and identify areas for their professional development. The manager acts competently as a mentor for staff during their induction and on an ongoing basis. For example, she holds one-to-one meetings which enable staff to evaluate their practice and identify areas for their professional development. Effective monitoring of the educational programmes ensures that a varied range of experiences are planned and provided to help children make progress across the areas of learning. Staff observe and note children's achievements in a development record, which enables them to plan a suitable range of challenging activities based on children's interests. The manager uses their self-evaluation

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provision

document well, which shows the settings strengths and highlights areas in which they plan to adapt, develop or change. In addition, they work closely with the local authority in producing a focused improvement plan which supports them in improving the learning environment for children. For example, they have recently created a 'cosy den' in the room for two-year-olds which is used and enjoyed fully by the children. Plans to develop the outdoor area are in place and the group has recently obtained funding from local supermarkets to support them. Parent questionnaires are valued and their comments and ideas are greatly valued and used to further enhance the setting. Children are listened to and observed as they also contribute to the evaluation process.

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provision

Positive good working relationships have been developed between the parents and the setting and the nursery works hard in keeping them well-informed about the service. New parents receive a welcome pack, which they fully appreciate, that clearly outlines the nursery's operation. In addition, newsletters are issued regularly, staff engage in daily conversation with all parents and issue written daily reports. Following feedback from a parent these are now placed into children's individual bags to ensure information is shared effectively. This, alongside the informative topic books displayed in the rooms and children's learning journals provide them with a good range of information to keep parents fully informed. Photographs of staff and key person lists are displayed, so parents know who will be caring for their children. Good working partnerships have been developed with the local school to ensure the quality of support offered to children. For example, teachers

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provision

visit the children in the nursery and children visit the school for special story times. Relationships with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, health visitors and social workers, involved with children are firmly established and contribute in supporting children's overall learning and welfare.

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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 EY313620 Local authority Northumberland Inspection number 952994

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 66 Number of children on roll 86 Name of provider Joanne Knox Date of previous inspection 23/02/2009 Telephone number 01289 330644

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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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