Sammy Snail Day Care

Sammy Snail Day Care 286 Kitts Green Road, BIRMINGHAM, B33 9SB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/03/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 Accurate observations and assessments help to clearly identify the next steps in children's learning, which ensures they continue to make good progress in their learning and development. Staff use a wide range of effective teaching methods to help children enjoy learning.  Managers and staff are actively involved in the identification of the strengths of the nursery and areas for further development. The views of parents and other professionals are also sought and are well considered in improvement strategies.  All staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures through regular training. As a result, children are safe and their welfare promoted.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some group activities, such as story time, are not always organised well enough to fully support and enhance learning for some younger and less able children.  There is scope to better enhance children's learning and development through further improving communication with other professionals working with children in the other settings they attend.

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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 spoke with the manager, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the day.  The inspector carried out joint observations with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation including children's records, learning and development information, staff records and a selection of policies and procedures.  The inspector took into account the views of parents through discussion.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of staff's suitability, and a range of record keeping procedures.

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Information about the setting

Sammy Snail Day Care registered in 2013 as a limited company. It is privately owned. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from one main playroom in a community building in the Kitts Green area of Birmingham. The nursery is currently located on the ground floor of the building and has use of the dance studio. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery serves the local community and surrounding areas. There are currently 36 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery cares for older children after school. Staff pick children up from local schools. The nursery is open Monday to Friday all year round apart from week at Christmas. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. There are currently seven members

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Information about the setting

of staff. Of these, two staff members have a level 6 qualification in early years, four staff have level 3 and one staff member has a level 2 qualification. The nursery cares for children who speak English as an additional language. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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

 enhance further the learning experiences of younger and less able children, with specific regard to the organisation of the structure of group activities, such as story time, to provide greater levels of support for individual children

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

 strengthen the communication with other settings which children attend and encourage the sharing of specific information about individual children's learning in order to enhance and complement children's learning and development.

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who attend

Children make good progress in the prime and specific areas of learning as they take part in a wide range of activities and play opportunities, both inside and outside in the fresh air. Staff have a good knowledge of children's developmental milestones and use appropriate guidance to help track individual children's development, in order to plan for the next stage in their learning. They carry out regular observations on the children to identify the next stage in their learning. Weekly planning covers a wide range of interesting activities, which are based on topics and include children's interests. This ensures that they gain a good range of skills, ready for when they start school. Children develop their language and communication as they sing songs, listen to stories and take part in discussions at circle time. Babies have their own enclosed area within the main room where they safely explore their surroundings. Staff encourage them to stand

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who attend

up and walk, which supports their independence and development. Babies play with a wide range of equipment, such as activity centres and sensory toys, which supports their curiosity and creative learning. Staff complete the progress check at age two with parents. This helps them to plan for the next stage in children's learning and to identify areas in which they may require further support. Overall, staff plan well for all children and take into consideration their interests. However, during some group activities, such as circle and story time, this is not always planned well enough to provide enough levels of support for some younger children to enhance their learning. This means that some younger and less able children are not fully engaged in some large group activities.

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who attend

Staff provide a wide range of equipment, such as wheeled toys and climbing equipment, to help children develop skills in balance and coordination. They enjoy running around and take small risks as they attempt to climb up the slide. Staff provide good support for children who speak English as an additional language. They use picture signs and collect familiar words in the home language, which helps children develop their communication and language skills. Staff support and extend children's learning at home as they send 'Barney Bear' and the book bag home, which contains paper and crayons to support children's literacy development. Such activities and learning opportunities support children to develop the skills they will need for when they move on to nursery or school. Staff use good methods to help children learn and make progress. For example, they use open- ended questions, explanations and give clues to ensure children make good progress in

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who attend

their leaning. For example, during a guessing game, staff use both verbal and non-verbal actions to describe a picture of an animal to help support children's critical development. Staff carefully select pictures for individual children, to ensure the activity offers suitable levels of both challenge and support.

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

Children develop warm and positive relationships with staff and each other, which supports their feelings of security. The key person ensures they collect information from parents about children's interests, care routines and comfort items to help children feel secure and help them to settle into the nursery. Effective procedures are in place to support transition between the two areas. For example, the low level extending gate which separates the two areas, allows younger children to see each other, which helps to support and reassure them. Babies feel reassured as they see their siblings play in the main area.

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

Children show a good understanding of healthy lifestyles as they follow appropriate hygiene routines, such as washing their hands prior to eating and after using the toilet. Main meals are freshly prepared by the cafe, which is located on the site. Staff prepare other meals, such as breakfast, tea and healthy snacks, which consist of fresh fruit and toast. A two-week menu is displayed to keep parents informed of the food served to their children. All children demonstrate their growing independence as they learn to feed themselves with appropriate cutlery or hands. More able children serve their own breakfast and butter their toast. Effective methods, such as the use of a sand timer and the 'behaviour rocket', help children to take turns and consider each other's needs. For example, staff ask children to move their names up the rocket as a reward for good tidying up.

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

Children have access to a good range of toys, equipment and furniture which supports their interests and learning. Resources are stored at children's level to enable them to make choices and extend their learning. Children learn about being safe as they carry out garden checks with staff before they go out. They know that the gates have to be closed to keep them safe. Staff carefully place safety cones along the path to the enclosed garden area, which helps children take responsibility for their own safety. Staff help children prepare for a smooth transition to other settings through stories and discussions with the school children. This is further supported as staff use photographs from the school website to help children become familiar with their new environment.

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provision

Children's welfare is protected because staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and regularly attend training to update their knowledge. A detailed policy is in place to ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities to ensure children are safe from harm. The manager and deputy have completed appropriate training, which ensures they have up-to-date information of child-protection referrals, which helps to improve children's well-being. Visitors sign both into the main reception and in the nursery. In addition to this, the intercom system is fitted with a camera to help monitor access to the nursery, which helps to protect children from non-vetted persons. Accurate attendance records and regular head counts throughout the day, further help to keep children safe. Staff carry out daily checks to help minimise potential hazards, both inside and outside. Risk assessments are fully effective and ensure that all areas of the nursery used by children are safe,

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provision

secure and suitable. Safety equipment, such extending gates, helps babies to explore and play safely in their area.

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provision

Daily verbal and written feedback keeps parents well informed of their children's progress. Babies have daily sheets where staff record their care needs and the activities children take part in. Parents receive a wide range of information through the notice board and regular newsletters, which provide information about future topics. This encourages parents to be involved in their children's learning. All parents speak highly of the nursery and staff, they receive daily feedback and support for their children. Parents comment that children often talk about the nursery at weekends and don't want them to leave the nursery. Staff forward transfer documents to other settings children attend, which provides information about children's progress. Staff care for children who attend other settings which deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They send children's journals and speak to both parents and children about their learning, however, there is room to

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provision

develop further the partnership working arrangements to better promote consistency in children's learning and development.

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provision

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements and receive regular support from early years professionals to monitor the implementation of these. Regular staff meetings, supervisions and appraisals support staff's professional development. The nursery has effective systems to ensure all staff have the relevant skills and experience to care for children. This includes robust procedures for recruitment, vetting and assessing the suitability of staff. An effective system is in place to reflect on practice within the nursery and to promote continuous improvement. Improvements are designed to benefit children and their families. For example, staff have further plans to improve planning and update their tracking system to ensure parents understand the good progress their children make. Staff meet on a weekly basis to discuss planning and children's individual needs, which helps them to continue their good progress in learning.

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provision

Discussions with parents and regular questionnaires help to collect their views to support continuous improvement. For example, a parental request for more support in behaviour management has been met as one-to-one support and further parents' workshops are offered. Regular observations and discussions with children help staff to support and extend children's interests, which ensures their views are incorporated in the process of self-evaluation. Staff encourage children to add photographs to their journals, which helps them to recap on activities they enjoy.

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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 EY470420 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 936916 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 36 Name of provider Sammy Snail Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 0121 675 8412

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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

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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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