Once Upon a Time Day Nurseries

Once Upon a Time Day Nurseries 346 Yeading Lane, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 9AY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/03/2014 25/11/2013

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff plan activities that are based on children's interests which encourages them to join in and learn.  Staff help all children form secure emotional attachments so children settle quickly and gain confidence.  The staff team value all children's differences and so their individual needs. individual needs are quickly identified and met.  Staff form worthwhile partnerships with parents and outside professionals in order to make sure children's differing needs are well supported.

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It is not yet good because

 . Staff do not achieve a good balance of adult-led and child-led activities for older children so they progress well as independent learners.

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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 held meetings with the provider and manager.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector observed activities throughout the nursery, indoors and out..

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including children's records, learning and development information, risk assessments, and a selection of policies and procedures.  The inspector talked with some children, parents and staff

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Information about the setting

Once Upon a Time Day Nurseries is one of seven provisions owned by a private provider. The nursery originally registered in 2005, and re-registered in 2013 due to a move to new premises. The nursery operates from purpose-built premises over two floors in Yeading, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.45am to 6pm all year. Children are grouped into one of two rooms according to age. Children have access to two outdoor play areas.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 82 children in the early years age group on roll. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 22 staff employed to work with the children; the majority of staff hold a recognised early years qualification. The manager has an early years degree and early years professional status and five members of staff have accredited special educational needs certificates. This setting follows the Highscope teaching curriculum alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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must:

 improve the balance between play that is led by staff and that which children lead for themselves, with particular regard to older children in the upstairs room, so that they have good opportunities daily to learn through active exploratory play.

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who attend

Staff organise interesting learning environments both inside and outdoors. As a result, children confidently move around enjoying a range of motivating activities and experiences. Children downstairs can choose when they want to play outside because the garden leads directly from their room. This arrangement particularly supports the development of children who prefer to be active outside. However, children accommodated upstairs have routine times when they go outside to play. Staff try to be flexible with the times they go out although this tends to be once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

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who attend

The management team has introduced a system of observation, assessment and planning that enables staff to record their observations of children's learning and to track their individual development. Staff understand how this system works and all staff are able to make use of it. Opportunities to assess children's stages of development during their settling in are provided and 'key persons' are supported well by other staff. The 'key persons' take special responsibility for a named group of children and their families. The staff team use this system well to establish what children can do on entry, to track their progress and plan what they need to learn next.

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who attend

Staff organise the routines of the day to include group activities with specific teaching aims. Consequently the group times that staff lead, such as those for reading stories, mostly engage children and offer some beneficial learning experiences. When sharing books with children, staff help them find out more about themselves and the natural world. Staff do this through asking relevant questions and encouraging children to listen. This teaching helps children gain some useful skills for their eventual move to school, including helping them to have an enjoyment of books.

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who attend

Staff encourage children to communicate by talking to them and listening to them. They give children time to speak during 'circle time' in the morning and also in the afternoon when new children arrive and are welcomed. Staff take opportunities to introduce new words to extend vocabularies. Staff are attentive to the needs of children who are learning English as an additional language. They involve them in conversations, speaking clearly to them to help them learn new words and phrases. They use a range of teaching strategies such as using phrases to encourage children to compare and notice difference, for example, by asking children to report their news and writing this on the white board. This approach helps children to understand that marks have meaning, which helps underpin their early understanding of why writing is important. Staff teach children to recognise and write their names and there are frequent discussions about letters and sounds. From an

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who attend

early age, staff provide children with extensive opportunities to write and draw using chalks and paint. In these ways, staff help all children to gain confidence in communicating with other people. Such experiences all help children be ready for the transfer to school.

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who attend

Staff support children well when joining them in their self-chosen activities and talking with them. In this way they develop children's play experiences and encourage them to explore further. Children show interest in the activities and are happy and confident in this welcoming and friendly nursery environment.

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who attend

Staff understand that children learn best through active play and using all their senses. They provide children with interesting sensory experiences so that children play independently with sand, water and treasure baskets. Children enjoy investigating the feel of paint with their hands as they make patterns. Considerate staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to 'have a go' when working with creative materials even if they are reluctant. Staff gently encourage them to try, as do their friends, showing them what fun they can have. This teaching means that all children make appropriate progress. Overall, however, the older children in the upstairs area spend too much time in adult-directed play and insufficient in exploring and learning through active play by themselves. This does not prepare these older children so well to be independent learners in readiness for the move to school.

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who attend

Staff are well deployed as they follow children's interests and develop these within their play. For example, when children are keen to add additional materials to messy play activities staff welcome this rather than saying that this is not allowed. Staff fully acknowledge children's suggestions and ideas as they say 'Well done. I have never thought of adding more gel to the mixture. It will be interesting to see how it feels and how it may change.' Children are delighted by this positive response, which supports them to persevere within their learning. This approach demonstrates that they are motivated to learn.

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who attend

Staff liaise with parents and outside professionals to find out how they can best meet the needs of children. They work around ideas and suggestions to help children develop their skills, for example by using specialised equipment to help children access a variety of different resources.

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

There is a well-established key person system where relationships between staff and children are friendly and supportive. Staff offer individual support to children who are upset or need assistance such as at meal times. They work hard to calm unsettled children and encourage them to enjoy their time at nursery. This all contributes to children's emotional well-being and supports children in developing a secure attachment with the key persons, which helps build children's confidence so they are ready to play.

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

Staff support children's well-being by implementing most of the required policies and procedures for the Early Years Foundation Stage, such as maintaining records including those for giving medication and recording accidents. Doing so helps maintain children's safety and good health. Staff know, and adhere to, children's dietary requirements. They provide a varied menu, from which children enjoy different nutritious meals at lunch time. They tell their friends and staff what they like best which helps management understand children's preferences. Staff make sure that children's nappies are only changed by a member of staff who is suitable to do so. Nappy changing takes place regularly during the day with key persons taking responsibility for their key children. However, the staff team have been unclear about their responsibilities about when to report incidents to the Local Safeguarding Children Board, (LSCB), which had the potential to place children's safety at

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

risk, although no child has come to harm.

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

The nursery is well equipped. Staff make appropriate use of the range of good quality resources to support children's learning and development and to promote children's individual learning styles. Staff plan the nursery environment well and they make use of every inch of space, including in the garden, to promote children's all-round development. Children's physical development is supported well because staff provide them with good opportunities for outdoor activities. They use the variety of equipment and resources, including wheeled vehicles, to practise their skills. These regular opportunities to be outside support children's general good health and well-being.

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

Staff make children clear about their expectations regarding behaviour so that children learn to play in ways that are safe for themselves and others. As a result, the atmosphere is calm and children are happy. Staff are positive role models and teach children to share and play nicely. This means children are generally kind, caring and respectful to each other. Children are praised for being kind to others and are given regular encouragement, thereby promoting their confidence and self-esteem. Staff encourage children to be independent at meal times so that they learn to serve and feed themselves. This approach helps children undertake small tasks and responsibilities to help prepare them for their next stage in learning. All these practices encourage the children's social skills, which contributes towards them acquiring the skills needed for their future move to school.

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

Staff supervise children closely at all times, so children know that adults are nearby. This helps children feel secure. Staff keep a good eye on children in the group rooms. They move to join them if they are playing alone or sit with a group as they play and explore. When taking children to visit the outdoor play area, staff supervise them closely when they climb up or down the stairs. They help older children in particular to negotiate the different levels and sloping surface of the outdoor play area.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward following a notification to Ofsted that raised concerns about the provider's understanding of following safeguarding procedures in regard to the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The inspection found that the nursery has a safeguarding policy that includes required information and procedures, and that safeguarding is a regular agenda item at staff meetings. Management explain that all staff have completed safeguarding training and their knowledge is regularly tested. Management and staff now demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities with regards to child protection. Despite this, the correct procedures were not followed in relation to a recent incident that raised concerns about the welfare of a child. The provider carried out an internal investigation into the incident and did not notify the Local Authority Designated

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provision

Officer (LADO), as required. This was a breach of requirements but no child has come to significant harm as a result. The provider did, however, follow procedures correctly to notify Ofsted of the incident, within the required timescales.

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provision

Since then, management has followed advice and worked with the police and LADO. They have attended and contributed to a multi-agency meeting to be reassured that the concerns were unfounded. The provider and manager are now proactive in addressing concerns. They have communicated with the LADO since. They now understand their role and responsibilities and work hard to improve their own and all staff's personal effectiveness, promoting the interests of children. The provider and senior leadership team have reviewed their procedures and already made the necessary adjustments to ensure this does not happen in the future. These actions demonstrate a positive attitude to making improvements. Ofsted does not intend to take further action on this occasion.

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provision

The provider and manager have put in place the necessary written policies alongside systems and procedures that inform the staff team's practice. There is a good induction procedure for new staff. This helps to ensure that they are fully aware of the nursery's policies and procedures, particularly those relating to the safeguarding of children. Staff are knowledgeable about the safeguarding procedures, such as staff not working alone when they change nappies or support older children when visiting the toilet and those regarding un-vetted adults not being alone with children. The premises and outdoor play areas have been risk assessed and staff carry out daily safety checks to make sure that the environment remains safe for children. The main entrance has a coded lock and the office is well positioned so that the manager can greet parents and check visitors. The provider is responsible for ensuring that staff go through the necessary checks regarding

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provision

their suitability to work with children. All staff have been vetted. This means that children's well-being is protected.

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provision

The provider and manager have introduced systems to monitor staff's practice and the quality of the provision for children. However, there is an imbalance in the way in which children's learning and development is delivered in the programme for the older children in the upstairs room which means a requirement is not fully met. They have set up regular supervisions and appraisals for staff so that they can encourage them to pursue further training and improve their practice. They involve staff, parents and children in evaluating the provision so that they can maintain an updated written self-evaluation and action plan that generally works effectively. The provider has suitable plans for the future development of the nursery that demonstrate a determination to improve provision for the children. For example, the provider is in the process of raising funding to have the concrete surface covered in a soft-surface material in the preschool outdoor play space.

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provision

Two-way communications with parents are good. Information for parents is displayed well and explains clearly how children are encouraged to learn and how parents can support them. Staff are available every day to talk with parents. They share information about children's well-being during the day. This information includes records of what children have eaten, when they have slept and when their nappies have been changed. Parents are invited to regular talks with key persons to exchange information about their children's progress in learning. During the inspection parents complimented the nursery and commented on how happy their children are to attend. They appreciate the information provided daily by the staff team and the support provided for their children's developing speech and language skills particularly where English is an additional language.

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provision

Partnerships with external agencies are in place so that children who need it can be given extra support. In this way staff are able to work towards closing any gaps in achievement across the nursery. The provider, manager and staff demonstrate a strong vision to promote good quality outcomes for children and their parents.

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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 EY461760 Local authority Hillingdon Inspection number 960379 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 46 Number of children on roll 82 Name of provider Lorna Hackland-Crowther Date of previous inspection 25/11/2013 Telephone number 0208 573 9713

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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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