Circle of Friends Day Nursery

Circle of Friends Day Nursery Lady Lane, Longford, COVENTRY, West Midlands, CV6 6AZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/03/2014 13/03/2013

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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

 Staff observe, assess and plan for individual learning effectively to ensure that children are consistently challenged to reach the next stage in their development.  The partnerships with parents are strong with regard to sharing information that aids staff in meeting children's care needs effectively and in planning for next learning steps.  Children's personal, social and emotional needs are well met by staff. Relationships are good and children are confident learners.  Children are safeguarded because staff are aware of their responsibilities to protect children from abuse and neglect. Potential risks are successfully minimised and children's good health is addressed well.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The development of children's speaking skills is not always maximised. This is because when open-ended questions are asked, children are not always given time to think and then respond.  Sensory play opportunities for babies are not consistently maximised because everyday objects are not always made available for them to explore.

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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 playrooms and in the outdoor play area.  The inspector spoke to the provider, manager, deputy manager, staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of children's assessment records and planning, evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working within the setting, self- evaluation paperwork and a range of other documentation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents.

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Information about the setting

Circle of Friends Day Nursery opened in 2005. It is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery operates from converted premises in the Longford area of Coventry. Children aged under three years have the use of the ground floor and children aged over three have the use of the first floor. They all have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. Office and kitchen facilities are on the first floor. The nursery is open from 7.30am to 6pm all year round, except for bank holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 69 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language. It provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, the two managers and the deputy hold early years qualifications at level 6, there are eight staff members qualified in early years at level 3 and one is qualified at level 2.

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

 enhance children's language development by making sure that when they are asked open-ended questions, they are always given time to think and put their thought into words

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

 make sure that babies can more frequently explore the good variety of natural resources that are available.

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who attend

Children make good progress. They are supported well by staff and information on achievements is used effectively by key persons to plan for learning and ensure that all children are challenged effectively. Parents are initially asked for information on what their child already knows and can do and there are regular opportunities to share information in order to plan for children's learning in the nursery and at home. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported effectively so that their care and learning needs are well met. Support for children is good so that they develop skills in readiness for nursery class and school. Staff are aware of the requirement to provide parents with a progress check at age two and complete these where necessary. Children's communication and language development is promoted well by staff. Older children speak clearly and confidently using full sentences. Babies express themselves

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who attend

through their body language, expression and the different sounds that they make and staff interpret their wants and needs well. Toddlers communicate confidently and they progress from saying single words to short sentences. However, their speaking skills are not always fully promoted by staff because they do not always give children time to respond to open-ended questions because they answer these questions themselves before children have the opportunity to do so. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported well in using their home language as well as learn to speak English.

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who attend

Children's emotional security is addressed well by all staff and, as a result, children are happy and confident. Toddlers choose to play with small world toys and while talking with them, staff promote early mathematical development effectively because they encourage counting with one-to-one correspondence. Toddlers are learning to recognise and name colours. Toddlers and babies explore media, such as sand, paint and glue. Babies' sensory development is promoted generally well by staff, however, a good variety of natural 'treasure basket' resources are not made accessible for babies to explore on a day to day basis. Consequently, their sensory experiences are not consistently maximised.

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who attend

Manipulative skills are developing well and are practised daily because children enjoy access to a full range of safe small toys and tools. Pre-school children mould and explore the texture of clay. Staff suggest that they make Mother's Day baskets and show children examples of ones created and painted by other children. Children are asked to describe the clay and they talk about it being 'smooth' and 'cold'. They add water when it gets dry and then describe the clay as being 'slimy'. Children demonstrate good skills as they copy staff and roll the clay into a ball and then press into the ball with their thumbs to create a basket shape. They are encouraged to count the baskets and compare the different sizes of the ones they have made. Mathematical development is promoted well by staff as they support different play activities. Children talk about how old they are and use their fingers to represent their age, they play games with dice and dominoes, and they sing songs that

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who attend

support counting and early calculation. Staff identify that cooking activities promote learning across different areas of learning. For example, they learn that information is obtained from print because they use a recipe and they weigh ingredients and look for numerals on the scales. Books are easily accessible to all children and story times are enjoyed during small group times. Pencil control is developing well and older children are able to write their own names.

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

Children's personal, social and emotional development is given a high priority by staff. Their emotional security is initially addressed well because a settling-in period is agreed with parents in accordance with children's different needs. Children develop a secure attachment with their key person and other staff and they are happy and confident. They are well prepared for their transition into other early years settings and reception class in school. This is because transition within the nursery is well organised and because links with local schools are good. A clear behaviour management policy is implemented effectively by staff. Children behave well. Staff use positive reinforcement in order to address children's confidence and self-esteem. Children's independence is promoted well. For example, they confidently make decisions about resources set out by staff in playrooms and they can easily choose and select resources for themselves that are stored

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

on low-level shelving. They develop an ability to attend to their self-care needs. Resources are safe and meet children's learning and development needs well.

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

The nursery environment is safe, warm and welcoming. Admission information obtained from parents enables staff to address children's individual care needs effectively. Information on practice with regard to safety, illness and accidents is shared with parents. Children's good health is protected well because staff encourage them to be physically active. They gain confidence and physical skills with use a good variety of large physical play equipment available in playrooms as well as in the large outdoor play area. Staff are aware of their responsibilities to protect children's health through the implementation of good general hygiene and food hygiene practices. Meals and snacks provided for children are healthy and nutritious. Children's independence is supported well and they practise manipulative skills because they serve food for themselves. Children's welfare is addressed effectively because staff ensure that the environment is safe. Children learn how to keep

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

themselves safe. For example, they practise the fire drill regularly and they learn how to safely climb up and down the fire escape steps when accessing the outdoor play area from the first floor playroom.

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provision

Staff ensure that children's health and safety is protected well. They are fully aware of their responsibilities with regard to supervising the children in their care and ensure that children are never left unsupervised with a person who has not been vetted. Security of the premises is addressed well and staff assess and minimise risks successfully. They are aware of their own responsibilities to protect children from abuse and they identify clear nursery procedures. Staff are aware of contact details for the Coventry Safeguarding Children Board. Procedures for recruitment, selection and induction are robust and vetting procedures for staff are thorough. Parents are made aware of the thorough safeguarding policy. The provider ensures that staff members' safeguarding knowledge is kept up to date. Health and hygiene routines are good and the nursery has been awarded a maximum five star outcome following a recent environmental health inspection.

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provision

The provider ensures that the educational programmes are successfully monitored in order to ensure that children make good progress. A thorough self-evaluation form has been submitted to Ofsted and was recently updated. In order to review and improve practice, the provision is linked to a local quality assurance scheme. Advice and support is welcomed from early years advisory staff. There were two recommendations raised at the time of the last inspection and both have been addressed well. Processes for staff supervision, performance management, appraisal, training and ongoing professional development are good. Staff identify that recent training on children's mathematical development has been beneficial in ensuring that this is supported by staff continually and is not only promoted in the area of the room designated for mathematics. A current priority for improvement is a refurbishment of playrooms and to continue to develop the

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provision

use of a new software package that is proving beneficial in improving communication with parents. The choice of resources is good and books and toys meet children's needs at their different stages of development well.

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provision

The partnership with parents is strong because communication, both written and verbal, between staff and parents is good. This ensures that they work well together to meet children's different needs effectively. Links with other early years providers are strong and this ensures a cohesive approach to each early years child's care and learning. Policies and procedures support the safe and efficient management of the provision and parents are made aware of them. Parents share very positive views about the service provided. Required documentation is kept up to date and in good order, which supports the safe and efficient management of the nursery.

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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 EY295271 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 959341

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 69 Name of provider Circle of Friends Partnership Date of previous inspection 13/03/2013 Telephone number 02476 367 001

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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

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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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