Orchids Childcare

Orchids Childcare Oak Cottage Primary School, Greswolde Road, SOLIHULL, West Midlands, B91 1DY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/05/2014 12/01/2009

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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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Children enjoy strong relationships with staff. Therefore, they are happy, secure and confident within their surroundings.  Children's behaviour is good because there are effective procedures in place to promote this.  The manager has a clear vision for the future of the provision and the staff team work extremely well together to ensure that children receive an enjoyable learning experience.  All staff have a secure understanding of their responsibility in safeguarding children. As a result, children are kept safe from harm.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff do not always gather enough information about children's starting points and observations are not used to fully identify next steps, in order to plan for individual children's learning.  Staff do not consistently involve parents in their child's learning and development, which reduces the effectiveness of the partnerships.  Staff do not always skilfully question children, in order to develop their thinking skills to challenge and extend their learning further.

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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 carried out a tour of the provision with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching and learning in the indoor and outdoor learning environment.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and the nursery's self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of children, staff and parents spoken to on the day of inspection.

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Information about the setting

Orchids Childcare registered in 2007 on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is located within the grounds of Oak Cottage Primary School in Solihull. The childcare provision provides wrap around for nursery age children and holiday club and kids club for school age children. It operates from the school nursery and also has use of the school hall, an additional class room and a large secure playground. It is privately owned and managed, being one of a number of settings run by the same provider in Solihull. The childcare provision serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There are enclosed areas available for outdoor play. Orchids Childcare employs seven members of childcare staff. Five staff, including the manager have appropriate qualifications at level 3, one member of staff has appropriate qualification at level 2 and one member of staff is working towards a qualification at level

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Information about the setting

2. Wrap around provision operates between 12 noon and 6pm and the kids club operates between 7.30am until 9am and 3.30pm until 6pm. Both provisions are open Monday to Friday during school term times. There is a holiday club provision available during school holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 70 children on roll, of whom 12 are in the early years age group. The provision supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 identify children's starting points and use these along with observations to accurately plan for individual children's learning, so that all children are fully challenged in order to make good progress.

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

 strengthen partnership with parents by regularly sharing children's progress and encouraging them to contribute to children's learning to maximise their learning potential

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

 develop staff's questioning techniques to enhance children's thinking skills to fully challenge them and extend their learning.

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who attend

All staff demonstrate a sound awareness of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They understand how children learn and have a sound knowledge of child development. Therefore, they are able to plan accordingly to provide a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. As a result, all children are supported in most areas of their learning. They are happy and enjoy their time at both the wrap around and kids club. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully supported and adequately included in all areas of the provision.

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who attend

Staff consistently observe what children can do, although, they do not always use the information gained from observations effectively to inform planning for children's learning needs. They offer an adequate range of activities across the seven areas of learning and as a result, children make appropriate progress. Staff provide daily opportunities for children to talk freely to each other as they play and provide some useful guided activities, so that children's learning is effectively continuous between this setting and nursery. For example, staff actively use a basket full of varied resources, including model animals to represent nursery rhymes and this effectively encourages children to talk about and further their understanding of nursery rhymes. Staff encourage children to paint their own pictures of their favourite nursery rhymes or books and use these in group discussions to complement their learning further. However, planning is not always tailored to meet each

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who attend

child's individual learning needs. As a result, some children are not always offered opportunities to reach their full potential. Effective teaching methods are not always used to extend children's learning, such as asking open-ended questions, encouraging children to have their own ideas and think of solutions. As a result, some activities lack challenge and at times children lose interest in activities on offer.

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who attend

Staff support children's independence effectively by encouraging them to become involved in choosing their daily activities. Older children complete questionnaires, which are used to develop future planning. Staff gather information from parents during the induction period about their medical and care needs. However, information around their interests and learning needs are not always considered. Therefore, not enough information is gathered to establish starting points for children's future learning and development. Staff offer daily feedback to parents about how their child has been, but they do not focus on the activities their children have enjoyed doing so that parents can support their learning at home. The links between staff and the foundation stage unit at the host school are strong and therefore, the activities planned complement children who attend the onsite nursery. For these children their learning and information around assessments are shared to ensure

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who attend

children are making good progress. Children effectively develop their early literacy skills as they are encouraged to write their names. Their independent skills are consistently promoted through the environment and routines, staff use a tambourine to encourage children to stop activities and tidy up and this works very well in helping the younger children to understand what is happening now and next. Children are encouraged to put their own coats on and count how many children are in the line before going out to play. They use their imagination skills as they play with the play dough to make a variety of things and there are pens, paper and books readily available for children to independently access. Children's thinking skills are adequately developed as they play interactive games on the computer and their communication and social skills are generally supported through group activities and discussion. Consequently, children are developing skills

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who attend

needed for the next stage in their learning.

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

Children receive a warm welcome as they arrive at the wrap around and kids club. There is an effective key person system in place to ensure children's individual care needs are being met. Staff have built strong relationships with parents and children and as a result, children are emotionally secure. Parents comment that the wrap around and kids club facilities 'are great', 'staff are wonderful' and 'my child is really secure and happy here'. All children are valued and respected and staff act as good role models to ensure children respect and value each other. Staff take on board all children's views and place a high focus on their personal, social and emotional development. Consequently, children are emotionally prepared for the move to their next stage in learning.

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

Staff have a good understanding of health and nutrition. Children are encouraged to bring a healthy pack lunch to eat at dinnertime and staff work well with parents to support children's well-being by giving them advice about portion control and healthy options. In the afternoon children enjoy a selection of healthy snacks and drinking water is available throughout the day. Children are encouraged to pour their own drinks and serve themselves cafe style, promoting further independence. Staff talk to children about making healthy choices and as a result, children are beginning to understand the importance of healthy lifestyles. Children are encouraged to wash their hands before mealtimes and after using the toilet reinforcing the importance of healthy practices. Children benefit from fresh air and exercise as they play outdoors. There is a wide variety of resource that support children's physical skills, such as, bikes, scooters, tyres and an

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

adventure playground. Children actively develop their coordination skills as they are encouraged to use bats, balls and hockey sticks to pass the ball to one another.

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

The environment is bright, stimulating and well-resourced, it is rich in print and all resources are stored at low-levels to effectively encourage children to make independent choices. There are effective procedures in place to support positive behaviour. Staff use praise and encouragement, older children act as role models and staff encourage children to think about sharing and taking turns throughout all activities. Staff have introduced a positive behaviour incentive scheme, which involves children landing on different colour 'lily pads'. As a result, all children understand boundaries and children's behaviour is good. All staff use positive language to support and encourage children to progress and as a result, children are confident and secure with the motivation to learn. Children move around the indoor and outdoor environment with ease and are regularly reminded how to keep themselves safe. Children routinely take part in regular fire drills and learn to use

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

tools and equipment, such as scissors and cutlery safely. Children are actively encouraged to tidy equipment away to prevent potential tripping hazards. As a result, they are developing an understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

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provision

All staff have attended safeguarding training and understand their role in protecting children from harm. They are aware of what to do should they have a concern about children's welfare because safeguarding procedures are strong. Effective recruitment and induction procedures ensure all those working with children are suitable to do so and regular appraisals ensure the manager and provider continually check the ongoing suitability for all staff. All policies and procedures are effective and easily accessible to all staff and parents, including the procedures for making a complaint. Safety checks and risk assessments are carried out daily to ensure both the indoor and outdoor environments are safe and secure and children are protected.

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provision

The manager has a sound understanding of the learning and development requirements and demonstrates a sound and passionate leadership. Through staff appraisals the manager is able to assess staff's strengths and identify any weakness to enable the team to work together to continually improve practice. The manager and provider identify training needs during staff appraisals to enable the team to keep up to date with relevant training and develop their professional development. As a result, staff have an adequate understanding of their role in teaching children to learn. Self-evaluation has been completed and the manager has a clear vision of how she intends to further develop practice. She recognises improvements need to be made and is working hard with the provider to implement changes. Parents, children and staff are involved in self-evaluation. They take part in detailed discussions and complete questionnaires and the manager takes

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provision

their views into account when identifying priorities for improvement.

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provision

The setting has developed very strong partnerships with the host school and the early year's foundation stage unit to ensure the continuity for children, who attend the nursery, wrap around, reception and afterschool provision. Therefore, staff are able to establish the progress these children are making and plan accordingly to complement their learning. The manager understands about developing the partnerships with the local school, in order to complement children's learning. Partnerships with parents is sound and they are happy with the care and education their children receive. The provision shares its policies and procedures with parents, so they have a clear understanding about safeguarding and welfare requirements. Although, parents are not yet fully involved in their children's learning. Therefore, arrangements to develop and enhance children's individual needs and learning are not yet fully in place.

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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 EY364751 Local authority Solihull Inspection number 873653

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 54 Number of children on roll 70 Name of provider Orchids Childcare Limited Date of previous inspection 12/01/2009 Telephone number 0121 711 4319

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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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