Twizzle Tops Day Nursery

Twizzle Tops Day Nursery Roaring Meg Retail Park, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 1XN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/05/2014 21/11/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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

 The quality of teaching is good. Staff consistently model language and use open-ended questions to stimulate children's thinking and language development. As a result, children make good progress in communication and language.  Staff plan daily activities that precisely match children's interests and learning needs. As a result, children are interested and motivated to learn.  Partnership with parents is effective. Parents are kept well-informed about their children's progress. Consequently, staff and parents work together to promote children's good outcomes.  There are robust safeguarding procedures in place, underpinned by a detailed safeguarding policy. As a result, children's safety and well-being is promoted.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope for staff build on their good use of open-ended questioning by using everyday situations and planned activities to encourage children to solve practical problems and identify their own solutions.  The existing good practice to develop independence and self-help skills does not always provide consistent opportunities for children to serve themselves at mealtimes.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor area and on a walk outdoors.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and the area manager.  The inspector spoke to staff throughout the inspection as necessary.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning, progress tracking data and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and the manager's evidence of self-evaluation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Twizzle Tops Day Nursery was registered in 2013. It is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from two base rooms within a multi-activity play centre in a retail park in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. It is managed by Partyman World of Play. The nursery serves the local and neighbouring area. There is no designated outdoor play area and daily access to fresh air is accommodated through the use of local walks and parks. The nursery serves the local community and is accessible through the main entrance of the activity centre. Children have access to an indoor soft play area. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, from 7am until 7pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 29 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two, three and four-year-old children. The nursery employs six members of childcare staff.

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Information about the setting

Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above.

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

 provide everyday situations and planned activities to encourage children to solve practical problems and identify their own solutions

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

 provide more consistent opportunities for children to develop their independence by serving themselves at mealtimes.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They plan purposeful, developmentally appropriate activities in each area of learning. This is a considerable improvement on the previous inspection and ensures that children now make good progress relative to their stages of development. The quality of interactions by staff is good. They use open-ended questions consistently to encourage children to extend their thinking and communication skills. As a result, children make good progress in language and communication. However, there is scope to extend this good practice to provide them with practical opportunities to solve problems and identify their own solutions. Children's interests and development are closely observed and recorded. This information is used to plan individual next steps for each child. This precise tailoring of activities to the needs and interests of each child ensures that activities are relevant and meaningful to them and

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who attend

they are motivated to take part. Key staff track children's development across the term and cross reference the information against the early years outcomes. This information is shared with parents during consultations. This means that staff and parents are aware of children's stages of development and can work together to support the children's ongoing development.

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who attend

The two base rooms are well laid out to provide activities and experiences across the areas of learning. Resources are age-appropriate, stimulating and well-maintained. Both rooms are print-rich, with posters and labelling that encourage children's developing awareness of literacy. Displays are bright, attractive and informative to parents, explaining the learning that has taken place as well as celebrating the achievements of the children. As identified in the previous inspection, the nursery does not have its own outdoor area. Staff have addressed this issue by ensuring that all children have access to fresh air and sunlight each day through a series of planned, purposeful trips. This includes trips to the nearby woods to explore the sensory environment, trips to the nearby pet-shop to look at the animals and trips to the local library. Children also have daily access to the softplay area beside the nursery. This provides older children with opportunities to develop their

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who attend

physical skills as they run, climb, slide and dance. Staff interact purposefully with children. They teach them to sing songs and rhymes, jumping up and down as they join in with the actions. They read stories to even the youngest children and encourage them to talk about what they see and join in with the refrains. This is an aspect of teaching that has been improved since the previous inspection and consequently, children's language skills are now well promoted.

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who attend

Staff teach children to count and recognise their colours, shapes and numerals through age-appropriate activities that engage their interest. Children enjoy digging and using pots and pans in the mud kitchen. They learn to draw and write as they independently access the writing area. There are good routines in place that ensure a balance of adult-led activities and child-initiated activities, well as time to rest and eat. Children are active learners who confidently explore their environment. They use their imaginations as they search for pirates in the woods. They learn about the natural environment as they listen for birds and collect sticks to take back to nursery. Structured grouptimes ensure that older children learn to sit and listen attentively as staff teach them to recognise letters, numerals and colours. Staff take every opportunity to extend children's language skills. This, together with the good emphasis on encouraging children's independence and self-

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who attend

help skills, means that children are well-prepared for school.

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

The key person system works well. Names and photographs of key staff are displayed and staff know their key children well. Children are calm and contented and display good levels of well-being, as a result, of the good level of care that they receive. They approach adults happily and share and co-operate with each other. Staff teach children to listen to instructions, especially when moving to and from the softplay area and when out on trips. This promotes children's safety, as well as developing their attention skills, as they realise the importance of listening carefully. Staff listen and respond to children's ideas, which supports their self-esteem and helps them to feel valued. Children's behaviour is very good, with any occasional instances of unwanted behaviour being dealt with calmly and without distracting other children. There is good communication between staff and parents as children are handed over at the start and end of each session. This two-way

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

flow of information ensures that children's care needs are met promptly.

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

Children's independence is promoted well. They take off and put on their own shoes at the softplay area. They put on their own high visibility jackets as they prepare for a trip out. They help themselves to their drinks and snacks, which are healthy and attractively presented. Children learn about the importance of healthy eating as they are served balanced cooked meals each day. However, there is scope for the older children to further develop their independence by serving themselves at mealtimes. Children learn about risk and safety as they prepare for their outings by talking about wearing their high visibility jackets and holding hands with an adult. While out and about, they practise road safety as they cross pathways and watch out for obstructions on the ground. Indoors, resources are at children's levels and are well-labelled, so that children can access them independently. This encourages children to choose their own toys and activities, based on their interests.

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

Children learn about hygiene practices as they wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet.

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

Staff prepare children well for moving between rooms as they become older. Once children are two years old, they visit the pre-school room for short periods, gradually extending their time there as they feel settled. There is good handover of information between the key staff as children move rooms. As a result, children make the move smoothly and confidently, there is no disruption to learning. Staff understand the importance of the characteristics of effective learning. Children are encouraged to try new experiences and they demonstrate good levels of persistence and concentration as they engage in activities. Consequently, they are learning skills that are needed for school.

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provision

There are robust safeguarding procedures in place. Relevant policies are comprehensive and regularly reviewed. As well as mandatory safeguarding training as part of the induction process, several staff members have undergone additional safeguarding. As a result, staff are knowledgeable about the issues that would cause concern regarding a child's welfare and understand the referral process in the event of a concern. Consequently, children's safety and welfare are promoted. There is a well-documented recruitment process, which includes checks to ensure that new staff are suitable and qualified to work with children. A full range of policies is in place with regard to children's health and safety, including daily risk assessments for the play area and for the daily outing. Children with special diets and allergies are well protected through clearly documented measures which are followed by all staff.

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provision

The manager has a clear vision for the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are good systems in place to monitor teaching, learning, planning and assessment. This ensures that children experience consistency of intervention from all staff. The manager has effectively addressed one of the issues from the previous inspection be ensuring that all statutory paperwork is now completed in a timely manner, including the progress check for children between the ages of two and three. Well as a comprehensive induction programme for new staff, there is regular appraisal for all staff, with clear identification of strengths and areas for development. Consequently, staff are enthusiastic and well-motivated and there is a continuous drive towards improvement. There is regular ongoing self-evaluation by the manager and her staff, with targeted improvement plans. Since the last inspection by Ofsted, when the setting received a

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provision

number of actions to improve and one subsequent monitoring visit, the new manager has implemented effective systems for delivering and monitoring the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, children's welfare and development is now assured. All of the issues raised in the previous inspection have been diligently addressed and the rapid improvement is to be commended.

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provision

The nursery is building partnership with other agencies, including the local children's centre. As children move on to school, the nursery is developing its relationships with schools in the area. Partnership with parents is effective. Parents are offered a range of opportunities to become involved in the life of the nursery and to participate in their children's education. This includes a parents' Facebook page which is updated daily, and regular newsletters. Verbal and written feedback is welcomed from parents. Parents who were spoken to on the day of inspection were unanimous in their appreciation of the good quality of care and education at 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 EY463752 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 962993 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 29 Name of provider Partyman World (Lakeside) Limited Date of previous inspection 21/11/2013 Telephone number 01438 745823

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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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