Channings Childcare Ltd Werneth

Channings Childcare Springbank Street, Werneth, OLDHAM, OL8 4LH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/04/2014 01/10/2013

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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

 The key person finds out from parents about their child's routines, likes and dislikes. This enables staff to plan familiar activities and it helps children develop secure attachments.  Observations and assessments are completed and used to inform activity plans, as well as to show parents the progress their children are making across all areas of learning.  The nursery manager completes staff observations to monitors the effectiveness of the educational programmes and to monitor and improve the quality of teaching and learning  Staff have secure understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements and therefore children play in a safe and welcoming environment.  Self-evaluation enables staff to identify and prioritise aspects of the provision to be developed. As a result, peer observations will be introduced to improve the quality of teaching and learning

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to build on partnerships with parents, with regard to parents who are hard to engage, to improve absenteeism and to further promote children's continuing care and education.  There is scope to review arrival and collection procedures with parents to ensure children's activities are uninterrupted.

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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 looked at the premises in relation to health and safety.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's lunch time and snack time with the nursery manager.

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Inspection activities

 Children's inside and outside activities were jointly observed and discussed with the nursery manager in relation to teaching and learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the children's records of achievement, observations and assessments in addition to other relevant documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of staff's suitability and qualifications including a member of staff's employment file.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the nursery manager about issues arising from the nursery's self-evaluation form and proposed improvement plans.

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Information about the setting

Channings Childcare opened in 1999 and it is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is one of three privately owned nurseries run by Channings Childcare Ltd. The nursery operates from a two-storey converted building in Werneth, which is a deprived area in Oldham. It has three separate enclosed areas for outdoor play. The nursery serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. It is open five days a week from 7.30am until 6pm except on bank holidays and over the Christmas period. Currently there are 88 children in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. Children attend for a variety of sessions. A number of children attending the nursery have special educational needs and/or disabilities and English as an additional language. Currently there are 16 staff working directly with the

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Information about the setting

children and all have appropriate early years qualification at level 2 to 4. The nursery manager is working towards a leadership and management qualification at level 5 and two other members of staff are working towards a relevant qualification at level 6. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 build on partnerships with parents, in relation to those who are hard to engage, to improve absenteeism and to further promote children's learning and development

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

 review arrangements with parents, in relation to arrivals and collections, to ensure children's activities are not disturbed and children upset.

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who attend

Parents are asked to provide information about their child's starting points when their child starts at the setting. This information is used consistently to plan activities to support children's next steps. Parents are routinely kept informed of their children's progress towards the early learning goals. For example, through children's record of achievement or development files; parent evenings and contact sheets. The information that is shared with parents is used effectively to promote children's learning at home and at the setting. For example, children learn about nature and how to care for living things, like animals, birds and grass. There is a hencote in the pre-school's outdoor play area. Joseph and Lucky are two big hens that live there. Children keep an eye on Lucky to see how many eggs she produces and they are keen to collect the eggs she has laid. Children take eggs home for their parents to cook and children learn from first-hand experience the many

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who attend

ways eggs can be cooked. Staff purposefully link these sensory activities to other activities to effectively reinforce children's learning, such as through picture books and storytelling; the dinosaur egg hunt; art and crafts, such as making bird nests and Easter cards; games that require children to count, sort and match the eggs. Children are currently growing spring grass in individual pots, which children have self-labelled for easy identification. They talk about what the seeds need to grow, such as soil, water and sunlight. They remember to water the grass so that they can measure how high it has grown. They are learning how to use scissors carefully to trim the grass, or to give it a haircut. Children will shortly take their grass home. Staff are mindful not all children have gardens at home where they can re-plant the grass; so children and parents know how to continue the activity at home in the pots provided.

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who attend

Overall, children are working comfortably within the typical range of development expected for their age taking into account their starting points; including English as an additional language and other considerations, such as special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are effective strategies in place to support children who attend the nursery less frequently. At circle time children always welcome back those who have been absent for some time. They ask where they have been and what they have done during their time away from the nursery. The child's key person encourages children to bring pictures from home, such as family weddings, the birth of a sibling and other special occasions like travelling abroad. Overall the quality of teaching is effective. Staff give children time to think and talk and they ask open questions to develop children's listening and speaking skills. The nursery manager observes staff's interactions with children and

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who attend

parents and attainable goals are agreed to ensure teaching is focused on meeting the individual needs of children. In addition to monitoring and improving the quality of teaching and learning, the nursery manager also monitors and improves the educational programmes. These are the seven areas of learning and development which shape children's activities and experiences. As a result the educational programmes have depth and breadth across the seven areas of learning. Children's development in the prime areas of learning is promoted well and interwoven in all activities including provision for outside play. Children are purposefully involved in planning for their learning and overall they acquire the skills, attributes and dispositions they need to be ready for school, or the next stage of their learning.

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who attend

Children experience a variety of learning opportunities to match their different learning styles, building upon what they already know. For example, outdoor play is always linked to children's learning in other areas, such as seasonal changes including planting and growing. Quality toys and equipment are regularly rotated to ensure children's outside experiences are varied and challenging. For example, on the climbing frame children learn how to climb steps unaided and to slide down safely. They use bats and balls, scooters, tricycles and push along cars to effectively develop gross motor skills, in addition to wooden balancing beams and obstacle courses. They also use stilts, hoopla and bean bags. When children engage in energetic outside play they improve their skills of co- ordination, control, manipulation and movement. They clearly enjoy their time at the setting and inside activities are also challenging and interesting. Some children speak

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who attend

English as an additional language and their home language can be Polish, Bengali, Urdu or Punjabi. All children are developing communication and language skills and this includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Multilingual and bilingual staff consistently encourage children to listen, question and respond to others with care and sensitively, respecting the views and ideas of others. One member of staff is trained to use British sign language. Staff know individual children well and the impact of effective teaching strategies, such as Every Child a Talker, has a positive impact on the outcomes for children. Parents regularly contribute towards the children's word bank, to continually extend children's vocabulary and to help them build sentences, so that before they start school children are confident and skilled communicators who can express themselves clearly in a range of situations. Staff effectively model skills involved in play, such as filling

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who attend

and emptying water jugs and teaching the children to use one-handed tools, like paint brushes and scissors for art and crafts and cutters and rollers used for malleable play. They interact meaningfully with the children, asking questions and making suggestions to support their learning. They read with children from fiction and non-fiction books, and they attractively display their artwork to promote their self-esteem. There is an established system in place for the children's key person to complete the progress check at age two in partnership with parents and other key people. However, this is not always done in a timely fashion when children are out of the country for extended periods. Staff know the aim of this summative assessment is to focus on the prime areas of learning, understanding early identification of need and early intervention is necessary to help narrow any identified gaps in children's achievement. Children's development files include

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who attend

ongoing, or formative, assessments, which are well maintained and used to plan a wide range of stimulating activities to reinforce and extend children's learning further.

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

Overall staff support children's transitions well and a well-organised key person approach helps children to form secure attachments with those working with them. However, staff have limited control over children's attendance at the nursery. The impact of separation anxiety is managed sensitively and patiently. This is evident when children return to the nursery after long periods away.

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

Children's growing independence is fully supported by the consistent use of quality furniture and equipment. For example, the domestic furniture used in the baby room and the adjoining sleep area, helps to create a home-from-home environment. Staff work hard, in partnership with parents, to provide a gentle transition from home to nursery life, which includes lots of cuddles. Part of the continuous provision in the baby's soft-surface outdoor play area includes a low-level sand tray, push along walkers and a planting area. With growing independence children in the toddler room show their unique personality through interactive activities, such as circle time. Consistent nursery routines, procedures and practices enable children to develop self-help skills, like dressing and undressing and toilet training. Children are consistently encouraged to feed themselves at shared meal times to further promote their self-esteem and independence. Staff effectively support

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

children to play and learn together and to develop control over their actions. Consequently, children behave well for their age and stage of development. Staff make their expectations of behaviour clear. For example, children know they are not allowed to run around inside, to avoid accidental injury. The environment is safe and welcoming. The layout of quality resources and equipment positively promotes children's care, learning and development and enables them to participate fully in a wide range of activities at the nursery.

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

There are ongoing opportunities to enhance and optimise children's emotional and physical health at the setting. Staff understand that getting a good start in the early years enables healthy all-round development and lays the foundations for long-term well-being. This is effectively promoted through the provision of good nutrition, fresh air, energetic play and opportunities for children to play quietly, rest and sleep. As a result, children are learning the importance of keeping healthy. They know to wash their hands before they eat their meals. Mealtime is a social occasion when children relax and sit together around the tables. They chat about the food that is provided and staff seize every opportunity to encourage children to talk about food and nutrition. Children are clearly developing an awareness of the feelings and needs of others as well as consequences to their actions. They use language of social interaction appropriately, such as 'please' and 'thank you' and

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

they are learning to share and take turns. Personal care tasks, such as nappy changing and toilet training are undertaken by staff in a caring, sensitive way and in accordance with parents' wishes. When the need arises and with written parental consent, staff administer medication to children. Accidents and existing injuries are also recorded in partnership with parents to promote children's continuing care. Overall, working practices and procedures help to protect children, including risk assessments of the premises, resources and outings, such as nature walks. This ensures appropriate adult to child ratios are maintained and it helps to minimise the risk of accidental injury. The safe transportation of hot food from the first floor to the ground floor has also been risk assessed and safe practice is demonstrated through established nursery routines. For example, just before lunch children participate in circle time activities, to ensure walkways

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

remain clear. Measures like these, with consistent support from staff, enable children to make healthy choices, feel secure and encourage behaviours that effectively promote children's good health, well-being and promotes their understanding of risk.

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provision

The management team and staff share the same vision and this is consistently demonstrated through the systems, routines and practices that are embedded in the provision. For example, there are robust selection, recruitment and vetting procedures in place to safeguard children and this includes systems to support staff through induction, appraisal and their personal professional development. The training and supervision of staff has a clear focus on welfare and safeguarding. As a result, the safeguarding and welfare requirements comply with the statutory requirements. There are ongoing opportunities for staff training and this includes training to administer first aid, which promotes children's safety at the setting and on outings. Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures. Other policies and procedures are understood and implemented, for example, promoting equality of

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provision

opportunity. The turnover of staff is low and the core staff team have worked together for many years. Staff are positive role models for children and they are focused on meeting the children's needs. Some staff are bilingual and multilingual and their skills are often required to support children and families whose home language is Polish, Bengali, Punjabi and Urdu.

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provision

There are other challenges for the nursery, such as some children's high level of absenteeism. Some parents are hard to engage and staff have little control over children's level of attendance. However, they effectively manage children's separation anxiety, which is a consequence of irregular attendance. They console children, helping them to divert their attention by giving them lots of hugs and cuddles. For example, a member of staff sat patiently by the window with a child on her knee, cuddling him until his parent returned. Staff know separation anxiety can also keep children at home. There are occasions when children are distracted from their activities when parents unexpectedly enter and leave the room. Some parents do not keep to their contracted hours and this upsets some children. Parents know that attendance at the nursery is not mandatory and sometimes staff are frustrated when parents in receipt of free nursery education fail to

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provision

bring their children to the nursery when activities are planned to help narrow any gaps in their children's achievement. Despite these challenges, working in partnership with parents remains an integral part of the provision, which includes the continual sharing of information in children's development files, enabling parents and staff to reinforce children's learning at home and at the setting. Parent questionnaires are completed and prompt action is taken to improve the provision in the children's best interest. For example, action was taken to enhance outside play and now this is a strong aspect of the provision. Feedback from parents is always valued and they make favourable comments about the setting, emphasising how pleased they are with their children's care, learning and development.

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provision

However, the inspection was prioritised following a concern being raised about a child's introductory visit to the nursery. During outside play the child developed foot blisters because staff failed to notice the child was not wearing socks with wellington boots. Although the key person system usually meets the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, on this occasion it was not implemented effectively. To prevent a recurrence the manager immediately informed all staff about the incident. She asked staff to ensure that all children wear socks with outdoor footwear. The manager devised and implemented a check list for the child's key person and parents to complete before introductory visits commence; this includes the prompt labelling of children's bags. From the outset, parents are now asked to provide spare underclothes, such as socks, vests and underwear. The nursery continues to provide a range of clean outer clothing in case

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provision

children need a change of clothes at the nursery. Should the need arise and in the first instance, parents now know how to raise concerns with their child's key person, rather than with the regulator. This is clearly highlighted in the nursery's complaint policy and procedure; now explained in detail with parents at the point of registration. Ofsted is satisfied with the action taken by the provider.

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provision

Partnerships with other professionals are established and this includes support from the local authority. Trained and experienced staff clearly understand the importance of partnership working and they are well supported in their roles and responsibilities. This includes effective provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Self-evaluation demonstrates how staff reflect on explicitly stated goals and how they revise their work accordingly. This has been independently achieved through the completion of the Ofsted self-evaluation form. Self-evaluation has improved practice in relation to meeting the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. It clearly demonstrates staff's ability to make sustained improvements.

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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 508032 Local authority Oldham Inspection number 965973

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 88 Name of provider Channings Childcare Ltd Date of previous inspection 01/10/2013 Telephone number 0161 622 1165

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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

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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