Brandon Happytimes Daycare

Brandon Happytimes Daycare Limited Brandon Primary School, Carr Avenue, BRANDON, Durham, DH7 8NL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/06/2014 26/08/2010

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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 quality of teaching is good. Children's individual learning is effectively supported by staff who observe and assess children's capabilities and plan effectively for their future learning. As a result, children make good progress and are well prepared for school.  Staff work effectively as a team to meet the individual and group needs of the children. Consequently, children benefit from secure attachments that promote their emotional well-being and provide a secure foundation for their learning.  Staff demonstrate a good understanding of their responsibility for safeguarding and protecting children from harm. As a result, children's needs are well catered for, ensuring they are kept safe and secure at all times.  Partnership working with other professionals is very effective and ensures that children get the support they need.  Leadership and management are strong; effective systems inform the settings priorities

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This provision is good

for improvement and are used to set challenging targets.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Occasionally, young children sit for too long, for example, at song time and lunchtime, which can sometimes cause them to become restless.

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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 talked to the managers, staff, children and parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and adult and child interactions indoors and outdoors.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector looked at a sample of children's developmental records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked staff records including suitability checks, qualifications and training.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including planning, policies and procedures and risk assessments.

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Information about the setting

Brandon Happytimes Daycare Limited was registered in 2006 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a purpose built premises in the Brandon area of Durham, and is managed by a limited company. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from Brandon Primary School. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, two at level 5 and one at level 6. The nursery opens Monday to Friday 50 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays, from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 67 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children who speak English as an additional

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Information about the setting

language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 reconsider particular times within the routine of the day, such as song time and lunchtime, so that children do not sit for longer than they need to and their engagement levels are increased.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good and children benefit from stimulating, challenging activities that effectively promotes their learning in all areas. Staff gather information from parents about their children's development and individual needs when they first start the nursery to form starting points. Children enjoy an effective balance of both child-initiated play and focused, adult-led experiences. Staff observe children's interests and assess them while they play, which they use to inform planning. Individual staff members know what their key children can do and what they need to do to support their development further. They indicate on weekly written planning sheets how adult-led activities and interaction will support individual children's needs in relation to their interests. As a result, individual learning intentions are clearly identified and provision is consistently tailored to the needs

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who attend

of individuals. Consequently, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children with English as an additional language achieve well and make good progress.

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who attend

Staff have a secure knowledge of how children learn. They support them well by joining in their play and engaging them in conversations to extend their language and communication skills. Staff model good language and communication. They talk to children about what they are doing and introduce new words and vocabulary. Consequently, speech and language difficulties are quickly identified and tackled early to ensure children get the support they need. Staff reinforce what they hear children say and repeat it more clearly if required, so that children hear the correct speech. For example, young children clearly repeat the word 'hello' over and over again as they play. Small group activities and one to one support are well used to develop children's listening skills, and their understanding and speech. This means, children are making good progress in their communication and language development, given their starting points. Provision for

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who attend

children to make good progress in mathematics is embedded throughout the nursery. Consequently, children routinely and spontaneously use mathematical language as they play. For example, they notice that the teapot is 'empty' as they pour 'one more' cup of milk.' Children are learning about many aspects of the world around them and fully embrace the natural world. They enjoy planting potato seeds and learn how they grow by watering them. Children have very good opportunities to be physical. They learn to climb, balance and negotiate different levels as they carefully walk along a large piece of equipment and control wheeled vehicles in the outdoor area. Sensory play is valued throughout the nursery and provides excellent opportunities for children to experiment with different textures, such as the mud kitchen outside and the good range of treasure baskets throughout the environment. Staff understand how children learn and effectively

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who attend

support children in developing the fine muscle control in their hands and fingers in preparation for early writing by providing a wide range of interesting resources, such as shaving foam, sand and dough. This stimulates children's interest in making marks. Children have ongoing opportunities to handle small tools and equipment, for example, when using paint and construction and measuring tools in the role-play building site. As a result, children in pre-school room and some three-year-olds in the toddler room use writing implements with increasing skill. Staff have high expectations for all children; they provide a wide range of interesting and challenging experiences and high levels of support. Consequently, all children make good progress given their starting points and are acquiring the skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready for school.

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who attend

Staff keep learning journey records to follow children's individual interests and monitor their progress using a development tracker. Parents are encouraged to share details of their child's capabilities at admission and are well informed about children's progress, including the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. Staff remind parents that they can look at their child's learning journey records at any time and staff carefully display these so they are easily accessible. Staff encourage parents to add comments into their child's learning journey books, which ensures they play an active part in their children's learning. Parents have very good opportunities to meet with their child's key person regularly and a detailed parents' board holds a wealth of information about what their child is learning at nursery. The parents of the younger children are provided with a daily diary, which keeps them informed of the activities their children have enjoyed

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who attend

and a detailed account of their care and welfare routines. Subsequently, parents are fully involved in their child's learning.

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

Children's emotional well-being is effectively promoted throughout the nursery. A key person system ensures all children benefit from strong attachments; this provides a strong foundation for their general well-being. The caring and supportive environment helps children feel safe and secure. Settling-in sessions are used to build relationships with parents who are encouraged to share details of their child's individual care needs and routines. Consequently, staff know individual children well and children benefit from consistent care. Teamwork is a key strength and staff work in harmony to ensure continuity of care throughout the nursery. Staff work effectively within individual rooms to meet the individual and group needs of the children in their care. They are positive role models, who, led by the management team, cultivate a caring, supportive and respectful culture. Consequently, all children who attend the nursery are valued as individuals.

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

Children of all ages display a strong sense of belonging and confidently explore a well- presented and accessible learning environment. Children's personal, social and emotional development is well fostered. This promotes children's confidence and their enthusiasm for learning, which helps ensure children are well prepared for their transition into school. Staff discuss children's move into the school nursery or next room with teachers and parents and provide numerous opportunities for children to 'visit'. Consequently, children's move on to the next stage of their learning is smooth meaning children are reassured and their individual learning and care needs well met.

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

Staff ensure that all children have daily access to fresh air and physical exercise all year round. Babies and toddlers enjoy outdoor play in their own dedicated space. Children play and learn in a safe environment as staff complete daily safety checks of the indoor and outdoor play areas. Children have access to a wide range of resources within the whole learning environment, including a good range of open-ended resources. As a result, children learn to think creatively and critically and engage in deeper level learning. Staff deploy themselves very well within the indoor and outdoor environments to ensure that children are supervised and kept safe. Meaningful explanations help raise children's awareness of how they can keep themselves safe. For example, children hold staffs hands when walking up the steps or along the large piece of balancing equipment. Staff follow appropriate procedures to deal with any accidents appropriately and ensure children are

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

reassured. Robust medication procedures are in place to help staff ensure children are kept protected.

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

Children are encouraged to make healthy choices about what they eat and access water independently. Menus are carefully considered to ensure children benefit from a balanced and nutritious diet. Young children enjoy singing songs with staff before getting ready for lunchtime. However, this means there are occasions when they sit too long, causing them to become restless. Nevertheless, children are happy and well supported by caring staff who help them achieve personal independence. As a result, the youngest children feed themselves with increasing skill at mealtimes. Older children are able to pour their own drinks, toilet themselves and put on their coats before playing outside. Effective, developmentally appropriate behaviour management strategies and positive reinforcement are consistently implemented throughout the nursery. Consequently, children are learning the importance of socially acceptable behaviour. They listen to adults and each other and

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

follow instruction well. As a result, children are learning to cooperate as they take turns and share resources with their peers.

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provision

The leadership and management of the nursery are highly effective. The nursery is one of two owned by the same provider. The safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are very well met throughout the nursery as the managers have a clear understanding of their responsibilities in meeting these. Staff demonstrate they are confident in their knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures, which supports them in protecting children in their care. For example, they understand the policies and procedures for safeguarding children and are aware of who to contact should they have a safeguarding concern. Staff deploy themselves effectively to ensure adult to child ratios are maintained efficiently both indoors and outdoors. Daily safety checks are carried out by staff to check the outdoor area is free from hazards. Written risk assessments are carried out regularly and consequently, the environment, equipment and

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provision

activities are safe and suitable for children. Staff supervise children well and are alert in ensuring that children stay safe. For example, doors are secure and only authorised persons enter the building. Children are kept safe because recruitment and selection procedures for vetting and assessing the suitability of staff are robust and implemented. This is followed by in-depth induction for all new staff to ensure they are up to speed with current requirements and good practice. As a result, children are supported and cared for very effectively in their learning.

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provision

Good leadership, effective systems to monitor and manage staff performance and an effective programme of professional development help the nursery continually improve. Regular staff observation and supervision sessions with individuals allows good opportunities for coaching. This contributes to annual performance reviews, which identifies future training needs. Professional targets are individually set to support the ongoing development of staff's knowledge and skills and to enhance the already good quality of practice. Staff access regular training or development opportunities and regularly meet as a team to further develop the provision. The highly motivated managers rigorously monitor the quality of the educational programme, the implementation of planned learning and its impact on children's progress. This ensures any gaps in the educational programme are identified and addressed and any children falling behind their

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provision

peers, or below their expected achievements, are quickly identified. Consequently, all children benefit from an excellent range of activities and experiences that help them make good progress towards the early learning goals given their starting points. Self-evaluation is effectively used to identify priorities for improvement and includes the views of staff, parents and children. Managers work with the local authority development worker, to identify further areas for development. They have made improvements to practice by addressing the areas identified at their last inspection. Clear action plans and challenging targets for even more improvement means the setting has capacity to improve their already good practice further.

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provision

The nursery has very good partnerships with other professionals and supporting agencies, such as the speech and language and visual impairment team. This enables them to support families and children, ensure children receive additional help quickly and that everyone is fully included in the nursery. These well-established partnerships with relevant professionals ensure any children falling below their expected level of achievement are fully supported. Where appropriate, outside professional help is sought to ensure all children are included and aided to achieve to their full potential. Partnership working with parents is very good and staff are committed to involving parents in the nursery. Parents' views are sought and parents have opportunities to complete an annual questionnaire. A vast array of thank you cards and written correspondence from parents state that they are very happy with the care and learning provided by the nursery. Parents spoken to on the

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provision

day of inspection state they are very happy with how quickly their children settled and how much progress they are making.

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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 EY334279 Local authority Durham Inspection number 862606

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 104 Name of provider Brandon Happytimes Daycare Limited Date of previous inspection 26/08/2010 Telephone number 01913789890

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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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