Kid Ease at County Hall

Kid Ease Day Nursery Kid Ease At County Hall, On The Boardwalk, 41 Harriet Court, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 2DG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/05/2014 10/11/2011

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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

 Teaching is good. Staff take effective action to extend and develop children's ideas. There is sufficient time for children to create their own play and fully explore their ideas. Children learn through play, they are interested and keen learners and are making good progress towards the early learning goals.  Partnerships with parents and carers are exceptionally strong. An abundance of information is readily shared to ensure children's individual needs are consistently met. Parents are provided with ample opportunities to get involved in their children's learning.  The staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, with robust policies and procedures in place. Therefore, children are safe and secure within the nursery.  The staff team strive to maintain a high quality provision for children. They evaluate their practice effectively, which ensures children continue to benefit from improvements

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This provision is good

made at the nursery. There is a strong commitment to improve the nursery provision through setting ambitious targets and action plans.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to develop the organisation of whole group times to provide richer and more imaginative experiences for all children.

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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 indoors.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke with staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at activity planning, records of children's learning and a selection of policies and records.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery manager.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included in the setting's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

Kid Ease Day Nursery was registered in 2004 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated within the grounds of Norfolk County Hall in Norwich, Norfolk. The nursery serves the local area and parents working at Norfolk County Hall. It is accessible to all children and has a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 20 members of childcare staff. Of these, 15 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above, including one with level 6 and two with level 4. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 101 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who speak English as an additional 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:

 enhance the organisation of whole group activities to provide richer and more imaginative experiences to effectively meet the differing needs and interests of all children.

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who attend

Staff provide a stimulating environment where children enthusiastically follow their own interests. Children learn through play and are given sufficient time to explore their ideas. Teaching is good as the staff know when to actively engage in children's play. Staff encourage children to talk about what they are doing as a matter of routine and ask questions to challenge children's thinking. For example, as a child positions large blocks by a door, a member of staff asks, 'Where do you think is a safer place to put those?' Children are given time to process questions and act accordingly. Younger children play happily alongside others and are beginning to initiate interactions with them. They confidently explore the environment, checking in regularly with familiar staff. Older children establish friendship groups. Each of the playrooms are set up well to promote all areas of learning. For example, children of all ages have access to a variety of mark-

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who attend

making equipment. Staff secure paper firmly to table tops to provide young children with opportunities to practise their early writing. This encourages children to freely use chalks and crayons and experiment with making marks. As a result, children gain the control needed to develop their writing skills. As a consequence, children are making good progress with their learning and development. Photographs are displayed around the nursery to evidence children's learning. Staff monitor children's progress to ensure that children are working within the expected development bands for their age. As a result, staff have an in-depth knowledge of the progress children are making, in order to identify any gaps in children's learning. During routine whole group activities while tables are prepared for lunch, most children listen and join in. However, the number of children in the group during these activities does not always maximise the involvement of all children.

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who attend

As a result, children get distracted and need a reminder from staff to listen. Consequently, some children lose interest and become unsettled.

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who attend

Children's communication and language development is well supported. Staff respond well to the babbles and gestures of babies, repeating individual words and modelling building sentences for children to copy. Children take part in activities with rhymes with individual members of staff. They thoroughly enjoy taking part and become fully engaged in the activity where they are being taught to take turns and listen. Provision for mathematical development is rich, varied and imaginative, as children have many opportunities to count reliably and say numbers in order during their play. Staff skilfully make links to children's home lives, promoting the use of number language. For example, they discuss birthdays and use the numbers on the clock on the wall in the playroom to identify the age the child will soon become. Children's awareness of literacy is fostered very well. They have access to lots of books and even the youngest children enjoy sitting with the staff, who make

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who attend

time to read to them. Children know that print carries meaning due to clear labelling and displays of words around the nursery. When children choose to play outside they are encouraged to collect their own coats and shoes. As a result, they are developing the skills they need in readiness for school.

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who attend

A particular strength of the nursery is the high priority that is placed on engaging with parents and supporting them to share information about their child's learning at home. Staff recognise and value parents as their child's key educator and actively encourage them to remain involved in their children's learning. This collaborative approach results in a shared understanding of each child's development. Parents are asked to provide detailed information about their child's progress and interests at home, and staff take these into account when planning activities. Staff respond extremely well to children's interests and suggestions and take effective action to extend and develop their ideas. This results in exceptionally well-planned activities that consistently challenge children's thinking and help them to extend their skills. Staff undertake regular and detailed observations of children during activities. Observation and assessment is sharply focused and builds from an initial

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who attend

assessment that fully includes parents and carers. Staff know their key children well and talk confidently about where they are in their learning and development. Displays around the nursery clearly show excellent parental input. There are good arrangements in place for carrying out the progress check when children are two years of age. Staff engage parents in this process and provide them with a written summary. This ensures that children's needs are quickly identified and consistently managed, to secure appropriate support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

Children feel safe and secure in their relationships with staff because transitions into the nursery are managed well and they are supported by their key person as they move from one room to the next. An appropriate key-person system is in place. This supports and develops relationships with the children and their families and promotes children's well- being. Staff are caring and responsive to children's needs. The nursery creatively uses natural colours and materials across all of the thoughtfully planned playrooms to promote a calm learning environment. For example, the baby room has a fish bowl for the children to observe, which enhances the environment around them. Children benefit from a wide range of natural open-ended resources and play materials that are stored well, to enable children to select and carry out self-chosen activities. This promotes their independence and supports their learning and development as they engage in purposeful play. Positive

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

partnerships are being established with the local primary schools to support children's move on to school. As a result, children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning and are supported well as they get ready for their move into school.

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

Photographs of children's families are attractively used for displays in the rooms. This promotes a very good sense of belonging for the children as they enjoy looking at the pictures and talking about them. Children's artwork is displayed around the nursery, which further promotes their self-esteem as staff value what they can do. Children's individual care routines are met well. Staff talk to parents about babies' established routines for feeding and sleeping, and continue these to promote continuity of care. Children's behaviour is good because staff are calm and value what children do and have high expectations of them. Children share and take turns with popular resources and are helped to play harmoniously together. Children readily go to staff for support and consistent boundaries are in place to help children know what is expected of them. Staff are good role models. They use verbal praise to place a meaningful value on children's

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

individual efforts. As a result, children learn right from wrong and develop self-esteem.

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

Children's health needs are well met and there are established routines in place to help children learn to keep themselves safe. For example, children practice the emergency evacuation procedures regularly to ensure that everyone knows how to swiftly evacuate the premises in an emergency. Children learn to manage their own personal needs as they wash their hands at appropriate times during the day. Nappy changing routines for younger children are managed well. Older children serve themselves nutritious meals that are provided by the care home located above the nursery. Staff effectively support children to adopt good table manners and encourage them to eat well. Children wash their own plates and cups once they have finished. Staff sit at the children's level while they eat and model good language to help children learn and understand the importance of healthy lifestyles. Consequently, children enjoy mealtimes with their peers and the opportunity to

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

talk to each other. Children are well protected because the majority of staff hold first-aid and food hygiene certificates. Staff are extremely aware of any allergies or special dietary requirements so that children's individual needs are effectively met.

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provision

The management and staff are committed to providing a good quality of care, learning and development for all children. They have a very good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, to ensure that they are working within the framework and meeting their legal duties. The management ensures the suitability of all adults looking after children or having unsupervised access to them. Staff recruitment is robust and effective induction procedures ensure that all those working with the children are suitable to do so. This ensures children are kept safe and well and all adults employed are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their role. Children depart the nursery very safely as a buzzer system is in operation, which allows staff to control who collects the children. Thorough risk assessments and comprehensive daily checks are carried out to ensure the premises, play equipment and activities are safe for the children attending. A

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provision

comprehensive range of policies and procedures further enable staff to effectively promote children's safety and welfare. Safeguarding arrangements are strong. Staff understand their role in protecting children from harm and are aware of what to do should they have a concern about children's welfare.

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provision

The manager and staff team strive to maintain high-quality provision for children. For example, the educational programmes are thoroughly monitored to ensure that they are broad and balanced and reflect individual children's specific learning needs. A comprehensively completed self-evaluation form highlights the nursery's strengths and achievements and identifies priorities for improvement. Staff continually evaluate their practice effectively, which ensures children continue to benefit from improvements made at the nursery. The management team are fully committed to supporting the staff in their ongoing professional development and attending further training. As a result, this promotes effective outcomes for children as they are cared for by staff with a good understanding of how children learn and develop. Staff performance is closely monitored through a buddy system, supervision meetings and annual appraisals. There are also

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provision

further plans to consolidate the use of peer-on-peer observations. This will help strengthen the quality of teaching so that children are able to consistently achieve the highest levels in all areas of their learning.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and carers are exceptionally strong. Parents are kept well informed through both written information and daily verbal communication. An abundance of information is readily shared through notice boards and newsletters. Parents are welcomed into the nursery and are able to talk to staff at any time. Learning journals are available to take home whenever parents choose, and regular events keep parents up to date with the progress their children are making. This ensures that children's individual needs are consistently met and parents are provided with ample opportunities to get involved in their children's learning. Parents' comments, received during the inspection, are very positive. For example, parents state their children are happy to attend, that they know their child's key person and that staff are very friendly and approachable. They also comment that they would not hesitate to recommend the nursery. Partnerships with

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provision

others are good. For example, a communication book is used to aid communication between other early years settings that children also attend. This means that key persons have opportunities to share information about children's learning and development to complement the learning that is already taking place. The nursery works well with outside agencies and professionals to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported and appropriate interventions are sought. Individual educational programmes are identified for these children in addition to their next steps, and these are regularly reviewed and updated. Children benefit because their parents and other professionals who are involved with them are able to contribute to these reviews, which results in a very sensitive and consistent approach.

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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 EY276220 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 967001

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 61 Number of children on roll 101 Name of provider Kid Ease Limited Date of previous inspection 10/11/2011 Telephone number 01603 760106

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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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