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Early years · Early years inspection (CIF)

Goldcrest Day Nursery Ltd

Inspected 29 May 2014 · published 4 Jul 2014 · URN EY462699

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Summary

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  • Inspection datesingle source

    29 May 2014

  • Inspectors verified

    Claire Parnell

  • Overall effectiveness verified

    Good

  • Postcode verified

    SS17 0JY

  • Name on report verified

    Goldcrest Day Nursery Ltd

  • URN verified

    EY462699

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of the report

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Grade profile

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  • OverallGood

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+32Mostly positivemore positive than 7% of reports of this type graded Good
OutstandingGoodMetRINot metInadequate

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Praisepositiveeffectivesuccessfuleffectivelystrongclearconsistentconsistently
Criticismnot alwaysinadequateconcernnot metnot consistentlyconcernsrequires improvementharm

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FindingsAbout the inspectionWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings245w+13
  • What needs to improve2391w+36

Strengths

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Concerns

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Pages
11
Words of findings
2,562
longer than usual (typical 703)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 47, typical 50
Average sentence
17 words
Next steps
8
typical 2
Hedged sentences
4%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 7%What needs to improve 66%About the inspection 27%

Full report text

Goldcrest Day Nursery Ltd Goldcrest Day Nursery, 12 Runnymede Road, STANFORD-LE-HOPE, Essex, SS17 0JY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/05/2014 06/11/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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

 Staff teaching is good and supports all children's learning through effective questioning and positive engagement.  Children are gaining a clear understanding of the natural world because they enjoy exploring and experimenting with natural materials.  Children are safeguarded well due to staff's up-to-date knowledge and clear understanding of how to keep children safe.  Staff are highly committed to continually improving practice and seeking advice to promote a better learning experience for children.  Children's emotional well-being is supported particularly well because there is an effective key-person system and staff offer consistent care for siblings and families.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always use verbal information that parents give about children's learning at home fully, to further inform planning for the next steps that children need to take.  Babies are not always given opportunities to further extend their communication skills because staff do not always give them adequate time to respond.  Children are not consistently able to be independent and make decisions outside because there are fewer opportunities to select or choose their own resources.

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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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out observations of staff's teaching and children's learning, both indoors and outdoors.  The inspector sampled children's learning journeys.  The inspector took into consideration comments gained from parents and carers.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled policies and procedures as well as viewing records and documentation, including checking evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.  The inspector took into consideration the nursery's self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

Goldcrest Day Nursery Ltd was registered in 1993 and registered again under the current management in 2005 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is privately run and is one of two settings managed by the same owners. The nursery operates from a converted two storey house in a residential area of Stanford-le-Hope, Essex. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff. Of these, 11 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and 3 and above. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, all year round, except for bank holidays. Operating times are from 7am until 7pm. There are currently 61 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 a number of children

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Information about the setting

with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. 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:

 make even better use of parents' verbal contributions when planning activities to further build on next steps that children need to take

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

 enhance staff practice in the baby room, so that when they are talking to babies, they consistently provide enough time for them to respond

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

 increase opportunities for children to act more independently in selecting their own resources, particularly when playing outside.

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who attend

Children are making good progress in all the areas of learning, in all the rooms, throughout the nursery. Staff are motivated to provide challenging and stimulating experiences for children through a good quality of teaching. Therefore, children show an interest and are keen to know more. Staff know the children well and use their interests, gained through initial information from parents, to provide an individual programme for their progress. Staff provide consistently good approaches to teaching, using information from each other to introduce new techniques and strategies to fully engage children in well-planned experiences in a well-resourced environment. Therefore, children are observed to be busy and interacting well with their peers and staff alike. Children make good use of the outdoor area. Most children decide when and for how long to play outside, due to the successful free-flow system used in the downstairs rooms for older

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who attend

children. Younger children are regularly taken outside to explore and experiment with the world around them. Careful thought has been put into the layout of the outdoor environment. The majority of the area is dedicated to promoting children's understanding of the natural world. For example, babies crawl through long grass, experiencing the feel of it on the hands, feet and face. They dip their fingers into suspended saucepans where rain water has gathered. Older children explore the mud kitchen, adding water and creating meals from the fruits from the trees around them. Children show great levels of intrigue looking for insects under the trees, in the wild garden and under logs. Staff use effective questions to help children to think critically, explore their experiences further and challenge their imaginations.

p.4

who attend

Children's language and communication are promoted well. Older children demonstrate the use of complex language, explaining about dinosaurs and the parts of skeletons and fossils in the ground. Staff talk enthusiastically to babies, strongly emphasising single words that are identified through their planning and monitoring programme. However, the constant communication from staff does not always give babies an opportunity to respond through their own babbling and emerging language. Children are encouraged to explore numbers and shapes during mealtimes. They talk about how much food they want and compare the food on their plate to the food at home. They describe, in detail, the difference between their pasta at the nursery and at home. Babies are introduced to technology at an early age, showing inquisitiveness towards buttons on walkers and repeating actions of turning and pressing to discover what happens next. The provision

p.4

who attend

and planning of the outdoor area promotes all the areas of learning as well as the inside. Children create and express their imagination through making marks with large chalks on paved areas, talking about their creations and re-creating these inside. For example, children use large movements to draw colourful rainbows outside. On returning indoors, they re-create rainbows using smaller more complex movements to make arcs and lines in different colours on pieces of paper. These are then displayed to share their achievements. These activities and resources help to provide children with the skills for school readiness. Careful consideration has been given to the layout of each room and the storage of resources to provide all children with an improved play and learning experience.

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who attend

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are given good levels of support and recognition. For example, children with speech and language concerns are provided with support during their time in the nursery, following advice from specialists to help close the gap in their communication development. Children with English as an additional language receive plentiful support to value and reflect their home language as well as develop their skills to communicate in English. Staff are aware of children's key words and use these to help children to make their needs be known. The successful assessment programme thoroughly supports and monitors children's progress and helps to plan for their ongoing development. Starting points are gained from parents when children settle and these are used well to plan for children's next steps, using their interest to trigger intrigue and enthusiasm. Children's achievements are tracked through photographs and

p.4

who attend

written observations. Careful monitoring is used to highlight areas for individual children that require specific encouragement and support. Through this programme, staff demonstrate successful progress for individual children through early intervention. Progress checks are completed frequently and shared with parents. Formal progress reports are completed between the age of two and three years. Parents are highly motivated to feel part of the learning process for their children and provide written information at each review about children's learning at home. Staff provide information about children's next steps and how to support children's learning at home. However, the verbal information that parents informally provide to staff is not always as effectively used to inform children's development records or towards their next steps.

p.4

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

Children's emotional well-being is supported well by the staff. Children are very settled, self-assured and demonstrate high levels of self-esteem. Staff know the children well and use the settling-in period effectively to establish close bonds and attachments for children. Therefore, children feel safe and secure. Careful consideration is given when siblings attend the nursery, to provide the younger child with the same key person that the older child had when attending the baby room. Therefore, parents receive continuity and staff have an existing knowledge of the family and their requirements for their children to fully support their settling in. This promotes an individual service for children and their families. Staff are well deployed throughout the rooms and careful thought is given when numbers are low, during school holidays, for children to play together. This fully supports younger children's transition from one room to the next, allowing them to get to know other

p.5

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

children, their new key person and their new environment with the support from their current key person. The same levels of support are offered to children through sensitive conversations and activities to promote their smooth transitions to their next place of learning.

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

Children are developing a very good understanding of a healthy lifestyle. Older children continuously move from inside to outside and back again at their choice, gaining plenty of fresh air. Babies play outside twice a day and have the opportunity to sleep outside, promoting a deep and healthy sleep. All children benefit from plenty of resources to promote their physical development. Older children explore movement and develop skills to climb, slide, balance and run. Staff constantly encourage new movements and challenges. For example, staff run alongside children as they pedal down the path to see who is going to reach the end first. Children learn new skills to incorporate moving and handling equipment. For example, older children show the younger children how to hit a plastic golf ball around the garden using a plastic club. Children demonstrate a clear understanding of good hygiene practices. They are accompanied to the bathroom where

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

staff talk to them about why they need to wash their hands. Children automatically go to the bathroom before their food and drink, to show that they understand about washing before eating. Babies' clothes are protected by bibs from dribbling and their faces are wiped when they become dirty through play. Staff acknowledge that children develop at different rates when toilet training and allow for this by proving resources and support in all rooms. Children show an increasing understanding of keeping themselves safe. Staff give babies support by giving clear explanations and interactions. For example, while babies cruise around the play kitchen, using it to balance themselves while standing, staff hold equipment stating that they do not want them to fall and to hold on tight. Older children remind others about their safety. They ask staff to move from the path, so they can ride their bicycle down and back up again.

p.5

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

Children's behaviour is good. They talk about sharing and learn to negotiate in their play by taking turns. For example, children patiently wait their turn to serve themselves their lunch. Children use good manners saying 'please' and 'thank you' without encouragement from staff. Staff are very positive role models. They work well together, demonstrating how to help and support others. Children are provided with healthy food and drink according to their dietary requirements. Staff are well aware of children in the nursery who have allergies and intolerances. These are regularly updated with information gained from parents and all staff are advised of the changes to promote children's health. Children are encouraged to make choices for themselves when playing indoors. Play equipment is stored in low-level, clearly labelled storage shelves and boxes, enticing children to make decisions for themselves. However, the resources for learning outside,

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

are mainly selected by the staff, with additional equipment kept in storage. Children are not always able to make further choices for themselves to extend their learning, independence, self-confidence and communication unless initiated by staff. They play with and experience learning opportunities to reflect today's society. Children celebrate festivals and celebrations from different religions, cultures and countries. They play with play people, dolls, book and puzzles that depict different skin tones and use posters and displays to discuss people's differences in a positive way.

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provision

Children are safeguarded effectively within the nursery. Staff have up to date knowledge and a clear understanding of their responsibilities towards protecting children from harm. They have all completed training and regularly discuss the procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child in their care. The nursery carries out robust recruitment and induction checks, including background checks on all staff, to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. Thorough risk assessments are carried out to ensure children play in a safe and secure environment. Assessments are also carried out for children when they are taken on local outings. Appropriate information is sought from parents and recorded confidentially to promote children's welfare and ongoing care. All policies and procedures are written and available to both staff and parents to reflect the nursery's service for families and how the provision meets the needs of children. The nursery has a strong

p.6

provision

induction procedure, appraisal and training programme to provide staff with the necessary skills to further develop their professional qualifications and practice. Documentation to promote children's welfare is up-to-date and recorded appropriately. For example, accidents are recorded with full details, shared with management and then with parents on their return to nursery.

p.6

provision

The management team and all staff show a true commitment and enthusiasm towards continually improving their service for children and their families. Their self-evaluation is regularly updated to show improvements that have been successfully implemented. The nursery has made significant progress since the last inspection. Both actions and recommendation have been met and successfully implemented into children's daily routines. Additional improvements have been made to further demonstrate their eagerness to develop their service. Staff are clearly encouraged to identify areas to improve. The nursery confidently and pro-actively seeks advice from outside sources, such as the local authority to make changes and improve the outcomes for children. Staff continuously attend further training and share new practices with the remaining staff to promote continuity throughout the nursery. This enhances all staff's professional

p.6

provision

knowledge and practice. Training needs are identified through regular observations made by management, regular supervisions, team meetings and annual appraisals. The management team carry out rigorous monitoring of all staff's practices and discuss consistent teaching skills during team meeting and room meetings to ensure the quality of teaching is consistent and effectively maintained throughout the nursery.

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provision

The partnership with parents is good. Parents make very positive comments about the nursery, the relationships they have with their key person and the progress that their children are making. Due to the close relationships children and parents have with staff, parents feel reassured that their children are well cared for. The nursery provides a wide variety of written, displayed and verbal information for parents. For example, key words linked to topics and areas of learning for the week are displayed to encourage parents to use these at home with their children. Therefore, continuity of learning for children between home and the nursery is promoted well. The nursery has strong partnerships and liaisons with other settings and other professionals. They seek constant communication with other settings that children attend and share their achievements and areas for concern. Therefore, children receive a consistent approach to their learning. Information

p.7

provision

from other professionals, such as speech and language specialists are used well to provide a continual approach to children's development.

p.7

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

p.7

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 EY462699 Local authority Thurrock Inspection number 962930 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 29 Number of children on roll 61 Name of provider Goldcrest Day Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 06/11/2013 Telephone number 01375 673101

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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

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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