Choo Choo's Day Nursery and Preschool

St Andrews Day Nursery Rear of 11/12, St Andrews Road, Taunton, Somerset, TA2 7BW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/05/2014 31/07/2013

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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

 The new management team have highly effective systems of self-evaluation and staff development, which enables them to strive for high quality outcomes for children.  Staff provide good support for children's key areas of development, which prepares children really well for their next stage of learning and school.  Staff effectively manage children's behaviour and use positive strategies for older children to resolve disagreements for themselves.  The good partnerships with parents enable staff to exchange good information and promote children's safety and well-being successfully.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff sometimes provide too many resources in the baby room, so children can not always play and explore without interruption.  Staff do not fully support children's understanding of the world by encouraging them to use discovery equipment, such as magnifying glasses.

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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 compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all rooms and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the deputy manager and held a meeting with the nominated person, manager and deputy manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of feedback from staff, parents and children spoken to on the day of the inspection and the nursery's own self-evaluation systems.  The inspector checked safeguarding information and the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation, including policies and procedures, planning and assessments.

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Information about the setting

St Andrew's Day Nursery re-registered in 2013. It is a privately owned nursery situated in North Taunton, Somerset. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It operates from a purpose built building on two floors. Babies are cared for on the first floor with their own sleep and changing facilities, which is accessed via a staircase. Children over two years are cared for in one main playroom on the ground floor, which has two smaller adjoining play areas and integral toilet and changing facilities. There are kitchen, toilet, staff facilities and an office on the ground floor. All children share an enclosed outside play area at the back of the premises. The nursery opens 51 weeks a year from 8am until 5.30pm Monday to Friday. There are currently 46 children on roll. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery

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Information about the setting

receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. The owner employs a manager who has an early years qualification at level 3 and is working towards Early Years Teacher Status. In addition, there are eight members of staff who work directly with the children. Of these, one holds a childcare qualification at degree level, one at level 5, one at level 4 and four hold a childcare qualification at level 3. The cook has a food hygiene qualification at level 3.

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

 improve the organisation of the baby room further, to provide greater space for children to explore fully and have a calmer learning environment

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

 increase staff awareness of supporting children in choosing resources to discover the natural world in more detail.

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who attend

Staff provide good support for children's key areas of development, which prepares them well for their next stage of learning and school. They continually encourage children to do as much as they can for themselves, while providing sufficient help for them to succeed. For example, children persevere with putting on their shoes and doing them up, then staff check to make sure they are secure. Older children serve their meals, pour their drinks and learn self-care skills. Children become confident communicators because staff engage them in purposeful conversations and introduce new vocabulary. Staff provide good support for children learning English as an additional language, and for babies, by using words with actions to promote their understanding. Staff notice what catches their attention and name items, giving simple choices to encourage language.

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who attend

Staff support children well in becoming very independent and initiating their own learning. Children make choices about the resources they want to use and the way they want to use them. For example, children take watering cans to the sink and use a step to reach the tap, where they fill up the can and take it to water the strawberries they have previously grown. Children demonstrate their good understanding of the natural world by stating that the plants need sun and water to grow. Staff follow children's lead, providing good support so that children develop enthusiasm for learning. For example, they use a small adjacent room to extend children's current fascination with mini beasts. This includes tadpoles, to look at life cycles, fish, water snails and crickets. As a result, children gain a good understanding of what different creatures like to eat and how they move. They discuss differences, such as saying a worm 'slithers' but a snail 'crawls', for example.

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who attend

However, staff do not extend the learning fully by providing equipment for children to look closer and discover small details.

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who attend

Staff make good use of incidental learning. For example, staff encourage children to think about sizes when children say that the aprons will not fit the staff. They ask children if a large bowl of pasta is light or heavy. A member of staff helps children to find a range of paints and brushes and encourages them to notice the changes in the colours as they mix them together. Older children begin to form recognisable letters and develop early writing skills. Staff encourage them to make predictions and then find out if they are correct. For example, some children say they have enough pasta to fill the bowl to the top and then discover they do not. Staff support children well in finding out what items sink in water and what will float. They discover a plastic fork will float but a metal one sinks, for example. Staff join in with children's games, extending their imagination and ensuring all children are included. They use puppets with toddlers, who laugh and join in with

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who attend

exploring instruments, looking at books and counting.

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who attend

Staff have an accurate understanding of each child's learning and development needs through seeking good information from parents and identifying children's abilities at entry to the nursery. This enables them to provide an enabling environment overall, which motivates children to learn through their own interests. Staff carry out regular good observations, using photographs and examples of the children's achievements to monitor their progress. Staff have a good understanding of how children learn and plan interesting activities to cover all areas of their individual development. Consequently, all children make good progress in their learning and development considering their starting points.

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

Staff seek extensive information on babies care and routine needs and feedback to parents both verbal and written information on a daily basis. The management ensures staff meet children's individual needs by assigning each child a key person before they start at the nursery. This is so they can begin building relationships and support children's emotional well-being straightaway. They also have a buddy system so that all children have a special adult who knows them well in the absence of their main key person. Staff praise children for helping each other and for having good ideas. They reinforce positive behaviour, such as commenting on how much they like the children sharing. Staff distract toddlers and babies, and praise them for giving toys to each other. Consequently, children behave well and understand staff's expectations. Staff support children well in transferring between the rooms. They ensure the key person passes on relevant information and go

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

with the child to visit, to help them feel secure.

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

Children develop a good understanding of a safe and healthy lifestyle. For example, because staff involve older children in the risk assessments they are able to identify safe procedures for themselves. Older children wash their hands thoroughly before eating and after using the toilet. They help themselves to drinking water throughout the session and wear hats in the garden to protect them from the sun. Children enjoy fresh cooked meals and healthy snacks, promoting their awareness of healthy eating. Toddlers know to hold the safety rail, and staff provide close supervision as they bounce on the small trampoline. Staff adjust the temperature in the baby room by opening a window and closing a blind, to promote children's health and well-being. They ensure all children including babies have good opportunities to rest and be active.

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

Children use a wide range of resources covering all areas of their development, both indoors and outside. The babies and toddlers have just moved back upstairs following some refurbishment. However, staff have not organised the environment to be fully effective; sometimes there are too many resources out, which impacts on the space children have to move around freely. For example, children sometimes stand on a resource, which easily distracts them from their learning. Children on the ground floor are able to move freely between the indoors and outside area throughout the day, which meets their individual learning needs. The younger children also have daily opportunities to be outdoors, so all children gain a good awareness of the importance of exercise. The nursery is in a transitional stage and they are preparing one of the smaller rooms for the oldest children to have separate space for more adult-led activities. This is to focus on

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

their preparation for more formal learning and prepare them for moving on to school.

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provision

The new management team have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The inspection took place following notification from the provider that they had suspended a member of staff. Ofsted carried out an announced visit and found that the provider took all appropriate action to safeguard children and meet the requirements for safeguarding and promoting children's welfare. At a previous visit, it was found that a record was not available for inspection. An action was set to make records easily accessible. All records are easily accessible and available for inspection.

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provision

Parents comment very positively on the information they receive on the provision and their child's development. They state that the key person is knowledgeable about their child's care and learning and they receive a summary of their child's development each term. Parents can attend an evening meeting to go through this with their child's key person. Staff involve parents in their child's development and some come in to share their experiences. Staff develop close links with other providers, outside agencies and teachers from local schools. This enables them to have a consistent approach and ensure every child meets their potential.

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provision

The management team have been focusing on reviewing, evaluating and improving the provision. They have actively sought support and advice from the local authority to use their recommendations for improvement. In addition, they have several good systems of self-evaluation, including seeking children and parents' feedback. They now use questionnaires, a comments box, communication books, parents' evenings and parents' representatives, for example. As a result, they set effective targets to ensure good outcomes for children. For example, through reviewing their observations and planning they now have a much more effective system so that staff have a more accurate understanding of children's abilities and next stages of learning. They are in the process of developing their outdoor area including having a mud kitchen and already have a vegetable and herb garden.

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provision

The management now have good systems to monitor the quality of teaching and provide good support to help practitioners improve their understanding and practice. Staff receive regular supervision, mentoring and training to extend their knowledge and benefit the children. For example, staff have been on, 'conflict resolution' training and now support children well in managing arguments and making positive decisions. The manager and deputy provide good role models for continuous development, as both are working towards higher qualifications.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY457194 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 967487 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 45 Number of children on roll 46 Name of provider RAEF Limited Date of previous inspection 31/07/2013 Telephone number 01823252264

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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