Kids Planet Irlam

Fledglings Day Nursery Fiddlers Lane, Irlam, Manchester, M44 6QE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/10/2013 11/10/2010

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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

 All staff have a secure understanding of the requirements for children's learning and development and this is reflected in the consistently good quality of teaching. Effective assessment and planning means children make good progress in all seven areas of learning. In particular, they are very adept in their physical abilities.  The nursery engages parents very well and is exceptionally good at working with other agencies and services to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or learning disabilities and those with complex health needs receive first-class support. This means children fully participate in all aspects of the nursery day.  Provision for children's personal and social development is effective. The strong bonds formed enable the children to be happy and confident to play and learn throughout their day.  Staff have a good knowledge of how to protect children and provide for their welfare.

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This provision is good

Risk assessments are in place, both in the nursery and for outings, to ensure children are safeguarded at all times.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The ways for the children to use a wider range of technology in their free play and how staff can plan to use it in problem-solving situations, has not been fully explored.  There is scope to enhance the ways staff support children to extend their interest in numbers and number problems when outdoors.

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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 in all playrooms and the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the three playrooms, the outside learning environment and viewed equipment being used on the day of the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the deputy manager of interactions between a member of staff and a child in the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the owner and other company directors, the principal, training manager, deputy manager and several of the other staff present at appropriate times throughout the day.

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Inspection activities

 During the inspection the inspector discussed with the manager and staff their self- evaluation and plans for improvement. The inspector viewed documentation regarding children's assessment and planning records; regulatory documentation regarding adults' suitability, children's details and care plans. Risk assessments and other pertinent safety procedures, were also viewed.

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Information about the setting

Fledglings Day Nursery was registered in 2001 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is one of four settings run by a company. It operates from premises situated in the Irlam area of Salford. The nursery serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. Children are cared for in seven rooms over two floors and they have access to enclosed outdoor play areas. Access to the first floor is via a staircase. All other areas are fully accessible and the nursery has assisted toilet facilities.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 31 staff working directly with the children, of whom 22 have appropriate early years qualifications. Of these, two members of staff have an early years degree and two have an early years foundation degree. Another two members of staff have a qualification at level 4 and 13 members of staff have a qualification at level 3. Three members of staff hold a qualification at level 2 and six members of staff are working towards a qualification.

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Information about the setting

It opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round with the exception of bank holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are 176 children in the early years age range attending and a further 19 children who are aged between five and 11 also attend before and after school provision. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It also cares for some 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:

 enhance the opportunities for children to experience an outside environment that is as rich in the use of numbers and creates opportunities to foster their mathematical understanding, for example, by using number lines, providing groups of materials to sort; include games that allow children to realise that anything can be counted including hops, steps and claps.

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

 increase the range of technological equipment available: use it to help children explore the ways that the equipment works and how to use it safely; plan activities to further enhance the children's communication and critical thinking, for example, by providing microphones and by using a digital camera for the taking and sequencing of photographs or a metal detector for a treasure hunt.

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who attend

All staff have received effective training in the Early Years Foundation Stage and this is evident in their good practice. They demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of all of the requirements for children's learning and development and this is reflected in consistent good quality of teaching. Staff provide a wide variety of interesting activities and skilfully stimulate children's thinking and creativity. They effectively ensure that children make good progress in all of the seven areas of learning and development. For example, children in the wise owls room are encouraged to recognise and form familiar letters and numerals in a variety of ways. They locate significant wooden letters linked to their name to copy and boys are encouraged to form numerals on the interactive white board. As a result, their varied teaching strategies allow children to practice and consolidate what they know in different ways best suited to their preferred learning styles.

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who attend

The learning environment is rich in language, with words in a number of scripts and languages displayed throughout the nursery. Babies and small children learn about their families and a display of family photographs helps them to connect with familiar faces. Children learn to recognise their name on individual drinking beakers, table place mats and pegs. They are starting to make marks on paper and beginning to form letters through writing their name and individual words. There are ample good opportunities for children to learn about their families and the world. They notice how things change through planting seeds in the outdoor area. Through walks in the local area and outings, such as a visit to a farm, children effectively develop an understanding of the world. The provision for children to express themselves creatively is a strong feature of the nursery. Children have free access to a wide selection of creative materials and their work is

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who attend

attractively displayed throughout the nursery; this shows how much their creations are valued. There is a range of technology across the nursery, which helps to encourage children to become explorers and problem-solve. Babies have some access each day to simple books and toys that have buttons and flaps for them to test. Older children operate the music player and they place pictures and objects on the light box. However, in some instances equipment, such as the digital cameras, are not readily available to the children. Staff have not fully explored how they can use it in ways to enhance the children's communication and problem-solving skills. For example, karaoke machines and microphones to encourage children aged two to develop their language. Nevertheless the staff foster children's skills very well across nursery, which is providing them with quality experiences that foster their development.

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who attend

Children's progress is well monitored and planned for. On entry and throughout children's time in nursery, staff effectively ensure that information is exchanged with parents. Parents give useful information about their child's interests, learning and development at home and this is used effectively by staff to establish a clear starting point for each child's learning journey. There are regular reviews of children's progress and staff use very good methods of recording and capturing children's stage of development. Through the use of information technology devices, staff and parents share photographs of children's interests and progress and keep in regular touch with each other. Parents are invited to contribute to their child's learning journey file and many take this opportunity to be involved in their child's learning in this way. The progress check at age two is completed as required. Consequently, staff have a detailed and accurate picture of each child's individual progress

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who attend

and they plan suitably personalised learning opportunities, clearly identifying individual next steps for children. For example, non-mobile babies are encouraged to roll and sit up so as to enable them to develop the physical skills. Staff understand this allows the children to explore their world more independently, which fosters their curiosity and personal and social development.

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who attend

Children's physical development is very well provided for and they demonstrate skill in using pencils, rolling pins and paintbrushes to make marks, write their name and create models and pictures. The outdoor area has many unusual and interesting areas and features and is used to great effect to promote children's developing physical dexterity. Consequently, toddlers are adept at propelling themselves along using the scooter or peddling the trikes. Children climb in a variety of ways allowing them to develop their balance and with staff support take well-managed risks. For example, they wait patiently in a line to ride trikes down the slope and tentatively with adult support, clamber up and over the fixed giant tyre. Occasionally staff encourage children to count their steps. Although staff are beginning to identify gaps, they have not yet fully explored the ways they can enhance and build on the opportunities to promote the children's mathematical

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who attend

learning and problem-solving. This is in order to reflect the quality of the ways it is encouraged indoors. For example, when indoors, children eagerly participate in recognising numerals, counting fingers and simple calculation. They recognise numerals in their environment spontaneously announcing correctly, that pieces of the jigsaw are 'a green three'. However, staff have not fully exploited this interest in number problem solving skills while children are in the outdoor area. Children are excited and motivated learners throughout the nursery and willingly engage in the range of activities offered. This along with the very good staff support means children of all ages are developing the skills to support their next stages of life and prepare them well for new challenges, such as starting school.

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who attend

Staff’s high expectations are evident in the way children's personal and social development is promoted. Children eagerly take responsibility for their own needs and work. They independently place their painting on the drying rack and seek water for a drink indoors and outside with confidence. They pour with dexterity and skill and show care and concern for others as they willingly pour drinks for their friends and adults alike. This confidence is because they are given time to master self-help skills, such as putting on their coats in preparation to go outdoors. There are high expectations of children's behaviour, as seen when children are prompted to wait before eating until all children are settled at the table. These clear boundaries mean children are happy, settled, confident and well behaved. The environment created by staff is warm, orderly, light, bright and airy. Children enjoy moving around the rooms and outdoor area with self-assurance. For

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who attend

example, they play with their friends in the role play and seek the dinosaur toys out of the draw. Throughout nursery they participate well in all activities, for example, singing enthusiastically and performing accompanying actions to songs. They play with a sense of purpose and pleasure, concentrating for good periods of time.

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who attend

Staff across the nursery are adept at encouraging children's communication and language skills. Children enjoy the rhyme and actions with which they are encouraged to form words and rhyme together, such as 'cu cu cu castanets'. Staff demonstrate good teaching methods in preparing children for their next stage of learning as they respond with enthusiasm to babies as they gurgle and babble. They read stories and ask questions, which encourages the children to discuss the number and colour of the monsters. Consequently, children speak freely and openly to adults and to each other. They are eager to share what they know and instigate conversations. For example, they recognise significant letters linked to their names while looking at the branding symbols on the laptop. Staff have adopted some suitable methods for developing and supporting children who speak English as an additional language or who have special educational needs

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who attend

and/or disabilities. These strategies include audio time lines and pictures and key words in children's home languages to support their learning.

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

Staff create a safe and secure environment for the children and consequently children are very settled and emotionally secure. The key person system is effective in ensuring that the needs of each child are well known and planning for their development is good. The nursery is particularly adept at working in partnership with parents and other services and professionals to enable them to meet children's specific and unique needs. The management have established some excellent procedures when preparing to support children with specific learning and complex health needs. Thorough exploration of the child's needs is undertaken and comprehensive care plans, routines and risk assessments are in place to support the children. Parents feel staff have supported them fully to access the support they need to allow their children to attend and participate in as full and active part of nursery life as possible.

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

Staff's warmth of welcome means that children are confident and happy. They behave well at all times since staff apply good daily routines, set consistent expectations and give a clear structure to the day. Children develop good levels of independence and staff provide good support, matched well to each child's growth in independence. For example, children who recognise their name move by themselves to their named place at the snack table, while those who need support are assisted to their place. There are very good daily, weekly and longer term plans in place, including a weekly 'enhancement plan', through which staff provide a wide variety of activities, resources and environments. Children are stimulated and engaged. They enjoy freely exploring the varied learning opportunities. Staff have received training in promoting road safety and they apply this well to ensure that children learn how to cross roads safely when on outings. Children are effectively

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

learning to keep themselves safe and effective risk assessment processes are in place in the indoor and outdoor environments and on outings.

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

Children are effectively learning about healthy eating and drinking. They each have their own beaker with a picture or their name on and children take opportunities to drink water whenever they wish. Healthy snacks of fruit are provided and children enjoy these. Each day fresh food is skilfully prepared for children on-site and a varied menu is provided. The cook is actively involved in a healthy eating scheme and constantly monitors the menus. The nursery holds a local authority five star award for food hygiene and this recognises the good practice in extremely clear and efficient food management and preparation procedures. Meals are of a high quality for the children. Children sit well at the table and show skill and dexterity in handling their knives and forks. Babies are provided with bottles of milk and nursed according to their needs, which further promotes their sense of safety and belonging. Children learn about healthy eating as they talk about and enjoy their

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

The environment and resources are varied, stimulating and accessible. Children benefit from a wide range of experiences, including the weekly visit of the 'music man' when they enthusiastically take part in music and singing activities matched very well to their early learning needs. Children are well prepared for their transition to the next room in nursery, through visits in the month preceding their move. Staff fill in a 'here I come' sheet, with contributions from parents and the previous key person and this is passed to the next key person. This system effectively ensures a smooth transition for children between rooms so that their starting point is well known at each stage. Staff share information with parents about how their child is settling and this means that children settle quickly into the new routines of the next room. There are positive links between the nursery and the adjacent children's centre and school. Information about children's learning, development and

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

progress is effectively shared with other settings to ease children's transition to new places. Staff make written contributions in children's school diaries when needed to provide school staff with any necessary information about each child's time in the after school club.

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provision

All staff have received good training in safeguarding and demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and this means that children are positively safeguarded. There are rigorous systems for recruiting staff, which ensure they are suitable to work with children. Children's overall safety is well provided for. The children are supervised at all times and staff demonstrate good practice in risk assessing the activities in the indoor and outdoor environments on a daily basis. Specific and detailed risk assessments are prepared relating to each outing and a log effectively records an evaluation of outings. The health and safety officer in the nursery carries out a full check of the premises every fortnight. In addition, the nursery has a full risk assessment document, which is reviewed every year and given to staff to read. The premises and equipment are well maintained and prompt

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provision

action is taken to ensure any repairs are completed quickly and efficiently. These processes ensure that staff regularly monitor risks in the environments and on outings and provide well for children's overall safety.

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provision

All staff demonstrate good working knowledge in discussions and in practice of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery has a dedicated training officer and good opportunities are provided for each member of staff to receive a thorough induction and ongoing training as required. This ensures a highly skilled workforce. A good system is in place for monitoring the educational programmes, involving reflective comments from staff, parents and managers. Since the last inspection, systems for observing and assessing children's progress and development have improved. The effective monitoring of the educational programmes and good training opportunities for staff mean that children make good progress in all of the areas of learning, closely matched to the early learning goals.

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provision

The manager is approachable and creates a positive ethos in which staff and children thrive. The manager, deputy manager, training officer and staff are good examples of reflective practitioners who constantly review and evaluate their practice through accurately self-evaluating and identifying priorities for development. The learning programme is monitored to ensure that staff assessments are accurate. The overall nursery improvement plan is further enhanced as staff in each play room also create their own improvement plans. This means improvement is constantly evolving and links closely to the children's differing and changing needs. Parents are involved in this process and are regularly consulted to inform future practice. Parents' comments in a suggestions box, in parent meetings and in daily conversations recently led to a change in opening times that positively supports the needs of working parents. There are strong links with the local

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provision

authority and specialist support services and these positively contribute to improvements. There is a good system for managing staff performance and staff attend regular staff appraisals where targets are set for their individual development. Staff development needs are effectively linked to specific training opportunities provided both within the nursery and externally.

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provision

The manager and staff recognise and value the contribution of parents to their child's learning. This means that children make continuous progress and their learning and development overall is good as a result. Several parents whose children attend nursery are also members of staff and this strengthens the link between parents and nursery. Through 'parents' boards', shared children's files, consultations, a comprehensive range of shared policies and innovative methods of information sharing using information technology, parents are very well informed about their child's learning journey and time in nursery. Parents speak very highly of the staff and value the contribution of all staff to the development of their children.

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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 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. 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 the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

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 403447 Local authority Salford Inspection number 935351

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 120 Number of children on roll 194 Name of provider Fledglings Ltd Date of previous inspection 11/10/2010 Telephone number 0161 775 4111

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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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