Lyndene

Lyndene Nursery and Out of School Care 14 Elmsley Road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L18 8BB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/05/2014 29/08/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The warm welcome from staff effectively develops children's sense of belonging. The strong bonds formed mean they are settled and eagerly involved in their play.  Staff have a secure knowledge of safeguarding procedures and the action to take if they have any concerns about children's welfare.  Children in the pre-school group are adept at using the climbing and other large activity equipment in the garden. They confidently take risks in a controlled manner, which enables them to develop their ability to judge how to keep themselves safe.

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It is not yet good because

 Systems for monitoring the recent changes in the way children's learning is planned and monitored are not yet sufficiently thorough, to ensure that they are consistently embedded throughout the setting.  There is room for improvement in the ways staff conduct some story times, support children who speak English as an additional language to use their home language in their play, and children's mathematical development when outdoors.  Self-evaluation does not yet fully include the views of children, parents and staff. The management monitoring systems are not yet conducted with sufficient frequency to maintain a sharp focus on the areas for development.

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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

 Prior to the inspection, the inspector viewed the information about the provider and any information held by Ofsted. The inspector also viewed the settings previous report.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the owner, the manager and spoke with several of the remaining members of staff at appropriate times during the day. The inspector also took account of the views of children and a parent spoken to during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed records for children's assessment and planning; regulatory records regarding adults' qualifications, vetting and suitability and regulatory children's registration details. The inspector discussed the procedures for safeguarding children and viewed the risk assessments and other safety documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager of lunchtime in the pre-school dining room.

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Information about the setting

Lyndene Nursery and Out of School Care opened in 2004 and is one of eight settings run by a company. It operates from a converted detached property situated in the Mossley Hill district of Liverpool. The setting serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. 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. Children are cared for in six rooms over two floors. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. Access to the upper floors are via a staircase. There are currently 47 children in the early years age range attending. The provider is not currently operating a service for older children. The setting receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and some children who speak English as an additional language. There are

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Information about the setting

currently 16 staff working directly with children. Of these, 15 have an appropriate early years qualification. These include, one member of staff who has an early years degree and one member of staff who has an early years foundation degree. Two members of staff have a qualification at level 4 and another 11 have a qualification at level 3. The setting receives support from the local authority. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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must:

 ensure the recently introduced ways staff plan and assess for children's learning become rigorously embedded and consistently implemented, so that all children make consistently good progress.

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

 support staff to develop further the strategies to provide chances for children, whose home language is not English, to develop and use their home language in play and learning, so as to further support their communication and language development. For example, consider the guidance within National Strategy documents, such as 'Every Child a Talker: Guidance for Early Language Lead Practitioner'

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

 support staff to revise the times and ways stories are shared to encourage the full engagement of children and promote opportunities for learning to be fully optimised

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

 revise the ways self-evaluation is undertaken so as to more regularly monitor any improvements put in place and consider how the views of staff, children and parents can be incorporated, to further support the identification of further plans for improvement

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

 revise the organisation of the outdoor play areas so that children's have greater opportunities to use and develop their emerging mathematical concepts, for example, by creating role play and problem solving situations that encourage children to recognise and match numbers and use them more regularly in their daily play.

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who attend

Staff create a welcoming environment for children to enter. Indoors, the rooms have a range of numerals and labels, which helps to foster children's emerging literacy and numeracy. Equipment available is suitable to meet the needs for the differing developmental stages of children, for example, chunky blocks and low-level sand trays for children under two. It provides stimulus and interest to children and is in the main, easily accessible by them. Younger children's playrooms have recently been reorganised and the pre-school is undergoing further development. Consequently, children are provided with learning opportunities that have sufficient breadth to span all of the seven areas of learning on a daily basis. Teaching across the staff team is sound and the more experienced and qualified staff are starting to drive forward some good practice. They demonstrate well, skills that support children's learning and development through planned

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who attend

and spontaneous learning opportunities. For example, regular use of a phonics game is used in a number of ways to support children's development. Children not only practise and develop familiarity with the sounds of different letters, which promotes their language development; they also gain a base to support them in their early reading. They are also encouraged to look at visual clues to make predictions about which sound or letter is next. This develops their critical thinking. Adults invite to children to find the 'triangle symbol' to press to operate the music player. As a result, children are developing a confidence to express their ideas, curiosity and explore what things can do. Their improved independent access to creative media and tools, help children in the pre-school room to explore their ideas and creativity. Consequently, children are developing their physical dexterity using tools, such as scissors and their confidence and ability to concentrate on tasks. Toddlers

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who attend

enjoy sitting and painting on the floor while outside. This helps them to develop sharing and the enjoyment of sharing experiences, which promotes their social development.

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who attend

Steps taken since the last inspection to engage parents more when children first start are now beginning to provide a more secure baseline assessment. Staff now have a more accurate starting point for planning and monitoring children's future progress. They also use information about children's interests and preferences to help them organise and plan activities, to engage children and begin to build on their learning and development. Staff are beginning to follow a secure format for planning for children's learning regularly. For example, they ensure they undertake an observation of each of their key children during each week. They are beginning to review what children are doing and link it with the relevant areas of learning. They then plan activities to support children make progress in their development. A system is in place for the regular monitoring and assessment of children's ongoing development. Each record of learning includes a tracking document.

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who attend

Staff are starting to use recognised guidance documents to identify if children are operating within the typical stages of development expected for their age. It is acknowledged that the setting has tested a number of ways to plan and assess for children until deciding on the current approach. However, in practise, this approach has only been in operation since the start of the year and is still in the early stages. It is still not yet fully and securely embedded in a consistent way to ensure all children make good progress. As a result, some individual children's records of learning are not as meticulously maintained as others. This is also partly due to recent staff changes and the transitions of new staff as they become familiar with the systems and their key children. Nevertheless, staff are developing their records and have begun to add links to their observations and records. This is enabling them to provide a more informed overview of how the activities

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who attend

and play are supporting the aspects of children's development. Regular summaries of children's learning are beginning to be shared with parents, which stimulates partnership working to promote children's learning in the setting and home. The setting has introduced and undertakes developmental and assessment checks, such as that for the required progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. Parents are consulted and the setting is looking to develop this further to create greater links with other professionals, such as health visitors. Children throughout the nursery are provided with plenty of time to explore and make choices about what they wish to do. Consequently, they are busy and engaged with their play. Toddlers enjoy playing in the sand and water trays. Pre-school children dress-up and complete puzzles. Outdoors, they pour water down guttering, play in the den, use crayons

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who attend

and paper to make marks and pictures with. Adults invite children to join them for regular adult-led activities, such as singing of songs or having a story. During these activities staff support some aspects of children's learning well. For example, they ask open questions about the characters in the book and what they might do next. These questions help children to use language and share what they think and know. However, some of the stories are too long or there are other distractions in the room. As a result, some children become restless, which interrupts the story and further disrupts the effectiveness of the teaching for the whole group. Children show an interest in numbers and staff use practical situations well, such as counting three children to go into the bathroom at lunchtime or how many children are at the table. However, there is less emphasis on children's mathematical problem solving and use of numbers in the outdoor play area. For example,

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who attend

staff have not added in any great detail ways to reinforce children's number recognition or provide role-play equipment, such as tills and weighing scales for helping children to explore numeracy in shops. Nevertheless, the play opportunities throughout the day generally provide ways to extend and develop children's concentration skills, language and social development. These skills provide children with the ability to make progress in the next stages of their learning, such as when they move on to school.

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

Each child has an identified key person, who takes responsibility for seeking and sharing information with parents when children first start. This helps children develop their bonds securely with staff and as a result, they settle quickly. Staff are enthusiastic and welcoming as children and their parents arrive, which further creates a pleasant environment to enter. For children who speak English as an additional language, staff have taken some steps to gain key words for most children in their home language; to use to support children to settle. Parents have visited the nursery to read stories in their home language and labels and greetings in a variety of scripts and languages are displayed throughout the setting. However, staff have not yet fully explored further ways to support all children to use their home language in their play. This lessens the effectiveness of the ways they support children to develop their language for speaking and their growing

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

awareness and use of English in the future. Nevertheless, the setting demonstrates it has secure systems for partnership working with parents and other agencies and services to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This includes consulting with the relevant agencies to ensure suitable equipment and care plans are in place. Regular visits and sharing of information with other professionals is welcomed, in agreement with parents, to support the children's unique needs and their developmental progress. Transitions within the nursery are implemented through visits to the new playroom, during which, information sharing between the current and previous key persons takes place. This helps children to stay settled and confident and minimises disruption to their ongoing learning. Similarly, for those children moving on to school, staff attend a meeting with schools and other local authority staff to identify suitable strategies

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

and visits to help prepare children for the move. Visits from some school staff is one of the ways information is shared.

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

Children's independence, health and well-being are promoted well through the use of appropriate daily routines. For example, they learn about hygiene as staff remind them gently not to forget to flush the toilet, as well as wash their hands after visiting the toilet. This helps to minimise the spread of infection and promotes children's understanding of contributing to their own well-being. Staff talk with older children about the benefits of following a healthy diet. Meals and snacks are prepared by a catering service and provide a range of tastes and textures. Children are provided with plenty of water and fruit for snacks during the day. Pre-school children serve themselves at mealtimes and pour their own water in the playroom and when outdoors. They confidently show visitors where to place their used cup so others do not use it as they are beginning to understand the concept of germs. Children throughout the setting are very active and they develop good

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

physical coordination as they use the full range of outdoor equipment to its full potential. They clamber, grip and swing on the tyre swings and slide down the pole from the wooden activity station. They pedal the taxi trike, gleefully sharing the fun with their friends. Toddlers learn to master uneven surfaces as they run about on the slopes and take some risks as they master the use of the stepping logs and other balancing opportunities, such as the edges of the flower beds. Babies are encouraged to sit unaided, crawl and handle a range of objects, such as blocks.

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

Children are supported to behave appropriately as staff are calm, polite and respectful. Staff provide children with some good reasons about their behaviour not being appropriate, for example, explaining how it is not always their turn, in a very calm and respectful way. They praise children when they respond appropriately to the discussions. Simple approaches are adopted as the noise levels raise as staff begin to talk in whispering tones. This makes children stop and listen, which means they remain calm and any exuberance is gently redirected. The setting has a range of posters, books and other resources that reflect the wider diversity of today's world. This is adding to the inclusive environment and helping children to develop positive attitudes to difference.

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provision

This inspection was prioritised and brought forward as Ofsted had received a notification from the provider regarding a significant event. This was in relation to children gaining unsupervised access out of the premises into the front grounds of the premises. To address this, an Ofsted Regulatory Inspector visited the premises to assess the actions taken by the management to minimise the risks to children. During this interim visit, the Regulatory Inspector identified that aspects of the risk assessment required further consideration and that regulatory information relating to some staffs qualifications were not available. This meant that those aspects of the requirements as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage were not being fully met. At inspection it was found that the owner and staff have taken sound steps to address these issues. The reorganisation of the toddler room and equipment now means that the rooms can be ventilated without un-

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provision

securing the fire exit. In addition, toys and resources that previously restricted the view of this area have now been reorganised. Staff have been instructed about the appropriate ways to deploy themselves to ensure children are kept safe while in this room. The procedures for recruitment and selection are followed as required. The management have now ensured that records pertaining to all staff qualifications are now retained and were made available during the inspection. Consequently, the management are able to demonstrate that all staff have the relevant qualifications and experience for their roles and responsibilities. All adults having contact with children have also completed a full Disclosure and Barring Service check. The safeguarding policies and child protection procedures reflect fully the requirements of the Local Safeguarding Children Board. The majority of the current staff team have completed up-to-date child protection training.

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provision

Consequently, staff are familiar with the categories and potential signs and indicators of abuse. They are able to explain how and who to report any concerns they may have. The procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse are in place and linked to those regarding whistleblowing.

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provision

The premises are suitably maintained and presented. Ongoing improvements, including decoration, are being undertaken as part of the management's long-term improvement plans. Risk assessments have been completed and are reinforced in practice through daily checks that staff undertake of the equipment and the premises before children arrive. This helps promote and maintain children's safety and well-being. Access into and egress from the premises is managed by a biometric finger print system. This, along with the continued staff supervision and revised security arrangements, is helping to keep children secure. Throughout the day staff supervise children well and groups of children are counted into and out of the garden as part of the safety routines. The outdoor play space is fully enclosed with lots of manageable challenge for children. Children are reminded by staff about concentrating when using the stairways. The setting ensures that annual

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provision

servicing of the fire safety equipment is undertaken and the detection system is checked on a weekly basis. Children practise the evacuation procedures, which provides them with an idea of what to do in the event of an emergency. Regulatory documentation is maintained as required and the deployment of staff meets requirements and meets the differing needs of children. Actions and recommendations from the last inspection have in the main been met, although, the arrangements for planning and assessment for children's learning are still in their infancy. A wider range of resources have been obtained and are displayed throughout the setting to promote diversity and difference. Staff are beginning to implement some practice to extend children's use of their home language. Changes made have been through partnership working with the local authority and the management demonstrates a commitment to ongoing improvement. Staff have a range of

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provision

childcare qualifications and the management is taking some steps to develop staff's skills and experience through team meetings and attendance on training workshops. Appraisals and supervision takes place but are still in their infancy. Supervision is partially through informal meetings and the more formal meetings completed are acknowledged, as they are not yet being completed on a sufficiently frequent basis to make them fully effective. Nevertheless, it is acknowledged that the management is able to discuss the steps it needs to take, to use such meetings to ensure that staff have defined and clear targets which can be measured. As part of this process the systems for reviewing children's learning records and the ways improvements to children's learning is planned for and assessed is also being incorporated. This allows the managers' to review staffs understanding and consistency in the way they support children's ongoing learning. The

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provision

owner is currently implementing a re-evaluation of the service with a view to review progress made and to develop a more focused plan for future improvement. The views of staff are being included, such as recent changes in the way the playrooms are being organised, so children have more independent choices and access to the resources available.

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provision

The setting is looking to engage parents and children further in the future improvements. In the meantime, partnership working with parents is fostered through a range of ways, including wall displays, regular newsletters and daily verbal updates. Staff are welcoming and greet parents warmly. This creates a pleasant place for children to enter. Parents are very happy with the service and praise staff for the care they provide their children. The setting demonstrates its ability and willingness to develop partnerships with other services and agencies to improve the ways it supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This allows them to support all children to make adequate progress given their individual starting points and unique needs.

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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 EY283756 Local authority Liverpool Inspection number 974049

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 82 Number of children on roll 47 Name of provider Busy Nought to Fives Ltd Date of previous inspection 29/08/2013 Telephone number 0151 724 5694

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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

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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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