Magic Roundabout Nurseries Ltd

Magic Roundabout Nurseries Limited 141 Coronation Road, Southville, Bristol, BS3 1RE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/07/2014 20/01/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 4 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

 Staff are caring towards children who build positive emotional attachments and settle well.  Staff teach two-year-olds a range of mathematical skills through play, helping them to count and categorise things.  Staff complete progress checks for two-year-olds with parents to monitor how their child is progressing and as a result children receive any early support they may need to support their learning and development.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff do not provide children with good amounts of free choice of activities, so they are not always fully engaged in play.  Staff do not always model good language skills to further challenge children's communication skills.  The nursery does not have a clear procedure for managing behaviour and as a result children are unclear of their boundaries or expectations.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspectors observed activities in the main playrooms and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors looked at documentation including a sample of children's records, planning and records to check staff suitability.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors took account of the views of parents, staff and children spoken to on the day of the inspection and of the provider's self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors held meetings with some of the leaders and the manager of the nursery.  One inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of the nursery.

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Information about the setting

Magic Roundabout Nurseries Limited registered in 2001 and operates from a Victorian terraced property in the Southville area of Bristol. A company that also owns four other nurseries in the London region runs the nursery. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30 am until 7 pm and operates all year round except for Bank Holidays. Children have access to all areas of the building except for the kitchen, laundry room, office and staff facilities. There is a large hard surfaced area to the rear of the premises, used for outdoor play. There is stepped access to all four floors of the nursery and to the front of the building. There is a ramp from the rear of the building which provides access to two playrooms on the ground floor. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who learn English as an additional language. There are 20 staff employed to work directly

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Information about the setting

with the children, of whom 15 staff hold qualifications in childcare at level 2, 3, 5 and 6. One member of staff has Early Years Professional Status and one has Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery is in receipt of funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years.

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

 improve the pre-school routine to allow children more free choice of activities, including building children's independence and maximising the use of the space available

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

 improve teaching techniques to develop children's language and communication skills; particularly through the use of questioning to challenge more able children

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

 enhance the behaviour management policy and its use to promote consistent strategies for staff to follow to support children at all stages of development.

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who attend

Children are making progress in relation to their starting points. This includes children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff work with the local authority inclusion team to implement activities that support children's language development. Staff display a developing understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how children learn. They routinely complete observations for every child and use these to gauge children's progress. This is recorded within individual children's learning files. This enables the staff to link the children's learning accurately to the seven areas and to identify what children need to do next in order to progress. Staff also undertake assessments of children at regular intervals that include the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years and transition assessments for children moving on to school. These

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who attend

assessments mean that staff are able to readily identify where children may not be progressing as expected, ensuring that appropriate intervention is put in to place to close any gaps. However not all staff understand the importance of planning follow-on activities to teach children what they need to learn next. Therefore children do not make the best possible progress.

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who attend

Overall, children are given suitable opportunities to access learning that supports their development. Staff provide resources that offer children the chance to interact and learn how to behave appropriately. Some staff promote children's communication and language skills by talking to them about what they are doing in their play and asking questions to make them think. However, some staff use too many closed questions and do not always gear their language to meet the needs of the children. In addition this means more able children are not being challenged enough to think more critically.

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who attend

Staff spend time with their children observing their interests. For example, small groups of children build with blocks and talk to staff about what they are doing and their ideas. However, during free play sessions the environment is somewhat unstructured and adults interact less intently with children. Pre-school children have limited choice during these sessions and staff do not effectively maximise the space available, consequently they do not always settle in play. Most children are focused during these times. However, staff do not always recognise when children initiate their own play and join in with them. For example, when children begin filling and emptying containers with flour staff observe, rather than joining in to develop children's learning. Consequently, children quickly tire of their play and wander off.

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who attend

Staff teach children to count while they play with building blocks and at specifically planned times. For example children count to three before they tidy up and as they pull objects from a box children are taught to count 'one, two, three, four'. Staff teach two- year-olds colours as they play and children proudly say 'it's red'. Staff praise children for their achievements and this builds their self-esteem.

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who attend

Parents are given information about their children's learning and initial settling in details. However, this is variable and staff engage with some parents better than others. This means planning is not always focussed on children's starting points in partnership with parents.

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

The key person system at the nursery works well and children make secure attachments with the staff. Babies seek comfort from their key person and are quickly soothed if they become upset. Staff work in partnership with parents following their home routines giving continuity for babies between home and nursery.

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

Children have photographs on their drink bottles and in the room on displays; this helps them build a sense of self and promotes their sense of ownership at the nursery. Children are encouraged to develop healthy lifestyles through routines which include helping themselves to drinking water and trying healthy snack options. Children enjoy cooked meals and tables are laid for all children to eat together. There is a sense of coming together and children are happy and sociable at these times.

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

Overall, staff manage behaviour positively but this is not consistent as staff do not have a clear policy to follow. Therefore children are not learning about routines and expected behaviour and are unclear about their boundaries in order to develop their personal, social and emotional skills.

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

Children enjoy listening to stories, as they talk about the pictures. This helps to build children's confidence to join in with group activities. During planned activities children are encouraged to be explorative, for instance when toddlers explore paint, staff give children time to think about their choices, explore with their senses and make a decision about what they want to do next. This helps build children's self-confidence and creativity.

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

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by some staff for example, key persons have been trained in sign language to support children with communication difficulties. Staff teach other children sign language which promotes inclusion and enables children with communication needs to make friends. However, this teaching is variable and not consistent across the staff team. There are effective channels of communication in place with professional support agencies to promote the learning, development and well-being of children attending with any identified additional needs.

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provision

The manager has a sound understanding of her role and responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Overall the educational programmes cover the areas of learning and help children make steady progress. However the activities are not always challenging some children and staff do not always respond to children's self-chosen play to extend their learning further. Therefore children are not always encouraged to reach their full potential.

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provision

The arrangements for safeguarding children are sound. The manager has ensured that staff are aware of and have a secure understanding of the nursery's safeguarding policy and know how to implement the procedures. Risk assessments and health and safety procedures are in place to minimise dangers which is an area that has improved since the last inspection. Information regarding the nursery's safeguarding responsibilities is shared with parents through the provision of written policies and procedures. This helps them understand how the nursery cares for their children. Parents are kept well informed through notice boards, daily communication with staff and a newsletter with up-to-date information. Parents feel that the communication is good and they are kept well informed about their child's progress. Parents speak highly about how their key person supports their child and works well with the wide range of professionals

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provision

involved with the family to meet the child's needs.

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provision

Recruitment and organisation of staff appraisals and supervisions are well managed. Training and monitoring of staff's professional development is generally efficient. The manager and leaders have a clear vision for the nursery and continue to seek opportunities to routinely evaluate and enhance the provision for children. They are actively involved in the daily practice of the nursery, spending some time in the rooms and monitoring the quality of teaching. Self-evaluation is effective in most instances as staff are reflective practitioners and continually appraise the activities they provide. This results in a detailed self-evaluation of the nursery and a targeted action plan being produced. They have the capacity to continue to improve and develop further the environment, care and learning available to children. The manager and leaders have a positive attitude to raising the standards of the provision to improve outcomes for children.

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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 107009 Local authority Bristol City Inspection number 965232 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 108 Number of children on roll 78 Name of provider Magic Roundabout Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 20/01/2014 Telephone number 0117 963 9800

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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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