Circus Day Nursery Ltd

Circus Day Nursery Ltd Pittville Circus Road, CHELTENHAM, Gloucestershire, GL52 2PZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/05/2014 13/02/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff are committed to providing a nurturing, fun environment where children learn as they play. Regular reflection and evaluation of the service provided enables the staff to continuously improve the provision they offer.  The leadership and management team is proactive at developing the skills of the staff to assess children's progress and plan an effective learning environment.  Strong links with other services help to ensure children get the support they need.  Parents and carers speak positively about the nursery. They feel staff are supportive and they can see the developmental progress their children are making.Staff make good use of the environment, both indoors and out to help children develop well.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always gather sufficient information from parents about the progress the children are making at home. As result, monitoring of children's progress is not always fully informed.

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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 toured the premises and resources with a senior staff member.  The inspector observed the children and staff at play.  The inspector examined records and documents provided by the staff.  The inspector discussed the nursery with parents.  The inspector discussed the providers plan for development.

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Information about the setting

Circus Day Nursery was opened and registered with Ofsted in 1997. It is situated in a house in Pittville, a residential area close to Cheltenham town centre. Children attend from all areas of the town and surrounding areas. The nursery has a driveway so that children may be delivered and collected away from the main road. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm. Breakfast club can be booked from 7.30am. There is an enclosed garden to the rear of the house for outside play. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. Care is organised over four floors, with each floor organised to provide care for a particular age group of children. Access to the nursery for children under two years is down a flight of stairs and may involve internal stairs, depending on the age of the child. Children over two years enter the nursery by a flight of stairs up to the front door and

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Information about the setting

may also need to negotiate internal stairs depending on the age of the child. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register All children on roll are in the early years age group only. The nursery can support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery employs 38 staff in total. These include the management team, kitchen staff and lunchtime cover. Of the 38 staff, 25 hold relevant qualifications and a further two hold Early Years Professional Status.

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

 improve the information gathering from parents about children's activities and skills at home.

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who attend

Staff deliver good quality teaching in a well-equipped and attractive environment. As a result, children make good progress in all aspects of their development. Staff consider all areas of learning when planning activities for the children. Key people have a good understanding of what individual children like to do and they ensure children enjoy a variety of opportunities throughout the day. Children have many opportunities to direct their own play in addition to planned activities and experiences. The nursery is attractively decorated with the children's creations and photographs, many at low level, to enable the children to see them. The photographs are labelled and staff use them to help children recall events and activities that children have participated in. All children have access to areas where they can sit quietly and use the attractive fact and fiction books. Consequently children learn that there is meaning to words and pictures. The extensive

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who attend

outdoor area is used daily and provides children with many different types of equipment and activities to support their learning. Staff supervise children's access to a wild secret garden where children make dens, cook in the mud kitchen and explore. Another area provides space to dig and grow items and look after pets. There is also space provided for children to play ball and use wheeled toys and climbing equipment.

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who attend

Older children are acquiring the skills they need to be ready for school. Children confidently move between activities and at all times are well-supervised by staff who are deployed effectively. Children develop an understanding of the world around them as they play in the secret garden and see how the weather and seasons make the environment change. They grow flowers and vegetables in the garden and also they see their willow house growing more and more leaves. Staff have created a doctor's surgery in the role- play area. This provides an opportunity for children to role play their experiences or learn about a new experience. Children learn about traditional and cultural events relevant to the time of year. Staff take children on outings in the local community enabling them to learn about the world around them. Staff use language which encourages awareness of quantity, size, shape and position as they play with children. This helps children to develop

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who attend

Staff observe and assess children's progress effectively. Consequently, staff speak confidently about children which indicates they know them well. Individual learning journey files are informative and give good quality information about children which include short observations and photographs that provide evidence of children's progress. Summaries of progress are completed regularly and are shared with parents and carers. Parents are invited to share information about what their children do at home. However, sometimes there is insufficient information recorded about children's skills at home to fully aid the monitoring of progress. Senior staff oversee all the development records to ensure appropriate observations are made across all areas of learning. The records identify next steps and indicate the progress children are making. The information is then carefully monitored. If relevant progress is not evident further investigations are made.

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who attend

Staff understand the importance of managing changes in children's lives carefully. They have systems in place to carefully manage changes within the nursery. For example, they introduce children and parents to their new key people and environment gradually. The information provided by a child's key person helps to ensure that the move to school or other early years provider is smooth because new staff are well-informed. The nursery has good links with local schools. This means that children have opportunities to visit events at local schools and staff from the schools visits the children in the nursery aiding a smooth transition. Staff encourage children's self-confidence and independence in preparation for their move to school.

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

Staff get to know children well and children become confident as a result. The layout of the nursery means that children often participate in small group activities in the various rooms in their particular area. They visit rooms in other areas of the nursery which helps to develop their social skills and build their self-confidence. Children clearly enjoy this time spent in smaller groups which helps them to develop new friendships. This supports their emotional well-being. All staff are friendly and approachable and they provide good role models for children. They make sure that they talk to children at eye level and use calm and encouraging language to remind children to behave appropriately. For example, most children show that they understand that they need to wait or take turns when playing in the sensory room. Staff are experienced and confident to apply strategies to support children's understanding of appropriate behaviour if required. This includes children who

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

may find group times, for example in the sensory room, difficult. Staff support these children well and ensure that they are part of the group by encouraging them to join in and reminding them of appropriate behaviour.

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

Children are well-cared for and as a result, they appear settled and happy throughout the day. Parents receive good quality information about children's care routines and staff help children with toileting training. This helps to encourage independence. Appropriate procedures are in place to record medical conditions and allergies, record any medication administered and contact parents if children are unwell. Staff attend additional training when required to ensure that they can provide the best possible care for all children at all times. Accidents are recorded and parents are informed and asked to sign to say they are aware of what has happened. Over half the staff team are trained in first aid. Regular risk assessments ensure that the environment is safe with hazards identified and risks minimised. Staff increase children's awareness of how to keep safe through gentle reminders.

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

Children undertake a range of activities outside that challenge them physically. Children play outdoors in all weather and staff encourage their understanding of the need to wear appropriate clothing for the weather. Children learn about healthy lifestyles because they are provided with healthy meals and staff discuss why fruit is good to 'keep us healthy'. Throughout the nursery, provision is made for children to have easy access to drinks of water when they are indoors and in the garden. Nursery children plant and grow their own fruit and vegetables and children are encouraged to try the produce when it is ready. This helps them to understand where food comes from. The nursery has pets which children help to care for increasing their awareness of how to care for living things.

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provision

The leadership and management team strives to achieve the best possible outcomes for all children attending the nursery. Its members demonstrate a generally very good understanding of the learning and development, and welfare and safeguarding responsibilities. As a result, all children are making good progress in this safe and stimulating environment. The inspection took place following concerns raised to Ofsted. The concerns related to issues that had taken place earlier this year. This included an incident of inappropriate management of behaviour by staff. The provider took immediate and prompt action to ensure all staff understood the nursery's behaviour management policy and how to implement it. They consulted with the local safeguarding team who advised this was not a significant event. Therefore the provider did not notify Ofsted on this occasion. They are conscious of informing Ofsted of significant events and have done

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provision

so on several occasions. There are clear systems in place for informing Ofsted of any such event.

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provision

The provider follows safe recruitment procedures and appropriate checks are part of the recruitment process. Staff explain clearly how they would report any concerns about a child in their care and they are familiar with safeguarding policies and procedures. This includes the action they would take if they were concerned about the behaviour of a colleague or member of the management team. Comprehensive risk assessments are in place and staff undertake daily safety checks to identify potential hazards. Staff maintain all the required documentation in relation to accidents and incidents. The fire drill is undertaken regularly to enable everyone to learn how to evacuate the premises swiftly.

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provision

The line management system provides staff with good opportunities to discuss children's individual welfare and development. This helps to ensure that all staff are well-supported and able to seek further guidance and training if required. Children make good progress as a result of enthusiastic teaching by staff who know children well. Good care is taken to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are included in all activities within the nursery. The staff work proactively with parents and other agencies to ensure children get the help and support they need.

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provision

Parents and carers speak highly about the nursery. They say their children enjoy attending. They can see progress in their children's development and that they gain the skills needed to help them make the move to school. Parents and carers feel comfortable in the nursery environment and are encouraged to take part in activities with their children and nursery staff. Opportunities are available for parents to share their views of the setting through the suggestion box or face-to-face discussion.

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provision

The management team encourages staff and parents to reflect on the provision offered. This is used to plan continuous improvements. Revised systems are helping management ensure that staff understand how to encourage development and provide children with a wide range of experiences in all areas of learning and development at a level suitable to their individual needs. They also have plans to improve the flooring in some areas of the nursery thus enhancing the quality of the environment.

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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 101756 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 976031 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 119 Number of children on roll 168 Name of provider Circus Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 13/02/2013 Telephone number 01242 253222

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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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