Foxcubs Day Nursery

Foxcubs Day Nursery Ltd Chapel House, Old Reddings Road, The Reddings, CHELTENHAM, Gloucestershire, GL51 6SA

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Inspection date

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

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff promote all children's learning and development effectively, because they are carrying out detailed observations and assessments that are accurate and enable them to build on children's progress.  Children are confident, happy and comfortable in their surroundings. The key-person system works well to help children settle and develop confidence.  There are good partnerships with parents, carers and other professionals. Detailed information is shared between them to ensure all adults are able to contribute to children's learning.  The management team and staff have worked hard to drive improvement. As a result, the deployment and monitoring of staff has greatly improved in the nursery. All staff now contribute to the plans for the future and work well as a team.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although, cosy areas are provided to enable children to look at books, the way books are displayed means children are not able to easily see or choose books for themselves, to enhance their interest in reading.

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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 for all age groups, and spoke to staff and children.  The inspector held a meeting with the proprietor and the manager of the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager and one with the proprietor.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records, safeguarding procedures, staff supervision and training documentation, planning and learning records for the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day and from information included in the setting's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

Foxcubs Day Nursery registered following a change in ownership to company status in 2009. The nursery is situated in a detached house in the Reddings area of Cheltenham, on the outskirts of the town centre. It is open all year round, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. It serves the local community and those from outside the immediate area. Children are cared for within age related groups and each group has its own base room. There is also a library, a play area on the top floor, art rooms, toilet and sleep facilities. The garden is divided into different areas. Babies have outdoor play equipment suited to their age and stage of development. There is a large outdoor play area with natural resources and fort for all children to use. Pre-school children use a smaller play space throughout the day. Two-and three-year-olds have access to a forest school area and a newly fenced play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Childcare Register and both the

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Information about the setting

compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 83 children on roll and they are all in the early years age group. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are 17 staff members working directly with the children. The staff team comprises of 13 staff that hold appropriate childcare qualifications at level 3. The proprietor and manager hold childcare qualifications at level 4.

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

 improve the display of books so children enhance their enjoyment and interest in early reading in the cosy, inviting book areas, both inside and outside.

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who attend

Staff support children well, and as a result they are progressing well in all areas of their learning and development. Staff provide effective challenge for children. Observations and assessments accurately identify where each child is in their learning. Staff clearly understand how to promote the next steps in each child's learning. They plan activities that show the learning intentions for children. As a result, staff can identify and extend children's learning effectively. For example, staff recently read stories to the children about witches and potions. They have enabled the children to develop this story through making 'potions' in the mud kitchen and making spiders' webs in the garden. Children take great delight in getting balls of wool and making a web for the spiders. They wrap the wool around the garden. They tie the wool to the netting on the wall. As they wrap the wool, a child says she is stuck, because her friends have wrapped the wool around her

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who attend

legs. The member of staff asks how they are going to get out. The children stop and think and then say 'Climb over'. Another child gets a pair of scissors and cuts the strings of wool. Children enjoy these spontaneous opportunities to think critically and solve problems as they play. Staff remind them about how to carry scissors to keep them safe.

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who attend

Staff enable children to develop their communication and language skills effectively. The staff talk constantly with the children introducing new words and helping to improve their vocabulary and language. Children enjoy rhyming and exploring sounds of words. For example, when staff read a story, a child picks up that one word rhymes with another. The member of staff then develops this further by asking children what other words rhyme. She praises the children as they provide different rhyming words. Staff repeat sounds that younger children make to develop early language skills. They repeat the words they are starting to say, such as 'please' and 'thank you', to promote their understanding. Staff enable children to develop their early writing skills because they have easy access to writing materials, both in focused activities and during their free play. They enjoy drawing on a large piece of paper on the floor. Children confidently use scissors to

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who attend

cut and staff offer children right- and left-handed scissors when they see children struggling. Children have opportunities to look at books with staff during circle time, when they sit enthralled by the story. However, staff do not always display books attractively to encourage children into the cosy book corners to look at the books independently.

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who attend

The two- to three-year-olds in the Foxcubs group are well behaved and play well alongside each other. They are able to select resources from low-level storage boxes and initiate their own play. They benefit from a newly fenced off area outside that can be freely accessed, which enables them to explore the resources outside. Staff engage well with the children and show genuine care for their key children. Consequently, children are confident and eager to learn. Staff enable children to be well prepared for their next stage in their learning. Babies and young children are achieving well in the prime area of learning. They explore the world around them through well-planned activities. They enjoy exploring different textures, such as water, sand, paint, shaving foam, and flour. Through close partnerships with other professionals, detailed observations and assessments, pre- school children are ready for their move to school.

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

The key-person system is working well and children are able to develop close relationships with the staff. They offer children regular reassurance and comfort as needed. Staff work closely with parents to ensure dietary and medical needs are met. Staff who work with the youngest children ensure their care needs are met well. They change nappies promptly when needed and respond when they recognise children's tiredness. Staff supervise sleeping children constantly to ensure they remain safe as they rest. Key persons help their children in their move to the next group, through spending time in the new room with regular visits to help them adjust. Children see each other and the staff regularly when they play in the garden. This enables them to become familiar with others in the nursery, which contributes to them settling quickly in their new group. Staff teach children to share and take turns through gently reminders from staff as they

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

play. This effectively promotes their personal, social, and emotional development. Children enjoy role play and acting out stories. They retell stories with help from the staff using puppets during circle time. Staff choose children to take the part of characters, as result children are beginning to understand about turn taking. Children behave well and are kept well occupied at the nursery. They understand the rules of the nursery and pre-school children regularly say 'please' and 'thank you' with little or no prompting. Children say sorry to each other when they realise they have done something wrong. The nursery is welcoming, with attractive displays of children's work around the rooms. Resources are plentiful, varied and balanced. Most are attractively displayed and easy to access for the children.

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

Staff teach children about healthy lifestyles. Children understand why they need to wash their hands before eating, being outside and after using the toilet. Children eat well. They enjoy the healthy snacks and meals offered. Staff closely monitor children with specific dietary needs and allergies as they eat to ensure they only eat suitable foods. Children have placemats that ensure their dietary needs can be seen by all staff, to make sure all staff are clear about their diet. Staff encourage children to develop a level of independence during snack and meal times. Consequently, they pour their own drinks and serve themselves.

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

Management and staff have greatly improved the outside play areas to enable children to have easy access to fresh air and exercise. There are now two small fenced areas to enable the pre-school children and younger children easy access from their play rooms. The larger play area has been developed so children are able to explore natural resources such as tyres, wooden planks, crates, a mud kitchen and forest school area. Children really enjoy being able to run around, learning how to take calculated risks as they climb and balance. They enjoy developing their imagination when playing in the mud kitchen. Staff encourage them to mix 'potions' from items collected in the nursery and around the garden, such as leaves, glitter and stones. Children enjoy mixing mud, water, leaves and stones. The member of staff asks open questions as she develops the activity. She encourages the children to find the stones to put in their potion asking what the stone

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

could be. Children say a dinosaur tooth and put it in the pan. Babies have a fenced separate shaded area where they are able to roll, crawl, and explore to develop their early walking skills safely under the close supervision of the staff.

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provision

The staff have worked together for many years and are a friendly team who clearly enjoy being with the children. They understand their roles and responsibilities within the team. Management understand their responsibility in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. All staff are trained in child protection and understand the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about children in their care. The majority of staff have also completed first aid training and ensure children's welfare is safeguarded when administering any medication and making sure those children with allergies or dietary needs are well protected. Staff ask all visitors to sign in the visitors' book. Staff use detailed risk assessments to ensure that potential risks are minimised and the environment is safe for children to play. Staff remove their shoes when going upstairs, which helps to prevent cross infection for the babies. All visitors' are also asked to follow this practice,

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provision

which helps to promote the effectiveness of this procedure.

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provision

The provider and the management team have worked hard to ensure that actions from the last inspection have been addressed successfully. They now have clear procedures to ensure the monitoring and deployment of staff. Recruitment and vetting procedures are robust and ensure that all adults working with the children are suitable to do so. Staff have regular staff meetings and discuss parents' views gathered from questionnaires. Staff now regularly take part in peer observations. They have regular meetings with the management to discuss training needs and future improvements. This has resulted with staff working together to ensure their deployment is effective and the supervision of children is good.

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provision

There are very good partnerships with parents, carers and other professionals. This helps to promote continuity of care and results in positive outcomes for all children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The use of play days for parents helps parents to understand what goes on at nursery and how their child plays. Regular meetings with parents ensure that staff can share regular information with them. Parents speak highly of the staff, their caring attitudes and the detailed information they receive. Parents know their child's key person and know who to speak to should they have any concerns.

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provision

The provider, management team and the staff have worked hard since the last inspection to improve practice and have addressed all actions. Consequently, staff are well deployed and monitored effectively. The quality of observations and assessments carried out on children has improved so outcomes for children are significantly better. Evaluation of practice in the nursery has been effective. This demonstrates their strong commitment to drive improvement and the quality of care provided.

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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 EY389263 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 963337 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 83 Name of provider Foxcubs Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 09/07/2013 Telephone number 01452 857 449

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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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