Ladybird Nursery

Ladybird NHS Nursery 8-10 Cardigan Avenue, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, SS0 0SF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/01/2014 05/03/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The nursery is in breach of safeguarding and welfare requirements; consequently, it is not providing a consistent management structure to promote children's welfare. This impacts on the quality of teaching as senior staff are unable to balance the responsibilities of the whole nursery and promoting learning opportunities for children in their rooms.  Procedures to promote children's ongoing health through medication administration are not successfully monitored to prevent overdosing.  Parents are not always given information they need to encourage them to share children's achievements from home, in order to track their development.  The planning of children's next steps outdoors is not promoted as well as it is for the indoor environment.

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It has the following strengths

 Children learn about healthy lifestyles and carry out good levels of hygiene practice to promote their understanding of health and self-care.  Children who speak English as an additional language or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well through partnerships to promote their individual needs.  Children are generally happy within the nursery.

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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 and daily routines in all the four rooms of the nursery and noted how learning was promoted in all environments.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation of the outdoor provision with the registered provider.  The inspector took into account the views of the parents and carers in the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation that promotes safeguarding and welfare and learning and development.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with the children.

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Information about the setting

Ladybird NHS Nursery opened in its present location in 2004 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a large converted house adjacent to Southend Hospital in Essex. The building has two levels, with a lift to the upper floor. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. Children come from a wide catchment area as most of their parents are health authority employees within the Southend area. The nursery is open from 6.45am to 7pm all year round. There are currently 126 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 23 staff, 21 of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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must:

 ensure medication administration procedures are implemented safely and staff are kept informed of children's up-to-date information about their medication to prevent overdosing

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must:

 make sure that people looking after children are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their roles, with particular regard to the management arrangements within the nursery.

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

 provide parents with appropriate information about the importance of sharing achievements at home to contribute towards children's learning and development records

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

 make the planning for individual children's learning as rich for the outdoor environment as it is for the indoor environment.

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who attend

Children are making reasonable progress towards the early learning goals. Staff have an appropriate knowledge of how to promote all the areas of learning within the nursery. They interact well with the children and support their learning in both adult-led and child initiated activities, helping to challenge their thinking and ongoing development. For example, children are encouraged to complete puzzles that staff know they can achieve. They are then encouraged to try more complex pieces, with staff talking them through the process to build their confidence. Staff know the children well and talk about their interests and activities of preference. A wide range of activities and resources are available and accessible to the children in all the rooms to enable children to make choices for themselves and to complete an activity to their satisfaction. For example, young children explore the paints at the easel, using the brushes to splodge the paint on their hands.

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who attend

Staff stand back and allow the children time to paint their hands, occasionally making a print on the paper. Staff make comments to them about the texture of the paint, the colours and what the colours represent, successfully extending the child's thinking about the painting process. Other children are engaged in other activities allowing the child to finish painting their hands and finally gesturing with their hands that they have finished.

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who attend

Young babies explore the environment around them in the 'ducklings' room, knocking over towers of bricks to see what happens to them, exploring the contents of three-dimensional books and using the furniture to challenge their physical skills, such as walking and climbing. Children who speak English as an additional language have some resources to support their home languages in each room. Some children have their own personal book with keys words and pictures in both languages to support their communication and language. Makaton is promoted in all rooms, particularly for children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These learning opportunities and the support given by staff provide the necessary skills children require for future learning. However, the lack of a manager to take on daily responsibility of the nursery and care of the children has an impact on children's learning

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who attend

and staff's teaching. Room leaders are required to take responsibility for the whole nursery in the absence of management. Therefore, they are not able to give the quality of teaching to the children in their rooms that they give when they are not carrying out this role.

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who attend

The assessment programme for monitoring and tracking children's development throughout the nursery is effective. Staff gather evidence from when children start at the nursery from their parents by asking them to complete an 'all about me' booklet. This is used to plan for children's starting points and their next stage of development. Evaluative observations are made of all children's achievements by all staff and are shared well with the children's key person. They collate information and regularly produce a review of children progress within the seven areas of learning. Staff produce effective planning for individual children's next steps, but this is mainly related to activities for the indoor environments. Although staff recognise the importance of providing a wide range of experiences outside, this is not part of the planning programme to identify learning opportunities for individual children in either of the outdoor environments. Parents are

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who attend

informed about children's learning in the nursery but are not actively encouraged to share children's achievements from home. Parents have access to information about the assessment programme and the observations made by staff, but do not have clear information about the importance of using information from home to offer consistent approaches to tracking children's learning and planning for their next steps.

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

The key-person system helps to promote children's individual needs, using information from parents to support the attachments children make with their key person and their peers. Children are generally happy and settled in the four rooms and are given time to settle and bond with staff in each room. Staff are sensitive to the children's needs when transferring to the next room, making sure information is shared with their new key person. This results in children developing successful relationships with other children and learning about appropriate behaviour towards their friends and adults. Staff are positive role models who generally cooperate with each other, demonstrating to the children how to negotiate in their roles.

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

Children are given clear explanations of how to keep themselves safe as they are reminded to check before throwing the light balls up in the air. They show a clear understanding about healthy lifestyles and they enjoy freshly prepared meals that cater for their individual dietary requirements. They have access to drinks in each room throughout the day and are encouraged to drink frequently by the staff in the rooms. Children have access to fresh air every day, to enjoy the experiences in both the gardens. One garden offers traditional play experiences, such as physical play of basketballs and hoops and role play in playhouses. The other offers the opportunities for all children to explore natural materials, such as a mud pit and willow houses. Children are encouraged to become independent in their self-care skills at an early age. This includes washing their hands and blowing their noses. They are supported well by staff who give clear

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

explanations to promote their understanding of suitable hygiene practices. Staff hold relevant first-aid certificates to support children in the event of an accident. The inspection was prioritised following a notification of an accident which resulted in a child receiving hospital care. Staff dealt with this accident professionally and quickly, and after investigation found that the accident was unavoidable. Appropriate steps have been taken to assess the risk of children running in the outdoor area. However, the medication administration procedures do not promote children's well-being. The inspection was prioritised following a notification received by Ofsted regarding an incident of medication given to a child which resulted in an overdose. The provider has not taken sufficient steps to implement further procedures to ensure that this does not re-occur.

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

Children positively learn to celebrate people's differences. They celebrate regular festivals and cultures through a well-resourced play environment and topics. Staff know children's backgrounds and reflect these well to value and reflect diversity throughout the nursery. Children have access to posters, books and equipment that reflect positive images of skin tone, disability and culture, and are encouraged to ask questions that relate to society's differences. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well in the nursery. Staff are sensitive to their needs but positively promote an inclusive learning environment. Staff liaise well with parents and other specialists to provide a consistent approach to their learning and care.

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provision

Arrangements to keep children safe are ineffective. At the time of the inspection, there is no named manager to take responsibility for the daily care of the children or to take responsibility for the nursery as a whole on a daily basis. This has been the situation for over 12 months. The inspection was prioritised following three notifications to Ofsted, close in date, of incidents that occurred in the nursery, one of which relates to the senior member of staff on duty leaving the nursery, which resulted in no senior member of staff being present in the nursery to take responsibility for the care of the children. The provider is currently carrying out an investigation and has taken action to rectify this situation. With no named manager to take charge of the nursery, this results in a breach of safeguarding and welfare requirements within the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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provision

Staff have a clear knowledge of what to do if they have a concern about a child in their care. Most staff have attended safeguarding training, and relevant procedures and information are up to date and accessible to both parents and staff. Most documentation to record aspects of children's welfare is appropriately recorded. For example, clear attendance records show the entry times of children and the times they leave, along with the working times of staff to meet required ratios for each room. Policies and procedures to promote all aspects of the nursery are updated regularly and shared with parents and staff. However, the procedures for medication administration have not been updated to prevent overdosing. All staff have relevant checks to verify their suitability to work unsupervised with children, and the majority of staff hold appropriate qualifications to work with young children. Risk assessments completed on a daily basis and annually, as

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provision

part of the nursery's public liability insurance, provide a safe and secure environment for children to play, both inside and outside. The nursery's registration certificate is displayed for parents' information. The nursery has a comprehensive self-evaluation programme to assess the nursery's effectiveness and to identify areas to improve. The nursery recognises the need for a better management structure and has carried out appropriate recruitment process but has had no success. Staff are committed to identifying areas to improve and actively source information and research to make those improvements. A well-thought-out development plan is provided for each individual member of staff to support their professional development and training needs. The nursery regularly gains parents' views through questionnaires, and some action is taken to implement changes after consultation with parents. The recommendations from the previous inspection have

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provision

The partnerships with parents are appropriately supported. Parents make positive comments about their children's time in the nursery and are seen to have positive relationships with staff, who aim to promote continuity of care between home and the nursery. Parents are supported through changes made to the nursery's opening hours to reflect changes to their working hours in the hospital. Staff make suitable links with other professionals to promote consistent practices. They have developed good links with local schools to aid children's transition to full-time education, building resources to support this transition through role play and discussion. Some staff have developed partnerships with some professionals to provide consistent approaches to individual children's care and learning.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure the registered person keeps a record of any medicine administered to any child who is cared for on the premises, including the date and circumstances and who administered it, together with a record of a parent/guardian/carer's consent (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  ensure the registered person keeps a record of any medicine administered to any child who is cared for on the premises, including the date and circumstances and who administered it, together with a record of a parent/guardian/carer's consent (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 EY279099 Local authority Southend on Sea Inspection number 951150

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 68 Number of children on roll 126 Name of provider Southend Hospital NHS Trust Date of previous inspection 05/03/2009 Telephone number 01702 385330

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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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