Harmony Creche at account3

Harmony Creche at account3 3 Birkbeck Street, LONDON, E2 6JY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/07/2014 30/06/2010

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 An effective key person system ensures the careful supervision of the children throughout the day.  Children benefit from a balanced range of activities indoors and out of the setting, which helps them to develop a positive attitude to learning.  Children have regular opportunities to learn about the wider world through activities and resources that represents positive images of diversity.

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It is not yet good because

 Some aspects of the setting's documentation are not fully in place or maintained to the required standard.  Children's self-help skills are not fully encouraged at snack times.  Children have few opportunities to explore and learn how to operate mechanical toys and simple information and communication technology equipment.

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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 had discussions with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the staff interacting with children and children interacting with staff and their friends.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including the register of attendance, safeguarding policy, staff records, and assessment records and the record of the risk assessment, accident and medication records.  The inspector interviewed some parents.  The inspector offered the manager a joint observation of an activity.

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Information about the setting

Harmony Creche is run and managed by Account3, a women's training and development agency which aims to support the development of women through the provision of advice and guidance, training, enterprise support and access to resources. The creche is situated in Bethnal Green in the London borough of Tower Hamlets. The group supports women living in East London. It was re-registered in 2009 after a refurbishment to the building. The centre has a purpose built open plan creche area within the building. The premises include a small outdoor area located within the buildings space. The creche is open each week day from 8.30am until 6:30pm, 51 weeks a year.

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Information about the setting

The provision is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently ten children aged from seven months to three years on roll. There are four members of staff working with the children, all of whom hold appropriate childcare qualifications. The creche also employs four qualified part time workers who work mornings and afternoons sessions.

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must:

 review and update the safeguarding policy to include the procedures for the non use of mobile phones and cameras in the nursery when children are present on the premises

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must:

 ensure that the policy for uncollected children gives a clear explanation of the procedures to follow if a parent fails to collect a child at the appointed time

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must:

 maintain an accurate daily record of the names of the children being cared for on the premises and their hours of attendance.

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

 allow children who are able to pour their own drinks and serve their own food at snack times in order to further develop their self-help skills

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

 provide a suitable range of mechanical toys and simple information and communication technology equipment to help children develop investigative skills and show interest in how and why things work.

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who attend

The staff make use of the information they obtain from parents about their child's starting points to help children settle into the daily routine. They also use information from their observations of the children to plan activities that appeal to children's interests when they commence at the setting to help them feel secure. Staff have a clear understanding about their key children's abilities through observing the children during play and activities, and using their notes to assess children's achievements. They also make links between their assessments and activity plans to support the children in their learning. Consequently, children are making sound progress. Older children can visit the toilet and wash their hands independently. Staff give appropriate support to help young children learn to undress before sleep time and to put their aprons on for creative activities. Older children can visit the toilet and wash their hands independently. They are also able to choose from

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who attend

toys that are set out on table tops or help themselves to other toys that are stored in low level cupboards. However, staff do not allow children to pour their own drinks and serve themselves at snack time to further encourage their self-care and independence skills.

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who attend

Staff play games with babies to help promote their language development by repeating the sounds babies make and contributing every day words. Staff support children's speaking and listening skills through daily routines and activities. For example, staff check children's level of understanding through giving them simple instructions to follow. Staff also provide opportunities for children to learn to express themselves individually or in a group. Children take part in a variety of indoor and outdoor play experiences, which helps to support their learning and development. They have a suitable range of play equipment to choose from on a daily basis, including natural materials such as sand and water play for exploration. Staff provide babies with treasure baskets that contains natural objects to encourages babies to use their sense of observation, touch and hearing to explore objects. Babies are beginning to make choices as they regularly select bunches of keys, bangles

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who attend

and other objects that make sounds when being shaken. Children are starting to use small construction sets to make models and they enjoy stacking large wooden blocks. Consequently, children demonstrate that they can create something for their own purpose. Children have access to a torch, which helps them to start to explore and develop a sense of fascination with objects. However, children have a limited range of cause and effect equipment, such as battery operated toys, simple machines or information and communication technology equipment to help increase their interest in how and why things work.

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who attend

Children have opportunities for imaginative play through the use of resources such as small world play figures, dressing-up clothes, dolls and prams. Children benefit from regular opportunities to learn about the wider world as they play with real household equipment that are representative of different cultures. For example, children use balti dishes, French dessert bowls, and cups and saucers from Japan in the role-play area for pretend play. Children enjoy regular outdoor play experiences, which helps to support their learning and development. For instance, children have opportunities to dig soil, observe mini beasts and plant seeds. In addition, staff draw children's attention to the sound of their voices when talking under the railway arch as well as introducing children to the word 'echo'. Staff also encourage children to listen to and name the sounds of different types of transports that they can hear on their way to the park. This helps to

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who attend

develop children's listening skills and their awareness of different sounds. Consequently, children are acquiring skills for the next stage in their development.

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

Children are settled in sensitively and gradually. The key person recognises this is a new experience for many children and works with parents to promote a smooth transition for the children. The key person gathers information from parents about the child so that they have an understanding of babies' and young children's daily routine, favourite toys and are aware of their favourite general development. Children and babies develop a healthy dependence on their key person who is receptive to their individual needs. For example, key persons follow babies' individual routines for bottle feeds and sleeping. Also, young children sleep according to their own needs. This promotes children's continuity of care and contributes to their physical well-being. The regular high adult to child ratio enables babies and young children to receive plenty of one to one attention from their key persons and other staff who are on hand to support and guide children in their play.

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

The single playroom allows children to mix with younger groups and older groups of children, thus enabling them to start to relate to others and form friendships. Children are given support to understand responsible behaviour and are beginning to learn about the boundaries within the setting. Staff re-direct younger children to other activities or toys. Older children learn that certain behaviour is not acceptable through simple explanation. Staff also encourage children to be kind, caring and to share toys with their friends. This helps to support children's social development. Staff help children to develop an understanding of how to stay safe as they take part in regular emergency evacuation procedures. In addition, older children learn about road safety when going out on trips. The setting uses a designated room for children to sleep in privacy. There are sufficient cots and sleep mats that enable children to rest and sleep in comfort. The manager now

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

ensures that there are sufficient staff on duty so that two staff can stay in the sleep room to monitor and check on sleeping children to ensure their safety and well-being.

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

Children's health is appropriately promoted. Staff's daily routine and practices help to ensure that children's health is maintained. For example, shoes are not worn in the room to reduce the risk of the spread of germs to babies and children. Staff follow a cleaning schedule routine each day to keep the environment clean for children. Staff also wear protective clothing when preparing children's snacks and changing children's nappies to minimise the spread of cross infection. Staff encourage children to wash their hands before meals times, enabling children to learn the importance of good hygiene. Children learn the importance of healthy eating as they are offered a varied range of healthy snacks each day.

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

Staff make sure that children have access to drinking water throughout the day so that they do not get thirsty. Children's physical skills are encouraged through daily exercises, such as short walks to the local park, running, playing ball games and using a range of outdoor play equipment. All of which, contributes to promoting children physical development.

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provision

The setting's arrangements for safeguarding children is sound overall. The inspection took place following a notification of the discovery of a child with an injury in the sleep room. The inspection found that the staff were aware of their responsibilities and took all necessary steps to inform parents and the relevant authorities. The manager carried out a review of the sleep routines and the procedures for staff deployment following the incident and put in place additional arrangements for supervision. She now takes into consideration the age and abilities of the children and the structure of the day. For instance, two staff stay with the children in the sleep room to check on sleeping children to ensure their safety and well-being. The manager employs additional part-time staff, which means they exceed the adult to child ratios and when taking children out on daily trips to the local park each member of staff is responsible for the care of one or two children. This helps to

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provision

promote children's security. All staff are first aid trained and they record accidents to children accurately and share these with parents.

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provision

The manager has an understanding of child protection issues and knows to act quickly if she recognises that a child is at risk of harm. The staff receive clear information regarding the signs and symptoms of abuse, allegations made against staff and the procedures for whistle blowing if they have any concerns about a member of staff. However, there are some inconsistencies in the setting's safeguarding policies and procedures. For example, the safeguarding policy does not include information about the non-use of mobile phones and cameras at the setting, as required. In addition, the policy for uncollected children does not give clear procedures about the steps to follow if children are left well beyond the appointed time for collection. Consequently, the gaps in the policy can lead to staff's misinterpretation of the procedure for children who are not collected at the appointed time. All the records, which are required for the safe management of the children and

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provision

childcare activities, are in place. However, the daily record of attendance is not well maintained. This is because the daily records of some children's arrival and departure times are not always recorded. The setting has breached some of the requirements for documentation. Although these breaches do not have a significant impact on the well- being of the children, the setting requires improvement to meet the standards.

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provision

There are sound recruitment and vetting procedures in place and as a result of this, all staff are deemed suitable to work with the children. The manager has appropriate systems, such as induction programmes, team meetings and ongoing internal training sessions, in place for staff's continual assessment and professional development. This helps to support children in the setting. The manager and staff have responded to the recommendations raised at the last inspection. They now obtain parents' consent for urgent medical treatment and encourage their contribution towards their child's assessment records. This promotes parents' involvement in their child's care and learning. The manager is developing the system for self-evaluation and now has a clearer understanding of the setting's strengths. They have also identified some areas for development but do not ensure all records are maintained or kept up to date.

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provision

The manager and staff have positive relationships with the parents. Staff complete a written feedback sheet for parents giving information about their baby's food intake, nappy changes, sleep routine and activities. The key persons for older children give daily feedback to parents about their child's day. This helps to provide children with consistent care between home and the setting. Parents' comments about the provision of care for their children are positive. They remark on how staff help their child to grow in confidence and encourage their development. Parents also say that they are pleased with sharing of information about their child's care and achievements and also the staff's friendly approach. The manager demonstrates an understanding of the value of working in partnership with other providers to promote continuity in children's care and education.

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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:

 keep a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  keep a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (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 EY398307 Local authority Tower Hamlets Inspection number 980507 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 15 Number of children on roll 10 Name of provider Account3 Ltd. Date of previous inspection 30/06/2010 Telephone number 02077397720

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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