YMCA Gosport Nursery, St Vincent

St Vincent Early Years Centre St. Vincent College, Mill Lane, GOSPORT, Hampshire, PO12 4QA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/07/2014 03/02/2011

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 The effective monitoring and tracking systems ensure that targets for future development are identified and continuous improvements are made. This ensures that the nursery continues to provide good quality care and education for all children.  The outdoor and indoor play areas are rich learning environments. Children enjoy a wealth of opportunities to develop physically and emotionally and to expand their imaginations.  Effective partnership working with parents means that there is a united approach to meeting individual children's needs and helping them to develop relevant skills for the future.  Staff work well as a team creating a secure and safe learning environment for the children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are few images, resources and labels in the nursery that reflect diversity and use home languages of children, to foster a respect for children's own cultures and those of other people.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had a tour of the nursery and took part in a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager, area manager and director throughout the inspection.  The inspector held discussion with key persons and staff.  The inspector took into account the views of parents on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents, including policies and procedures, risk assessments, staff training, records of children and evidence of the suitability of staff.

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Information about the setting

St. Vincent Early Years Centre was registered in 2000. It is managed by the Assistant Director South East Hampshire and supported by the Children's Work Director and Area Director. The Organisation is the YMCA Fairthorne Group which is a charitable organisation. It is one of a chain of seven YMCA managed nurseries. The centre is registered on the Early Years Register. It provides sessional and full day care and is located in the grounds of St. Vincent College, Gosport in Hampshire. The centre is open each weekday from 07:30 to 18:00 all year round. Children use the nursery rooms which are all on the ground floor with an accessible entrance. The babies and children under two years are cared for in a separate section of the nursery. All children have access to a secure enclosed outside play area. There are currently 126 children from four months to five years on roll. The centre receives funding for early education for both two-year-old

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Information about the setting

and 3 to 4-year-old children. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also those who speak English as a second language. The centre works closely with teachers at local schools and the Early Years Advisory Teacher. The manager is employed in a supernumerary capacity and there are 16 staff working with the children. Fourteen staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery also has a qualified Early Years Lead Practitioner as a member of staff.

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

 develop the environment by providing more resources that reflect diversity in society and amongst children's home languages, so that children learn to value their own language and culture and those of other people.

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who attend

The manager and staff team have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this in practice very well to meet children's individual needs. Staff teaching skills have a positive impact on children's learning. They track children's progress well in order to provide children with a very wide range of learning opportunities. Planning displayed in each room is based on a secure assessment of children's individual learning needs, current and emerging interests. Activities are challenging but achievable, ensuring children remain confident and motivated. Staff record observations on individual children and these then feed into the planning.

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who attend

Staff fully understand and embrace the importance of outdoor play and create a rich learning environment that promotes all areas of learning. Children engage independently in play, transporting dirt from the mud kitchen, investigating weight and volume. Toddlers use a variety of brushes as they experiment with paint, exploring colour differentiation. This then develops into painting lions and staff are invited to join their play. Children are then invited to splash in the water to wash the paint off; they are very happy and giggle with delight. Staff follow children's interests, showing an interest in their play. For example, children decide they want to play mini golf. Staff are supportive and encourage children to find different resources. As a result, children come up with brooms and use different tools, such as, plastic containers to put their balls. Staff extend their play following their interest encouraging children to make predications such as what happens if

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who attend

the ball is put on a slope. As a result, children demonstrate high levels of curiosity and remain interested in their play.

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who attend

All children have access to mark-making tools, such as paint, pencils and crayons. Even young children independently select different resources to make marks on paper, supporting early writing skills. Staff introduce new words in the context of play and group activities, for example as children engage in play dough. However, systems to fully support children who are learning English as an additional language are still being developed. Positive images, resources and labelling that reflect diverse cultures to meet the individual needs of children are not embedded into practice across the nursery. Therefore staff do not always use strategies that fully support inclusive practice and language development. Nevertheless, overall, staff use good methods of promoting children's communication: they use visual aids, they use gesture and sign as they speak, question skilfully and give a commentary to everything they are doing. Consequently,

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who attend

children feel valued, become confident, and develop useful skills to prepare them for starting school.

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who attend

The nursery has engaged well with parents to promote successful strategies to support parents in their children's learning at home. As a result, many parents are sharing children's achievements at home with staff. Parents talk enthusiastically about the progress their children are making and are appreciative of the nursery's caring and knowledgeable staff. Parents are regularly updated about their children's progress through detailed reports and meetings, and receive ideas on how to extend this at home. The nursery has built good working partnerships with local schools and this impacts positively on the older children. In addition, children are well supported in their transitions within the nursery. This is due to the settling-in visits with their key person as they move into a different room.

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

Children are happy, confident, have fun and enjoy coming to nursery. The embedded key person system works very well in supporting children's social and emotional wellbeing. Staff listen to children and are attentive to their individual needs. As a result, they are confident to separate from their parents. Staff work very closely with parents to tailor settling-in arrangements that are specific to children's needs. For example, staff follow the requested sleep routines and communicate effectively the daily routines and achievements of children. The warm welcome and positive, relaxed approach from staff has a very calming influence on the children. As a result, new children are happy and settle quickly, for example when having their afternoon sleep, and they build very close attachments with the staff. Even very young children independently sing nursery rhymes as they relax and eat their afternoon tea. Children approach staff for reassurance and a cuddle. This

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

provides them with a secure and safe environment that helps to develop confidence and self-esteem. For example, children sit and relax and engage in conversation alongside staff, simply enjoying the fresh air in the outdoor environment.

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

Staff are deployed well throughout the nursery. There is a strong staff team in place which is very effective. Staff ask each other for support if needed, without hesitation, during care routines for example, which shows good concern for children's safety and security. Staff promote a relaxed environment in which children develop the confidence to join in conversation with adults, for example, when engaged in play dough activities or eating their lunch and tea. Children learn about healthy foods through discussion and by growing their own vegetables. These experiences help children to develop good self-care skills. Children sit with staff at snack time as they prepare a range of vegetables to eat. Staff teach them how to chop the vegetables carefully, and children grow in responsibility and become acutely aware of how to keep everyone safe. Older children serve their own food, developing independence and tending to their own personal needs. Younger children feed

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

themselves well and older children develop their skills in using tools for a purpose encouraged by staff to use cutlery effectively, promoting self-help skills.

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

Staff have a calm and consistent manner with the children and follow sensitive behaviour management procedures. For example, they promote children's self-esteem by giving them meaningful praise for their efforts. This encourages the children to persevere and concentrate, show pride in their achievements and to become motivated, active learners. Children's physical well-being is effectively promoted. Effective standards of cleanliness are maintained throughout all areas. Staff follow sound hygiene routines and help children to learn about the importance of these. As a result, they understand the need to wash hands after messy play, outdoor play and before snack. Children have fun outside, using a wide range of equipment to encourage their physical skills and fitness. Children choose and easily access the activities and locations that interest them, with staff close at hand to observe, keep them safe and when appropriate extend their ideas.

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provision

The manager and her staff team have a good understanding of the requirements in meeting the safeguarding, welfare, learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They understand fully the safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures of the setting, such as the procedures to follow should a concern be raised against a member of staff. They know what to do if concerns arise about children's well-being, and have a good understanding of the whistle-blowing policy, if needed. Staff have attended safeguarding training and hold paediatric first aid certificates. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children and meet their needs. The premises are secure and monitored. Windows are fitted with screening for added security, this means it is not possible to see inside the nursery from outside. Robust risk assessments are in place, including daily monitoring of the indoor and outdoor

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provision

environment. This means that children are safe from any potential hazards and this contributes significantly to children's safety.

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provision

Suitable procedures are in place to manage the deployment of staff to maintain the adult- to child ratios to protect children. Staff ratios are monitored by the manager and maintained to ensure children are appropriately supervised. In addition, the manager is not counted in the ratios, therefore is always on hand if needed. This means that children's safety, welfare and care are promoted. Rigorous procedures for recruitment and induction are in place to check that all staff are suitably qualified and appropriately vetted. Induction systems ensure that staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities. All staff benefit from regular supervision and annual appraisals, to identify future training needs and monitor the quality of their work. Staff attend regular meetings where they discuss new initiatives and check their knowledge of existing policies and procedures. The learning and development programme is closely monitored and evaluated to ensure all areas of

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provision

learning are covered well, and the individual needs of the children are met, quickly closing any gaps in progress. Assessment is focused and includes contributions of parents, and outside professionals so that individual targets for children are appropriate and that children receive all the support they need to make good progress.

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provision

All of the staff are committed and dedicated to provide good quality childcare. They support each other well as a team. The views of the staff are included in the setting's improvement plans. It is clear that all the staff are extremely proud of what they do to ensure that all children make progress and enjoy their learning experiences. This demonstrates that the nursery team have a strong commitment to driving continuous improvement. Parents state, 'The staff are friendly and approachable. They couldn't be more helpful'. This shows that there are good partnerships with parents and staff work with them to promote a cohesive approach to children's learning. Parents are able to contribute to improvements as their views are regularly sought. Partnerships with parents promote a joined-up approach to meeting children's individual needs. As a result, continuity between home and the setting is supported and therefore children progress

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provision

effectively in their learning as they grow in confidence and self-esteem.

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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 511070 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 981124 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 53 Number of children on roll 126 Name of provider YMCA Fairthorne Group Date of previous inspection 03/02/2011 Telephone number 023 92504199

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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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