The Family Haven

The Family Haven 31 Spa Road, Gloucester, GL1 1UY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/07/2014 17/05/2012

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Key persons have detailed knowledge of children and support them well to achieve their next steps in learning. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development in relation to their starting points.  Staff give high priority to safeguarding children and provide a very safe and secure environment for children to play and learn.  Children's behaviour is good due to the consistently applied positive behaviour management policies and procedures.  There is a strong partnership with parents, which means that parents are aware of their child's progress and how they can support their learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 On occasions, staff do not make use of effective teaching strategies to maximise and extend children's mathematical learning.  Staff do not use peer observations to improve further the quality of teaching, by sharing best practice and extending opportunities for reflective practice.

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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 held meetings with the nursery manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children at play both indoors and outdoors and spoke to children and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the setting and a range of other documentation.  The inspector invited the manager to undertake a joint observation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

The Family Haven opened in 1988 and operates from a semi-detached house in the centre of Gloucester. It is a charity and offers a range of integrated services to support families and children from all areas of the city, some of whom are in temporary accommodation. The day nursery registered in 1998 and is open each weekday for 52 weeks of the year, except for bank holidays, from 10am to 3.30pm. The Family Haven also provides occasional crche facilities. The provision is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 43 children on roll in the early years range. The nursery operates from two base rooms and a soft-play room on the ground floor and has an enclosed outdoor area. Additional facilities include a dining room and kitchen. The centre welcomes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The centre employs a team of five full-time and one part-time staff to work directly with the children. All staff have relevant childcare qualifications and have completed first-aid and child protection training. The centre was awarded the Bristol Standard Quality Assurance Award in March 2014.

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

 further extend the range of opportunities for children to develop their mathematical skills, by considering concepts such as weight, measures and capacity and use of numerals in their play

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

 extend the programme of peer observations to enable all staff to review and reflect on the quality of their own and other's teaching, to enhance the good standard of teaching.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which is reflected in their practice. Each child's key person completes an accurate assessment of what children know and can do on entry to the nursery, using information from parents alongside their own observations. Staff then undertake regular observations that lead to good assessments of children's learning and development. Children's future learning is focused as planning is informed by staff using children's identified next steps and interests. This means they are supported with individual learning opportunities to make good progress in all areas of learning. Staff adapt activities to ensure they effectively meet all children's individual needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Records of learning show how that children are working comfortably within the typical range of development expected for their age. Staff invite parents to review their child's

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who attend

development record regularly. Any areas where children may need additional support are discussed and strategies agreed for working together to ensure children reach their full potential. Staff embrace any achievements that parent share from home and include this in their child's record, which promotes an effective complementary approach to promoting children's learning and development.

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who attend

Children have a positive attitude towards learning, confidently participating in the good range of activities and first-hand experiences provided. Staff support children's communication and language very well. Staff use positive teaching methods, such as giving clear explanations, asking challenging questions and introducing new ideas and vocabulary. Children enjoy listening to story time in a group or selecting a book for a member of staff to read to them. Children show delight in looking at the pictures and are beginning to understand that text carries meaning. For example, younger children confidently made the noise of a bee as they saw this in the story; staff encouraged children to predict what might happen next to promote their thinking skills. Staff asked good open-ended questions while reading the book, encouraging children to think about the colours of the bees and asking where they live. Children received lots of praise as they

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who attend

replied with the correct answer. This helps to develop children's recognition of colours and understanding of the world in preparation for future learning. Staff support children who are learning English as an additional language very well. For instance, staff ask parents for, and learn key words in the child's first language, to aid communication.

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who attend

Children write and draw pictures using a range of materials, including pens, paint, brushes and crayons. Mark-making equipment is readily available throughout the nursery. For example, one child became fully absorbed as she painted logs and highlighted the new colours she created when she combined the two. Children are developing early writing skills. For example, they make squiggles and lines on paper and happily share with their peers that they have written their names. This promotes their manipulative skills and recognition of colours. Children use the computer independently, displaying their confidence and competence within programs and with mouse-control skills. Therefore, children demonstrate their understanding of technology for particular purposes within their play and explorations effectively.

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who attend

Children clearly enjoy their time outside. Older and younger children mix well because the staff deploy themselves effectively while supporting children and extending their play. Children enjoyed riding bikes and tricycles, as well as running around and crawling through the open tents. Children enjoyed building using logs and wood. They created various-sized steps using their imaginative skills during role play as they climbed 'mountains' and built 'houses' that had 'pink bedrooms' for staff. This encompasses children's personal, social and emotional development through building positive relationships and enabling the environment to be changed to meet the children's current interests. Children are highly engaged in the water area. They emptied and filled containers and enthusiastically splashed in the water puddles. Children showed they enjoyed this experience by saying, 'That was so fun wasn't it?' However, there are

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who attend

instances when staff do not maximise opportunities to reinforce and extend mathematical learning. For example, on occasions staff did not extend older and more-able children's learning further in relation to the use of numerals, weight, measure and capacity.

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who attend

Staff support children with educational needs and/or disabilities very well to maximise their learning. They receive lots of one-to-one support and stimulation by the caring staff. Staff use individual educational plans and work alongside other professionals and parents to ensure that children's individual needs are met. Staff work closely with parents to establish very effective links building good relationships. Staff share children's learning and progress with parents through their learning journey records, daily discussions and regular parent consultation meetings and newsletters. Parents meet with key staff to discuss their child's development and learning and help complete the required progress check for two- year-old children.

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

Staff support children's well-being effectively and the key-person system works very well throughout the nursery. All children and their families receive a warm welcome in the nursery. Key persons build strong relationships with the children and their parents. This helps children's separation from their parents, puts children at ease, builds attachments and promotes their self-esteem. For example, children demonstrate this as they happily go and greet friends while parents talk to the staff or visitors. Resources, both indoors and outside, are of good quality, well organised and clearly labelled. Consequently, children actively make their own choices about what they play with. Staff review what children enjoy and the resources used, to provide activities that are open ended and further children's interests. For instance, staff restructured a planned activity with sand to follow children's interests when they asked to find buried treasure. Displays of children's work,

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

photographs and the activities they are involved in, are clearly evident around the room. This helps to promote children's sense of belonging.

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

Children in the nursery behave well. Staff's gentle, firm approach with children, set them good examples on which to model their behaviour. For example, while playing outside a child lifted his friend's hat up as it falls from his head. The other child thanked him with a lovely smile while a younger child observing the situation copied them and picked his own hat up as it fell, learning from his peers. Staff give good support to help children learn to share and take turns and help children to learn about the impact of their words and actions on others. Children are keen to help tidy away toys at the end of the session and this shows they are displaying a good awareness of responsibility and behaviour within the nursery. Consequently, behaviour is good throughout and children play cooperatively and happily with their peers. Children develop a good understanding of appropriate, acceptable behaviours and boundaries.

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

Staff promote children's good health very well. Healthy eating is promoted through a broad range of nutritious snacks and meals all prepared on the premises. Children eat good quality home-cooked food and staff take care to meet individual children's dietary needs and parents' preferences for children. Staff display menus for parents to see and all food is fresh. These include fruit and vegetables, along with drinks of milk and water. Meal times are a social occasion where children continue to learn about etiquette, such as good table manners and saying 'please' and 'thank you'. Children independently washed their hands before snack and lunchtime maintaining healthy practices. Children have access to the garden each day, which means they benefit from fresh air. They are able to play freely and develop their physical skills as they use a variety of equipment. Staff are enthusiastic in their approach to being outdoors and this means children adopt the same attitude. For

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

example, one member of staff showed children how to make sandcastles and how to stop the sand collapsing when they removed the bucket. The staff member then challenged children to see if they could also remove the bucket without the sand breaking down. Once children completed this, they supported their peers to develop their skills further. Staff promote all children's understanding of diversity effectively. Children have good opportunities to gain an awareness of individual differences as they use dolls, books, pictures, puppets, small-world toys and maps of the world that reflect positive images of difference.

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

Children are active learners and are developing a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They regularly take part in fire drills, with staff carefully explaining that on this occasion they are only practising so that they develop an understanding of how to evacuate in the event of an emergency. Staff help to keep children safe and secure within the nursery. Staff maintain good security measures, such as key-code locks on all entrances. Staff vet the identity of all visitors and record the visit to protect children's well- being. Staff carry out comprehensive written risk assessments of the premises, equipment and toys on a daily basis. This enables them to identify potential hazards and take prompt action to minimise the risks to children.

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

Links made with other early years providers are good. Staff support children effectively to make smooth transitions to other settings, such as when they move to school. Staff meet with teachers and other professionals to discuss individual children. They provide documentation such as assessments and individual education plans to the new teacher to promote continuity in learning. This supports children's well-being as they adjust to periods of change and transition.

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provision

The manager and staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All staff have attended safeguarding training. As a result, they have a clear understanding of child protection issues and are familiar with the signs and symptoms of abuse. There is a well- written policy and procedure to follow, and staff embed this fully in their practice. Staff understand the importance of following the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures should there be any child protection concerns and parents are informed of this duty of care. Robust recruitment and selection procedures, such as induction, appraisals, probationary periods and completion of checks pertaining to staff suitability, help to ensure that all staff are skilled. The deployment of staff is good and helps to ensure that children are well supervised and kept safe indoors and outdoors. The manager keeps

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provision

thorough records of accidents, medication and attendance to further protect children and promote their welfare.

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provision

The manager has inspired all staff since the last inspection to strive to provide the best possible care for children. The manager has high expectations and a positive desire to continually improve the nursery. Consequently, all staff are motivated and engaged in providing good-quality care and learning. The manager and staff reflect on and monitor the good implementation of the learning and development requirements. As a result, children are making good progress based on their starting points and developing the skills needed for future learning. The manager has begun to introduce peer observations where she observes staff and discusses with them what they are doing well. She also supports staff in any areas where they could improve their practice. However, there is scope for all staff to observe each other's practice and support one another to enhance further the good standard of teaching.

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provision

The management team use effective evaluation and monitoring processes to ensure that the nursery's strengths and areas for improvement are highlighted and addressed. The self-evaluation process takes into account the views of parents and other professionals, through discussion, to enhance further the service offered. Children have had an input into the plans for the future expansion and re-development of the outdoor play area. Staff foster partnership working well to meet the needs of children and their families. If children require additional support, the manager and staff have good links with other agencies, such as speech and language services and the local children's centre. Staff seek and respect parents' views. Parents spoken to on the day of inspection were full of praise for the staff and the care their children receive.

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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 101760 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 816828 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 43 Name of provider The Family Haven Date of previous inspection 17/05/2012 Telephone number 01452 422971

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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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