Little Holland Nursery

Munchkins 44 York Road, Holland on Sea, Essex, CO15 5NN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/07/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 quality of teaching is good because staff use resources well to extend children's learning, hold their interest and provide challenge.  Staff work in close partnership with parents and others involved in the children's development, to ensure a consistent and appropriate approach to their learning and development.  Staff create a bright, stimulating and well-thought-out learning environment where children have many choices and lead their own play and learning.  Staff support children's emotional well-being as they take time to get to know them well and provide a flexible approach to settling children which meets their varied, individual needs.  Children are safe and secure on the premises because staff give high priority to safety and fully understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children.  The drive, commitment and passion of the managers is very apparent and staff strive

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This provision is good

to ensure that children have the best start in life possible.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not take every opportunity to support children to think about their own behaviour and help them to make better choices for the future.

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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 in all the play rooms and the outdoor learning environment.  The inspector had a tour of the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the managers of the provision, spoke to staff and interacted with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of qualifications and suitability of staff working within the setting, the provider's self-evaluation and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of inspection.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Munchkins was registered in 2014 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a converted house in the Holland-on-Sea area of Essex. It is owned and managed by a limited company and serves the local area. The nursery operates from four main rooms and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm throughout the year. They also run an after school and holiday club for school age children. There are currently 38 children attending, of whom 32 are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery employs five members of childcare staff, including one of the owners. Four of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The manager has Early Years Professional

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Information about the setting

Status, two staff have qualifications at level 3 and one at level 2. Two members of staff are currently working towards a qualification or further qualifications.

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

 make the most of every opportunity to promote children's understanding of their behaviour, to encourage them to think about their actions, consider alternatives and enable them to make better choices in the future.

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who attend

The quality of teaching in the nursery is good. Staff keep regular observations of children's play, which they assess and use to inform their planning. They plan activities around topics in which children have expressed an interest. For example, they turned a room into a space station and enjoy role-play in the seaside cafe. Staff support the children's learning further by encouraging them to think for themselves and solve their own problems. They ask them questions and provide a range of additional resources to extend their learning further. For example, they ask the children what is happening to the ice in an activity where they are thawing it to reveal the sparkly resources, 'treasure', they froze in the water earlier. They provide children with sieves, tweezers and magnifying glasses to enable them to explore the treasures and pick them up. Even the very young children are becoming skilled at using the tweezers, developing their physical and coordination skills.

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who attend

Children are acquiring the skills and attitudes needed for the next stage of their development and their eventual move into school. They are curious and inquisitive as they explore their learning environment and take an interest in insects under logs in the garden. They learn about the life cycle of butterflies as they feed the caterpillars and watch butterflies hatch from a chrysalis. They take an interest in letters and numbers in the print rich environment and older children are beginning to write their own names. Children under two years benefit from playing with the older children and quickly learn new skills. For example, they climb up the tyres in the garden and peg washing out on the low-level clothes line.

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who attend

Staff work closely with parents and other agencies involved with the children to ensure they receive a consistent approach to their learning and development. Parents are invited to open-afternoons where they share their child's records with their key person and help decide on the next steps in their development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well, especially with their communication, language and physical skills. Staff are keen to increase their own skills in signing further to enable them to support all children's communication. They have plans to introduce signing into songs, rhymes and daily routines.

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

Children settle very well. Staff are sensitive to their individual needs and work closely with parents to ensure their emotional well-being is supported effectively. For example, arrangements are made for children who find it difficult to separate from their parents to come into the nursery a little early, or into a quieter room. This valuable flexibility ensures that new children have time and a quiet space to settle with their key person and feel secure. Children build close bonds and attachments with their key person and come to them for comfort and cuddles throughout the day. Children under the age of two years are becoming familiar with the rooms used by the older children as they often share all areas with them. This helps when it is their turn to move into the older room and ensures that transitions are smooth. Older children are supported emotionally for their move into school as they role-play schools, share books about school and dress-up in school uniform.

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

Children feel safe and secure in the bright and stimulating environment. They are gaining an understanding of risk through activities that encourage them to explore their environment. For example, even the very young children can negotiate the step from the lawn to the paving. They turn around and climb down before carrying on to collect water to take back to pour into the sand. They learn to keep themselves safe on nursery outings as they happily travel in the push-along bus and staff teach them road safety and safety on the beach. On the whole, children behave well. They understand right from wrong as well as the simple nursery rules. Staff use positive strategies and distraction to encourage appropriate behaviour. However, occasionally when children misbehave, staff do not always take every opportunity to support them to think about their actions and make better choices for future behaviour.

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

Children have many opportunities to learn about healthy lifestyles as they enjoy the varied, balanced, home-cooked meals that are provided. They independently serve themselves at lunch time and at snack time have a choice of fruits. Drinks are available throughout the day and children access them from a low-level table and carry them outside on hot days to ensure they are hydrated. They play outdoors daily and have the space and resources to support them develop their physical skills. Visits to the park provide additional opportunities for them to practice their climbing and balancing skills. Nappy changing procedures are robust and staff work closely with parents to support children with toilet training. Children's home routines are followed and those that need daytime sleeps use a cot or a pushchair, depending on parent or child preferences. Sleeping children are checked at regular intervals to ensure their safety. Some bring their

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

own comforters and clean bedding is provided for each child to help limit the spread of infection.

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provision

Staff give a high priority to children's safety. They fully understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children from abuse or neglect. A clear set of policies and procedures supports their practice and staff are confident to follow them when necessary. Robust staff recruitment procedures ensures that all staff are suitable to work with young children. New members of staff and trainees undergo thorough induction procedures to ensure that they have a full understanding of all policies and procedures. Risk assessments are thorough and effective safety measures ensure the premises are safe and secure. For example, children cannot leave the premises unsupervised and unauthorised persons cannot gain access. Staff ratios are adhered to and effective staff deployment ensures that children are supervised at all times.

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provision

This new nursery has only been open for a few months. The keen and dedicated managers and staff team have worked hard to make it a bright, stimulating and exciting learning environment where children can explore freely. Managers are passionate about providing the very best they can for all children and their enthusiasm is infectious throughout the whole staff team. The team successfully reflects on all areas of the provision and make the most of the rooms and resources. They continuously monitor each area of the nursery to ensure that it is used to its best advantage to benefit the children. For example, the sensory room is resourced with a wide range of natural and house-hold items which children love to explore. They delight in throwing the shredded paper up and watching it fall like snow onto their friends, staff and visitors. Staff use their qualifications well to deliver good quality teaching to children, which ensures that children make

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provision

consistently good progress in their learning and development. They are keen to increase their own knowledge and skills further and staff development is fully supported. They bring back ideas learnt on recent training which they present to the rest of the staff team and use to improve practice. For example, risk assessments are understood better and as a result, are thorough and successfully ensure hazards are minimised.

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provision

Staff work very well in partnership with others. They work closely with tutors who are supporting trainees as well as with the local authority to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff make good use of the local amenities, not just for visits, but they also borrow resources from the local children's centre. Through introducing additional resources they have been able to assess which ones are the most popular and then make plans to purchase their own. For example, they have plans to buy their own soft play equipment to enable children to develop their physical skills further. Partnerships with the local schools are developing well as they visit school fetes and meet with teachers and head teachers. These links are valuable in building strong relationships to support children to prepare for their move into school. Parents are very happy and speak highly of the staff team. They value the opportunities they have to be involved in

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provision

their child's learning within the setting and feel very well informed.

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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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 EY473000 Local authority Essex Inspection number 953131 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Munchkins Childcare Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07803237754

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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