Dickory Docks Educational Day Nursery

Dickory Docks Educational Day Nursery Prospect School, Cockney Hill, Reading, RG30 4EX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/08/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 Parents are very happy with the care their children receive and the clear communication they have with the nursery.  The nursery is well resourced, with large outdoor spaces for children to exercise and explore.  Children are happy and settled, and as a result, they play confidently.  Staff are welcoming and develop positive relationships with the children and their parents, which supports children's confidence and sense of belonging.  Children have access to a large variety of resources, which ensure children are motivated to learn.

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It is not yet good because

 Children spend considerable amounts of time waiting for staff to complete tasks, which limits learning opportunities.  The quality of teaching and planning is variable. Staff do not always help children to resolve their differences, through positive interaction and explanation, or plan for their individual interests.  Registers of children in the nursery are not always accurate meaning staff are not always aware of how many children they are caring for.

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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 children at play, indoors and outdoors, and staff interactions with them.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documents including policies, registers, and children's records of their learning.  The inspector interviewed parents and took into account their views.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the management team, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector and the manager conducted a joint observation.

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Information about the setting

Dickory Docks Educational Nursery registered in 2014 and is privately owned. It operates from two buildings within the grounds of Prospect School, in the Tilehurst area of Reading. Children have access to a log cabin that serves the pre-school age range. They have access to two main base rooms and the manager's office, bathroom and kitchen facilities are also located in this building. The second building is located a short distance away from the main building and also contains two main base rooms for the toddler and baby age ranges. This area was under refurbishment during the inspection. Children share access to secure, outdoor play areas. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm throughout the year. Children come from a wide geographical area and attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is in receipt of funding for two-, three- and four-year-old children. There are currently 110 children in the early

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Information about the setting

years age range on roll. Twenty staff work with the children; of these 15 hold appropriate childcare qualifications.

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must:

 ensure the daily attendance register is fully completed with all of the names of the children who are attending each session

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must:

 monitor the quality of teaching to ensure good quality staff interaction with the children to improve their learning and make sure all staff use the observations on children to identify their interests and stage of development and then plan for each child's individual needs and the next steps in their learning.

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

 encourage children to be more independent, by teaching them to resolve minor conflicts themselves and by enabling them to develop self-care skills at snack time

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

 improve the organisation of routines and activities so that children do not spend time waiting and unoccupied, in order to maximise their play and learning opportunities throughout the day.

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who attend

Children in this newly registered nursery enjoy the large range of experiences available to them, which generally support their learning and development. Staff plan for children and provide them with activities that cover the seven areas of learning. This enables them to make progress within the typical range of development in relation to their starting points. However, the quality of teaching is variable because staff do not always plan activities to reflect the children's individual interests, meaning some children quickly lose interest in the topic. This is especially the case in whole group sessions, which are often lengthy and require children to sit and listen for extended periods of time. Consequently, children lose concentration and move about, which prevents them from making consistently good progress.

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who attend

Staff regularly observe children and have a good understanding of their stages of developments. Parents are closely involved in their children's progress. Staff share and celebrate children's achievements publically through the 'WOW!' board at the front of the nursery. This enhances children's self-esteem and strengthens the working partnerships between the setting and the parents. Each child has a comprehensive learning journey that documents children's progress while they have been in the nursery. These also contain progress checks on two-year-old children. In addition, the end-of-year summary reports give parents clear feedback on their child's progress. Parents contribute to this information and this effective communication between home and nursery ensures children's needs are quickly met.

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who attend

Children have access to, and can freely choose from, a broad and balanced range of resources that support their learning. Resources are stored at children's height, which supports children's independence during their self-selected play. Well-stocked writing and drawing tables allow children to develop writing and drawing skills and toddlers enjoy watching the marks crayons leave behind on large pieces of paper.

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who attend

Children make use of well-resourced outdoor areas, which provide plenty of opportunities for children to engage in physical play and enjoy the space and fresh air. Staff encourage children to play outdoors in all weathers and children delight in jumping in muddy puddles while wearing their wellington boots. Staff promote children's creativity outside and they enjoy making cakes and pies in the mud kitchen. Children develop core muscle strength as they bounce on space hoppers and make use of logs and climbing equipment to climb and balance.

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who attend

Staff do not always use explanation to help children to resolve minor conflicts independently. For example, when children argue over a chair, staff move children on without any conversation about what happened or how to resolve it. As a result, children miss opportunities to learn about how to solve problems. Staff intervene, saying things like 'stop' and 'no' and take things away from children without any discussion about cause and effect. This limits children's ability to learn from issues when they arise.This also reduces opportunities for children to engage in discussions and to improve their language and listening skills further.

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who attend

The youngest children delight in watching the goldfish in a tank and staff respond to their interest by talking to them, modelling vocabulary such as 'gold fish' and 'swimming'. Children in turn echo the words the staff have used, which helps them to develop their vocabulary and to interact with the living world. When staff focus on language children respond well and begin to use words more frequently.However, there are times when staff do not always extend children's language effectively. At times, opportunities to use language are missed when children approach staff, or when they are sitting alone in their buggies in the garden.

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who attend

There is a strong emphasis on celebrating diversity in the nursery and children and their families benefit from sharing how they celebrate different festivals and events in their cultures. Children enjoy looking at a large, interactive, multicultural display of artefacts and images that celebrate diversity, which children have brought in from their homes. This has fostered a positive and welcoming entry to the nursery and children enjoy pointing out objects, which encourage conversation about different cultures, languages and faiths.

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

Staff create a welcoming and nurturing environment. As a result, children enjoy their time at the nursery and develop close bonds with the staff who care for them. All children have a key person to help them become confident and develop emotional security. Staff have a thorough understanding of the care needs of the children in their care and children confidently approach staff for reassurance and cuddles. Children eagerly involve staff in their play and are comfortable spending time with them and sharing experiences. For example, babies and toddlers sit with staff and collaboratively build towers from blocks, clapping excitedly as they fall.

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

The organisation of the day limits children's opportunities to play. For example, children often spend a considerable time waiting for staff to prepare activities, set up for meals and snack, or getting ready to go out to play. This means they are not engaged with their learning. Due to boredom, children often get restless and misbehave. As an example, staff prepared tables for snack time and children wandered around with nothing to do as all play activities had been tidied away. Staff did not use this opportunity to encourage children to take a lead role in helping prepare snack or serve themselves. Consequently, children had fewer opportunities to develop their independence and self-care skills at this time.

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

Staff have strong and supportive relationships with parents who speak highly of the staff and the care they give their children. Parents comment positively about the many forms of communication offered which includes daily diaries, learning records and regular meetings to discuss children's progress. Parents can also access newsletters, a website, emails, and daily face-to-face communication about the events in the nursery. Parents feel this close communication ensures their children's needs are quickly met. Children develop healthy lifestyles and learning routines that they will need throughout life. Older children independently wash their hands after using the toilet and understand the need to, 'wash the germs away.' Children develop strength and coordination through regular daily opportunities to balance on planks in the outdoor area, and hop across large wooden disks, and use slides and climbing equipment. Children enjoy healthy snacks such

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

as pears, milk and water, and enjoy well-balanced meals such as cheesy pasta and peas, all provided by the cook who prepares meals on site. The menu has been revised in response to a parents' questionnaire and now offers a large variety of multicultural foods on a rotating menu. Children have access to drinking water throughout the day.

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

Staff follow hygienic practices throughout the nursery. Systems are in place to ensure that staff are aware of children with allergies. Staff keep a log of accidents, first aid treatment and any medication given to children and staff take time to talk to parents about any accidents children may have had in the nursery.

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provision

The manager and owners of the nursery demonstrate an appropriate knowledge of the Safeguarding and Welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, during the inspection attendance registers did not accurately reflect the number of children in the nursery and their time of arrival. Consequently, staff were not aware of how many children were on the premises and this impacts on children's safety in the event of an emergency evacuation. This is a breach of statutory requirements and means the Childcare Register requirements are not met. Despite this, children were well supervised at all times. There was no significant impact on the children because the management took immediate action to ensure registers were corrected. All staff have received safeguarding training and demonstrate they understand their role in child protection, and how to report and record any concerns they have. Staff carry out regular risk assessments and

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provision

demonstrate a sufficient understanding of how to reduce risks for children.

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provision

The management team are committed to improving the quality of the nursery and continually reflect on their practice. They have implemented many improvements to the nursery within six months of opening. They demonstrate a close and effective working team with an ambition to embed continuous improvements. For example, they have recently invested in new equipment to monitor who can access the building using fingerprint recognition technology, adding to the security of the nursery. They are also undergoing complete refurbishment of their baby and toddler building and driving forward with ambitious plans.

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provision

The nursery works closely with other agencies such as the local authority, for advice on funding and improving provision. They also work closely with professionals who support children with additional needs, such as Speech Therapists. Consequently, children with additional needs are well-supported in the nursery.

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provision

The nursery staff have robust systems which support them to improve their practice. The staff are well supported in their roles and work well as a team. This demonstrates a committed approach to improving opportunities for the children. Staff have regular appraisals and supervision meetings and new staff have a thorough induction which allows them to develop an understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Staff have regular training in areas of need identified by the management team. For example, staff have recently completed training on how to support children's language lead by a Speech and Language advisor. However, this is not yet fully embedded in everyday practice.

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provision

The nursery has a varied range of documentation, policies and procedures in place and this supports them in providing a safe environment for children to learn. Documentation includes suitability checks of all staff, first aid and staff qualifications, relevant to childcare. Parents contribute their views of current practice and procedures through questionnaires and staff are proactive in identifying areas to develop during team meetings and through their appraisals.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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

 ensure there is 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).  ensure there is 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. 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 EY473739 Local authority Reading Inspection number 962210 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 114 Number of children on roll 110 Name of provider Reading Daycare Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01189598252

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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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