Victoria Park Day Nursery CIC

Victoria Park Day Nursery CIC The Pavillion, Jemmett Road, ASHFORD, Kent, TN23 4QD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/09/2014 02/07/2012

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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

 Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding matters and give high priority to children's safety.  Staff have positive relationships with parents, helping to meet children's individual needs and promote continuity of care and learning.  Children have interesting learning activities to help them make progress in all areas of learning and begin to develop their own interests and ideas.  Clear self-evaluation has identified areas for development and there is a continuous programme of improvement to consistently provide good quality care for all children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not fully support children to explore literacy in the outdoor environment.  Staff do not always fully extend children's communication and language skills.

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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 compulsory part 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's play and staffs' interactions, indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled relevant documentation, including children's developmental records.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the provider about their understanding of the learning and development and safeguarding and welfare requirements.

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Information about the setting

Victoria Park Day Nursery originally opened in 1996 and re-registered in 2012 after a change of organisation. It operates from two rooms in the pavilion, in the grounds of Victoria Park in Ashford, Kent. There is a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The building is accessed through the park and there is car parking nearby. It is open each weekday from 9am to 3pm, term time only. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. There are currently 41 children in the early years age range on roll. The nursery provides funded early education for two, three and four year-old children. The nursery supports 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

There are eight members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years National Vocational qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 develop children's communication and language skills further by using probing questions and by providing detailed explanations

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

 provide children with more opportunities to explore books and see signs in the outdoor environment to encourage their interest in literacy.

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who attend

Staff provide the children with an interesting array of activities and resources, which immediately engage them. All staff have a strong understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, which helps to support children's learning and development effectively. All staff interact well with the children and generally ask appropriate questions to encourage them to predict what will happen, as well as praising them to try new experiences and have a go. Children enjoy exploring the mud kitchen, decorating the mud cakes with grass. Staff broadened the children's experiences, comparing and contrasting as they look to see which is the longest piece of grass and whether it is wider than their cake. Consequently, children have good opportunities to improve their mathematical knowledge. There is a good balance of both adult led and child-initiated activities. Staff make good use of spontaneous events as they collect the large spider one of the children

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who attend

found. Staff extended the activity further as they examined it with the children. For instance, they looked to see how many legs it had and the staff member found a book about spiders.

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who attend

Children enjoy sharing books and eagerly listen as staff read them stories about animals. Staff encouraged the children to hold up their chosen animal when it appeared in the book, reinforcing words with objects to increase the children's vocabulary. Staff provide the children with many opportunities to see words and signs in the playrooms, however there are limited opportunities for children to learn that words have meaning in the outdoor environment. Children enjoy chattering away with staff and friends and were eager to talk about what they had been doing while on holiday. Staff listen to the children and generally respond well by asking appropriate questions. However, staff occasionally miss opportunities to fully expand children's knowledge by asking open-ended questions and fully explaining what is happening.

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who attend

Staff observe the children regularly to assess their learning. They keep accurate records of their progress, which means they have a good understanding of the children's individual abilities in all areas of learning. Staff make effective use of their assessments to plan activities based on the children's interests and stage of development. Good settling in procedures helps to ensure that staff establish what children can do when they first start at nursery. The staff are efficient and professional in creating individual play plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those learning English as a second language, to ensure they receive the right support. Staff make good use of visual aids to help children with limited speech to learn daily routines. They provide the children with educational programmes that offer them interesting and challenging activities that are suited to all their needs.

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

Children are extremely happy as they arrive at nursery, as staff and friends greet them warmly. The strong key-person system supports staff to develop a strong bond with their key-children. Staff carry out home visits as well as offering parents stay and play sessions. Staff have forged positive relationships with all parents; they exchange information on a daily basis, as well as more formally at parent's evenings. Staff complete the progress check at age two as well as reports ready for children moving on to school.

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

Staff provide a safe environment for children, by conducting regular health and safety checks throughout the day. They regularly practise fire drills with the children to remind them of the procedures to follow to keep themselves safe. Staff deploy themselves well throughout the session to maintain the safety of children at all times. As a result, children inquisitively explore their surroundings, interacting with interesting play resources and activities. All staff have a good understanding of how to organise the nursery so that children feel valued and accepted. Children, including those who are receiving support from specialist services, enjoy being at the nursery and show confidence in staff who successfully enhance their self-reliance and progress. There is good liaison with other schools and professional agencies that provide help and advice so that no child is disadvantaged. This ensures that all children make good progress.

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

Children behave well; they are kind to their friends and quick to help staff tidy up. Staff encourage the children to take turns, for example when using the tap on the water butt to fill watering cans. Staff are good role models, they join in the children's play demonstrating how to share and be polite to friends. As a result, children are learning good manners. Staff support the children's well-being through the effective provision for their personal, social and emotional development.

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

Mealtimes are social occasions. At snack times the children sit in small groups to enjoy the variety of foods on offer. They pour their own drinks and help tidy up plates and cups. At lunchtimes children sit in large groups to eat their healthy packed lunches prepared by parents. Staff encourage the children to try to open packaging and offer lots of praise for their achievements. Children have water available to them throughout the day. They are able to use the toilets independently and staff check to make sure they wash their hands thoroughly after using the toilets and before meals. Staff show the children who have not managed to get all the mud off their hands how to wash them thoroughly. Staff are supporting the children to learn good care practices as they learn about good hygiene routines.

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

Children have many opportunities to engage in physical activities. They practised new movements as they crawled on the floor going on a dinosaur hunt, as well as climbing to the top of the slide developing strong muscles and co-ordination. Children need little encouragement to play outside, the exciting assortment of activities and resources on offer immediately entice them to explore in the fresh air. Therefore, staff strengthen children's interests in developing a healthy lifestyle.

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provision

The management team have addressed all the recommendations from the previous inspections, demonstrating a commitment to self-evaluation and improving practice. They have a good understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement. Nursery staff take into account the views of parents and children when reflecting on the service they provide. The management team have clear action plans in place to drive the nursery forward, which improves the outcomes for children.

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provision

The manager and staff work well together as a team, creating a welcoming environment within the nursery. Staff effectively monitor the children's progress to enable them to plan a challenging and stimulating environment. They put in place targeted plans to address any concerns and ensure that all children receive the best care and learning experiences.

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provision

The secure settling in procedures helps to ensure that a good two way flow of information is established from the beginning, which supports all children, especially those who have English as an additional language. Parents receive regular newsletters as well as having a designated notice board with information on local services and groups. Parents spoken to were very pleased with the support they received from all staff. These close connections staff form with parents, means that children receive the right support they need as soon as they start at the nursery.

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provision

The management team have a very good understanding of their responsibility to ensure they meet requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are committed to providing a high quality service for all children and their families. The records, policies and procedures are well organised and regularly reviewed to effectively support staff in their role in protecting children. Staff are aware of the safeguarding procedures to follow to keep children safe at all times. Staff use comprehensive risk assessments to ensure the safety of the premises. They carry out daily checks to identify any potential hazards and minimise risks. Thorough recruitment and vetting processes help to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Regular supervision and annual appraisals enable on-going professional development. The management recognises the importance of training and encourage all staff to regularly attend training sessions. The nursery has recently joined

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provision

with other providers so that they can support each other and share best practice. Staff encourage the teachers from local schools to visit; they share information about the child's stage of development and interests. This helps to make the children's eventual move to school as smooth as possible.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY439746 Local authority Kent Inspection number 845588 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 41 Name of provider Victoria Park Day Nursery CIC Date of previous inspection 02/07/2012 Telephone number 01233 632313

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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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