Caterpillars Day NurseryOfsted inspection, 23 Jul 2014

Caterpillars Day Nursery Kingston Liberal Synagogue, Rushett Road, THAMES DITTON, Surrey, KT7 0UX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/07/2014 10/07/2009

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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

 Children take part in a broad range of activities and experiences both indoors and outdoors. As a result, they make good progress in their learning in relation to their age, starting points and capabilities.  Children show good levels of confidence and independence, and are motivated to learn.  Staff are skilled and proactive in using good questioning techniques to promote and extend children's thinking, language and learning.  Staff work closely with parents. They use effective communication systems to ensure that parents are kept well informed about the setting.  The leadership and management of the setting is strong. The management team and staff have a clear vision of the strong practice they are promoting and all members of staff are involved to promote good practice.  There are robust systems in place to monitor and improve practice to enable children to thrive within the setting.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although staff provide opportunities for children to develop their mathematical skills, they do not always make the most of opportunities to fully engage and extend ideas and knowledge of numbers with older children.  Children have fewer opportunities to see letters within the environment and to link letters to sound, to continue developing their literacy 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 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 in all rooms, spoke to the staff, observed staff in their roles, and viewed the outdoor area play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to a number of staff to explore their knowledge of the setting's policies and procedures, and their role as a key worker.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with some parents to gather their views about the service they and their children receive.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed play resources accessible to children, and systems used for self-evaluation.  The inspector carried out a shared observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Caterpillars Nursery was registered in 2008. The nursery operates from two rooms within the premises of the Kingston Liberal Synagogue, which is situated in Long Ditton, in Surrey. There are suitable kitchen and toilet facilities, and one toilet is suitable for wheelchair access. There is an area for outdoor play enclosed with secure fencing and there are remote-controlled electronically operated gates. The nursery is open Monday to Friday term-time only from 8.45am to 12.15pm. The nursery also offers an extended session for children to stay for lunch from 12.15pm to 1.15pm. The afternoon sessions are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12.15pm to 2.45pm. There are currently 55 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The nursery supports children who are learning English as an additional language. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision for free early education for children aged two, three and four.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs nine members of staff, of whom seven hold appropriate early years qualifications, including one who has Early Years Professional Status. The setting receives support from the local authority Early Years team.

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

 increase opportunities during play to extend and enhance number and counting skills of more able children

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

 increase opportunities for children to see letters within the setting and to link letters to sounds.

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who attend

The management and staff team have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. They make effective use of their knowledge to help all children make good progress in their all-round development. Staff interact well with the children. They use varied questioning techniques to help children learn, giving children time to respond For example, during adult-led craft activities staff ask, 'What do you think?' This question prompts children to think for themselves and to use descriptive language to respond to the question. Staff also use a good balance of adult-led and child- initiated activities. The quality of staff teaching is good. Staff work very well with parents when they settle their child into the nursery, to obtain initial observations of children to ascertain their starting points. Staff then carry out planning and provide activities based on their learning needs and interests. All staff effectively monitor the learning and

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who attend

development of their key children. Staff are able to identify children's overall progress. Staff carry out progress checks for children aged between two and five years and provide written summaries to parents. This helps to identify areas where children may require support so that staff can take appropriate action, and progress checks help to keep parents informed of their children's development. The staff work closely with parents and share information about their children's learning and development. They use wipe boards, displays, daily discussion, communication diaries and regular parents' meetings to ensure parents remain fully informed of their children's learning and details of what the nursery is doing.

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who attend

Children have excellent opportunities to develop an understanding of the world. For example, they have learnt about the importance of recycling. Children who stay for lunch are proactive in disposing their bottles and packaging in the appropriate recycling bins. Staff successfully support children's skills in using programmable equipment. They access equipment, such as, computerised and programmable toys and equipment to develop their knowledge and skills when using technology. Children are also learning about the natural world. For example, they enjoy planting herbs, fruit and vegetables, such as, oregano and tomatoes. Children learning English as an additional language are thriving within the nursery. The staff obtain keywords in children's mother tongues and use their various languages within the labelling in the nursery. This enables children to value and appreciate all languages. Staff, overall, are proactive in encouraging children's literacy and reading

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who attend

skills. They use labelling well within the environment. For example, storage units, areas within the rooms and displays are labelled clearly. Children also have good opportunities to make marks. This encourages all children's early understanding of how and why we use writing. However, there are fewer opportunities and less consistency for more able children to see the alphabet and link letters to sounds within the nursery. Children have access to a well-resourced comfortable book corner. Children's mathematical development is fostered well. They play games, such as, snakes and ladders, and create number lines. However, during these activities staff do not effectively challenge more able children sufficiently extend their understanding of mathematical concepts further. These activities help children to learn skills for their future learning and their move on to school. All children have regular opportunities to take part in a range of expressive arts and design

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who attend

activities. This is evident from the photographic displays around the nursery of children participating in such activities and displays of their art work. All of which gives children a sense of pride and achievement.

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

Children are happy and settled within the nursery and have developed secure bonds with the staff. This develops their confidence and self-esteem. The nursery is welcoming and well-equipped. There are a wide variety of age-appropriate resources available for children to choose from both indoors and outside. Staff are proactive in promoting children's understanding of healthy lifestyles through effective daily opportunities. For example, children learn to manage their own personal needs when they wash their hands before snacks. Staff follow effective procedures for changing nappies, such as, using gloves and wiping changing mats after each use. This helps reduce the risk of cross-infection. Children have access to healthy meals and snacks. The nursery operates a snack bar which encourages children's independence. For example, they cut up different fruits and pour their own drinks. Children have daily opportunities to play outside each day and

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

enjoy fresh air and exercise. They practise their physical skills by riding bikes, skilfully manoeuvring around obstacles or playing action games.

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

Staff supervise children appropriately. They help children learn about risks and how to keep themselves safe when they show them how to use equipment safety. For example, they explain to the children why they should not rock on chairs and how to use scissors correctly. Children take part in regular fire drills so that everyone knows what to do in an emergency. Staff are consistent in their approach to behaviour management and deal with children's behaviour very well. They take time to talk to children about the importance of sharing and working together. There is a named person for behaviour management who updates her knowledge on a regular basis, and then cascades her knowledge to the staff team. The nursery has a positive approach towards inclusion. They work closely in partnership with parents to fully meet the individual needs of all children. Staff show a comprehensive understanding of each child's unique needs and have detailed information

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

on child record forms of individual requirements. A variety of resources and displays around the base rooms depict positive images of diversity, including those of culture, gender and disability.

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provision

The management team and the staff manager are aware of how to meet the safeguarding and welfare, and the learning and development requirements. The designated person for safeguarding completes regular training to keep her knowledge up to date. Staff also have a secure knowledge of the safeguarding and child protection arrangements to follow in the event of a concern about a child. There are robust risk assessments implemented to enable children to stay safe in a well-organised environment, both indoors and outside. For example, external doors and fire exits are fitted with alarms, covers are fitted to lower electrical sockets and fire safety equipment is in place. There are rigorous recruitment procedures implemented to check the suitability of all staff working with the children. All staff are appropriately vetted and the relevant details are recorded to show when checks were carried out.

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provision

There is a good range of policies and procedures to inform parents and to guide staff in their practice. More than half of the staff team hold recognised childcare qualifications. The management team encourages regular training for all staff. This reflects the strength of the leadership team and commitment to supporting continual professional development. Staff benefit from regular supervision and yearly appraisals. They are involved in all aspects of the evaluation of the nursery to improve outcomes for children. They are also allocated roles within the nursery to further promote their personal development and accountability. The management team have a clear vision for improvement in the nursery.

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provision

Self-evaluation systems are effectively implemented and focus on improving outcomes for children. The staff team, parents, children and local authority advisors are all involved in this process. Action plans are set and the management team monitors the success of these. There is a strong drive for effective continuous improvement. All actions and recommendations from the previous inspection have been completed. The nursery has improved opportunities for children to explore information communication technology and to see and hear their home languages in their play and learning.

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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 EY368703 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 815574 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 55 Number of children on roll 55 Name of provider Rebecca Haughton Date of previous inspection 10/07/2009 Telephone number 0208 873 2405

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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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