University Of Chester - Kingsway Buildings Nursery

University Of Chester, Kingsway Buildings Nursery Kingsway, Newton, Chester, CH2 2LB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/09/2014 06/05/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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 knowledge and understanding of how to effectively safeguard children. They are aware of the different types of abuse and know how to identify signs and symptoms to help keep children safe. Staff also follow good procedures to restrict the inappropriate use of mobile telephones and cameras in the nursery.  Children's communication and language development is promoted well in this welcoming and inviting nursery. Staff interact well with children and promote the good characteristics of effective learning. As a result, the quality of teaching is very good.  Staff form close attachments with children and are caring and sensitive to their individual needs. This supports children's emotional well-being very well.  Staff work closely with other professionals to ensure gaps in children's development are closely monitored and targeted. Consequently, children make good progress.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not fully explore a wider range of strategies to engage all parents actively in their children's learning to further extend their good progress.

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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 play and learning activities and spoke to staff and children indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and looked at and discussed a range of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of children's assessment files and progress tracking information and spoke to their key persons.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with the children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and viewed their written comments.

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Information about the setting

University Of Chester, Kingsway Buildings Nursery was registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is one of two nurseries privately owned by the University of Chester. The nursery operates from within the University in Newton, Chester. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, all year round, except for bank holidays and Christmas week. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children have access to enclosed outdoor play areas. There are currently 60 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those, who speak English as an additional language. There are currently 12 staff working directly with the children. One member of staff is unqualified and 11 members of

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Information about the setting

staff hold an appropriate early years qualification. Of these, three have qualifications at level 6, two have qualifications at level 5, one has a qualification at level 4, four have qualifications at level 3 and one has a qualification at level 2. 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:

 build on the already good partnerships with parents, in order to promote even more effective sharing of information about children's learning.

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who attend

Children make very good progress in this stimulating and well-organised nursery. Staff are energetic and experienced in working with children in early years. They are well qualified and have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff use this to effectively promote children's development across the seven areas of learning. They support children's communication and language development throughout the day in a wide range of activities and interactions. For example, staff working with children sing lots of nursery rhymes and encourage them to participate in action songs as they stand on a pretend stage outside. Children enjoy the animated actions and learn new words to favourite songs. Pre-school children enjoy story time outside and listen attentively during circle time. Staff offer extra encouragement to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that they are able to participate in activities.

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who attend

Children, who speak English as an additional language, are well supported by staff, who provide lots of visual prompts in different languages. Resources and equipment are labelled in different languages to promote diversity within the nursery. Children's group sizes are managed very well as staff ensure that they move around the nursery in small groups. Staff provide children with a broad range of activities that are purposeful and developmentally appropriate. For example, younger children are encouraged to mix different ingredients and use age-appropriate resources. Children enjoy tipping out flour and mixing in water and food colouring. They become active learners and describe to staff what they are doing. Staff use skilful questioning with pre-school children to promote the effective characteristics of learning. They provide children with resources to explore and foster their interest and motivate them to think about solutions to problems. As a result,

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who attend

Children benefit from a good range of child-initiated and adult-led activities. Staff carefully plan for their individual groups and ensure that children's next steps in learning are targeted through purposeful and interesting activities. Children's interests are noted and staff plan activities that will capture their curiosity and motivate them to learn. Consequently, children display good levels of concentration and they are engaged in their play. Staff help children to acquire skills and positive attitudes that will assist them in their future learning. For example, they encourage children to respect each other's views and to take turns speaking during circle time. Children develop their own self-care skills, so that they become increasingly independent and are able to tend to personal tasks, such as toileting and being responsible for small chores.

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who attend

Staff monitor children's progress very closely. They complete regular observations and assessments of children's development and use these to identify their next steps in learning. Information is sought from parents and used to ascertain children's initial starting points in their development. The progress check for children aged between two and three years is completed in time to share with health visitors and parents. Consequently, children make good progress in their learning and development. Parents are encouraged to view their children's records whenever they like. However, staff have not yet developed highly successful strategies to further engage parents, so that they have opportunities to discuss their children's achievements.

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

The key-person system is well established in the nursery. Parents are informed of their children's key person on entry and there are colourful displays in each area to remind them of this. There is a secondary key person, who takes over when the main key person is not present. This ensures that children's individual needs are well met and catered for. Staff work very hard to ensure that children are settled and feel content. Young babies, who have just started at the nursery, are given lots of attention and affection to help them form good attachments with their key person. Staff in the baby room are very experienced. They liaise closely with parents to ensure that they are fully aware of children's normal routines, so they can emulate sleep and rest periods. This supports children's emotional well-being very well. Parents comment that they are very happy with how their children have settled into nursery and how they enjoy coming and spending

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

Staff consider children's individual needs very carefully. Younger children are allowed plenty of time to adjust to their next group as staff offer settling-in days. Pre-school children are given plenty of opportunities to talk about moving onto school and what this will entail. Staff emulate school routines as they teach children to line up and wait for their names to be called out. This helps to prepare children for the next stages of their future learning. Children's behaviour is managed well in the nursery. There is a strong emphasis on children respecting each other's views and encouraging them to develop their personal, social and emotional skills. Staff gently remind children to be kind to each other and take turns. As a result, children are very well behaved and considerate to each others needs.

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

Children's independence is promoted well in the nursery. They are able to move freely between the indoor and outside learning environment, accessing a wide variety of resources. This allows children to follow their preferred area of learning and maximises on their ability to choose activities of interest to them. This fosters children's enjoyment and capacity to learn. Children learn about being healthy and benefit from daily physical exercise and fresh air. They have access to fresh drinking water, so that they can manage their own thirst. Mealtimes are a very sociable occasion where children are given the responsibility of handing out cutlery and other utensils. This helps to foster their independence and self-care skills. The environment is clean and well maintained. Staff encourage children to become involved in cleaning coupe cars and provide them with sponges and shaving foam. This allows children to carry out tasks for a real purpose and

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

become responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of their toys and equipment. There are laminated posters outside showing details of how to safely cross roads. This helps children to learn about managing their own safety when outside the nursery. Staff remind children to walk indoors and explain that they may hurt themselves if they run. As a result, children are beginning to assess and manage risk inside the nursery.

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provision

Leadership and management are very effective. Managers work closely with staff to ensure that they are aware of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of how to effectively safeguard children. They understand about the different types of abuse and are aware of the signs and symptoms. Staff know what action to take if they had a concern about children's welfare or if an allegation is made against a member of staff. Mobile telephone and camera use are restricted and staff follow good practices in adhering to nursery policy and procedures. Visitor identification is obtained and recorded, so that staff have an accurate record of all visitors. Detailed risk assessments are carried out and supplemented by daily checks on the indoor and outside environment. As a result, children's safety and welfare are given high priority.

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provision

Staff are experienced, qualified and have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They use this to provide children with good levels of challenge that are appropriate to their age and stage of development. As a result, the quality of teaching is very good and children make good progress in their development. Managers monitor staff performance through regular peer observations and by carrying out annual staff appraisals. Training needs are identified and courses sought to ensure that practice is consistently good in all areas. All previous recommendations have been fully addressed and there is now a very effective system in place to observe and assess children's development. Staff are committed to continually improving the quality of their provision, so that children benefit from quality learning experiences. Regular team meetings ensure that all staff are able to discuss what will have the most impact on children's learning.

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provision

Changes are made to enhance the learning environment, such as implementing a 'mud kitchen' in the outside area, so children can develop their imaginative role play even further.

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provision

Staff value the input from other professionals in helping to support children in their learning and development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those, who speak English as an additional language, are particularly well supported. Staff liaise closely with wider professionals to target gaps in their learning and ensure the environment is rich in different languages. There are good systems in place to evaluate the quality of the provision. Managers regularly update the Ofsted self-evaluation form to provide an overview of the current provision. Parents' views are sought via parent questionnaires and staff's views are also considered to enable areas of improvement to be clearly identified. Partnerships with parents are established and the reception area offers parents a wide range of information about the nursery and child development. However, there is still room to develop parent engagement to ensure that they are provided with

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provision

more opportunities to discuss their children's learning and development with staff.

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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 EY374291 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 858236

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 60 Name of provider University of Chester Date of previous inspection 06/05/2009 Telephone number 01244 511540

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Type of provision

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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