First Friends Day Nursery

First Friends Day Nursery Pelsall Education Dev't Centre, Pelsall Lane, Rushall, Walsall, West Midlands, WS4 1NG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/10/2014 03/02/2010

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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

 Children make good progress in their learning, and enjoy a wide range of interesting and exciting experiences. Staff use effective teaching to encourage children to develop creative ideas, gain confidence and communicate effectively.  Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of safeguarding and make sure that children are safe at all times. All staff are conscientious and managers provide strong leadership and effective management of the nursery.  Strong partnerships with parents and additional agencies supports continuity in children's care and learning. Parents' and children's views are sought regularly and used to make improvements to the nursery.  Children have plentiful opportunities to enjoy their learning outdoors in the well resourced play area and garden. As a result, children are developing a good understanding of the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always introduce a wide enough range of new words during practical activities and daily routines to encourage children to use descriptive language and think at a higher level.  The equipment that the youngest children use to pull themselves up to a standing position is not always arranged in a way that allows them to easily practise and refine their early walking 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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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in three playrooms and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of children, staff and parents spoken to on the day of inspection.  The inspector held meetings with the manager and spoke to staff in the nursery.

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Information about the setting

First friends Day Nursery has been registered since 2002 is run by a management committee and is on the Early Years Register. The nurserey operates from a single storey building on the site of Rushall Primary School and the Education and Development Centre in Rushall, Walsall. There is a fully enclosed play area available for outdoor play. The nursery opens each weekday for 51 weeks of the year and sessions are from 8.am to 6.pm. The setting serves Walsall and surrounding areas. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 49 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The nursery employs 10 members of staff, nine of whom are qualified to level 3 and one has a level 6 qualification. The nursery supports children who have special educational needs and /or disabilities.

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

 increase opportunities for children to think and use descriptive language at a higher level by, for example, asking probing questions and introducing more complex words during their practical activities and daily routines

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

 re-position the equipment that younger children use to pull themselves up to a standing position, so these can be reached more easily and so will encourage them to frequently practise and refine their early walking skills.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy their time spent at this nursery. The welcoming and well- resourced learning environment allows children to move freely and choose from a wide range of interesting and stimulating activities. Staff have a good understanding of how children learn and actively encourage children to stretch their skills. Staff carefully track children's progress through observations and assessments of the children's responses during different activities. They then use this information to plan for children's individual needs so that children are further challenged and are encouraged to move onto the next stage in their learning. As a result, planning is flexible and staff use their good knowledge of children's interests and developmental needs to provide an interesting and stimulating educational programme. Older children's enthusiasm is encouraged as they enjoy a range of activities that are linked to the current theme about a character from a favourite book.

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who attend

They are inspired by the idea of searching around the outdoor play area for the character. They get into role and imitate the character's gruff voice and take wide steps as they create different imagine scenarios. Resources and equipment are used creatively to develop children's imagination further. A tub of long grass is used to hide toys and to encourage children to think about what else is hidden there. An exciting range of craft materials arranged in a low tray encourages children to create different shapes and structures. Staff make sure there is a wide range of resources that include sticking tape, scissors and glue to secure these and make so make children's creations more lifelike.

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who attend

Children look after plants and grow vegetables and fruit that they cook and eat in nursery which helps them understand growth and change. Throughout their development children confidently gain the skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready for the next stage of their learning and as they move onto school. The quality of teaching is good and staff support children's learning well as they know when to join in with children's play. They ask a wide range of questions to support and challenge the children, although, sometimes overlook opportunities to use more complex words and questions that will help children to think and describe things at a higher level. Younger children are well supported. Staff create open spaces so that children can explore independently. Staff provide stimulating opportunities for younger children to explore different textures. For example, children are intrigued as bowls of dry rice, cereal and pasta and confidently use

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who attend

spoons and bowls as they scoop and pour from one container into another. This promotes their confidence and understanding of how to share and communicate with each other. Treasure baskets and chunky jewellery are another source of fascination and interest for younger children and encourage their exploration and curiosity. Staff support children as they explore, helping them to build on their knowledge by discussing what they see and feel. Circle time is used effectively to encourage children to listen and work together as a team. Staff prepare activities well ensuring there are pictures and images that prompt meaningful discussions with children and allows children to share with each other what they know. Staff skilfully extend children's learning during discussions as children demonstrate how a tiger roars and how many legs are on a spider. Discussions with parents when they come into nursery provide them with ideas of how they can continue

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who attend

with their children's learning when they return home. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff liaise with outside agencies and parents to plan support for children's further progression.

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

All children settle well at the nursery as settling sessions are carefully managed to meet children's individual needs. As a result, children are confident and get to know the staff and their key person before they start. Children's individual needs are discussed with their parents and recorded in detail, so that their care needs are securely met and staff are fully aware of each child's stage of development. Children are also well supported as they move onto another age room in the nursery. Their key worker ensures they are ready and sufficiently confident before the move takes place and good communication helps to make sure the move is a smooth as possible. Children have regular daily opportunities to use the outdoor play area, whatever the weather. This ensures children develop good physical skills as they climb equipment and skilfully use scooters and wheeled toys. As a result, children have plenty of exercise and benefit from fresh air. Children learn about the world

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

around them through visits to the local library and during walks to the nearby fields. This helps them appreciate the need for road safety and supports them as they move onto the next stage in their learning. Meal times are organised well to ensure that children develop independence. For example, they collect their own cutlery and pour their own drinks. Staff eat with children, which enables them to discuss the food and promote children's understanding of a healthy lifestyle. A relaxed approach to mealtimes also makes sure that children have time to enjoy their food and opportunities to discuss the days activities.

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

Children are kept safe through regular risk assessments and staff's explanations about how to play safely. This helps them enjoy more challenging activities safely while extending their physical skills. Children behave well and say they like playing with their friends. As a result, they form early friendships and are skilled at taking turns and sharing resources and toys. The well-resourced environment makes sure that children learn by using a broad range of experiences. Staff listen to what interests children, and plan the areas to correspond with their interests and needs. This results in a stimulating environment with innovative resources that constantly inspire children to explore and learn. For example, children enjoy using the water wall outdoors, where they pour water into guttering and watch how long it takes to reach the other end. There is Perspex placed on the perimeter fence, which children can see through and so provides them with an

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

unusual view that they then try and recreate when painting pictures. Staff provide well considered support for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They liaise promptly with external agencies and plan activities that are carefully designed to meet children's individual needs so that they make progress in all areas of development. Children are encouraged to freely access their preferred toys and so are able to fully explore and discover new experiences. Babies thoroughly enjoy using silky scarves and materials to make a den. This encourages children to crawl through small spaces and develop their mobility and confidence. However, some equipment that the youngest children use to pull themselves up to a standing position is not always positioned in a way that allows children to easily use this to frequently practise and refine their early walking skills.

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provision

Children are well safeguarded as staff and managers have a clear understanding of procedures and how to respond if there are concerns regarding a child's welfare. The manager ensures that new staff understand the safeguarding procedures through the thorough induction process. Staff have attended safeguarding training and update their knowledge during staff appraisals and meetings. All staff have an updated Disclosure and Barring Service check in place to check their suitability to work with children, and students are mentored by senior staff who monitor their progress. Regular staff training, and close monitoring of the educational programme makes sure that staff are skilled and their knowledge is regularly updated. The staff regularly reflect on what they do and strive towards constant improvement in order to improve outcomes for the children who attend.

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provision

Children's progress is carefully monitored, their assessments are clear and records their activities, achievements and progress. Staff communicate effectively with parents and make sure they have regular and accurate updates of how their children's learning is progressing. The nursery manager observes staff performance as they work with children, and uses this information to strengthen their practice during supervision sessions. This means that staff have opportunities to reflect on their teaching strengths and weaknesses. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported because staff provide structured play plans for individual children. Staff meet regularly and combine their meetings with monitoring the effectiveness of the educational provision. The nursery manager meets with the local authority and has contact with other providers, which further support the drive to improve and develop the quality of the nursery. Staff

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provision

work very closely with parents, and details of all aspects of the children's development are shared at collection times. This means that parents have regular and accurate updates of what their children learn and enjoy at nursery. Staff work closely with the neighbouring schools that children move on to. They welcome school teaching staff into the nursery, so that the teachers can meet the children and gather information about their abilities prior to the child's move into the school's reception class. This helps to make sure that the skills children learn in nursery can be successfully built on when they start school.

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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 254460 Local authority Walsall Inspection number 866880

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 49 Name of provider Manor Farm C.A. Committee Date of previous inspection 03/02/2010 Telephone number 01922 691902

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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

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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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