Sunbeams Day Nursery

Sunbeams Day Nursery Hawkers Hill, Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire, GL17 0BS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/10/2014 02/06/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The provider breaches several safeguarding and welfare requirements. Vetting procedures are not robust. Drinking water is not readily available to children at all times. Babies do not have daily outside activities. These failures put children's welfare at risk.  The quality of teaching is weak. The manager and staff have a poor knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of how young children learn. Staff do not meet children's individual needs. Staff choose, lead or guide most activities. Children's time is wasted. There are no systems for supervision, monitoring or self-evaluation to identify and rectify weaknesses in provision.  Planning is weak. Staff do not provide welcoming, adequately resourced learning environments with activities and experiences across all areas of learning.  Assessment systems are not robust enough to identify children's next steps in learning.

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This provision is inadequate

Staff do not sufficiently encourage parents' involvement in their children's learning.  Required documents are not readily available for inspection or to staff and parents. Some statutory policies and procedures are not up to date.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff are friendly and caring towards the children fostering children's well-being. Children form secure attachments and are comfortable in their surroundings.

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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 made observations of children and staff interactions in three playrooms and outside.  The inspector had discussions with the manager, staff, children and parents.  The inspector invited the manager to carry out a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation including children's records and planning, and policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability checks and qualifications of all staff working with the children and of other adults working on the premises.

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Information about the setting

Sunbeams Day Nursery started in 1997 and registered with Ofsted in 2001. It is sited in a former Victorian school near the centre of the town of Mitcheldean, in Gloucestershire. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children are accommodated in four rooms with babies, toddlers and pre-school children having separate facilities. All children share access to an enclosed outside play area. The premises are owned and managed by a qualified early years teacher. The nursery operates each weekday from 7.30am to 5.30pm, all-year round, excluding Bank Holidays. There are currently 60 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. This also includes some after-school children. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It receives funding for the provision of free early years education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Information about the setting

Currently, there are 17 members of staff who work directly with the children; of these 15 hold recognised early years qualifications. The nursery has no disabled access because it is situated in a Victorian building.

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must:

 implement robust procedures for vetting and ensuring the suitability of adults, including obtaining enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks for all adults working on the premises, and any other person who is likely to have regular contact with the children

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must:

 ensure the quality of teaching is raised by implementing effective systems for the monitoring and supervision of staff practice to identify weaknesses in staff teaching, and to provide support, coaching and training to promote children's well- being, learning and development

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must:

 improve the observation and assessment systems to identify what children know and can do, their interests and learning styles, in order to plan children's individual learning experiences that help each child to make good progress towards the early learning goals

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must:

 introduce a process of self-evaluation to effectively identify strengths and weaknesses in the provision taking into account the views of staff, parents and children, and implement a clear plan for improvement to improve outcomes for children

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must:

 review the balance of adult-led and child-led activities so that staff create more opportunities for children to follow their interests and lead their own play

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must:

 ensure fresh drinking water is available and easily accessible for babies and children at all times

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must:

 improve the learning environments for babies and children to cover all areas of learning by increasing the range of resources, play materials and equipment, to stimulate and encourage children's creativity, senses, imagination and natural curiosity as learners

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must:

 ensure that outdoor activities are planned and taken on a daily basis for all babies and children to support their individual learning preferences, and to enable all babies and children to develop a healthy lifestyle by getting fresh air and exercise

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must:

 implement successful systems to involve parents in their children's learning by sharing more information with them about their children's learning and development, and encourage parents to contribute to progress records by sharing what their children do at home  review all policies and procedures to ensure they cover all regulatory requirements and reflect expected practice, and make them easily accessible to parents and staff, with particular regards to the complaints procedure

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must:

 ensure records are easily available and accessible for inspection, with particular reference to staff suitability checks, records of notification of associations and address changes required to Ofsted

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must:

 review the daily routine to ensure that prolonged waiting times are reduced between activities and meal times so that time is used more productively to promote children's learning and development.

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who attend

Leadership and staff have an insufficient knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of how children learn. Staff carry out the required progress check for two-year-old children to assess their development and identify ways to help them make progress. However, the regular observations taken by staff are not consistent in quality and assessments are not accurate enough to identify next stages in learning for individual children. In addition, staff do not actively involve parents in contributing towards their children's progress records, by sharing observations and children's achievements from home. This means planning does not build on children's current abilities, which slows progress.

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who attend

Overall, the quality of teaching is weak and inconsistent throughout the nursery. For example, most staff do not use effective questioning techniques to extend children's language development or encourage their thinking skills. They tend to use questions that only require a one word answer, such as, 'Is this a red or a yellow spade?' Staff reading stories pre-empted the children's answers because they did not give children time to think, form their own words and respond. This means staff overlook opportunities to promote children's language and communication skills, particularly during group situations.

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who attend

Staff planning is weak and does not meet the individual needs of children. For example, staff plan the same activities for all the children based on adult-chosen weekly themes. This limits the progress children are making and means not all children are being stretched as well as they could be. Some children lack motivation and enthusiasm for learning because some activities are mundane. For example, staff directed children to stick pre-cut shapes on a plate to make a Halloween cat. This activity lacked challenge. It did not build on children's prior learning or promote children's creativity.

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who attend

Staff missed opportunities to extend children's learning. For example, staff did not encourage children to count and estimate within the children's capabilities. In addition, staff did not encourage children to have a go at writing their own names on their pictures to promote early writing skills. Nevertheless, where children require additional support, staff work sufficiently with parents and other professionals to help meet each child's additional needs. For example, staff use visual prompts and sign language to support those children who are less able to communicate. This means staff are sensitive to each child's level of communication and language development, and make sure they model language appropriately for all ages.

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who attend

Children appear happy and confident because staff are warm, and friendly. Staff offer children some activities and resources that help children learn some new skills. For example, staff provided children with a range of fun, mathematical activities outside. Staff joined in with them and encouraged children to count and think about problem solving, discussing the concept of, 'more than' and, 'less than'. Some of the playrooms benefit from more stage-appropriate and varied resources than others. However, these resources do not cover all areas of learning indoors or outside. This does not support children's individual learning preferences. In addition, there are limited non-commercial resources and natural play materials. This weakness does not help children to develop their own play scenarios or stimulate and encourage children's imaginations and natural curiosity as learners. Activities are too often adult-led or chosen by staff, which means children are not

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who attend

able to follow their interests sufficiently or decide their own play situations. For example, staff constantly told children who wanted to play outdoors that they must, 'Wait until after snack'. Therefore, children do not benefit from the freedom to make choices about their own independent play or explore and investigate, which hinders their learning.

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who attend

Staff encourage children in their play, offer lots of praise and encouragement, and are always available when children need help. At times, some staff support children's learning suitably. For example, when children made marks on paper, on the playground or on large blackboards outside, staff supported younger children's pencil hold and older children's pencil control. Staff encouraged those children who wanted to play hopscotch to chalk the squares and name the numbers for the staff to write. This goes some way to prepare children for the next stage in their learning.

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

Children's well-being is at risk because some of the safeguarding and welfare requirements are not met. The provider does not use effective systems to ensure the suitability of all those working on the premises. For example, the provider has not obtained enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks for all adults working on the premises. Staff do not make fresh drinking water readily available and accessible so that children can help themselves to a drink when they are thirsty. Staff do not ensure that babies have daily fresh air and outside activities. These weaknesses compromise children's welfare.

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

Nonetheless, children and parents arrive to a warm welcome from the staff team throughout the day. Children share close relationships with staff, particularly their key person, who suitably supports their emotional and physical well-being. Settling-in procedures help build positive partnerships with parents and help children to feel safe and secure. Staff introduce children to their new room and key person when it is time to move on. This gives children confidence to move around the nursery and form positive relationships with adults and other children, ready for the move to school.

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

Staff are kind and caring to the children and each other, modelling good manners and praising children to boost their self-esteem. Staff support children's personal, social and emotional development by setting clear expectations. They encourage children to share and take turns with calm and consistent reminders. Staff give babies cuddles and sing to them to offer reassurance when required. As a result, children behave well and develop positive social skills.

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

Staff have a suitable focus on maintaining children's good health and keeping children safe inside and outdoors, using constant reminders to keep themselves and others safe. For example, children are reminded to put their hands over their mouth when they cough. Staff practise the fire drill with children so they know how to evacuate the building safely and quickly in case of an emergency. This raises children's awareness of fire safety. Staff supervise children appropriately. They ensure babies and toddlers are within hearing distance during sleep times and check them frequently. Staff share information with parents, such as babies sleep routines and what they have eaten during the day. This sound practice ensures consistency in children's care.

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

Staff provide a safe, welcoming, environment. However, a full range of resources and activities to cover the seven areas of learning is not always provided, particularly in some playrooms and the outdoor areas. This means learning opportunities and experiences for children are limited. For example, there is a lack of resources to encourage babies to pull themselves up to standing position or to start walking. In addition, there are few natural or non-commercial resources for children to explore and investigate. Staff do not use resources and the outdoor space adequately to provide challenge for children to extend their learning or to engage their interest. Staff restrict the time that children can play outdoors, which does not support independence or those children who prefer to play and learn outside. Children have limited opportunities to explore, investigate and play freely without adult intervention because staff choose, lead or guide most activities. Likewise,

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

there is insufficient monitoring of activities and routines to ensure these meet children's needs consistently. Children wait for prolonged periods between activities, particularly during and after meal times, which does not promote children's well-being, learning and development, and wastes their time.

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

Staff promote a healthy lifestyle and give children opportunities to manage their personal needs but support is variable. For example, staff do not always promote children's independence routinely by encouraging children to set the tables and serve their own food. However, older children are competent to go to the toilet on their own, wash their hands independently and clear away their own plates and cup after snack.

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provision

The leadership and management of the nursery is inadequate. There are several breaches of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the associated requirements of the Childcare Register. The provider does not fulfil responsibilities to ensure effective safeguarding procedures. For example, there is no Disclosure and Barring Service check for the owner of the building who regularly works in the nursery to carry out maintenance work. The provider cannot demonstrate that they have notified Ofsted of their current address and it is a legal requirement to do so. Policies and procedures for the nursery are not up to date, such as the complaints policy. In addition, policies and procedures are not readily available to staff and parents to ensure they are fully informed about all aspects of care and education the nursery offers. The required documents are not easily accessible and available for inspection. For example, the inspector could not view the staff Disclosure

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provision

and Barring Service records and Data Protection information. These breaches compromise children's welfare, safety and well-being.

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provision

The provider and staff do not have a sufficient understanding and knowledge of the learning and development requirements and of how young children learn. Staff do not consistently track children's progress through observations and assessment or plan purposefully for children's next stages in learning. For example, the nursery staff use adult-chosen topics to plan activities for children. This results in weak teaching as not all staff fully understand how to meet children's individual needs successfully. This means they do not provide rich, varied and challenging experiences to help children move on to the next stage in their learning. In addition, management is not monitoring children's progress effectively and planning does not match all children's needs.

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provision

Arrangements for performance management are not in place. This means the provider is not monitoring staff practice sufficiently to improve the quality of teaching. Staff training and development needs are not identified and acted upon. However, the manager does encourage her staff to improve their knowledge and update practice in order to improve the progress of the children. For example, four staff recently attended an introduction to sign language course to support children with speech delay.

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provision

Staff regularly carry out robust safety checks of the premises and equipment, and maintain a safe and secure physical environment for children to play. All staff have a good knowledge of the signs that indicate a child's welfare may be at risk and the child protection procedure they would follow if they had concerns. There are suitable procedures in place for recording accidents and for administering medicines, including a clear policy that all staff understand. This helps to promote children's welfare.

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provision

The provider does not evaluate the provision adequately to identify strengths or key weaknesses. The provider does not fully consider the views of staff, children and parents. In addition, the provider does not plan for future improvement to support children's progress. As a result, there is an insufficient focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning. This means there is a lack of determination to improve the provision for children.

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provision

Parents appreciate the care their children receive and comment that they have very good relationships with staff. However, staff do not establish successful strategies to engage parents in their children's learning to meet children's individual learning and development needs. Partnerships with outside agencies and other shared providers are in place so that children who have any additional needs receive appropriate support.

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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:

 put in place effective systems to ensure that any person working on the premises, either caring for or in regular contact with children, is suitable, which must include obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure children have access to drinking water (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure the written statement of procedures for complaints is complete (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure the registered person informs Ofsted of any change to their name, address or telephone number (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  put in place effective systems to ensure that any person working on the premises, either caring for or in regular contact with children, is suitable, which must include obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure the written statement of procedures for complaints is complete (voluntary

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

part of the Childcare Register)  ensure the registered person informs Ofsted of any change to their name, address or telephone number (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 101586 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 835615 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 0 Number of children on roll 60 Name of provider Sharon Hale Date of previous inspection 02/06/2009 Telephone number 01594 541054

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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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