Happy Stars Day Nursery

Happy Stars Day Nursery St Andrews Church, St Andrews Road, LONDON, NW10 2QS

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 31/10/2014 04/12/2008

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 The environment is both highly stimulating and enabling; children enjoy their time at the setting demonstrating that they feel safe and secure.  The quality of teaching is excellent. Staff offer children individualised learning opportunities and extend children's learning through use of their specific interests. This leads to confident, motivated learners, who engage readily in the stimulating activities offered.  Staff receive excellent support from management and there is extremely effective teamwork, communication and monitoring of provision and staff development.  Staff have very good partnerships with parents, outside agencies and other providers that children attend which enhances their knowledge of the unique child, and ensures a consistent approach to children's learning and development.  Management use rigorous monitoring techniques to analyse the effectiveness of the provision and identify exact areas for development. As a result, they promote all

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play and staff interaction, both indoors and outside.  The inspector spoke to parents and children present on the day.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation including a representative sample of children's records, policies, staff training records and staff suitability records.  The inspector talked with staff and held discussions with the manager.  The inspector conducted a joint observation.

p.2

Information about the setting

Happy Stars Nursery registered in 2008. It is a privately owned setting and operates from a church hall in Willesden, in the London Borough of Brent. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is open on Monday to Friday from 8am until 6pm, all year round. There are currently 33 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery is in receipt of funding to provide free early education for two-, three-, and four-years-old children. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 10 members of staff, of whom, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications or higher. The manager holds an early years degree.

p.3

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

 enhance the already excellent provision for children's outdoor learning for younger children by providing them with further physical challenges and opportunities to learn more about their natural surroundings.

p.3

who attend

The very individual needs of the children are at the heart of the service provided at this nursery. Children thoroughly enjoy attending this nursery, which provides them with a welcoming, vibrant and stimulating environment in which to learn through play. They are highly motivated, secure and enthusiastic, which enables them to make rapid progress in their learning and development. There are rich opportunities for children to learn to recognise words through the use of clear labelling and photographs throughout the nursery. Many children can write their names and those of their friends. They show a real love of books and staff sit with them in small groups to read favourite stories. Staff teach them the sounds that letters make, which helps children develop skills for learning to read. They use a large number of reference books to find things out, and to illustrate their findings in discussions and experiments. The staff use props effectively to further capture

p.3

who attend

and build on the children's understanding, speaking and listening skills. Children are in awe of the 'witch with the broom', they giggle and squeal with delight as they role play the story. Children enthusiastically join in many discussions and are eager to contribute.

p.3

who attend

Staff create excellent resources to support non-verbal communication, for example, children are able to make independent choices by pointing to the visual timetable and by using picture cards and booklets. Babies have a strong exploratory impulse, moving to sounds and sights that intrigue them. Staff demonstrate how toys work so that babies press buttons to repeat the experience. Children communicate their needs, feelings and ideas extremely clearly to very responsive staff. Babies shriek out, babble and laugh; as they start to use single words, staff repeat these again and again to reinforce their understanding. During one-to-one time with their key person, the children are able to focus on specific tasks. Staff know exactly what the aim of the session is and what they want the children to gain from it. The good use of open-ended questioning helps to promote children's thinking and staff encourage children to make predications and to solve

p.3

who attend

problems for themselves. Children take part in role play; they have great fun as they label real-food items to sell in the supermarket. They learn mathematical concepts as they price up the items and sell to each other. During other everyday activities, they learn to count using numbers. Children concentrate very well on complex puzzles of their own choosing, which develops their understanding of shape and sequence.

p.4

who attend

All children benefit greatly from the excellent one-to-one support during their time in the centre and they spend their time playing in small groups of four or five. Staff value and understand children as individuals, which enables them to make learning meaningful for each child. Staff skilfully make changes to their plans to follow children's interests, which motivates them to learn. Children make excellent progress in their key areas of learning, which prepares them extremely well for their next stage of learning and school. This is because staff allow children to decide what and how to do things, which increases their engagement. As a result, children are highly confident, curious and active learners.

p.4

who attend

Staff make frequent, highly skilled observations of children's achievements and plan timely activities to target children's next steps. These are recorded in individual diaries, which the parents also have personal access to at home or in the nursery. This enables staff and parents to consistently share current information, which creates exceptional partnership working to promote children's learning. The systems to engage parents in their children's learning at the nursery and in consolidating their child's learning at home are outstanding. Parents are encouraged to share their observations of child's achievements at home. Information is sent home daily so parents are kept very well informed about the activities their children have taken part in. Suggestions for extension activities are provided by the nursery and staff exchange a wealth of information with parents concerning their child's progress.

p.4

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

Children are happy, calm and settled as the staff are very caring and give high priority to all children's needs and opinions. Arrangements to help children settle into the nursery and build secure emotional attachments with the staff are highly effective and relationships are strong at all levels. Successful implementation of the key-person system helps to ensure children feel safe and secure in the setting. Families say they feel warmly welcomed at the nursery. Secure bonds are seen throughout the nursery due to the excellent interactions between adults and children. Children positively benefit from this highly effective key-person system, as staff gain an excellent knowledge of each child's backgrounds from parents. Staff have created exemplary learning environments in which children have high-quality resources and plenty of time to set their own challenges. Pictures and text on storage and in the environment, indicate to children where equipment

p.4

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

Staff manage the children's different behaviours superbly, and overall, there is a calm atmosphere around the excellent indoor and outdoor areas for learning. Staff constantly praise the children effectively for the very smallest of achievements, therefore, developing the children's sense of well-being and self-worth. There is a sense of great organisation and calmness throughout the nursery. Healthy lifestyles are promoted effectively as children have the opportunity to be outside on a daily basis. They know how to stay healthy as they wash their hands at appropriate times during the day, such as before snack time and after messy play. Snack time is a social occasion with toddlers and babies sitting together. Balanced and nutritious meals are provided by the nursery. Staff encourage children to engage in conversations and be as independent as possible. They use tools, such as tongs to serve themselves and pour their own drinks. These skills

p.5

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

support children's next stage in their learning, preparing them for their move onto other settings and school. Children learn about making healthy choices in their food through discussions at mealtimes and the activities provided.

p.5

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

Children use the outdoor area for activities across the curriculum and whether indoors or out, they have enough time to explore, investigate and create. This enables children of all learning styles to be independent, active learners. Their learning is considerably enhanced by many outdoor activities, For example, using leaves and other items collected on walks to make imaginative collages. However, further opportunities for younger children to learn more about their natural surroundings in the garden, has yet to be developed. Children learn to understand about their own safety, listening to staff about putting the equipment away to clear space, before sitting down for circle time. Staff deploy themselves highly effectively, to supervise the children extremely well and provide excellent interaction. Staff are fully aware of their responsibilities in keeping children safe. For example, children wear

p.5

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

high-visibility jackets on trips to the local park and practise their road safety skills on route. Staff remain vigilant, while still allowing the children to be challenged by taking well-managed risks in their play, such as exploring challenging climbing equipment and using a variety of tools.

p.5

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

Staff show an excellent knowledge of each child's backgrounds and this enables them to respond particularly well to children's individual needs. Children are sensitively supported by their key member of staff when preparing children for the move to school. Staff arrange visits either to the schools or for teachers to attend the nursery, so highly detailed information can be shared in order to aid smooth moves to school.

p.5

provision

The manager and staff team clearly understand the safeguarding procedures and have high levels of awareness of their own role in protecting children from harm. This means children are not only taught how to keep themselves safe, but staff have a secure understanding about what to do if they have any concerns about a child in their care. This means they are confident in identifying any concerns about staff or children and reporting them to the safeguarding officer and if needed their Local Children's Safeguarding Board. Management monitor procedure and staff practice on a regular basis, ensuring that all policies are being fully implemented. Rigorous recruitment procedures ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children, have appropriate childcare qualifications and are highly committed professionals. Good induction procedures help new staff to be confident in implementing the nursery's policies and procedures effectively.

p.5

provision

The management and staff all have a very good knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All staff are involved in planning and assessing their key children's learning. As a result, accurate records are being developed and meaningful experiences planned to meet each child's needs. Children's opinions are also valued and their comments on activities recorded. The provider and staff are passionate about what they do and totally dedicated to offering children and families a high quality early years provision that meets their needs. To this end, they carefully monitor and evaluate all aspects of the pre-school and are highly motivated and successful in driving and sustaining improvement. For example, the provider and staff have embedded rigorous monitoring of children's learning and development, and of the effectiveness of their teaching.

p.6

provision

Parents have excellent opportunities to work in partnership with the nursery. They have daily contact with the child's key person and can use the online website to access and share information at their own pace. Parents continue activities at home, which means they are fully involved in their children's learning. They are encouraged to share home languages and cultures and participate in many events throughout the year. Parents speak highly of the nursery. They hold the staff in very high regard and welcome their expertise and all the advice and support they receive. Parents greatly value the flexible opportunities to settle their children into nursery. The manager has driven highly effective partnerships with local authority advisors and other professionals involved in children's care. She communicates effectively with other carers involved with children to make sure that staff assess children's progress accurately. As a result, children's needs are fully met

p.6

provision

at all times. Children benefit greatly from this close attention to their needs as staff are able to implement highly targeted plans for their development.

p.6

provision

The deputy carries out regular 'inspections' and provides feedback, which the management team use to set a well-targeted improvement plan. Performance management systems are rigorous and effective. Leadership have worked incredibly hard to develop staff skills in carrying out and using observational assessments to best effect. The staff team have great enthusiasm and commitment towards their professional development and have widened their knowledge and experience through training with a number of staff working to further improve their qualifications. As a result, the staff team is motivated, skilled and enabled to offer excellent quality provision for all children. Self- evaluation is very reflective and well-targeted to make continuous improvement. The management team know exactly what the strengths and areas for further development for the centre are at any given time. The views of children, parents and staff are highly

p.6

provision

valued and are instrumental in the development of the centre. The enthusiasm of the provider and deputy is communicated to all staff, resulting in a dynamic and vibrant learning environment in which all children are thriving.

p.6

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

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY369205 Local authority Brent Inspection number 844309 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 32 Name of provider Happy Stars Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 04/12/2008 Telephone number 02084 591754

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.10

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,

p.10

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’.

p.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11