The Lighthouse Day Care Nursery

The Lighthouse 8 Warwick New Road, LEAMINGTON SPA, Warwickshire, CV32 5JF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/11/2014 21/06/2011

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early years provision

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

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This provision is outstanding

 Strong innovative leadership and management ensures that all practitioners have excellent opportunities to further their professional development. The practitioners working directly with the children share that they feel valued by their colleagues and the management team.  Steps taken to safeguard and promote the children's good health are robust. Practitioners comprehensively identify and successfully minimise potential risks. Their excellent knowledge of the signs of abuse and awareness of their responsibilities to protect children ensure that children in their care are fully safeguarded.  Older children are extremely articulate and confident individuals who are keen to learn. As a result of the well-organised indoor and outdoor learning environments and practitioners' skilful interaction, all children are making excellent progress.  Younger children's emotional needs are exceptionally well met by practitioners who are

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This provision is outstanding

kind, caring and extremely sensitive towards their needs. Consequently, they settle exceptionally well as they separate from their parents and are very happy throughout the day.  Solid working partnerships with other professionals, parents and carers ensure each child receives care specifically tailored towards their needs. Highly effective information sharing, results in parents being kept continually informed and up to date with regard to their child's day, their progress and achievements.

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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 observed activities in the playrooms and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted observations of the activities and evaluated the teaching methods with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and spoke to practitioners and children.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from documentation completed by them.

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Information about the setting

The Lighthouse Day Nursery is a privately owned nursery which first registered in 2003. The nursery re-registered in 2007 because of a change in organisation status. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. It operates from two floors of a large Victorian town house in the centre of Leamington Spa. Children are cared for in five large playrooms and there is a large, fully enclosed garden for outside play. The nursery serves the local area and opens every week day throughout the year, except for bank holidays. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for children aged two-, three- and four-years-old. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. There are currently 74 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery employs 18 members of full- and part-time staff, including the manager; all of whom hold

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Information about the setting

appropriate early years qualifications from levels 2 to 6. The manager holds Early Years Professional status. 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:

 extend the already successful print-rich environment by providing more visual words in children's home languages.

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who attend

Children are cared for in a very warm, vibrant and stimulating environment. The quality of teaching is excellent; practitioners skilfully use their wealth of experience and knowledge to support children in their learning and development. Regular observations and precise assessments of what children know and can do are undertaken by children's key persons. They accurately identify children's next steps in their learning or where individual children may need additional support. Where additional support is identified, immediate action is taken by the manager and her team. Highly focused planning on specific areas of learning ensures children have superb opportunities to develop across all the seven areas. Parents are encouraged to share all they know about their children in relation to their starting points when they first attend. A vast range of communication methods are used to continually share the practitioners' observations of the children's learning with their

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who attend

parents. In addition, effective methods are in place to encourage parents to share their observations of their children's learning at home. For example, they share information over email, on their children's progress records and on 'wow' boards on display in the playrooms. All of these methods are highly effective in helping parents to be fully involved in their children's learning. As a result, all children are making extremely rapid progress. Older children are extremely articulate; they exude confidence and relish the opportunity to share their experiences of their time in the pre-school room with the inspector. They share, 'I like drawing pictures to take home for my daddy' and 'I like playing with the toy tigers and learning about Africa'. Their language is fully extended at every given opportunity as practitioners regularly ask them questions that make them think. For example, a child draws a picture of a tower and explains 'there is a flood all around the

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who attend

bottom', a practitioner asks 'how would we get out of the tower?' and 'how do you think we could keep ourselves safe?'. Children also learn about positional language, such as 'next', 'over' and 'under' through a superb range of activities connected to well-known children's stories. While learning about a story about a hen, children have opportunities to explore grains of wheat and use resources, such as a pestle and mortar to grind the grains. They find out about mills and experience the bread making process; weighing ingredients and watching the yeast expand. Consequently, children are knowledgeable about the world around them and how things work; they are highly effective communicators and their range of vocabulary is exceptional. This practice is highly successful in preparing children in readiness for school.

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who attend

Younger children also experience activities that thoroughly engage them and develop their natural curiosity as learners. They freely explore their immediate environment, for example, they enjoy looking out of the low windows to see outside. Practitioners are skilful in engaging children in planned activities by following their interests. For example, practitioners introduce the cars that the children are playing with into the paint trays to encourage them to participate in messy, creative play. Practitioners are very receptive to the children's preferred areas of learning and, as a result, children have copious opportunities to play and learn outdoors. Waterproofs and wellington boots are provided by the nursery which ensures all children can benefit from outdoor play throughout the year. As a result, children are involved in a broad range of fun experiences, indoors and outside, that superbly enhance their overall development. Practitioners know the children

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who attend

really well and monitor inclusion extremely well indeed. For example, during activities they observe children who are less engaged and sensitively support them to fully participate. Practitioners also know when to withdraw to allow individual children or groups of children to lead their own learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are exceptionally well supported. Children who speak English as an additional language have good opportunities to use their home language in their play and learning. The print-rich environment and resources include good multilingual representation. However, practitioners are currently resourcing more written words to display in the nursery in children's home languages.

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

Children are fully supported in the transition from home to the nursery setting in a manner sensitive to their different needs. Parents are encouraged to visit and settle their children for as long as it may take. Practitioners are highly successful in reassuring parents and helping them to separate from their children. Children's personal, social and emotional development is given the highest possible priority by practitioners. Consequently, the relationship between each child, their key person and other practitioners is excellent. Children settle extremely quickly on arrival and are happy and confident in the nursery surroundings. Practitioners caring for the younger children are highly receptive towards their changing needs; they are kind, sensitive and very caring towards them. Behaviour is consistently managed with positive reinforcement in order to boost children's self-esteem. All children are encouraged to be kind and play harmoniously together. Practitioners treat

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

the children with respect and, in turn, the children learn to respect others. For example, older children use excellent manners when addressing adults. Children are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their learning. This is because arrangements for transitions through to other rooms in the nursery, other settings and onto school are exceptionally well organised.

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

Excellent practice encourages children to gain an understanding of difference. For example, children participate in making African maracas, Diwali lamps and learn about different countries, customs and beliefs. Practitioners support children very well in understanding the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Every day, children are encouraged to be active and play in large open spaces outdoors. Activities provided help children develop skills and confidence using large equipment while having fun. For example, they happily play with the large parachute, paddle in a paddling pool and plant and grow vegetables.

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

The whole nursery environment is cleaned and maintained to a very high standard. Children are involved in discussions with practitioners about the importance of good hygiene practices. Therefore, they learn about preventing the spread of germs and cross- infection is minimised. High priority is given to providing children with healthy meals and snacks with an emphasis on using fresh produce. All of the meals are home cooked on site by a qualified cook who is very knowledgeable about children's dietary needs. The foods provided are thoroughly enjoyed by the children. For example, at lunchtime, they keenly tuck into chicken supreme, rice and mixed vegetables. Children are developing an ability to attend to their self-care needs and they learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, older children learn how to use equipment, such as ropes and magnifying glasses safely in their play. Children's well-being is addressed extremely well and parents

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

are provided with clear detail on the nursery's policies and procedures on safety, illness and accidents.

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provision

The whole team of adults working in this nursery create a positive and extremely welcoming environment. Excellent measures are in place to promote children's health and safety. Management and practitioners are extremely knowledgeable about their responsibilities in keeping children safe from abuse, including reporting procedures. Parents are provided with information on the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. They are also provided with a wealth of other useful information throughout the nursery and via an electronic board prominently situated in the entrance hall. A comprehensive risk assessment procedure, including outings to local country parks, ensures potential hazards are identified and thoroughly addressed. Supervision of children is superb, required ratios are often exceeded and all of the practitioners are qualified. Consequently, this enhances the extremely high quality of the provision. Practitioners

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provision

ensure that children are never left unsupervised with a person who has not been vetted and all practitioners complete Disclosure and Barring Service checks prior to working directly with the children. Therefore, children are cared for by adults suitable to do so. Recruitment and selection procedures are extremely thorough. Secure induction programmes ensure that all practitioners are capable and competent to carry out all tasks to a high standard. Practitioners share that they feel very well supported by their colleagues and their manager, who encourages them to access training and continue in their professional development. As a result, the team is highly qualified and their knowledge and practice is up to date.

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provision

There is excellent capacity for continuous improvements. The manager leads her team with motivation and passion, inspiring them to provide the best quality service possible. As a result, practitioners are enthusiastic and committed to the continuous development of their early years practice. They attend a significant number of training courses, attend team meetings and liaise with the local authority advisors. The management team welcomes comments and suggestions from parents through a variety of means. The views of other professionals, practitioners and the children are fully considered and used to inform the nursery's self-evaluation process. Recommendations at the last Ofsted inspection have been thoroughly addressed. This has positively impacted on children's safety and their learning and development. There are clear systems in place to monitor the progress of each child through observation and assessment. This informs future

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provision

planning and enables practitioners to identify the next steps in children's learning. This system is supported by parents who share information about their children's development every day and through regular progress meetings. A thorough system is in place to deal with complaints.

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provision

Parents are highly complimentary about the care and education their children receive. They comment upon the excellent care and range of experiences provided. For example, they share that their children have opportunities to create large models of combine harvesters and learn about animals that hibernate. Parents share they especially appreciate the sensitive arrangements as their children move up through the nursery into a new room. The information obtained from parents on their child's individual care and learning is outstanding and communication between practitioners and parents is excellent, ensuring that they work exceptionally well together to meet these needs. Links with other early years providers are strong in order to ensure a fully cohesive approach to each child's care and learning. Policies and procedures fully support the safe and efficient management of the provision and parents are aware of them. All documentation is

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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 EY349272 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 873486

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 49 Number of children on roll 74 Name of provider The Lighthouse Childrens Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 21/06/2011 Telephone number 01926 427 048

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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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