Playaway Nursery (SRCC)

Playaway Nursery (SRCC) Sydney Russell Childrens Centre, Parsloes Avenue, DAGENHAM, Essex, RM9 5QS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/11/2014 18/05/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff evaluate observations and assessments continually to promote children's learning and development effectively.  Staff encourage children's confidence and self-esteem well, which contributes to children's personal, social and emotional development.  Staff teach children the importance of leading healthy lifestyles through daily outside play and robust hygiene routines.  The provider implements a well-established programme of professional development, which means that staff are supported in their roles and responsibilities.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not encourage children to develop their independence at lunchtimes.  Staff do not involve children in a wide range of activities to prepare them to move on to school successfully, and links with local schools children will attend are not developed fully.

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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 spoke to children, staff and the provider.  The inspector observed staff and children interacting indoors and outside.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the deputy manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's observations, assessments and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of staff's suitability to be working with children and safeguarding policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Playaway Nursery registered in 2008. It is privately run and is located within the Sydney Russell Children's Centre in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The nursery is one of three nurseries owned by this provider. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 58 children in the early years age range on roll. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery operates weekdays for 51 weeks of the year and is open from 8am until 6pm each day. There is a separate pre-school, which operates term time only. The nursery employs 13 members of staff including the manager. The nursery also employs a Foundation Stage teacher. The majority of staff have an appropriate early years qualification. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those that are learning English as an additional language. It receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged

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

 encourage children to become increasingly independent during mealtimes, for example, by allowing them to serve food and set tables.

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

 develop children's confidence in their move to school further by, for example, providing related role play activities and developing better links with local schools children will attend.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good. Staff have a secure understanding of the learning and development requirements and how to support children's learning through play. Staff gather information from parents when their children start, to help them to understand children's current skills and abilities. This enables staff to provide activities which offer suitable challenge and interest.

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who attend

Staff monitor and evaluate children's learning continually by carrying out regular observations, including for the progress check for children aged two which is shared with parents. Staff check children's progress against expected levels of learning and development to see if they are making suitable progress and to identify and address any gaps in children's learning. Parents complete 'wow' observations of children's activities at home and bring these into nursery. In addition, staff have regular discussions with parents and suggest ways for parents to support their children at home. This means that staff and parents work together to provide consistency and continuity in children's learning.

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who attend

Children enjoy a range of activities and experiences, which staff plan according to their interests and stages of development. For example, the babies enjoyed exploring electronic toys during the inspection. They pressed the buttons and, when rewarded with lights and sounds, repeated the action. Staff talked to the children as they tried the different buttons, introducing relevant language. The toddlers enjoyed a sensory activity, smelling different herbs and spices in drawstring bags. Staff used descriptive language to encourage the children to talk about the fragrances. Children identified the contents of the bags, for example, commenting that one smelt like curry. This helps to support children's listening and speaking skills.

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who attend

Staff provide children with activities relating to their day-to-day experiences. For example, staff provided children with fresh vegetables and safe knives in the home corner. Children enjoyed pretending to prepare meals, chatting freely together as they cut up the carrots and celery. Staff evaluate the activities they provide for children constantly, enabling them to identify where improvements can be made. For example, staff plan to use cooked potatoes next time, which are easier for the children to cut up. This demonstrates how staff are responsive to the needs of the children when developing the educational planning.

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who attend

Staff make good use of the two outside areas. Children are able to choose when to play in the garden area and it is accessible from the majority of the play rooms. Staff use this area to provide children with a range of learning experiences, such as messy play, construction and imaginary play. For example, they decorated a large wooden summer house as a 'superhero station' and made masks with the children. Children then enjoyed pretending to be their favourite superhero. There is another outside play area for the children. This has fewer resources and a greater emphasis on physical play so that children can use this area to run about and 'let off steam'. Children enjoy running up and down, being mindful of other children, developing strong physical skills and negotiating the space.

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who attend

Staff care for children who learn English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff make changes to the base rooms to help meet children's needs. For example, staff use soft play equipment to help children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to move around safely. Staff working with children who are learning English as an additional language use picture cards and signs to help children understand the routines and what is expected of them. A number of staff speak additional languages, which means they can translate instructions for children while they are settling and learning key words in English. This helps children to feel valued and makes the move from home to nursery easier. Overall, children acquire the skills they need to move on successfully to the next stage in their learning.

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

Staff are extremely adept at promoting children's personal, social and emotional development. Children are very confident, happy and capable. Children benefit from a good settling-in process, which helps them to become familiar with the new environment, staff and other children gradually. Staff help children to develop a sense of belonging by displaying photographs of children's families on the walls and in hand-made family books for children to view and discuss. Children have their picture on their coat peg, which enables them to begin to recognise their name, to feel valued and to hang up their belongings independently.

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

Children behave well as staff teach them how to manage their behaviour. They remind children of the rules during discussions at group times, for example, to help children remember to walk and not run indoors. Staff sing songs with the children to help them follow the daily routines. For example, they sing about washing their hands and sitting down at the table for lunch. Children follow this routine well and are well behaved; however, staff do not make the most of meal time routines to promote children's independence especially for the older children who will be going to school. This is because staff hand out knives, forks and plates individually to the children and serve them their food rather than letting the children do these tasks for themselves. Staff record information from children's records about any dietary requirements and allergies and pass the information to the cook. This helps her to meet every child's dietary needs as she

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

prepares the fresh, nutritious meals. Each child has their own coloured placemat so that it is clear which children have allergies or dietary requirements.

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

The provider and staff pay good attention to the needs of groups of children. For example, there are many more boys than girls currently attending. Staff plan times in the day to enable all children, but especially the boys, to learn through more physical activities. Staff have introduced superhero play, which is carefully managed to ensure that it does not become too boisterous. This enables children to use their imaginative skills to 'save the world' or become pirates.

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

Staff help children to begin to learn what going to school means. They talk to the children about what to expect and take children out on walks to see one of the local schools. However, staff have not developed effective links with all schools children will attend and they do not encourage teachers to come and visit the children. Staff provide children with some resources, such as uniforms, to enable them to pretend to be at school. However, staff do not provide other school-related resources, such as pictures of the local schools and the teachers, so that children can use them in their imaginative play.

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provision

The provider has a good understanding of her role in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Staff show a robust understanding of their responsibilities to safeguard the children. They understand the signs and symptoms they need to be aware of and the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about children in their care. Staff complete risk assessments and daily visual checks to help to identify and minimise any hazards to children. Staff are constantly vigilant during the day. For example, they remind children to pick up toys to prevent trip hazards. A range of robust policies and procedures, including for the use of social media, mobile phones and cameras, are implemented to support the smooth running of the nursery and to keep children safe.

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provision

The provider, manager and deputy manager monitor the educational programmes regularly. They carry out checks on the staff's observations and assessments of the children and check the progress tracking to ensure that all children are making good progress in their learning and development. This helps them to identify any gaps in children's learning and to seek additional support where necessary. This helps to ensure all children to make good progress in their learning.

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provision

The provider and manager implement a robust recruitment process to ensure staff's suitability to work in the nursery. All staff undergo checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service to ensure that they are fit to work with children. In addition, all staff declare their ongoing suitability annually and understand what changes in their circumstances must be reported. Staff learn their roles and responsibilities through the comprehensive induction programme. They are monitored over a period of three months to ensure that they are suitable for their role. Management carry out supervision meetings and appraisals to help staff to develop their practices. For example, staff are encouraged to attend additional training courses to support children with specific needs, such as sign language training to help them communicate more effectively with children who have limited speech. The provider encourages staff to study for further qualifications. This helps

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provision

to promote positive outcomes for children as staff are motivated, interested and eager to learn and use their new skills.

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provision

The nursery is based in a children's centre, which means that staff are able to work closely with other professionals to target intervention. For example, staff are able to refer children directly to speech and language therapists and to help families who need additional support. Partnerships with parents are strong. The staff seek parents' views on the educational programmes and provision for children regularly through questionnaires and verbal feedback. The results are collated and help to inform the self-evaluation plan. Staff have opportunities to put forward their views, and they observe the younger children and chat to the older ones to gain their perspective of the nursery. This helps the provider and staff to put together concise action plans to continually improve the provision and the outcomes for children. Parents indicate that they are happy with the quality of care and learning the nursery provides. For example, one parent has recorded on a social network

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provision

site that children flourish while at the nursery and states 'The staff are fantastic and really care about the kids'.

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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 EY386932 Local authority Barking & Dagenham Inspection number 830031 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 58 Name of provider Sylma Laviniere Date of previous inspection 18/05/2009 Telephone number 02087241209

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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

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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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