Grunty's Day Care

Grunty's Day Care Newton Hall, Staining Road, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY3 0AX

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/11/2014 24/11/2008

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is good

 A spacious, welcoming environment, in addition to generally effective planning, provides children with a wide range of exciting and stimulating activities that build on their individual interests and learning needs. As a result, they consistently make good progress in relation to their starting points.  A spacious, welcoming environment, in addition to generally effective planning, provides children with a wide range of exciting and stimulating activities that build on their individual interests and learning needs. As a result, they consistently make good progress in relation to their starting points.  Staff are secure in their knowledge and understanding of safeguarding matters. This means children are well protected and kept free from harm.  Partnerships with parents are strong, which ensures children settle well and make good progress in their learning and development.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Lunchtime in the dining room for two- and three-year-old children is not as effectively planned as other experiences during the day. As a result, best use is not made of equipment or staff to keep all children actively learning and supported to eat, or to reinforce messages about healthy eating.  Staff do not make best use of opportunities, indoors and outdoors, to teach children that mathematics has a purpose in everyday life.

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 activities in the three playrooms on the ground floor and their outside learning environments.  The inspector conducted two joint observations with the manager.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and the deputy manager of the nursery and spoke with some staff and children.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's assessment records and planning documentation.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

p.2

Information about the setting

Grunty's Day Care opened in 2004 and is registered to Partington's Holiday Centres Limited. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a two-storey building in the grounds of Newton Hall Holiday Centre in Staining, Blackpool. The nursery serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 6.30pm, all year round, except bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Children attend for a variety of sessions. They are cared for across three rooms on the ground floor and have access to three enclosed outdoor play areas. The first floor provides four areas of soft play equipment. There are currently 86 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children with special educational

p.3

Information about the setting

needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. There are currently 17 staff working directly with the children. Of these, one has an appropriate early years qualification at level 2, 12 at level 3, two at level 5 and one has Early Years Teacher Status. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

p.3

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

 review the use of space, staffing and equipment in the dining room to ensure staff can actively engage all two- and three-year-old children at lunchtime, consistently support children to eat and reinforce their knowledge of healthy eating

p.3

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

 make greater use of opportunities to teach children that mathematics has a purpose, for example, by providing equipment, such as sand timers or clockwork timers, in the creative area for children to use when cooking their pretend cakes and provide outdoor equipment, such as skittles that offer opportunities for counting and equipment to keep the score.

p.3

who attend

Staff identify children's starting points during well-organised settling-in visits. They gain clear information from parents about what children know and can do at home, before they start nursery. They also look at and discuss with parents any learning and development records from previous settings their child has attended. As a result, as soon as they start nursery, staff purposefully plan activities that interest children and build on their previous learning. Staff observe and accurately assess children's ongoing progress as they play and support and purposefully extend their learning through challenging activities. Staff and parents continue to exchange information. Every day, parents receive information about what their child has been doing, verbally and in their child's electronic diary and learning record. Children's learning journals, recently changed from paper to electronic records, contain a range of written information, photographs, video and audio recordings. Parents

p.3

who attend

are beginning to add similar records about children's learning at home to provide an even fuller picture of each child's learning. Assessment records indicate children improve consistently and this is confirmed by parents and carers spoken to at the inspection. Effective tracking of each child's progress enables staff to identify any gaps in their learning and take early action to secure support where appropriate. As a result, children make good progress, which continues as they move up to the next room, with a higher age range, due to a carefully planned transition. Visits and a written report completed by staff provide the child's new key person with an accurate assessment of children's prior skills, knowledge and understanding. Children's good progress in physical, personal, social and emotional development ensures that they have the key skills needed for the next steps in their learning, such as moving on to school. Parents have access to a wealth of

p.4

who attend

information about the nursery on notice boards, in newsletters and on the informative nursery website. Events, such as sports day, involve children's families in the nursery.

p.4

who attend

Children freely choose activities from a wide range of accessible toys and books. In addition, a key person individually plans interesting and challenging activities for each child based on their good knowledge of the child's abilities. Staff are confident in their teaching and, most of the time, children's learning is very effectively supported. The quality of staff's teaching is good and sometimes outstanding. Babies and children fully engage in learning and concentrate well on self-chosen tasks. This enables them to discover, explore and increase their awareness of their world. They enjoy a wide range of sensory experiences, which successfully motivate them to make marks with their fingers and encourage their early writing skills. For example, children paint, draw with crayons and chalk and run their fingers through foam and sand. They manipulate cooked spaghetti and a wide range of differently scented dough mixtures; for example, some scented with

p.4

who attend

orange and lemon rind or curried beans. Sometimes, the scent and texture is linked to calendar events. For example, pumpkin is used at Halloween. Staff provide a particularly wide range of role-play and creative-play opportunities, which stimulate children's imagination but also helps their social development. All the nursery's role-play areas are well resourced and provide good opportunities to refine children's skills in all areas of learning. For example, babies demonstrate a growing awareness of how technology works as they appropriately use toy items to cook and clean. The pre-school children have a suite of enticing role-play areas, which include a kitchen, a bedroom with a real bed and a lounge with a television. Outdoors, children scoop compost into containers to make pretend meals in the mud kitchen. While pretending to build a farm, they develop their physical skills as they move wooden blocks around the garden in a sit and ride tractor.

p.4

who attend

They develop their mathematical knowledge as they count the blocks, work out how many more they need and use language, such as tall and big to describe their structure. Children also play imaginatively as they crush rice with a pestle, and mix it together with strawberry hair conditioner and baked beans to make pretend cakes. Staff play alongside, demonstrating how to use tools and equipment correctly and building vocabulary for children learning English as an additional language. However, less use is made of opportunities, which arise for children to use numbers and counting for a purpose, while playing imaginatively in the creative area and when outside. For instance, children talk about timing their cakes in the oven but equipment, such as electronic and sand timers, are not readily available for use to ensure children learn at the very highest level. Toys and equipment featuring numerals, or games with the need to count or keep score, such

p.4

who attend

Staff purposefully encourage babies' speaking and listening skills. Even before they can talk in words, young children keenly share their ideas with staff through sounds, gestures and body language. Staff know the babies and toddlers well and respond to their ideas. Staff talk about what is happening, such as when changing nappies, which helps children to understand what they experience. Staff working with all age groups use key words in children's home language to support their understanding of English. Parents read stories to the children in their home language, which enables all children to hear a range of languages. Older children develop good speaking and listening skills and show a keen interest in literacy. Good use of furniture, such as an arm chair, soft furnishings and drapes, make book areas inviting. As a result, children choose to look at books and listen to stories read by staff. Two-year-old children are able to turn the pages of books

p.5

who attend

appropriately and describe the pictures to re-tell the story to their friends. Special events, celebrated by the families of children attending, are frequently built into the planning, which successfully increase children's awareness of each other's culture. Sometimes, children learn about other cultures in the wider community, for example, by tasting Chinese cuisine at Chinese New Year. Children learn about nature and how to care for other living things. They chop carrots, apples and mushrooms to feed their pet giant snails. They talk about and learn to consider the needs of others as they bake cakes and sell them for charity in the local area. They visit the hairdresser's shop and the bowling club to sell their cakes, which enables them to learn about their local community, and the people who live and work in it. Staff have recently brought together a wide range of natural and manufactured resources into one area of each room. This enhances children's

p.5

who attend

ability to explore and build a knowledge and understanding of materials and their properties. Babies run their toy trains through masses of cotton wool. Three-year-old children develop their manipulative skills as they build a ramp from different materials for their cars.

p.5

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

Staff establish very secure emotional bonds with children due to the organised way they help children to settle in. Each child has a staff member identified as a key person, who supports them to become familiar with the nursery, ensures their individual needs are met and builds a relationship with their parents. Staff make good use of familiar words in children's home languages, to help them when settling in. Older children confidently interact with visitors, which demonstrates they feel safe, emotionally secure and self- assured. Staff organise space and resources to create a highly stimulating nursery in which children develop strong self-help skills. Children recognise and manage their personal needs well, relative to their ages. They independently choose when to go to the toilet and staff go with them to provide support where required. Staff encourage pre- school children to follow hygiene routines, such as washing hands independently and

p.5

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

brushing teeth. Children of all ages help themselves to drinks of water when thirsty, due to good provision of water and cups. Children's dietary needs are addressed appropriately with meals cooked on the premises from fresh ingredients. In the baby room, toddlers sit comfortably and safely at mealtimes in seating, which allows them to have their feet firmly on the floor. This aids their stability and upper body control supporting their hand-to- mouth coordination. They sit with staff in small groups and are well supported to feed themselves at lunch time. Older children have opportunities, such as baking or helping to prepare snack, which enable them to discuss the health benefits of foods as they investigate different fruits and vegetables. However, staff in the dining room with two- and three-year-old children are less efficient at supporting reluctant eaters, or reinforcing messages about healthier choices. Three-year-old children wait patiently for their turn to

p.5

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

serve themselves lunch, although only one set of serving dishes makes this a longer wait than necessary. Despite the wait, children behave well and follow routines, which is good preparation for school. For example, they scrape their plate and put their cutlery in a container when finished.

p.6

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

A suitable procedure is clearly discussed with parents and/or carers for responding to children who are ill or infectious. Nappy changing is well organised to meet children's needs. Babies and children sleep comfortably on beds, at times according to their routine. Good hygiene is maintained as bedding is washed after each use. Children develop healthy lifestyles as they gain an understanding of the need for physical exercise. There is ample space for babies to roll and crawl and for toddlers to practise walking. Staff purposefully roll balls to babies, which encourages them to develop coordination as they roll the ball back. Babies crawl over some purposefully arranged soft play shapes in the baby room. Staff sensitively encourage and support them to improve in ability and confidence. Older children develop strong physical skills and a good understanding of how to manage risks as they climb up steps and netting and over shapes in the large soft-play area. They also

p.6

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

balance well as they ride on wheeled vehicles in the garden. They learn balance, coordination and football skills with a sports coach who visits weekly. Children also learn about safety and people who help us from interesting visitors, such as the police officers and fire officers with their fire engine.

p.6

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

Babies move to music in rhythm and rhyme sessions led by a drama teacher. While older children learn about different emotions as they pretend to be characters from stories in their drama class. Children learn to care and consider the needs of others through raising money for national charitable events. Staff are effectively deployed to meet and exceed the required ratios throughout the day and most staff are suitably qualified. Their calm and polite manner sets an exemplary example for children. Children generally behave well. Staff work closely with parents to agree and use a range of suitable strategies and rewards to promote their child's good behaviour. For example, some children take home the nursery bear or a book for sharing at home as their chosen reward. Children receive praise from staff for achievements and positive behaviour, which promotes their self- esteem and confidence. Children maintain their emotional security each time they move

p.6

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

up to the next room. This is because staff move them up in pairs and arrange joint play sessions, so they can confidently become familiar with their new key person and room. A written assessment of the child's prior skills, knowledge and understanding is passed through with them. This ensures each child's good progress continues as they confidently settle into their new room. Staff prepare children well for moving on to school. They read stories about starting school and add school uniforms to the role-play outfits, so children become familiar with them. Staff are extending this to include physical education kits so children can practise getting changed. This is following information from a teacher on the difficulty some children have getting changed for physical education when first starting school. A positive relationship with most of the schools to which children later attend eases their transition from nursery to school. An effective partnership with other

p.6

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

professionals and services ensures children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully supported, to ensure they are not disadvantaged.

p.7

provision

The arrangements for safeguarding children are good. Staff carefully monitor access to the nursery and keep it secure at all times. They check their rooms and equipment daily and regularly review their written risk assessments to keep the nursery safe. The newly formed leadership and management team fully understand their responsibility to meet the safeguarding and welfare, and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They actively sought training on safer recruitment in order to more effectively review their recruitment and vetting process. As a result, robust recruitment and vetting, followed by in-depth induction and regular supervision, check and monitor each staff's suitability to work with children. Evidence of checks, including from the Disclosure and Barring Service, are available for inspection to evidence each staff's suitability. Staff are confident about the procedures to follow should they have any

p.7

provision

concerns about a child's welfare. This is because they regularly update their safeguarding training and some staff are trained at a higher level to support them. Room leaders meet weekly and pass on any updated information to their team and all staff receive safeguarding updates at staff meetings. As a result, on a daily basis, clear policies and procedures for safeguarding children are implemented consistently by staff, which protect the children well.

p.7

provision

The recently formed management team have a strong commitment to continuous improvement. They have addressed the recommendations from the last inspection and work closely to identify areas to develop. The views of staff, parents and children are included in any evaluation of the nursery. As a result, there are strong links between identified priorities and plans for improvement. Their positive improvement plans are having a good impact on the learning of children. The management team use their skills and knowledge to monitor staff performance and improve the effectiveness of teaching. One of the management team, with Early Years Teacher Status, monitors and supports the room leaders. Regular supervision sessions enable each staff member to reflect on their practice and identify their future training needs. Staff share what they learn from conferences, external training events and from research on the internet, so that all staff

p.7

provision

may benefit. As a result, staff have a wealth of skills and knowledge and deliver high quality teaching and learning. Staff support children in developing their abilities to play, through modelling how to pretend, or ensuring that children with specific educational needs are supported to participate in play opportunities.

p.7

provision

Children are cared for, mainly according to their age, in spacious and attractively set out rooms with a wide range of accessible resources. This enables children to move freely around and access a wide range of experiences. Staff effectively support children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. This is because they demonstrate a secure understanding of the areas of learning and how children learn through play. They also have an accurate understanding of each child's skills, abilities and progress due to effective sharing of the planning. The management team monitor the records of children's learning to ensure accuracy. They identify the progress of individual children, or groups of children, and take appropriate action to close any gaps in their learning. This supports all children to make good progress given their individual starting points and helps to prevent them being left behind. Staff work well in partnership with parents and other agencies, to

p.7

provision

identify and provide support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Parents, spoken to during the inspection, speak highly of the staff. They appreciate the way staff help their child settle in and inform them of their child's day. Parents have access to a wealth of information about the nursery and are well informed about the Early Years Foundation Stage. A suitable written procedure for dealing with concerns and complaints is shared with parents. Any concerns and complaints received are dealt with promptly and any action taken is appropriately logged.

p.8

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.8

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.9

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.9

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.10

Setting details

Unique reference number EY282289 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 861107

p.10

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 88 Number of children on roll 86 Name of provider Partington's Holiday Centres Limited Date of previous inspection 24/11/2008 Telephone number 01253 300455

p.10

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.

p.10

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.10

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.10

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.10

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.11

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.11

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.12

Type of provision

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

p.12