Bright Lights Day Care

Galton Valley Children's Centre Great Arthur Street, Smethwick, West Midlands, B66 1BA

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/12/2014 04/12/2013

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

p.1

This provision requires improvement

 Staff fully understand and effectively implement child protection policies and procedures, which ensures that children are protected.  There is a growing focus on developing partnerships with parents. This is helping to improve the quality of support for children's individual learning and care.  All children benefit from the friendly and enthusiastic approach of staff who spend time responding well to children's interests. This helps to motivate children to become active learners.  Children under two years of age benefit from spending their time in a wonderful and stimulating babyroom, which supports their natural drive to explore and learn.  In recent months there has been a determined drive to improve the quality of teaching and care in the nursery, which has improved children's experiences.

p.1

It is not yet good because

 The implementation of the new assessment and planning systems has not been effective enough to ensure all children are supported to make good progress in their learning.  The educational programmes for literacy and expressive arts and design and the outdoor learning environment are not yet good enough to support children to make good progress.

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

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all of the indoor and outdoor areas.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the management team of the nursery, the senior management team of the registered body and representative of the early years team from the local authority.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers included in the self- evaluation process and spoken to on the day of inspection.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the staff about the daily care routines and children's individual learning.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies and procedures, which included safeguarding, complaints and children's assessment and planning records.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of adults working with children and the provider's monitoring and action plans.

p.2

Information about the setting

Galton Valley Children's Centre was registered in 2006 and is on the Early Years Register. The provision is known locally as Bright Lights Day Nursery and is situated in purpose built premises in Smethwick, in Sandwell. It operates under the management of the board of governors of Galton Valley Primary School. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a purpose built premises in Smethwick, in Sandwell. There are enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 44 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children

p.3

Information about the setting

who speak English as an additional language.

p.3

must:

 improve the quality of teaching by providing staff with sufficient support and coaching so that they have the skills and knowledge to effectively implement the assessment and planning systems

p.3

must:

 improve the education programmes for literacy, so that children make good progress in this area, by providing a wider range of reading materials and tools to make marks in all areas of learning

p.3

must:

 improve the education programmes for expressive arts and design, so that children make good progress in this area, by providing richer and more stimulating role play activities.

p.3

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

 provide more support for children who learn better outdoors by creating a more stimulating and challenging outdoor area.

p.3

who attend

Teaching requires improvement because the quality of teaching is not yet consistently good. Consequently, not all children are supported to make good progress and develop a full range of skills in readiness for school. All children benefit from the friendly and enthusiastic approach of staff who spend time responding well to children's interests. For example, staff join children as they sit in the book corner. Staff support children's communication skills, as they read children stories and ask them some questions about the storyline. Older children learn to sit well and listen to stories in adult-led group sessions. They show high levels of engagement in phonic activities where they demonstrate their developing knowledge of the names and sounds of letters in the alphabet. However, children's emerging literacy skills are not sufficiently supported as children are not supported well enough to develop and extend their interest in books. For

p.4

who attend

example, the book corner has too few books to attract children who have not yet developed an interest in looking at books. Furthermore, in areas, such as construction, maths and role-play, there are no fact or fiction books for children to use and no tools for children to make their own marks as they play. As a result, children's interest and skills are not supported or extended enough for them to make good progress in this area of learning.

p.4

who attend

Children have some good opportunities to explore and experiment. For example, funded two-year-old children, who are relatively new to the nursery and less confident, become more animated and responsive as they spend time in the dedicated sensory room. This is helping children to become active learners and to develop their social skills as they interact with others and respond to the new and different sounds, lights and textures. Children create and experiment with a wide range of materials and textures in the well-stocked craft area. However, there is not enough focus given to supporting, inspiring and extending children's imaginative play. Some of the resources used to support this area are of poor quality and in very short supply. As a result, children are not engaging in imaginative play enough to make good progress in this area of learning. A recent review of the structure of the day has resulted in children taking part in more adult-led activities,

p.4

who attend

such as an indoor exercise time, which is supporting children's physical skills. During this time staff are focused well on supporting all children to take part in the activity at their level of ability. The use of repetitive songs, actions and gestures are particularly helpful for children with emerging vocabulary and for children with English as an additional language. Staff with bilingual skills provide further support in helping children to use their home language during play and to learn the meaning of new English vocabulary. However, less action has been taken to improve the quality of learning in the outdoor area. Therefore, the progress of children who learn better in an outdoor environment is not fully supported.

p.4

who attend

Children under two years benefit from the wonderful array of stimulation in the baby room. Staff stay close to children who are starting to enjoy and explore their physical abilities. This ensures children are kept safe, which gives them confidence to become mobile and to continue to explore and challenge their physical skills. Staff are skilful in recognising and responding to what younger children are experiencing and learning, on a moment by moment basis. This effectively supports and extends younger children's natural drive to learn as they become interested and curious in all the things they see, hear and touch.

p.4

who attend

The nursery has devised a clear and suitable assessment and planning system. This includes obtaining information from parents about children's starting points and ongoing achievements. Staff undertake regular observations of children's interests and achievements at nursery. They complete regular summaries of children's progress, including the progress checks for children aged between two and three years. There is a process in place to use assessment information to identify children's next steps and to inform planning. However, these new systems are not yet implemented consistently. In some instances, information is not gained from parents when children first start at the nursery. Some assessment summaries are not accurate enough, which means some next steps are not challenging enough. Some planned activities are not creative enough to fully support the new skills children are learning. Consequently, children are not always

p.4

who attend

supported or challenged to make good progress in their learning.

p.5

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

Children's emotional well-being is mostly well supported. The nursery portrays a strong message that everyone is valued and welcome. All staff are welcoming, kind and gentle to children. As a result, children become settled and happy in their care. All staff go down to children's level to encourage and support them to become involved in play. They provide children with praise for their attempts and achievements. This means children feel valued, which contributes to promoting their self-esteem, confidence and learning. In general, staff work well in partnership with parents to tailor children's initial settling-in experiences, to meet their individual needs. Parents are aware of who their child's key person is and feel confident in approaching the allocated key person if they need to. Children under two benefit from a particularly smooth move to their next room because they spend a little time in this room on a daily basis with their key person. As a result, children are already

p.5

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

familiar with staff and older children when they move into the room. Staff from both rooms work well together to match children to their new key person. This contributes further to children settling quickly and confidently into their new room. Recent changes in the structure of the day have contributed to providing support for children to become more prepared for the changes that take place during the day, such as tidy-away time. Younger children demonstrate their sense of security and well-being as they show familiarity and cooperation with daily routines, which promotes a harmonious environment for children. Children are comfortable to sleep and they wake up refreshed and eager to begin to play again. Children's move to school is suitably supported.

p.5

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

Staff provide a well-organised lunchtime so that all children receive their meal in a timely manner. This means all children enjoy the social occasion of eating together. Staff sit with the children and support the development of children's social skills by engaging children in conversation to communicate their needs and preferences. Children demonstrate good behaviour by taking turns and they show concern for other children as they tell staff other children need assistance. Staff talk about the food children are eating, which makes some contribution to children's emerging understanding of the importance of eating healthy. Children learn self-care skills as they are supported to use their cutlery correctly to eat and use serving utensils to serve their own food. This promotes children's independence and confidence, supporting them in preparation for their move on to school. Staff support children's emerging understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle that involves

p.5

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

physical exercise, by participating in active play in the garden area and taking part in exercise sessions indoors. Children demonstrate their growing understanding about staying safe as they take part in discussions about what they need to do to stay safe. Some areas in the nursery are very well resourced and help to keep children highly motivated and engaged in learning.

p.5

provision

The safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are met. Recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure all adults working in the setting are assessed and monitored for suitability. This includes all adults obtaining Disclosure and Barring Service clearances to confirm their suitability to work with children. All staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities regarding children's protection. As a result, staff work effectively with other agencies to implement child protection policies and procedures so that any child protection concerns are addressed swiftly. Staff supervise children well and take suitable steps to remove items within the environment that may present a risk to children's safety. Clear procedures are in place to make sure that in the event of a child becoming ill or injured a member of staff with a current first-aid certificate will be on-hand. This contributes to ensuring children's good

p.6

provision

There have been recent changes to the management team of the nursery and changes to the senior management team of the registered body since the last inspection. This has led to much better partnership working with the early years team from the local authority and a stronger focus on addressing the weaknesses identified at the last inspection. In some instances, action plans have been fully effective and have overcome weaknesses identified at the last inspection. Lunchtime arrangements now provide children with a calm environment that is conducive to them enjoying the social experience, while honing their skills in using cutlery. Improvements in the cleanliness and hygiene of the premises has helped to minimise the risk of cross-infection and support children's good health. There has also been a better focus on developing partnerships with parents. Parents have been successfully engaged to share their views about the nursery, through the use of

p.6

provision

questionnaires. The nursery has been very responsive in analysing and responding to these views. An information board for parents demonstrates how their views have been acted upon. For example, in response to parents saying they wanted more involvement in their children's learning, the nursery has begun displaying more information about children's next steps in learning and planning of activities. Parents have also taken part in a Diwali activity day, where they had the opportunity to talk to staff and take part in activities with their children. Established links are in place with multi-agency teams and contribute to meeting children's needs.

p.6

provision

Recently, there has been a much improved focus and drive to improve teaching and learning. This has included the implementation of a new assessment and planning system. Regular checks and evaluations are being made on the quality of teaching and this is helping to introduce and develop good teaching practice. This is evident as staff establish new structures and routines for children and staff are clearly recognising and supporting children's interests. Evaluation and monitoring has been successful in identifying where weaknesses still remain. Action plans have been put in place to address the continuing weaknesses in the assessment process and the learning environment. However, the action plans have not included sufficient attention to the support, coaching and resources the staff and manager in the nursery will need, to secure swift enough improvements. As a result, teaching is not yet consistently good. However, the senior management team of

p.6

provision

the registered body demonstrate a clear drive to address this by making better use of the school resources. As such, the nursery demonstrates the capacity to bring about positive change.

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 EY338976 Local authority Sandwell Inspection number 962816

p.9

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 89 Number of children on roll 44 Name of provider Galton Valley Governing Body Date of previous inspection 04/12/2013 Telephone number 01215650993

p.9

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.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