Diamonds Day Nursery

Diamonds Day Nursery The Old Convent, Alvaston Street, Alvaston, DERBY, DE24 0PA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/12/2014 07/02/2014

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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

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff provide an appropriate range of interesting activities throughout the day. Consequently, children are generally occupied and enjoy their time at the nursery.  Children are happy and feel secure in the nursery. This is because staff develop close bonds and attachments with them.  The management team effectively implements clear recruitment and safeguarding policies and procedures in order to promote children's welfare.  Staff develop positive relationships with parents. This enables them to share basic information about children's care and learning.

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It is not yet good because

 The quality of teaching in the toddler and pre-school rooms is inconsistent. Some activities lack challenge and fail to maintain children's attention.  Staff do not always ensure that next steps in learning are appropriate to individual children's progress. Consequently, some children's development is not well planned for.  Staff in the pre-school room and toddler room do not effectively organise some routines. Some children display elements of unsociable behaviour when they become bored while waiting too long for food, or to go outside.  Some staff do not consistently apply strategies to manage children's behaviour effectively. As a result, not all children learn to behave well.

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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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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.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all the playrooms and the outside play area of the nursery.  The inspector spoke with staff, children and their parents throughout the inspection.  The inspector held meetings and carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a range of documents including evidence of staff suitability checks, accident logs and the policies and procedures of the nursery.

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Information about the setting

Diamonds Day Nursery was registered in 2011 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in the Alvaston area of Derby, and is privately owned. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from converted premises and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including two with an Early Years degree. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round, with exception of bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 72 children on roll 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 with special educational needs and/or

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must:

 improve the consistency and quality of teaching in the toddler and pre-school rooms, so that all children benefit from activities that fully engage and challenge them

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must:

 ensure that next steps in learning are appropriately planned for and incorporate information from other professionals, to fully promote all children's good progress.

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

 enhance the management of behaviour, so that all staff are consistent in their approach and make expectations of behaviour clear and children learn how to behave appropriately

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

 review the organisation of routines, such as mealtimes and outdoor play, by reducing the time children spend waiting, so that they do not become bored and their behaviour remains positive.

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who attend

The nursery staff provide a welcoming and interesting environment for children, which generally supports development across the seven areas of learning. Throughout the nursery, staff present a varied and thoughtful range of resources in an inviting way. Consequently, most children engage well in activities. In general, children receive attentive support from staff as they play, meaning that they develop suitable skills in preparation for their next stage in learning, including school. However, the quality of teaching is variable. In the baby room, staff have a reasonable understanding of how children learn best. They use suitable teaching skills to support the children as they learn. For example, they join in play sensitively making suggestions to develop and extend learning. In addition, some staff in the toddler and pre-school rooms also make use of appropriate strategies to develop children's thinking, including asking open-ended questions. However, not all staff

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who attend

in these rooms support children sufficiently to make the most of the activities provided. For example, during some activates staff over direct children's learning. Likewise, when some children begin to explore activities for themselves staff intervene and tell the children what to do. As a result, some children occasionally disengage from learning and become bored.

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who attend

Babies and children develop appropriate physical skills and enjoy opportunities to discover and explore. They enjoy experimenting with different textures and materials, including crispy rice. Staff make use of these opportunities to extend and develop early communication skills. For example, they introduce simple words such as crunch, to imitate the sounds that the materials make. In addition, staff have developed effective strategies in order to support older children to make good progress in their communication and language development. Older children are provided with appropriate opportunities, including circle time, to hold meaningful conversations and listen attentively to staff and each other. An adequate selection of resources to encourage children to freely make marks as they play are made available, promoting early writing skills. For example, children draw pictures of themselves with chalk outside. The large garden enables children

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who attend

to develop their physical skills. Children climb, run and pedal wheeled toys with ease. They join in throwing games with staff and jump into hoops. Children's mathematical development is well promoted. They engage in regular counting activities and develop a reasonable understanding of mathematical concepts including size, as they build structures with bricks.

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who attend

Overall, the nursery staff have developed a reasonable understanding of children's abilities. They make satisfactory use of systems to regularly observe and assess children's development. This includes the completion of the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. When children first start, staff gather basic information about their likes and care needs from parents. Therefore, they are able to appropriately plan activities for initial sessions tailored to children's interests. Staff then complete and assessment of children's capabilities, which generally provides key persons with adequate knowledge of each child's starting points. Staff then routinely carry out regular observations to identify next stages in learning, meaning that mostly, children make steady progress. However, some staff are less skilled in using this information to build on children's development, which means that some children's next steps are not relevant to

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who attend

their learning needs. For example, staff do not always accurately track development against learning milestones to successfully identify gaps in learning. Likewise, not all staff consider information from other professionals, to accurately identify priorities in learning. As a result, some children's developmental needs are not as well planned for. Staff share sufficient information with parents about their child's learning and development on a daily basis. In addition, parents are invited to attend parents' meetings where key persons share written assessments and discuss any emerging needs. This helps to promote continuity of learning at home.

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

Children benefit from close relationships with staff because they feel secure and enjoy their time at the nursery. Staff make use of flexible settling-in procedures to allow time for children to become familiar with their key person. Staff are caring, warm and attentive to the needs of children. Babies enjoy cuddles, smiling affectionately at their key person and older children laugh and giggle as they enjoy playing alongside staff. Older children also develop close friendships with each other. For example, they laugh, smile and share jokes together as they play, which demonstrates that they enjoy each other's company. Therefore, children are typically happy and enjoy their time at the nursery. In general, staff are effective role models as they are polite and respectful. They encourage children to learn good manners, which children then use well.

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

Staff make use appropriate of strategies to support children's well-being. For example, they praise children's achievements appropriately throughout the day. This helps children to develop generally good self-esteem. However, not all children learn how to behave appropriately. Although staff have an adequate policy and procedures for dealing with behaviour issues, they are not always implementing it effectively. For instance, on some occasions staff do not intervene effectively in minor disagreements. They sometimes use negative language, such as, 'don't do that', without making their expectations for good behaviour clear. As a result, not all children know how they are supposed to behave and therefore, do not always play cooperatively. In addition, the poor organisation of some daily routines, such as getting coats on to go outside and clearing away the plates at mealtimes, does not always fully promote the well-being of the children. For example,

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

some children sit or stand for prolonged periods waiting for others to get their coats or clear their plates. As a result, they become bored and restless.

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

The playrooms are arranged suitably to enable children to move safely and confidently. An adequate range of developmentally appropriate resources is stored at children's height, which allows them to make choices as they play. This helps children to become confident learners. The outdoor area is spacious and staff provide reasonable opportunities for children to gain an understanding of risk. For example, they are encouraged to climb independently on ladders. Additionally, children participate in fire drills and are reminded how to use bikes safely. Children's understanding of good health is suitably promoted throughout the nursery. For example, children wash their hands prior to eating and after messy play activities. Children are provided with a healthy range of snacks and meals, which are freshly prepared each day. They help themselves to fresh water throughout the session. Children develop an understanding of healthy diets through discussions such as

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

why they eat certain foods. Furthermore, opportunities are provided for older children to serve their own food. Staff use this time to encourage children to try new foods. Therefore, children are developing an understanding of how to keep themselves healthy. Children at the nursery develop appropriate self-care skills. Older children are encouraged to use toilet facilities by themselves and put on their own coats and shoes. Therefore, children develop good levels of independence. Such attributes help children to feel emotionally prepared for moving on to the next stage in their learning, such as school.

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provision

The new management team has a clear understanding of their responsibilities under the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This means that children's welfare is effectively promoted within the nursery. The manager implements robust recruitment policies and procedures into practice to assess staff's suitability. All staff are subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks prior to employment. They attend training to develop their understanding of how to keep children safe from harm. As a result, staff have a clear understanding of child protection procedures and of whom to report any concerns to. Sound policies and procedures to support the running of the nursery are in place, which staff implement effectively in their daily practice. This helps to promote the welfare of the children.

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provision

The management team has a suitable understanding of their role in meeting the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They provide staff with adequate systems for the assessment and observation of children, which help to ensure that next stages in children's development are suitably identified. However, staff do not use these systems consistently to identify gaps in children's ongoing development. This also means that not all planning is specifically focused to include the next steps in learning for individual children. Therefore, not all children are supported to make good progress. Staff are clear about the importance of working with other professionals and have developed basic partnerships them, including speech and language therapists. This means that interventions to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are reasonably well sought. However, staff do not always make use of the

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provision

information shared to identify children's individual priorities in learning. This means that some children's learning is not as well planned for. Staff have developed appropriate partnerships with parents. They take the time to ensure that basic information about children's care and learning is shared on a daily basis. Parents are generally happy with the care, which their children receive and feel adequately supported by staff. As a result, learning is effectively continued at home.

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provision

Since the last inspection, the management team have taken some steps to improve practice. For example, they have developed the staff's understanding of how to promote the communication and language development of children. However, because there have been some changes in leadership, progress has not been sufficient to raise the overall quality of the teaching in the nursery. Nonetheless, the provider has recently appointed a new manager who has developed specific improvement plans to support the ongoing development of the nursery. The new manager is fully committed to driving new processes forward, such as the monitoring and evaluation of staff's practice and overseeing the assessment of children's developmental records. In addition, through reflective practice she has identified that some staff's teaching methods do not support the good progress of children and that strategies to manage behaviour are not

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provision

implemented consistently. Although a plan to improve this practice is in place, it is in its infancy and has not yet had a substantial impact on some staff's progress. Overall, the quality of staff's practice is monitored appropriately through peer observations, supervision discussions and annual appraisals conducted by the management team. Regular opportunities for staff to attend training to extend their knowledge, understanding and skills are provided. As a result, in general staff are adequately trained and qualified to meet the majority of children's needs.

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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

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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 EY421215 Local authority Derby, City of Inspection number 962912

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 54 Number of children on roll 72 Name of provider Christina Hanrahan Date of previous inspection 07/02/2014 Telephone number 01332755455

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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

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’.

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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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