Just for Starters Day Nursery Limited

Just for Starters Day Nursery Ltd Russell Bank Road, Sutton Coldfield, B74 4RG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/12/2014 27/10/2011

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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

 Children are happy and settled in this friendly and welcoming nursery because the staff are sensitive, caring and kind. Staff support children well as they begin at the setting and as they move on to school.  Staff have good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are provided with a wide range and balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. As a result, children make good progress in their development.  The manager and staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Well-written policies and procedures underpin their good practice. This ensures that children's welfare is protected well.  The manager has good systems of self-evaluation and staff development, helping to promote good outcomes for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not regularly provide parents with information about their children's current stage of development in order to promote an even more shared approach to children's learning.  Some staff occasionally over-direct children during adult-led activities and do not enable them to independently use resources and materials, to enable them to play and explore freely.

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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 outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children and held discussions with the manager and various members of staff throughout the inspection.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the nursery manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of documentation, such as staff qualifications, their Disclosure and Barring Service checks, and policies and procedures, including the safeguarding policy, and children's learning records.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Just For Starters Day Nursery opened in 1993. It operates from a single-storey building in the grounds of Four Oaks Primary School in Sutton Coldfield. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. It opens five days a week and closes for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Opening hours are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 56 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on the voluntary part and compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children and supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The setting employs 11 members of staff. Five members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, five members of staff are qualified at degree level and one member is a lunchtime assistant.

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

 develop further opportunities for parents to review their children's progress, to enhance the effectiveness of partnerships and the continuity in children's development

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

 support young children's growing independence and motivation further, for example, by encouraging them to make their own decisions about what they do, how they do it and what they play with.

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who attend

The good quality of teaching supports and extends children's learning and development. Children take part in a wealth of experiences and activities that result in them becoming confident and self-assured, eager and motivated learners. The staff have strong teaching skills, good knowledge of the learning and development requirements and a solid understanding of how children learn. The stimulating environment, both inside and outside, ensures that all children make effective progress towards the early learning goals. Staff play alongside the children and talk to them about what they are doing. For example, as children play with jigsaw puzzles, staff model good learning skills as they talk about the position of the pictures. This helps children to work out how to piece the puzzle together. Staff encourage children to explore nature. They look for bugs in the garden and delight in collecting leaves and then jumping in the piles they have created. Early mathematical skills

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who attend

are emerging as staff encourage children to think about shapes as they build a house for Santa. Staff ask children about the shapes they might need and children comment that the chimney is 'round' and that the windows are 'rectangles or squares'. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and, in-turn, acquire the skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready for school or their next stage of learning. While the overall teaching in the nursery is good, occasionally some staff can be overly directive, particularly when engaging in creative activities with younger children. This has some impact on the children's growing independence and motivation to learn and succeed.

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who attend

Staff know the children well and use information from observation to make sure that each child achieves as much as they can. They identify children's starting points and complete regular observations and summaries on what children know and can do. These reflect all areas of learning and help staff to identify the children's next steps in learning and implement planning for the day-to-day provision. Staff appropriately complete the required progress check for children aged between two and three years, to monitor their development in key areas, such as personal, social and physical development. Staff effectively use information from observations to complete individual learning plans for each child. As a result, staff plan activities tailored to the individual needs of each child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This ensures that all children make good progress based on their starting points.

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who attend

The partnership with parents is effective. Parents are welcomed to the nursery during the settling-in process. Staff build relationships with children and their parents during this period, which enables them to find out information about children's personalities, interests, dietary needs and their overall development. Consequently, this enables staff to deliver care and learning experiences that consider children's individual needs.

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

The well-established key-person system enables children to quickly build a trusting relationship with staff. Parents and children attend settling-in sessions, prior to starting, to allow staff to get to know children and their parents. The open-plan layout of the nursery means that younger children have the opportunity to spend lots of time with new key staff before they move groups. Children show they feel secure, which means they are more able to play, explore and learn, so that they make good progress and settle well. Children's emotional well-being is maintained as key persons are quick to notice when children are upset and need reassurance. Staff work well with parents to maintain a consistent approach to addressing care needs and they share information, so that each child's needs are met.

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

Children's good health is promoted very successfully. For example, all of the staff are trained first aiders, which means any accidents and injuries children sustain can be dealt with promptly and efficiently. Children are provided with a healthy diet, including a cooked lunch supplied by the on-site school, which means they are well-nourished. Very good hygiene procedures are encouraged and reinforced by staff through everyday routines and activities. For example, all children know that they must wash their hands before eating and after using the bathroom. As a result, children learn from an early age to manage their health, hygiene and personal care very well. Staff promote children's independence very well and help them to become independent in their self-care and eating habits. Staff support younger children as they use tongs to pick up pieces of fruit, while older children use them independently. Children learn to put on their coats and persevere as they fasten

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

their zips and do up buttons. They develop self-confidence and good self-esteem because staff constantly praise children in all that they do. For instance, staff and children clap their hands in appreciation when children sing well as they practise their Christmas show.

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

Staff encourage children's good behaviour as they act as good role models, being polite and calm and supporting them in their play. They set clear expectations and engage with children at their level. Children are polite and use their manners at mealtimes or when asking for further resources. They listen well to staff and follow instructions, with older children showing an increasing sense of responsibility. As a result, children are developing the skills they will need for their future learning at school. The outdoor play area is very well used by all ages of children. Children relish being active outdoors. There are plenty of opportunities for them to move about and handle equipment and apparatus, as this is consistently available to them. With good staff supervision, children are encouraged to safely take and manage risks as they climb and balance on large equipment. Therefore, children have a wide range of opportunities to be active, exercise and lead healthy

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provision

Children are well protected and kept safe and secure in this well-organised and well- resourced nursery environment. Thorough safety checks are completed daily and detailed risk assessments are completed for all the areas children use, including the outdoor area. The manager ensures that her staff team have a good understanding of child protection and safety through comprehensive policies and training. Staff understand who they should report to if they have any concerns about a child. As a result of this, children are protected and kept safe and secure in the nursery. The manager monitors the educational programme and procedures are in place to track children's development effectively to make sure that any gaps in their progress are recognised early. This is so help can be obtained from other professionals, in order to continue to further promote children's development.

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provision

There is good capacity for improvement as the manager is fully committed to ensuring the nursery provides high quality childcare. She is also fully aware of where the provision needs to improve, for example, by more regularly sharing information with the parents about their children's progress. The manager has taken into account the views of the staff, children and parents. She uses other tools to improve and enhance staff practice. For example, the nursery has achieved accreditation using the Effective Early Learning programme. This is designed to ensure the delivery of high quality services for all children and families within their setting. All staff that work directly with the children hold a childcare qualification and they further increase their professional development by attending short courses. There is an established programme of professional development as many staff undertake courses at graduate level. The manager implements good

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provision

supervision opportunities for staff to discuss any issues concerning children's development or well-being. This helps to ensure the staff appropriately support children's individual needs.

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provision

Children benefit from the staff developing strong links with other professionals within the local community. For example, the manager regularly attends meetings with other professionals and early years providers. She welcomes and implements advice appropriately from other professionals. This includes those who help support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff have introduced a visual timetable and use Makaton sign language to help promote communication and language skills. High priority is given to working in partnership with parents and to fully involve them in the life of the nursery. Information about how children have spent their day is passed on verbally and in writing. Organised parents evenings give parents the opportunity to find out about their children's progress. However, more frequent arrangements to share the children's current stage of development and the next steps in

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provision

their learning are not fully in place to give parents even more opportunities to extend children's learning at home. Comments made by parents during the inspection show they are very happy with the service provided. For example, parents state that they find all staff very approachable and know that their children are safe and looked after well. The nursery has good links with other early years settings children also attend and those they move on to, such as the local schools. Teachers from local schools are invited to visit the children at the nursery before their move to school. This enables them to build relationships and to share information. This promotes good, ongoing communication about children's care and learning and successfully supports their moves between provisions.

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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 229107 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 866417

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 56 Name of provider Just For Starters Day Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 27/10/2011 Telephone number 0121 353 9527

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

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

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