Swallows Day Nursery

Swallows Day Nursery Swimbridge House Nursing Home, Swimbridge, BARNSTAPLE, Devon, EX32 0QT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/12/2014 26/05/2009

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Staff provide a good range of indoor resources at low-level, to inform children of the full availability and encourage them to make independent choices in their play.  Children are becoming confident communicators because of the positive range of teaching strategies that staff implement.  Staff provide plentiful opportunities for children to undertake small self-care tasks, to develop their independence.  Staff implement individual support to help individual children make good progress in their learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children do not always have access to a wide range of outdoor resources to enhance learning and play opportunities.  Parents do not always receive regular detailed information regarding their children's individual next steps, to enable them to extend their child's learning at home.

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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 children's play both indoors and outside.  The inspector and manager completed a joint observation.  The inspector talked with some parents, grandparents, children and staff.  The inspector held discussions with the manager and spoke to staff.  The inspector sampled a range of documents.

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Information about the setting

Swallows Day Nursery registered in 2009 and opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6.30pm, all year round. The nursery has its own self-contained premises in the village of Swimbridge in North Devon. Children have use of one large room and two smaller rooms as play and sleep areas. They have access to a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 45 children attending, 29 of whom are within the early years age range. There are nine members of staff who work directly with children, including the provider, who all hold appropriate early years qualifications. The provider is in receipt of funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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

 review the range and organisation of resources in the garden to extend opportunities for children to explore and investigate the natural world, and play imaginatively

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

 extend partnerships with parents by providing more information about how they can promote their child's development at home.

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who attend

Staff plan interesting activities for children of all ages that support a breadth of skills. For instance, children are regularly encouraged to learn through discussion, singing, stories, using their senses and cooking. This meets the different learning styles of all children and so stimulates and motivates them. Consequently, children establish a positive attitude to learning, which helps them make progress in their development. Staff complete regular, accurate assessments of children's achievements. They clearly identify children's next steps using moving forward records, to help them focus on how to build on the children's existing knowledge and skills. Additionally, staff complete the appropriate progress check for two-year-old children to summarise their learning and identify next steps for planning. This all means that children make good progress and are ready for the next stage of their learning, including those who move on to school. All children are generally working

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who attend

comfortably within the typical ranges of development expected for their age.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good because staff have a strong understanding of how children learn. Staff plan specific activities to extend children's understating of counting and shapes. For example, children competently play games involving recognising numbers and shapes. Staff encourage children to consider measurement by introducing the concept of moving at different speeds, which helps them make good progress in their mathematical development. Staff positively role model the use of language to help children learn to communicate effectively. During a dance activity at the inspection, staff reminded children to listen carefully to their direction, occasionally providing false instruction to assess whether children are truly listening. The staff ask open questions, such as those beginning with 'why', to help develop children's thinking skills. Children develop an interest in books, and listen intently as staff read them stories and talk about the illustrations. Older children

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who attend

ably write their name on their back of their work, showing their understanding of meaningful print. Staff provide a good range of resources indoors for children to explore and play with to support their learning and interests. However, the range of resources outdoors is not always as broad to provide a wide range of learning and play experiences. For example, children benefit from ample equipment to support their physical skills but have fewer opportunities to explore the natural world or play imaginatively.

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who attend

Staff have the skills and knowledge to quickly identify those children that may require further support. They form links with other professionals when needed, to help all children make good progress. The use of a successful key-person system supports positive engagement with parents. Staff keep parents informed about their child's progress through written diaries. Parents are able to view records of their children's achievements and are encouraged to comment on them. However, staff do not consistently share extensive information about children's next steps in learning to support parents in extending their children's learning at home.

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

The good relationships children have with staff in the warm and friendly nursery means children are comfortable and settle in quickly. This is because staff are sensitive in meeting their individual emotional needs. For instance, children who felt unwell or upset during the inspection were soothed and calmed by staff's reassurance and cuddles. Staff enthusiastically praise children's efforts and achievements. They routinely remind children of the behavioural expectations, which prevents minor disagreements from escalating and supports children to form friendships. This all means that children feel secure and so develop confidence and self-esteem to progress well. It also helps them with their transitions between the pre-school and school. As a result, children are enthused, keen learners who contribute excitedly in games and activities.

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

Staff store a good range of resources at low-level and clearly label these with words and photographs, to enable children to identify the full availability of toys. This enables children's increasing independence in making decisions about their own play and learning. However, a similar wide variety is not consistently available outdoors, to encourage more children to explore the outdoors play area. Staff utilise a range of opportunities to engage children in small self-care tasks, such as putting their own lunchboxes in the fridge at the start of the day, tidying up resources and spreading toppings on sandwiches. Consequently, children are becoming independent.

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

Children benefit from nutritious snacks, such as a selection of fruit. Staff explain to children the importance of warming up before exercising, to help them understand the effects of physical exertion on their body. Children know to wash their hands before eating and brush their teeth after meals, to help them to keep healthy. Staff remove their outdoor footwear before entering the nursery to maintain a clean floor, which promotes the health of all children. They organise their deployment well, to enable good supervision of children as they choose to play between the garden and indoors. Staff and children practise the fire drill regularly to ensure they know the procedures to follow, to exit the building quickly and safely in the event of an emergency. The secure locks on the nursery doors prevent unknown adults from entering and children from leaving the premises unsupervised. This all helps to ensure children's welfare.

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provision

The manager is enthusiastic and committed to the nursery. She has developed good systems to provide a broad range of experiences for all children, although children do not always receive a similarly broad choice of play resources in the garden. Staff plan activities that cover all areas of learning, to help children make good progress in their development. The manager and staff use effective systems for monitoring and assessing children's learning. The manager monitors this information regularly to ensure staff identify children's strengths and areas for development. This helps to ensure that planned activities successfully meet children's individual needs.

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provision

The manager and staff understand their responsibility to protect children. All staff receive child protection training and are consequently able to identify signs and symptoms of abuse. The manager and staff are familiar with the procedures to follow should there be concerns about a child in their care. Secure procedures are in place to ensure children are able to play safely. The manager completes risk assessments to identify and reduce potential hazards. Staff hold up-to-date first-aid training to enable them to administer treatment and medication appropriately, to promote children's health.

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provision

The manager has appropriate knowledge of recruitment and vetting procedures, to help ensure the suitability of adults caring for children. New members of staff receive a good induction to familiarise them with nursery practice, policies and procedures, to help them understand their responsibilities from the start. Staff receive annual appraisals and regular supervision meetings, which ensures they continue to meet the needs of children.

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provision

The manager implements evaluative procedures to reflect on the quality of experiences for all children. She has devised good procedures to help her to identify strengths and weaknesses in the nursery. Staff obtain the views of parents through regular questionnaires, to help them to meet the needs of all users of the nursery. Staff work in partnership with parents. A different policy is regularly displayed in the entrance hallway to ensure that they have a good understanding of the routines and procedures that staff follow. They invite parents to view children's assessment records. However, they do not fully support them in understanding their children's current next steps, to enable parents to extend their child's learning at home. Parents state that they are very happy with the childcare that staff provide, that staff are friendly and children settle in very quickly. Staff form links with other settings that children attend to monitor their achievements in

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provision

different learning environments, which helps them to build an accurate picture of the progress that children make.

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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 EY386523 Local authority Devon Inspection number 830009 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Elaine June Griffin Date of previous inspection 26/05/2009 Telephone number 01271831493

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Setting details

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

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

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

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Type of provision

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

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Type of provision

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

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Type of provision

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

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

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

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