Seashells Nursery

Seashells Mablethorpe Children's Centre, Stanley Avenue, MABLETHORPE, Lincolnshire, LN12 1DP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/12/2014 08/11/2011

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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 make good progress as they happily engage in purposeful learning experiences which have been provided based around their interests. As a result, children engage well and are enthusiastic learners.  Partnerships with parents are good and contribute to ensuring that children's needs are successfully met. Children form secure emotional attachments with staff and show high levels of confidence within the nursery. They enthusiastically explore their environment and participate in activities with enjoyment.  The manager uses robust systems to monitor the effectiveness of the nursery and ensures that all children are making good progress. Staff are supported to reflect on and evaluate practice so that outcomes for children continue to improve.  All staff have a secure understanding of their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children and competently implement daily safety checks to minimise hazards.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always give children sufficient time to answer or to think through their responses to the very good open-ended questions that they ask of them. Consequently, children's critical thinking skills are not maximised.  Younger children do not have the opportunity to extend their independence in all routines, for example, they are not encouraged to get themselves ready to go outside.

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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 had a tour of the nursery with the deputy manager and held discussions with the manager, area manager and members of staff.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed adult-led and free-play activities taking place in the playrooms and outside area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and the nursery's self-evaluation and improvement plan.

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Information about the setting

Seashells opened in 1998 and registered again in 2006 when they moved premises to operate as part of the Mablethorpe Children's Centre in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is under the governance of the Pre-School Learning Alliance. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 2, seven hold qualifications at level 3, one at level 4 and one at level 6. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 9am until 4pm, term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 37 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

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Information about the setting

number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 strengthen children's already good critical thinking skills, for example, by giving children more time to process their thoughts and respond to questions

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

 create further opportunities for younger children to develop their independence further, for example, by providing opportunities for them to dress themselves before going outside.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of how young children learn. Staff get to know children well through regular observations and assessments. They know their likes, dislikes and what they can do. Consequently, staff plan activities around children's individual interests and challenge them effectively in their learning. As a result, all children make good progress. Staff complete regular assessments, including the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. Staff use robust assessments of children to monitor their progress across the seven areas of learning and identify what they need to learn next. This supports children's development as they move onto the next steps in their learning. Key persons record their observations of children's play and assessment information in individual learning journals. These records are shared with parents regularly. Parents are encouraged to add their own comments and their next

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who attend

steps for their children. Staff support children to learn the key skills they need to be ready for the next stage in their learning, including the move to primary school. Staff incorporate mathematics into everyday activities and routines. For example, they encourage children to count using their fingers during circle time as they sing nursery rhymes. Staff are good role models and children copy them and use their fingers to count back from five. Children's understanding of shape, space and measure is developed when using jugs, bottles and funnels in the water tray. Staff ask children open-ended questions to extend their knowledge. However, staff do not always give children sufficient time to answer, or to think through their responses. Children develop their understanding of the world around them. For example, children enjoy playing with calculators and telephones as they press the number buttons and pretend to call someone.

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who attend

Children enthusiastically engage in all that is on offer and thrive as they choose whether to play in the indoor or outdoor play areas. Children have access to stimulating toys and natural materials, such as wooden blocks and fire fighting role-play resources, which develops their imagination and keeps them absorbed and intrigued in purposeful play. Trips out into the local area promote children's understanding of the world and the community around them. Staff take children on walks to the local market to choose fruit and vegetables for their snacks and lunch. Staff support children as they move between rooms, because settling-in times are organised to ensure they become familiar with their new carers and surroundings. Supportive arrangements also exist between the nursery and the local schools to support children's smooth transfer into full-time education. Information is shared with teaching staff, when they visit the nursery. Furthermore, staff

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who attend

plan activities to emotionally prepare children for the changes ahead. This means that children get to know their Reception teachers and staff help to reduce any anxieties that children may have.

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who attend

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are happy and settle well. Staff have good systems in place to support children's individual learning needs and work closely with parents and other professionals. As a result, children make good progress. Partnerships with parents effectively support children's learning at home. Parents are invited to attend activity events with their children. For example, they have an opportunity to join in baking activities, which is then further supported as recipes are sent home. They also have regular conversations with staff and share discussions about children's learning and development.

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

Staff are skilled and sensitive to both the children's and parents' needs. Therefore, they are very successful in helping children settle into nursery and children form very secure emotional attachments with their key person. Information is provided for parents regarding the important role of the key person. Key persons work very closely with the child and their family to develop a collaborative approach to supporting children's individual needs. Parents complete an in-depth booklet entitled All about me, which provides them with good opportunities to inform key persons of their children's interests, home life, capabilities and stages of learning. Key persons use this information effectively to assess children's starting points and to begin planning for their first learning experiences in their new nursery life. Children develop a good understanding of the own self-care and the importance of good health as they know to wash their hands before handling food or after visiting the toilet.

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

Children have daily access to the outside area, where they are able to access more physically challenging play equipment, take manageable risk and enjoy the benefits of fresh air. Coats and boots are available for children to wear to go outside to play. Older children put on their own coats, however, younger children have fewer opportunities to develop their good independence skills during these times and are overly helped by staff. The nursery cook provides a good variety of snacks and lunches. She leads baking sessions where children pick the fruit and vegetables that they grow in the nursery garden, and help make their own snacks and lunches. This allows children to learn about providing fresh produce which contributes to a healthy lifestyle. The nursery is actively engaging in healthy initiatives to support staff's understanding of providing good learning experiences for children.

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

Staff have good strategies in place to support children's behaviour. They skilfully support children to manage their own behaviour in age-appropriate ways. Staff regularly remind children to share the toys and praise the children when they listen to and follow instructions. A list of golden rules is displayed in the pre-school room to further support children's knowledge about the rules of the nursery. Children's emotional well-being is supported and children show self-assurance. For example, children in the pre-school room eagerly participate in a group game of pass the parcel. Staff also offer good emotional support to help children prepare for their next stage in learning at school. They are visited by teachers from the school and staff talk to the children about the changes in their lives.

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provision

Management and staff have a very secure understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are effective safeguarding arrangements in place. Staff can identify the signs and symptoms of abuse. Staff know the appropriate action to take if they have concerns about a child. In addition, staff understand the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a staff member. A safeguarding policy supports good practice and safeguarding is discussed at all staff meetings. All staff have Disclosure and Barring Service checks in place and robust suitability checks are carried out by their employers, indicating they are suitable to work with children. Rigorous recruitment and induction procedures further promote children's safety. Staff check that the premises are safe every day. In addition, detailed risk assessments and routine safety checks of equipment and resources contribute significantly to children's safety.

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provision

Staff are encouraged to attend training to support their knowledge and skills. Staff have recently attended training on safeguarding and comment that it has helped their practice, because they now feel better able to manage a range of different issues that may arise. Furthermore, regular meetings, appraisals and supervisions ensure that all staff have a clear drive for positive improvement. There are well-targeted action plans for further training that particularly benefit children. The manager oversees the provision of the educational programmes and assessment procedures are effective to ensure all children are making good progress. Any gaps in development are quickly identified and targeted to help all children reach their full potential.

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provision

The manager is committed to continually developing practice, her own professional development having a positive impact on the quality of the nursery. Self-evaluation documents accurately highlights the nursery's strengths and areas for improvement and includes the views of parents. Parental questionnaires are provided and carefully analysed. This information is taken into account to help to identify strengths and prioritise development that will improve the quality of provision for all children. Parents describe the nursery as friendly and report that they are supported by all the staff. Staff have built up successful partnerships with the local schools. School teachers attend the nursery to introduce themselves to the children and talk to children's key persons. Staff have formed strong relationships with other early years professionals. These relationships have a particularly important impact on the children with special educational needs and/or

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provision

disabilities. Staff work together with them to create comprehensive plans for the children's individual learning needs so they make good progress. In addition, the manager attends regular meetings with senior members of the Pre-School Learning Alliance organisation to share information and ideas about good practice and how they can continue to improve.

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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 EY337834 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 857140

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 55 Number of children on roll 37 Name of provider Pre-School Learning Alliance Date of previous inspection 08/11/2011 Telephone number 01507 479412

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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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