Ellesmere Children's Centre

Ellesmere Children's Centre 4 Maxwell Street, Sheffield, S4 7JN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/12/2014 18/05/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Arrangements for safeguarding children are firmly embedded in practice. Strong policies and procedures are consistently implemented to promote children's safety and welfare exceptionally well at the nursery.  The quality of teaching is inspirational. Staff use an extensive range of techniques that successfully encourage, challenge and inspire children. This has a significant, positive impact on children's learning and development.  Excellent partnerships, both with parents and other professionals, ensure that children's individual needs are recognised and given the utmost priority.  Children who speak English as an additional language or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are extremely well cared for as staff are highly skilled in providing care that meets their specific needs. They work very effectively with other agencies, ensuring every child makes excellent progress in respect of their individual

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This provision is outstanding

starting points.  Strong relationships and attachments with staff ensure children are happy and secure, and as a result, they are fully involved and confident.  Leadership is exceptionally strong and as a result, practice is of a consistently high standard. Systems for self-evaluation are rigorous. Areas for development are regularly reviewed and prioritised to continually improve children's care, learning and play.

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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 the children's play both indoors and outdoors, including adult-led and child-initiated activities.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the Early Years Professional.  The inspector held meetings with the manager and a committee member.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector asked the staff questions about their practice at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and the planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents from information included in the setting's own parent survey and the compliments book.

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Information about the setting

Ellesmere Children's Centre Nursery was registered in 1996 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a Victorian school building in the Burngreave area of Sheffield, and is managed by a committee. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three rooms and there are two enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, one holds a qualification at level 4 and two have achieved Early Years Professional status. Two staff hold appropriate qualifications at level 2. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, except bank holidays. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 87 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early

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Information about the setting

education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and 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:

 extend the already successful relationships with parents to provide even more inspiring learning opportunities for children. For example, by developing play workshops for parents.

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who attend

Teaching is outstanding. Staff have excellent skills and knowledge of the learning and development requirements and a superb understanding of how children learn. Staff provide an exciting, stimulating and extremely well-organised nursery. The indoor and outdoor environments contain an extensive range of quality resources, which support children in acquiring the skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready for school. This creates an outstanding environment in which children play and learn in a wide variety of ways. Consequently, children make rapid progress in all areas of their learning and development. Educational programmes cover all areas of learning and staff plan activities, which are based on children's developmental next steps and interests. Staff have an excellent knowledge of the learning needs of children in their key group as assessment and tracking processes are firmly in place. The nursery implements the progress checks

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who attend

for children aged between two and three years highly successfully and all related documentation is in place. As a result of the meticulous assessment and recording of children's progress, parents receive a very clear picture of where their children are in their learning and are actively encouraged to be involved in their children's learning and development within the nursery. Consequently, children make rapid progress in all areas of their learning and development.

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who attend

Teaching techniques are rich, varied and imaginative across the nursery. This is because staff notice what arouses children's natural curiosity. They ensure they provide sufficient time and space for children to become deeply involved in their learning. Children enjoy variety and challenge in all activities and show high levels of independence and curiosity as they play. For example, staff skilfully question children and are imaginative in teaching and helping them explore the concept of water dispersal as children play, filling jugs of water with mud when making a meal for dinosaurs in the mud kitchen. Staff work exceptionally well together to ensure the children benefit from an educational programme that clearly fosters opportunities for active learning, and for them to create and think critically. They are highly skilled in playing alongside children, using language to help them to make links between ideas and consider what they should do next. Planning, observation

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who attend

and assessment procedures are comprehensive and are highly effective in practice. Staff have a clear overview of children's initial and ongoing progress. They carefully evaluate each activity to help identify and narrow gaps in children's learning. This leads to targeted planning, which is highly purposeful. There is an extremely sharp focus on helping children to acquire communication and language skills and on supporting physical, personal, social and emotional development. Strategies are in place to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language make very good progress given their starting points. Consequently, all children, including the two-year-olds, make superb progress in their learning and development.

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who attend

Parent partnerships are superb and staff nurture these relationships, which enhance all aspects of children's development, care and learning needs. Relationships flourish in innovative ways. For example, prior to starting at the nursery children are invited to sessions, which allow parents to discuss their children's developing skills at home. In addition, parents complete an all-about-me document, which contributes to the baseline assessment. Learning is supported in the home through staff suggesting activity ideas for parents to undertake at home in regular activity newsletters. There is scope to build further on this already very good practice by, for example, developing a range of workshops for parents and children to take part in together. The reception area contains an abundance of information to support and engage parents and information about staff and key persons is clear. Methods of communication are excellent. Dual language displays,

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who attend

which give advice on supporting learning, include photographs, which show parents some of the activities experienced by children at the nursery. Parents are extremely complimentary about the nursery and the impact it has on their child's excellent progress.

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

An exceptionally well established key-person system helps children to make a smooth move between home and the nursery. Staff fully appreciate the value of working with parents and other agencies to obtain comprehensive and detailed information prior to a child beginning at the nursery. In this way, they are extremely aware of each child's and family's needs and are in a position to meet them as soon as a child starts. A very flexible induction system for all children helps to ensure that each child is emotionally ready for the move to nursery. The move to school is also expertly and sensitively handled. For example, staff take children on visits to the schools they are attending to enable them to become familiar with their surroundings. This further supports children's already exemplary levels of confidence. Vibrant wall displays showing pictures of children's families enhance the nursery environment and give children a sense of belonging and self-

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

Children are highly motivated in their play, because they are consistently engaged in stimulating learning. As a result of this, behaviour is exemplary. Staff are excellent role models. They skilfully use positive strategies to reinforce their expectations to children and to recognise their efforts as achievements. Children receive regular praise and encouragement and are sensitively supported with learning how to understand and manage feelings. As a result of this, children quickly learn what is expected of them and develop their understanding of right and wrong. They have an excellent appreciation of the rules and routines of the nursery and follow these with little prompting or few reminders. Children demonstrate excellent personal-hygiene routines, which are promoted by the staff's good role modelling. Children demonstrate an age-appropriate understanding of the need to wash their hands and are supported by picture prompts

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

above the sinks. Excellent self-help skills are being developed, as pre-school children are encouraged to lay the tables, prepare their snack and to feed themselves. They are provided with nutritiously well-balanced and appealing foods, which help children to establish healthy eating habits. At meal times, children sit at tables in groups joined by attentive staff. No opportunity for learning is missed in the nursery. For example, staff skilfully question children and are imaginative in teaching and helping them explore the concept of size, shape and number as they cut, divide and share fruit at snack time. Children are supported to help themselves to freely available water or milk, pouring their own drinks when they are thirsty. As a result, independence skills are promoted exceptionally well. Staff provide an exciting learning environment, both indoors and out, and children spend time in the fresh air daily. This means that children who prefer to learn

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

outdoors enjoy exciting challenges that promote their all-round development. Children gain an exceptional awareness of how to keep themselves healthy and safe. They practise the emergency evacuation procedure in case they need to leave the premises unexpectedly.

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

The nursery significantly enhances all aspects of the children's social skills by actively promoting and demonstrating a positive attitude towards others. They have a rich, varied and imaginative selection of books and play materials. These reflect positive images of diversity that help to nurture children's respect towards people who are different to them. Children also take part in outings to the seaside to encourage them to develop their understanding of the world. Consequently, children are making relationships and developing excellent social skills in preparation for the later move into school.

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provision

The committee, manager and all staff place the utmost priority on meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff attend relevant safeguarding training to ensure that they fully understand and fulfil their responsibilities with regard to child protection. Safeguarding information is displayed prominently in the parent's area in reception, which ensures that they have information about the role of the nursery with regard to protecting children. There are three designated safeguarding officers to ensure that there is always someone available, should staff need support. Staff display an excellent understanding of how to respond to a safeguarding concern about a child in their care and know what to do if an allegation is made against a colleague. All required documentation and records are clear and well written, including robust risk assessments. Meticulous policies and procedures are

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provision

appropriately kept and available for parents at all times. There is robust evidence of effective vetting and recruitment procedures to check that all persons employed are suitable to work with children. The identity of visitors is checked and there are clear boundaries around the use of cameras and mobile phones. Staff supervise children well at all times and show exceptional vigilance. Consequently, the nurseries practice is exemplary in underpinning children's safety and welfare.

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provision

Leadership and management of the nursery is inspirational. Self-evaluation is well documented and highlights the strong emphasis on maintaining high levels of achievement for all children. Strengths and weaknesses are clearly identified and focused improvement plans are in place to secure continuous improvement. Since the last inspection, the ways in which committee members, staff, children and parents are involved in reflecting on practice and identifying areas for improvement have been expertly developed. The staff share a vision to provide an excellent service for children and their families, therefore, making a positive difference to their lives. They are highly motivated in their continuous professional development and are continually seeking ways to improve. Effective systems are implemented to enable staff to continually evaluate their practice. This is achieved through high-quality systems for professional supervisions, observations, appraisals and

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provision

discussions with the manager. A wealth of training for all staff contributes towards the rapid progress that all children make in their learning. Staff have an excellent understanding of the learning and development requirements. They rigorously monitor all children's skills, abilities and progress, and identify at an early stage if there are any gaps in a child's learning. As a result, interventions are sought quickly to support any group falling behind their peers or below their expected level of achievement, which results in children's needs being met very effectively.

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provision

The nursery promotes strong parent partnerships and strong links between home and the nursery. Staff have implemented a range of ways in which parents can receive information. Parents contribute to their child's ongoing progress through daily conversations, questionnaires and at parents' meetings. The nursery goes the extra mile to ensure that children and their families are supported within the wider community. For example, by translating information and signposting parents to further support in a selection of languages for those who speak English as an additional language. Parents express superb levels of satisfaction with the service provided. Staff have an excellent understanding of the importance of partnership working, which ensure that children's needs are comprehensively met. The nursery has highly effective partnerships with a range of outside agencies and knows when to ask for additional support. These

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provision

partnerships include working with local schools and health care professionals. All children are included and supported extremely well and the nursery promotes equality and diversity highly successfully. Above all, children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend in this nursery and the skills they learn help them to prepare them for school and lay firm foundations for the future.

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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 300751 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 867260

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 87 Name of provider Ellesmere Children's Centre Date of previous inspection 18/05/2011 Telephone number 0114 2812143

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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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