Kiddi Caru Nursery

Kiddi Caru Nursery Blackbrook Park Avenue, Blackbrook, Business Park, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 2PX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/01/2015 20/09/2010

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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

 The strong management team implement effective systems to monitor the quality of the provision and ensure staff development has a positive impact on outcomes for children.  The successful key person system ensures staff get to know the children well, providing a secure base for children's emotional well-being. Staff give children's safety high priority whilst enabling their independence.  Staff work well in partnership with parents and outside agencies to enable all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities to make good progress.  Staff provide good support for children's language and communication skills.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some staff do not always enable children to listen and concentrate during whole group activities such as story time to support their literacy development fully.  Staff occasionally miss opportunities to encourage children to recognise similarities and differences to promote their understanding of the world further.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all the rooms and the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager and spoke with the registered person, manager and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the nursery's self-evaluation, parents' survey and spoke to parents present on the day of the inspection.  The inspector checked safeguarding information and the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation, including policies and procedures, children's development records and planning.

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Information about the setting

Kiddi Caru Nursery registered originally in 2002 and re-registered in 2006. The nursery is owned by the Childcare Corporation and forms part of a chain of national childcare provision. It is situated in a purpose-built provision on the Blackbrook Business Park on the outskirts of Taunton. The two-storey building provides ground floor accommodation for children under two years and the first floor accommodation for children aged from two to under five years. Children share use of a large outdoor play area, which is split into three different areas and a safely enclosed first floor balcony. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 222 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. The nursery is

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Information about the setting

open from 7.45am until 6pm Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays. There are 45 members of staff. Of these, the deputy manager holds Early Years Professional Status. One member of staff holds an early years qualification at level 5 and seven staff hold a qualification at level 4. There are 27 members of staff with an early years qualification at level 3 and two staff with a qualification at level 2. In addition, three members of staff are working towards an early years qualification. The nursery is supported by two kitchen staff and an administrator with relevant qualifications.

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

 keep background noise to a minimum so that children can listen and concentrate fully during whole group stories

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

 strengthen children's awareness of similarities and differences to extend their knowledge of the world further.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of how children learn. They make daily observations of children's achievements so that they have a good understanding of each child's abilities. They use their observations well to identify children's next stages of development and plan activities and the environment to extend their learning. An effective buddy system ensures that they monitor every child even in their key person's absence. Parents complete a profile on the children on entry to the nursery, which enables staff to know children's starting points. The development files include photographs that provide a vibrant record of each child's learning. Parents have good opportunities to include their comments and suggestions. As a result, staff plan challenging activities around children's interests, ensuring that they motivate children to be inquisitive and want to learn. Consequently, all children make good progress in their learning and development.

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who attend

Children take part in a wide range of interesting activities, gaining new skills through first- hand experiences. Babies enjoy exploring instruments and staff help them learn what effect they can have on them. For example, watching and listening with fascination as beads run down a tube. Staff provide good support during children's play to challenge and extend their learning. For example, staff encouraged older children to count the legs on plastic insects. Then they asked which had more or less. Children engaged in talking about how bees collect nectar from flowers and use it to make honey. Later staff planned a similar activity outdoors, which led to children using magnifying glasses to look for real insects. Staff help children to predict what they might find and recall previous learning. However, they sometimes miss opportunities for children to notice similarities and differences. For example, children thought a praying mantis was a grasshopper but staff

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who attend

did not encourage them to look at why they are different. Staff skilfully teach children to develop and improve their skills in mathematics. For example, children counted the corresponding number of animals they need to match numerals. Staff encouraged them to count to ensure they were correct and to identify if they needed one more or one less to have the right number. Young children sort items by their size and learn the names of simple shapes.

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who attend

Staff help prepare children well for school, ensuring they have all the necessary skills to start formal learning. Staff use all opportunities to promote the older children's literacy skills. For example, children begin to write recognisable letters when staff invite them to write their own names on their pictures. Staff provide good props such as name cards so that children can see and copy the correct letters. Staff encourage children to notice rhyming words and links sounds to letters, which promotes their early reading skills. As a result, children pointed out that the words floor and door rhyme. Children gain skills in being independent, such as pouring their own drinks and serving food, putting on their coats and taking care of their personal hygiene. Children gain a thirst for knowledge and become independent learners.

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who attend

Children are strong communicators throughout the nursery. Staff challenge and extend the older children's language skills by learning the meaning of new words. For example, children explored the word symmetrical. This led to them recalling how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Staff use demonstration and lots of visual aids, particularly with babies, young children and those learning English as an additional language. This provides context to the meaning of words. Children enjoy stories independently and in a group. They respond well to questions and develop a love of books. However, some staff occasionally have loud conversations when children are trying to listen to a whole group story. This makes it harder for some children to listen and concentrate fully. Staff support young children well in learning about different emotions, for example through stories. They make deliberate mistakes, such as showing young children a picture of another child and asking

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who attend

if it is them. Children then learn to recognise themselves and others. Babies show that they understand each other's needs, for example taking a child's comforter to them. Good quality teaching overall ensures children make good progress, especially in their prime areas of learning. This ensures children have firm foundations for their next stage of learning and development.

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

Children are happy and enjoy their time at the nursery because staff make each one feel special. Babies form strong attachments with their key person and confidently move around the premises knowing they have a special person to go to for reassurance. Staff follow sensitive procedures to support children in moving on to the next room and eventually school. For example, children make regular visits and get to know their new key person. The previous key person shares good information with the next to meet the children's individual needs. As a result, all children soon settle and demonstrate they are emotionally secure. Parents comment positively on how staff support their children with any special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring they include them fully in nursery life. Children gain a positive sense of themselves and others, behave well and show they understand adults' expectations. For example, when staff gain children's

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

attention and make it clear it is time to tidy up they all help and take care of the environment. Staff sit with the children at lunchtimes encouraging good manners and social skills.

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

Staff organise the environment well both indoors and outdoors so that children can make independent choices and initiate their learning. Children develop good control and coordination using a wide range of small and large equipment. Low-level containers enable children to be active and interact with a wide range of good quality resources. They have appropriate equipment in all rooms to keep children safe and meet their individual needs. For example, babies sleep soundly in cots, whilst toddlers use sleep mats that enable them to go and play when they are ready. Babies have a homely room with a large settee, cushions and rugs. All children have good opportunities to use the sensory room, where they explore light and sound for example. Room leaders deploy staff very effectively and staff inform each other if they have to leave the area. This ensures they provide good supervision and support for children at all times.

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

Overall, staff follow good procedures to protect children's health and teach them healthy practices. They wear disposable gloves and aprons when changing nappies or serving food. They use colour-coded cloths for different purposes and wash children's bed linen daily. Children have regular drinks of water to prevent them getting thirsty and older children learn to manage this independently by using a water cooler. Children choose when to have a snack and make healthy choices. The kitchen staff prepare all meals on the premises, ensuring a balanced diet. All children use the outdoor areas at least twice a day; enjoy music and movement sessions, sports and occasionally Yoga. This helps them to develop a positive awareness of the importance of exercise. Through self-evaluation, staff have realised the benefit of extending risky play for children and encouraging them to assess risks for themselves. Consequently, children know to sit safely on the chairs and

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

what will happen if they do not. All staff attend first aid and child protection training so that they know what to do should a child have an accident or be at risk.

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provision

The provider has a strong understanding of how to meet all the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All staff receive an induction programme that enables them to have a good awareness of their roles and responsibilities. As a result, they implement effective procedures to keep children safe. For example, there are strict rules about the use of mobile phones and cameras, and they display the policy throughout the nursery as a constant reminder. Effective risk assessments ensure that staff take all precautions to keep children safe on the premises. There is good security and staff vigilantly check that children are only collected by an authorised adult. The manager carries out a monthly audit of any accidents to identify any possible patterns or ways to minimise risks further. The provider has all required documentation in place, which they store confidentially for the safe and efficient management of the nursery. Staff keep good records to share with

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provision

parents to protect and promote children's welfare.

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provision

There are good systems in place so that the management team monitor children's development overall. This includes the required progress check for two-year-old children. As a result, they quickly identify any gaps in children's development or areas for additional support. The nursery's special educational needs coordinator reviews and monitors all of the individual educational plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as those learning English as an additional language. Senior staff have specific roles to support staff in promoting different areas of learning, such as letters and sounds. These systems help to ensure a good quality educational programme that meets the needs of all the children who attend.

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provision

The strong management team set a good example to staff by continually improving their knowledge through training and further qualifications. Through regular supervision they successfully identify where staff need additional training and how this can benefit the children. For example, staff attend training in sign language, which they use well to support children's communication skills. The provider puts on in-house training such as 'What is quality teaching and how does it impact on children?' They look at how they meet the needs of individual groups and implement new practices to enhance their provision. The manager uses quizzes and scenarios to ensure staff have a good understanding of the policies and procedures. Staff have opportunities for peer observations so that they can look at better ways of working. The manager tries to provide consistency for children while ensuring staff work where they can use their skills best.

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provision

Parents have good opportunities to feedback and make suggestions, such as through the parent survey. This feeds into their self-evaluation. As a result, staff now inform parents a month in advance when their child will change rooms. This enables them to work together to prepare the children and help them settle. All staff constantly evaluate and reflect on their practice to make continuous improvements. The garden has been the focus for development, providing a mud kitchen, painting area, gazebo, sensory boards and a stage. These provide greater experiences for children to develop new skills outdoors. Staff have further plans to develop an allotment for children to plant and grow produce and flowers, as well as attract insects to study them closer.

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provision

The good partnership with parents, outside agencies and other early years providers supports children's care and development effectively. Parents receive good information on the provision, as well as verbal and written feedback on their children's learning and welfare. They are invited to formal parents' evenings as well as informal discussions with their child's key person. Staff encourage parents to be involved in their children's learning such as taking story sacks home to share. In addition, they can use the nursery's library or sensory room with their children. Staff work closely with outside agencies, such as the speech therapist to ensure all children reach their full potential. Staff build good relationships with local teachers and other early years providers, sharing good information for a consistent approach to children's needs. These partnerships have a significant benefit to children.

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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 EY346416 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 835150 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 121 Number of children on roll 222 Name of provider The Childcare Corporation Plc Date of previous inspection 20/09/2010 Telephone number 01823444194

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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

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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