AppleKids Day Nursery

Apple Kids Day Nursery 1 Showell Green Lane, Sparkhill, Birmingham, B11 4NP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/01/2015 10/07/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 4 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The manager's strong leadership and clear vision for the development of the nursery means there are now comprehensive systems and a well-established programme of mentoring and training in place to support staff in their work with children and families.  Stronger partnerships with parents and other agencies mean that children's needs are better understood, parents are more confident about sharing information and staff benefit from other professionals' expertise and advice.  Children settle well and become increasingly confident in welcoming surroundings. They are fully safeguarded by the manager and staff who understand how to keep children safe, to promote their good health and to protect them from harm.

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It is not yet good because

 Assessments of children's next steps are not always precise enough or followed up in staffs' planning and teaching to ensure they consistently build on and extend those aspects of children's learning and development that need most attention.  Teaching has improved but staff's interactions are not always good enough to foster children's active involvement and to consolidate their understanding and skills.  There is not yet a consistent approach to involving parents in discussing their children's next steps for learning and in planning ways to follow these up at home.  Staff do not always foster children's safe control, spatial awareness and turn taking when they use equipment, such as wheeled toys.

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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 compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the ground floor play rooms, three first floor play rooms and the outside learning environment and carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the provider and the manager and spoke to the children and staff throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at and discussed children's assessment records, planning documentation and a sample of records and policies relating to children's welfare, health and safety.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at and discussed the provider's self-evaluation form and development plan and took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Apple Kids Day Nursery was registered in 2013 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The nursery is situated in premises in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham and is managed by Apple Kids Day Nursery Limited. Children are looked after on the ground and first floors of the premises. There are stairs to the first floor. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery employs six members of staff, including the manager. All hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least level 2 or 3. The manager has a National Professional Qualification in Integrated Children's Services and holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. The deputy has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Degree in Early Education Studies, and another member of staff has a Foundation Degree in Early Years. The nursery opens Monday to Friday during school term time. Sessions are from 9am until 12 noon and from 1pm until 4pm. Children

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Information about the setting

attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 52 children attending who are all in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early 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. The nursery is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance and the National Day Nurseries Association.

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must:

 embed recently implemented observation, assessment and planning systems to ensure that staff have a precise understanding of each child's stage of development, accurately identify relevant next steps for each child's learning and use this information to plan challenging and enjoyable activities which promote every child's good progress

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must:

 improve the organisation of activities and the quality of staff's interactions with children to ensure they consistently take account of children's individual learning and development needs and different ways of learning in order to promote every child's active engagement during activities and to fully support and extend their understanding and skills.

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

 embed a more consistent approach to involving all parents in agreeing their children's next steps for learning and in planning how these can be followed up at nursery and at home

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

 enhance children's positive relationships and physical skills during outdoor activities so they cooperate and share equipment and develop control and spatial awareness when using wheeled toys.

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who attend

Since the last inspection improvements have been made to the learning environment, the storage and presentation of resources and, more recently, to the organisation of different age groups of children. For example, children have better opportunities to construct and build and to observe and investigate a range of materials as a result of improvements to the range of activities provided in the veranda and outside areas. Play rooms on the first floor have been reorganised so all children have access to an indoor physical play area, and younger two-year-olds are based in an inviting room where activity areas are well- equipped and they can help themselves to books and toys.

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who attend

The recently appointed manager has been effectively supporting the staff in developing their understanding of the areas of learning and of how to observe, assess and plan for children's future learning. She has recently introduced a more robust system for identifying children's starting points and for assessing and tracking their ongoing development. Appropriate training and support is being given to the staff. At the moment, the manager coordinates the planning which she and the staff discuss and agree at their weekly meetings. She consistently guides staff and monitors the quality of their assessments and teaching through observing their interactions with children and holding regular good practice sessions and individual staff supervision meetings. For instance, during staff supervision meetings the manager reviews and moderates examples of each member of staff's assessments and the next steps they have identified for their key

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who attend

children. As a result of these measures, and because more information is being obtained from parents about their children's starting points, staff are developing a better awareness of children's skills and understanding. They are beginning to identify appropriate next steps for each child's learning, but there are still some inconsistencies. For example, some next steps are too generalised, which inhibits staff from focussing their planning and teaching precisely on the aspect of a child's understanding or skills that needs to be developed. Some other identified next steps are not always the most relevant. In some instances, this is because they have already been achieved or because staffs' monitoring of a child's progress highlights that there are other aspects of their learning which need more attention, such as their relationships with others or their communication skills. Therefore, assessment still requires improvement due to these inconsistencies, although,

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who attend

the manager has put in place appropriate systems to support staff in further developing their confidence, consistency and accuracy. For example, she is currently moderating all children's assessment records in preparation for forthcoming meetings with parents about their children's progress.

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who attend

The manager is also strengthening the nursery's procedures for assessing and planning for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, the local authority Area Special Educational Needs Coordinator has been to the nursery to talk to staff about identifying and then planning for children's specific needs. A speech and language therapist comes to the nursery to help staff working with children with speech and language delay. Many of the children speak English as an additional language and the staffs' knowledge and use of various community languages continues to be a particular strength. They adeptly help children to be confident speakers in their home languages while consistently reinforcing and extending their understanding and use of English.

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who attend

Staff are more confident about organising a range of activities and experiences which promote children's skills and understanding in all the areas of learning. Staff working with younger two-year-old children are now supporting them in developing the skills they need to be effective learners. For example, they are currently focussing on supporting these children's independence, sharing, turn taking and positive relationships. Although, they are being looked after and are learning in new surroundings, younger children are confident about deciding what they want to play with and enjoy helping themselves to books and toys. Staff are usually attentive and encourage children to join in. However, on occasions they are either not sufficiently well-prepared at the start of a focussed activity so some children lose interest, or they do not plan together how they will support every child at the various activities in the base room. For instance, different children's interest in puzzles,

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who attend

dinosaur shapes and imaginative play in the role play area are fleeting because an adult is not consistently available to interact with them, although another colleague is able to support the other children's involvement in their chosen activity.

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who attend

Staff working with the children in the pre-school are also developing the aptitudes and skills needed for their future learning, including starting school. Again children are usually keen to join in activities, for instance, showing great enthusiasm as they dig in the soil and use torches and magnifying glasses to examine what they have found. Staff successfully use visual aids and props to promote children's listening, attention and turn taking in speaking during group activities. Children show they can concentrate and persevere when staff are involved in their activities without interruption and when they effectively interact with them. For example, several children and a member of staff have a lively discussion about what they can see in the pictures in the books they are looking at. Other staff build on several children's interests in and play with small world vehicles or the robots they have made. They encourage them to count, compare and race their vehicles or to draw

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who attend

them or the robots. There is a strong focus on drawing and making marks. Some children are drawing recognisable shapes which they enjoy describing and some are beginning to form recognisable letters. Children also enjoy using different media to make marks, such as adeptly using a painting and drawing programme on the computer. However, overall the quality of teaching in the pre-school room is variable and not yet good. Staff do not always effectively organise activities to ensure children know what is expected of them or to support their sustained involvement. For instance, opportunities are missed to discuss a planned physical play activity with the children so initially this is rather chaotic. Sometimes children's enjoyment and concentration are interrupted because the member of staff moves away to help other children or because the activity needs to be moved because it is placed in a circulation area. At times staff do not effectively direct their teaching and

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who attend

support to help less confident or articulate children to remain involved in activities or to remind older children to share toys and equipment during outside play.

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who attend

Appropriate steps are being taken to involve parents and carers more in exchanging information about their children's learning and development as well as their care. Completion of an 'All about me' document and recently introduced home visits, encourage parents to share their views about their children's learning and development from the outset. The manager and staff also have a better understanding of individual children's needs and interests when they start. Parents are aware of their children's activities as a result of daily feedback from staff and information in newsletters. When staff complete the required progress checks for children aged between two and three years they discuss children's development with their parents. Parents and staff are now meeting to discuss strategies to support the learning and development of children with, for example, speech and language delay. However, the manager recognises there is not yet a consistent

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who attend

approach to engaging all parents in discussing their children's next steps for learning and in deciding how these are to be addressed at nursery and at home. Forthcoming parents' consultation meetings are part of her plans to address this.

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

Various improvements have been made to indoor and outdoor areas which have enhanced children's health, safety, care and independence. For example, all areas of the nursery are effectively maintained and safety and security are monitored through risk assessments and regular checks. Indoors, children are using much more inviting play areas. Their base rooms are organised into different learning areas where children can help themselves to many of the toys, resources and books. Occasionally activities in the pre-school's main room become cluttered or are interrupted. Children's independence is further promoted because there are pegs at child-height within their rooms, where they can hang their coats and bags. Children's learning outdoors has been enhanced by opportunities to use additional equipment and to take part in activities set up in the veranda and in the area between there and the outside play area. As a result, children have more opportunities to

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

explore, observe, make marks and construct. Other renovations indoors and outside have improved children's health and safety. For instance, the concrete base in the outside area has been repaired so that children have a smoother, safer surface to play on.

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

Staff are more effectively promoting children's social and emotional well-being in readiness for their future learning, including starting school. For example, during snack times, staff and children relax and socialise. Staff are friendly and approachable. They reassure and encourage children so they become confident and settle in their new surroundings when they start or move within the nursery. Staff are managing children's behaviour better so that they usually know what is expected of them, follow staff's requests and get on well with each other. In most instances, staff ensure children know what is happening next. They use visual aids and prompts, such as a familiar rhyme, to remind children about sitting still and being ready to listen before a discussion, songs or a game. Staff use a cuddly toy or fun games to promote children's turn taking and sharing. If children misbehave, staff usually intervene and give a brief explanation so that children are

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

developing a better understanding of why their actions may hurt or upset others. However, there are still times when staff do not apply a consistent approach to fostering children's good relationships, for instance, to ensure three- and four-year-olds readily and amicably take turns when using wheeled toys.

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

Children's care routines, health and dietary needs are understood as a result of discussions with parents and carers, and then effectively met by staff during sessions. The manager and staff foster children's awareness of different aspects of a healthy lifestyle. For instance, they enjoy a selection of fresh fruit at snack time and regular drinks of water. Staff sensitively support children in being more independent in managing their toileting, good hand washing and getting dressed for outside play. Most children enjoy being outside. They like to be active, but are not always encouraged by staff to safely move with control and awareness of others when using wheeled toys. They are unable to use the climbing apparatus if the ground is muddy. However, the provider and manager are keen to further develop the outside area and have also just set up an indoor physical play room on the first floor. Here children confidently balance along a line of different soft

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

play shapes and crawl through a tunnel. Younger children show coordination and control as they roll, throw and catch a soft ball.

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provision

The manager has considerable expertise in early years and an in depth understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. Since she has been in post she has completed a thorough evaluation of all aspects of the nursery's provision and implemented improvements prioritised in a well-targeted, detailed development plan. The provider and manager are embedding procedures to ensure earlier improvements are sustained. These include continuing to follow robust procedures for recruiting staff, monitoring their performance through regular supervision and other meetings and promoting their further development through peer support, attending good practice sessions with different agencies and completing other training. More robust procedures for assessing risks and managing safety are also being maintained so that children's health and safety are consistently promoted. In addition, the provider and manager are taking effective action

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provision

to address the actions to improve which were identified as not yet being completed by Ofsted inspectors during their monitoring visit in December 2014. As a result, staff's management of children's behaviour continues to improve. The manager is supporting staff in planning and organising activities and resources which now promote children's learning across the seven areas of learning. However, there are still inconsistencies in how well staff understand and plan for children's individual needs and in the quality of their interactions with children. The manager has already identified and taken appropriate steps to address these weaknesses. She has reorganised key persons' roles and the groupings of children and continues to develop staffs' confidence and abilities in assessment, planning and teaching through further in-service training, mentoring and peer support. As part of this, younger two-year-olds have been relocated with their key person and other

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provision

staff to designated play rooms on the first floor. The move has just taken place after the nursery reopened following the holidays. However, while it is too soon to assess the long term impact of these changes on the quality of teaching and on children's progress, the children are settling quickly in their new surroundings.

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provision

Children are effectively safeguarded. The provider and manager continue to improve hygiene, safety and security arrangements in order to minimise the risk of harm to children. They ensure they and the staff understand and follow Local Safeguarding Children Board guidance and the nursery's safeguarding procedures. For example, since the last inspection, the manager and staff have met early years staff from children's services in order discuss aspects of abuse and to update their knowledge of local safeguarding referral procedures. The manager, the deputy manager who is the designated lead for safeguarding, and the staff are conscientious about monitoring children's health, personal safety and overall welfare. They know what action to take and whom to contact if they have any concerns about a child's welfare or an adult's conduct towards them. The nursery's safeguarding policies reflect regulation and local guidance

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provision

and are clearly displayed for staffs', parents' and carers' reference. Improved staff recruitment procedures ensure that the suitability of substantive staff and agency staff is effectively checked before they start working at the nursery. Safeguarding is prioritised as an agenda item at whole staff meetings or individual supervision meetings so that the manager and staff regularly review their work with the children and the provider and manager can check there are no changes to anyone's suitability.

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provision

The provider and manager share a vision to offer a range of services within the nursery's provision to support local families and their young children. Since the last inspection they have continued to develop a family-orientated service. The provider, manager and staff have been creative about extending their information sharing with and support for parents and carers, with whom they have trusting relationships. For example, parents and carers are encouraged to provide information about their children when they start at nursery to help staff to get to know each child. This includes discussing aspects of children's development, their interests and how they learn. To facilitate discussions with new families, the manager and staff have recently completed several home visits. These have been well received by families and children who are able to get to know nursery staff in familiar surroundings. The manager and her colleagues also appreciate this. They feel

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provision

meeting and talking to parents in their own home has prompted good information sharing about children's backgrounds, starting points, current needs and about any other professionals who are involved in their child's care or learning. Parents and carers highlight that their children enjoy coming to nursery and how they also feel welcomed and confident to talk to the approachable manager and staff. Their views about the quality of the nursery are also encouraged and followed up. Recently the manager met with some parents to discuss their ideas for improving the nursery. For example, parents have influenced the timing and organisation of forthcoming parent consultation meetings.

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provision

Since she has been in post, the manager has also made positive links with a nearby children's centre and involved various professionals, such as early years staff from children's services, the Area Special Educational Needs Coordinator, the children's centre teacher and a speech and language therapist, in supporting the nursery's work with children and families. These professionals have shared their expertise to support the staffs' professional development or are working with them to assess and plan for individual children's needs. Appropriate arrangements are in place to prepare children for moving into full-time education. The provider has made contact with local schools and staff and children have visited some of these. He has also ensured relevant information about children's progress has been passed on to early years staff in the schools children are moving on to.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY468993 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 996312 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 52 Name of provider Apple Kids Day Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 10/07/2014 Telephone number 01212470345

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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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