Allexton Day Nursery

Allexton Day Nursery Ltd West End SureStart Children's Centre, Catesby Street, LEICESTER, LE3 5PB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/01/2015 22/02/2012

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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

 Staff diligently observe and assess children's development. They use the information to successfully plan an exciting array of activities for individual children, which builds on their existing skills, abilities and emerging interests.  Children form exceptionally secure emotional attachments with their key person because staff work cohesively with parents, gathering comprehensive information to ensure each child's specific needs are known and met.  Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are cared for superbly as staff are skilled in providing care that effectively meets their specific needs. This ensures that every child makes excellent progress in respect of their individual starting points.  The management team is committed to the continuous development of the provision, using a robust, effective system of self-evaluation to secure improvements that enhance the care provided. As a result, staff are dedicated and highly motivated to

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This provision is outstanding

ensure children benefit from a continually improving provision.  Children's welfare is effectively supported because excellent measures are taken to keep the premises safe and well maintained. A range of freshly prepared healthy meals and drinks are provided that take account of individual dietary needs and preferences.  Children are protected because staff have an excellent understanding of their role and responsibility to safeguard children, and their safety and welfare is paramount. Consequently, children remain extremely safe.

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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 activities in both indoors and in the outdoor learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spent time with the manager of the provision and spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability of all members of staff, their qualifications and the provider's processes for self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation, including children's records, learning and development information, staff records and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Allexton Day Nursery Ltd was registered in 2007, and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from the West End Sure Start Children's Centre in Leicester, and is managed by a limited company. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three main playrooms and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 17 members of childcare staff. Of these, 16 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including two with early years degrees. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 77 children attending, all are 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

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

 enhance the already excellent opportunities for children to recall past experiences, for example, through the use of resources that enable them to relive happy occasions and experiences with special people in their lives, both at nursery and at home.

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who attend

Staff use their excellent knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage to provide exciting, challenging activities for all children. Taking account of children's starting points, interests and learning at home, staff continually encourage their development across the seven areas of learning. As a result, children are consistently challenged and flourish in this outstanding environment. Parents share comprehensive information about their child which staff use effectively to support the child's learning so that they make superb progress right from the start. Staff successfully identify children's ages and abilities through detailed observations and assessments of their learning through play. Photographs capture their enjoyment and enable children to recall their experiences, sharing them with their parents and carers. Staff effectively use the information they gain to identify the next steps in children's learning and planning identifies individual

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who attend

developmental needs. This process also forms the basis for the progress check for children between two and three years, taking into account parents comments and opinions. Staff use their observations to identify any gaps in children's learning and support parents to seek appropriate help for their child. Staff confidently observe and assess children to ensure play opportunities and learning experiences continually challenge and motivate them. Partnerships with parents are extremely strong and staff successfully engage and involve parents in their child's learning. Parents are fully aware of their child's progress at nursery and enjoy time with staff sharing their child's development at home. This successfully supports children, encouraging their feeling of security and has a positive impact on their learning and development.

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who attend

Children's confidence continually grows as they initiate their own play alongside adult-led activities. Staff successfully adapt activities across the seven areas of learning to meet the differing abilities of the children so all are involved and included. This positively enhances their skills in preparation for their move to school. Excellent systems are in place for sharing information with teachers within local schools and effectively support teaching staff's understanding of each new child's learning and stage of development. Children's interest is instantly captured as they enter this stimulating, welcoming environment. Resources are accessible and interestingly displayed and children confidently access them. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported excellently. Effective working relationships with other professionals involved in their lives ensure their needs are known, met and they flourish in their learning according to their abilities.

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who attend

Children attend the nursery from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and also with differing needs. This enables children to develop an excellent understanding of similarities and differences through playing alongside each other and through resources and celebrations. Positive images of society are in abundance and children's home languages are also displayed which further increases their feeling of self-worth and inclusion. Staff are motivated and eager to learn as much as they can about each child and their cultural heritage. They encourage children to use their home language within nursery as well as English so that they become fully bilingual and their peers' understanding of differences continually grows.

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who attend

Children and parents are greeted warmly by staff who spend time talking to them and listening to what children have to tell them. Activities are displayed to capture and entice children who quickly become involved. They are active learners and staff are interested in their ideas, providing lots of opportunities to enable them to continually extend their imagination, taking children's lead in play. Following children's interest in a favourite space character, they use their imagination to create their own back packs in preparation for their own space travel. They use an abundance of materials, such as, foil, buttons, coloured paper and boxes with glue and sticky tape to build a rocket. Staff use open- ended questions effectively to encourage children to pre-empt what they may need, exploring how they are going to build it and where their rocket will travel to. Children work extremely well together, sharing materials, passing scissors to each other and preparing

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who attend

the paint, ready to decorate the rocket when finished. As discussions continue, their adventure is taken outdoors and they use their creative skills further to create their own space house within the garden. Books are used effectively to support their interests and those reflecting space travel are freely available for children to look at alone or share with a member of staff. Babies revel in a variety of activities that encourage them to explore different textures and sensory experiences. They express themselves through paint, using their hands, feet and using chunky paintbrushes. Staff are relaxed and provide them with ample opportunities to make simple marks within their environment. Babies show wonder at their own reflection and, using paint on the mirror they are looking into, they draw and re-create their own pictures. Large water trays enable them to sit in the water as they splash, pour water and play with various toys and bubbles. Staff have an excellent

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who attend

understanding of the different ways children learn and ensure there are many opportunities for them to enhance their learning. Staff continually look at ways of enhancing the experiences children have both in nursery and at home and they are currently developing the use of memory bags. These will include small reminders of the nice occasions and experiences they have had at nursery and with loved ones. Access to these at any time will have a positive effect on children's emotional development and encourage them to recall those moments.

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who attend

Older children develop their early writing skills as they make marks using gloop, chalks, pens and paper. Children are supported well and staff ensure that additional equipment is used for children with specific needs to enable them to be fully involved. Staff continually enhance and extend children's skills in communication and language through singing favourite songs and rhymes, listening to stories and exploring their ideas. Staff skilfully ask questions and ensure lots of eye contact is used. Children of all ages become familiar with and skilled in using technology. Touch screen computers enable children of all ages to develop an understanding that by completing an action they can gain the desired response. Electronic equipment enables babies to press buttons and turn knobs to hear music play or hear different sounds. Older children confidently use the mouse to access games and programs that further encourage their understanding of mathematics, shapes

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who attend

and letters. Older children enjoy taking photographs in their environment of things that interest them and then look back at the pictures they have taken. Children learn the importance of caring for other things. Using lard and various seeds they are developing their own bird feeders for their bird hotel, encouraging them to come into the nursery garden. They explore the outdoor environment looking for bugs and insects using magnifying glasses to see them in greater detail. Pictures within the outdoor environment reflect what they may find and give ideas of what to look for. Children are actively involved in cooking activities. They are fully involved in writing their own shopping lists for the foods they will need and visit the local supermarket, looking for the foods needed and paying for them. Children weigh and measure the ingredients which enhances their understanding and recognition of numbers. They cook various foods which supports their

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who attend

understanding of foods that are healthy for them.

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

Children are engaged, happy and confident within the nursery and form excellent bonds of attachment with their key person. Staff members' knowledge of the children is exceptional and they use this to ensure that individual care needs and learning are consistently met. Excellent procedures are in place to ensure that children settle easily into nursery, spending time getting to know staff and their new environment as well as forming friendships with other children. This encourages children's feeling of security and belonging and enables parents to feel confident in the care their child is receiving. Clear routines encourage children's confidence and independence is encouraged in everyday routines. Older children manage their own personal care needs well. They confidently use the toilet and successfully put their own coats on for outdoor play, and serve their own meals, making choices with regard to food. This helps children feel confident and ready for

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

the move onto school. Staff share detailed information with local schools the children move on to and spend time preparing children and parents for the forthcoming changes in routine and environment.

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

Children's behaviour is superb and staff are exceptional role models. Children show great kindness towards each other and older children's skills of sharing, turn taking and negotiation are excellent. These skills are nurtured from an early age as all staff build children's confidence and self-esteem through their praise and encouragement. Younger children are supported as they build these skills also which results in them flourishing in their personal, social and emotional development. Children's health is successfully encouraged as they enjoy a wide variety of freshly prepared meals that take account of individual dietary needs and preferences. Comprehensive information on children's specific dietary needs and allergies are known by all staff. Secure routines relating to the handling and preparation of foods ensure any opportunities for children to come into contact with foods that are unsuitable for them are extremely well managed. Therefore, they remain

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

safe. Children's individual medical needs are meticulously met and staff access appropriate training to ensure that children receive the best possible care and attention. Hygiene routines within the nursery are meticulous and followed throughout the day. This has a positive effect on children's well-being.

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

Children's physical skills are developing extremely well. They move confidently as they climb, slide, ride wheeled vehicles and investigate their environment. Children have ample opportunity to develop both their large and small muscle skills through an array of equipment and small tools. Babies are encouraged to become mobile and low-level equipment supports them as they begin to pull themselves to standing and move within their environment. This effectively supports their confidence and growing curiosity to explore.

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provision

Leadership and management within the nursery is extremely effective. Managers are inspirational and motivate their staff team through their own enthusiasm and ideas to continually enhance their knowledge. This in turn has a positive effect on the service provided. Staff have an excellent understanding of safeguarding children from abuse and neglect, and children's well-being and safety is paramount. Robust procedures are in place for the safe recruitment and induction of new staff, including procedures to ensure staff are fully aware of their role and responsibilities. Procedures are rigorous in ensuring that all staff are safe and suitable to be in the proximity of children and security within the nursery maintains children's safety. Staff continually identify their own development needs and acknowledge their strengths and areas of development within their own practice. Appraisals effectively encourage staff to explore their ideas for the continued development

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provision

of the nursery. This, alongside the ongoing monitoring of the educational programmes, ensures all children are given maximum opportunity to develop to their fully capacity in their learning and development. Staff are supported extremely well. Managers observe practice and offer support and guidance to all staff. As a result, staff continually provide children with opportunities within their learning and development that challenge and enhance their learning and their care needs are effectively met.

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provision

Staff, children and parents remain safe as comprehensive written risk assessments effectively identify potential hazards within the environment and the steps taken to minimise them. Staff deployment is excellent and effective routines are in place to ensure that children are diligently and sensitively supervised at all times. Policies and procedures reflect the ethos of care, are well known by all staff and are shared with parents. The use of mobile phones and cameras is forbidden within nursery. All visitors to the nursery have their identification checked and their visit is recorded. Children are only cared for by staff that have completed all suitability checks and are not left in the care of un-vetted adults. Therefore, they remain safe.

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provision

All required documentation is held and effective measures are in place to ensure that all policies and procedures reflect current legislation and best practice. Staff are valued highly by the manager who recognises their individual skills and abilities which are used effectively within the nursery to meet the needs of the children and their families. Staff in return acknowledge the support and encouragement given to them which inspires them to continually enhance the service they provide. As a result, the nursery team is strong and committed to providing the highest possible care. Management and staff welcome the views and opinions of parents, children and other professionals who work with the children to provide support in order for children to reach their maximum potential. All comments are evaluated and action taken where it is felt to benefit the nursery. Excellent partnerships have developed with external agencies, such as speech and language and the

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provision

area special educational needs coordinator. Care plans and individual targets for children are devised and effectively support all children, which supports and strengthens the partnership with parents. Individual consultations with parents keep them fully informed of their child's progress and daily communication books and verbal discussion promote this further. Parents typically speak highly of the staff and the service and support they and their children receive. Parents stated that they feel the staff are an extension of their family and have only the best interests of themselves and their children at heart. They feel confident to talk to staff about all aspects of care and feel that staff go 'over and above' in the care they provide. Parents are fully aware of the policies and procedures and feel able to talk to staff should they have any issues or concerns. Parents are delighted that their children are settled and have such an enjoyable time at nursery and feel the trips and

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provision

outings that they and their children attend bring the nursery into the community and are invaluable.

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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 EY347961 Local authority Leicester City Inspection number 863210

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 38 Number of children on roll 77 Name of provider Allexton Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 22/02/2012 Telephone number 0116 2252230

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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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