Clever Clogs Day Nursery

Clever Clogs Day Nurseries Ltd New Ferens Park, Belmont Industrial Estate, DURHAM, DH1 1GG

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 5 February 2015 15 March 2011

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Good 2

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Outstanding 1

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Good 2

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

p.1

This provision is good

 Children are exceptionally well cared for by highly competent staff who form secure attachments with all children. The key-person system works exceptionally well to encourage children to feel welcomed and valued. Key persons work very closely with parents and carers to ensure continuity of care.  Staff use good teaching strategies. For example, they skilfully ask open-ended questions to encourage children's thought process and vocabulary. This means that children make good progress in their communication and language skills.  Staff use a range of methods to engage professionals. As a result, information is consistently shared about children's learning and development so that there is continuity in their learning.  Leaders fully understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. They place high emphasis on children's safety and well-being. As a result, children are well protected.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because:

 The management team does not robustly monitor children's progress, to identify improvements for children's learning and ensure all gaps are closing rapidly, so that all children make the best possible progress.  Children in the two- to three-year-old room do not have sufficient opportunities to explore a range of open-ended and natural materials, to support their imagination and exploration.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 improve the accuracy and effectiveness of monitoring of children's learning and development, in order to enhance the good progress children are making and ensure any gaps are closing rapidly  enhance children's exploratory and imaginative skills in the two- to three-year-old room by providing a wide range of materials and resources that can be used imaginatively, for example, lengths of fabric, cardboard boxes of various sizes and real life objects.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents through discussion and from written questionnaires sent out by the nursery.  The inspector had a tour of the premises including the outdoor area.  The inspector spoke with the manager, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the day.  The inspector looked at documentation including children's records, learning and development information, staff suitability checks, self-evaluation, and a selection of policies and procedures.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

p.2

who attend. This is good

Staff provide a wide variety of interesting activities to promote children's learning and development across the seven areas of learning. However, the range of resources available in the two- to three-year-old room does not routinely include open-ended resources. This means opportunities for them to play and explore imaginatively are less well promoted. Staff liaise closely with parents and gather detailed information when children first start. Staff support children well when they explore new things with their hands, such as coloured rice. They encourage them to describe what noise the rice makes as it spills onto the table. As a result, children are making good progress in their language development. Staff introduce mathematical concepts within children's play; for example, when older children sing 'five little ducks' staff encourage them to develop their problem- solving skills by asking children 'how many are left?' Staff encourage the children to be

p.3

who attend. This is good

independent learners. The quality of teaching is good. As a result, children make good progress and are developing the key skills needed for their next steps in learning.

p.3

outstanding

Staff have created an exceptionally caring and secure environment where all children are warmly welcomed and feel extremely well supported. Children's sense of belonging is nurtured extremely well through a gradual settling-in process. Staff are excellent role models. Children develop an excellent understanding of how to stay safe through staff's guidance. For example, when climbing on equipment children are reminded to use one foot at a time. Children are safeguarded well because there are robust procedures in place. Effective risk assessments help minimise hazards to children. As a result, children are safe and secure. Behaviour is exemplary. Children are able to resolve issues and take turns, with little support from staff. Staff give children lots of praise and clear explanations about conduct. Consequently, children's behaviour is excellent and their self-esteem is high. As a result, children are confident and come into nursery smiling, happy to be there

p.3

provision is good

Managers and staff are committed and enthusiastic. They work together to provide good quality care and education for children. Managers implement legal requirements well and have a good overview of the educational programmes and assessment records. However, there is room to improve the monitoring procedures so they are more precise, to ensure that all children make the very best possible progress in their learning and any gaps close rapidly. Staff benefit from regular supervision and access training from the local authority, which leads to improvements in practice. Children attending with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. key persons implement effective action plans and liaise with parents and other professionals to ensure individual needs are met. Parents work well with the staff to evaluate the provision and to look at ways to improve the service.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY347008 Local authority Durham Inspection number 849427

p.4

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 122 Number of children on roll 170 Name of provider Clever Clogs Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 15 March 2011 Telephone number 0191 3843610

p.4

Type of provision

Clever Clogs Day Nurseries Ltd is owned by a private company and was registered in 2007. It operates from a purpose-built building near to the centre of Durham. The nursery opens Monday to Friday 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6pm. The nursery employs 29 members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including one member of staff with Early Years Professional status, and one member of staff is a Newly Qualified Teacher. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

p.4

Type of provision

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.

p.4

Type of provision

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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, safeguarding and child protection.

p.4

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’.

p.5

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.5