Newcastle Children's Centre

Newcastle Children's Centre Mill Road, Newcastle on Clun, CRAVEN ARMS, Shropshire, SY7 8QN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23 March 2015 7 May 2009

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Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Requires improvement The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Requires improvement The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Requires improvement The setting does not meet legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 Staff do not support younger children's learning well enough. They provide activities that are not suitable for their stage of development. Learning experiences are not based on the key skills children need to develop at an early age. This means young children do not make good progress in their learning.  Staff do not reflect on the different ways in which children learn when planning activities. Children are not fully engaged and motivated in their learning and do not develop their thinking skills fully. Therefore, learning experiences are not always purposeful.  Partnerships with parents and other settings are not strong enough to support children's learning at home and with other providers. Staff do not fully inform parents of children's next steps in learning and do not share children's learning with other providers. As a result, children do not make the best possible progress.  The routine is not well organised. Children have to wait for activities to start, as staff

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

are not prepared. Children also wait to go outside while staff complete other tasks. During these times, children become restless and upset.

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It has the following strengths

 There is a new leader in place who is enthusiastic and passionate about improving staff's teaching and children's learning. She and her deputy have identified strengths and weakness in the nursery, and are working well with the committee. This is starting to improve the overall quality of the provision.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 use information from observations and assessments of children's learning to plan interesting and challenging activities that reflect the needs of younger children, to support them to develop good physical, social and communication and language skills  develop planning to ensure all activities and experiences fully reflect the different ways in which children learn, so that all learning experiences are meaningful and fully promote children's development.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 link all observations of children's achievements to developmental guidance, to enable key persons to complete accurate assessments of children's learning  strengthen partnerships with parents and other settings by sharing children's next steps in learning and fully capturing children's prior achievements in initial assessments, to enable children to make good progress across all settings and at home  improve the organisation of the day, by making sure the next part of the routine is prepared fully and ready for children to take part in without them having to wait.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main room, art room and outdoor areas.  The inspector spoke to members of staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector evaluated an activity with the manager.  The inspector looked at a sample of children's records and planning documentation.  The inspector held discussions with the manager and met with the provider.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability of staff, and a range of other documentation, including policies and procedures to safeguard children's welfare.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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who attend. This requires improvement

Staff provide a broad range of activities to promote older children's learning and development. However, the activities provided for younger children are not focused on developing the key skills these children need. Therefore, young children do not make good progress in their learning. For example, staff give young children paint, brushes and paper to paint with, but they do not have the physical skills to use brushes or paint purposefully on small paper. Consequently, children become frustrated and bored, leaving the activity quickly. Staff record the different ways in which children learn through their observations. However, their planning is not guided by children's learning styles. Therefore, children are not engaged in their learning, do not make links between ideas, and are not motivated to keep on trying. For example, staff try to teach children about the life cycle of a chicken, but children quickly lose interest and play elsewhere. Staff record children's achievements

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who attend. This requires improvement

through observations. Parents are kept informed about their child's progress through parents' meetings and reports of their child's developmental progress. Key persons do not share with parents children's next steps in learning. Therefore, parents are not able to fully support their child's learning at home.

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requires improvement

The routines of the day are not well organised by staff. Children often have to wait, which means they become upset and frustrated. On the day of the inspection, some children were left sitting at a table waiting for their lunch for up to 10 minutes. The environment is safe and welcoming with a variety of resources. Children access these resources independently. Staff teach children healthy and safe practices and children enjoy healthy meals and snacks. Staff manage children's behaviour well. They reminded children of the positive behaviour rules, such as walking inside, and encourage them to take turns with popular toys. Children benefit from weekly visits to the local school, which supports them to make a smooth transition.

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provision requires improvement

The leader and provider have a reasonable understanding of their responsibilities. A range of procedures and policies support children's health, safety and well-being. Nonetheless, checks on the quality of teaching, planning and assessment are not yet rigorous enough. Systems for evaluating what is working and what needs improvement are developing. There is a planned programme of appraisals and supervision, including staff observations, to aid further improvement. The nursery has appropriate systems to check staff are suitable to work with children. Child-protection procedures are clear and well known by staff, who have been supported by recent training. Staff access a wide range of training identified through their robust induction. However, qualification levels have not had sufficient impact to ensure that the provision is of a consistently good quality. Staff know the other settings children attend. However, they have not contacted them to share

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Setting details

Unique reference number 224148 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 866141 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 16 Number of children on roll 10 Name of provider Newcastle Children's Centre Committee Date of previous inspection 7 May 2009 Telephone number 01588 640108

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Setting details

Newcastle Children's Centre was registered in 1999. The nursery employs two members of childcare staff, of these one has an appropriate early years qualification at level 3 and one has a degree in early years. The nursery opens from 8.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Thursday, term time only. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Setting details

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

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.

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Setting details

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Setting details

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

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