Wilmere Lane Nursery & Pre-school

Playmates Day Nursery 64 Wilmere Lane, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 5UR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 9 April 2015 30 November 2011

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This inspection: Good 2

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

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This inspection: Good 2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

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

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This inspection: Good 2

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is good

 Staff have a very good understanding of how children learn. They offer a wide variety of resources for children to choose from and the quality of teaching is good. As a result, children are enthusiastic and eager to explore and learn.  Staff establish good partnerships with parents. Effective systems are in place, which mean parents are very well informed of their children's progress and next steps in learning. Parents are supported to extend children's learning at home, and this collaborative approach contributes to the good progress children make.  Children have formed close attachments to the staff. Children are happy, settle quickly and are confident, which prepares them well for the next stage in learning.  Staff have a rigorous understanding of their responsibilities to protect children from harm. Safeguarding arrangements are strong and the environment is safe because staff practice good risk-assessment procedures and are vigilant to potential risks in the

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This provision is good

environment.  The manager and her team have a strong commitment to continuous improvement. Systems have been implemented to audit and reflect on the quality of the provision and ensure that priorities for improvement are identified and acted on in a timely manner.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 There is scope to develop the supervision of staff even further, to include observations of staff practice, to enhance teaching to the highest level.  Babies are not always provided with rich learning experiences in the outdoor environment.

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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

 enhance the already good teaching further by consistently evaluating staff's practice and providing opportunities to help them to continue to improve their skills, for example, through the use of peer observations and dissemination of good and better practice within the team  review the outdoor learning environment, so that young babies benefit from a rich and varied outdoor learning experience, which complements and builds on their already good learning experiences indoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.  The inspector spoke to both children and staff and observed play and learning activities, both indoors and outside.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector carried out a meeting with the manager and checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector carried out a tour of the premises.

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who attend. This is good

The quality of teaching is good, and sometimes it is better than good. Staff are enthusiastic and intensely focused as they play and talk with the children. They support children well to acquire good skills for the next phase in their learning. Staff use their good knowledge of how children learn and develop to plan exciting and stimulating activities to support all children's individual progress according to their abilities. For example, older children enjoy planting seeds and talk eagerly to staff about seeds needing water and sunshine to make them grow. Babies develop their exploratory experiences well in the indoor environment. They investigate natural materials in treasure baskets and look at animals in books with their key person. However, staff do not always provide the babies with learning experiences that encourage them to explore and investigate in the outdoor environment. This is because some babies are placed in their prams or in walkers while

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who attend. This is good

outside, which means that they are not always making the best possible progress in their learning.

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good

Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment. Strong relationships between staff and parents help to ensure children's emotional needs are met. Staff help children to settle quickly and play together in harmony. Children demonstrate that they are developing self-confidence as they make choices about their play and interact well with staff and their peers. Lunchtimes and snack times are used well by staff to encourage healthy eating and to develop children's social skills and independence. Children demonstrate a good understanding of good hygiene practices. They know that they need to wash their hands on a regular basis to stop the spread of germs. Staff are good role models, promoting kindness and sharing behaviour. Staff deployment is good. This supports children to take controlled risks, for example, the older children develop their physical skills as they use the climbing frame confidently in the garden.

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provision is good

The manager and her team fully understand the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and act effectively to safeguard children. Thorough recruitment and induction procedures ensure that adults working with the children are suitable. Staff are passionate about their roles and benefit from an effective and well-established programme of training and development. This is of benefit to the children. Staff receive supervisions on a regular basis, which has resulted in a qualified and skilled staff team who understand how to promote children's good progress. The manager has recently started to introduce a system of peer observations. However, these are not yet consistently carried out amongst all staff to enable them to share their good practice with others. Managers and staff rigorously monitor children's progress and the quality of teaching on a termly basis. This ensures any gaps in children progress are quickly acted upon and children continue to

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Setting details

Unique reference number 303450 Local authority Halton Inspection number 871722 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 57 Number of children on roll 87 Name of provider Playmates Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 30 November 2011 Telephone number 0151 495 2939

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Setting details

Playmates Day Nursery was registered in 1996. The nursery employs 15 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, one at level 4, one at level 5, and three at level 6. The nursery opens from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. 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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