Childcare on Domestic Premises, Full day care in Essex

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18 May 2015 14 January 2015

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 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

 Children have many first-hand opportunities to develop their physical health and to explore the natural world around them, because staff maximise the use of the countryside all around the nursery. Children gather eggs, plants and care for the kitchen garden, trek through fields, and climb up on to gates.  The manager and staff have worked consistently since their last inspection to make significant improvements to their practice. Their thoughtful self-evaluation includes the views of all children and parents, and demonstrates a positive attitude to maintain continuous development and high-quality care for children.  Staff have a clear understanding and follow robust procedures relating to safeguarding, including child protection and safety in the nursery. They use detailed records of attendance and monitoring of sleeping babies, and follow comprehensive assessments to minimise risks and adhere to security procedures. Consequently, children are

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This provision is good

protected.  Staff work well with other settings that children attend and those to whom they will move, such as pre-schools and nurseries, by sharing information to ensure consistency.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Some staff do not always support children to explore their ideas during activities, or provide them with sufficient time to think before responding to questions they have been asked.  Children have few opportunities indoors to independently choose materials, such as, paint, glue or messy, tactile play materials, which they may freely explore and be creative.  Staff sometimes do not ensure that children have their drink at snack time, to support their good health.

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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 teaching further, for example, by supporting children to develop their own ideas as they play, and paying closer attention to how questions are phrased and the time given to children to respond  extend the planning for indoors to provide opportunities for children to develop their creativity during times of free play, for example, by providing accessible and open- ended materials to mould and feel, paint and construct  enhance the monitoring of snack time to ensure, for example, that when children drop their drinks cups onto the floor they are offered fresh drinks to ensure that they remain hydrated.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities indoors.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff, and a range of other documentation, including the safeguarding procedures.  The inspector spoke with a selection of parents and asked them their views.  The inspector spoke with a sample of staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector carried out a meeting with the manager. A joint observation was also reviewed.  The inspector reviewed the self-evaluation processes and documents.

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who attend. This is good

The well-qualified and experienced staff use their knowledge of how children learn to provide interesting activities. For example, children help to develop wall displays of gardens and mini-beasts. This follows their observed fascination with the living creatures that they find in the garden when using magnifying glasses. Staff provide butterfly cocoons to hatch and frog spawn to observe, this engages their attention. Stories and songs about insects, with puppets, extends these young children's communication and language skills. Staff effectively introduce counting, and talk with children about colours and shapes during most activities. As a result, children steadily acquire the necessary skills to be ready for pre-school or school. However, adult-led activities are sometimes too directed, which limits children's own ideas. In addition, on occasions, some staff are too eager to help them and are not always careful how they phrase questions or give

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who attend. This is good

insufficient time for children to think and respond. Particular care is taken to plan activities using the clear observation and assessment that takes place. Regular summary reports keep parents informed and provide an additional opportunity to exchange information.

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good

Staff are very positive role models who take every opportunity to promote children's self- esteem and understanding of others. They work particularly closely with parents, to ensure that children are secure and form excellent bonds with them. Parents report that the staff go out of their way to care for children in the same way that they would be cared for at home. The very youngest children make choices as they play in this well-resourced nursery. However, although there are adult-led creative activities, children cannot choose materials indoors, which support tactile and creative exploration. This inhibits their ability to be creative. Children are well nourished. They enjoy social mealtimes together and they learn to wash their hands and dry their faces from a very young age. On occasions, however, staff fail to focus on ensuring that children drink during snack time. For example, when children drop their cups beneath the table, staff do not notice; consequently,

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good

children leave the table having had no drink.

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provision is good

The manager reviews all procedures to ensure that the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are met. Recruitment and induction procedures are robust. Performance management and purposeful training supports improvement by reviewing practice each month. Staff undertake training that is specific to the ages of children attending the nursery, such as 'Amazing activities for under two's'. These steps ensure that the nursery is staffed by high-quality practitioners. Staff act promptly to support children and parents where there is advice given by other professionals. In addition, efficient monitoring takes place, identifying the progress in learning made by all children, so that they all make good progress given their starting points.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY442176 Local authority Essex Inspection number 1004230 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 30

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection 14 January 2015

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Telephone number

Pips Nursery was registered in 2012. It operates alongside the provider's childminding service, which was established in 1996. The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff. Seven of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, for 50 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 8am to 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Telephone number

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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Telephone number

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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Telephone number

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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Telephone number

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

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