Small Wonders

Small Wonders Day Care Nursery 115 Church Road, Haydock, ST. HELENS, Merseyside, WA11 0JU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24 July 2015 23 May 2012

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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:

 The nursery does not maintain an accurate record of children's hours of attendance. This does not fully promote children's safety.  The programme for professional development and supervision of staff does not focus enough on improving staff effectiveness. This means the quality of teaching is variable.  Planned activities are not yet effectively carried out to ensure children's individual next steps are fully promoted. This means that some children are not always challenged or motivated in their learning.  Monitoring arrangements are not yet robust enough to ensure expectations of staff performance are consistently implemented and raise the quality of practice.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff regularly update their safeguarding training and this helps them to understand the procedures to follow should child protection concerns arise.  Children have formed positive relationships with staff. This contributes towards children being relaxed and content as they demonstrate a sense of security and well-being within their surroundings.  Partnerships are established with parents, carers and other agencies in order to promote children's care and learning, including preparing children for when they leave to start school.

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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

 ensure that a daily record of the names of all children being cared for at the nursery, including their hours of attendance, is maintained  improve the programmes for professional development and staff supervision in order to support staff to improve their personal skills in teaching  improve the quality of teaching by ensuring staff carry out purposeful and challenging play experiences that are matched to children's individual needs.

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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

 place a higher focus on achieving consistency of practice, ensuring expectations set by management are implemented and evaluated.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 ensure that a daily record of the names of all children being cared for at the nursery, including their hours of attendance is maintained (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that a daily record of the names of all children being cared for at the nursery, including their hours of attendance is maintained (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to children and observed care, learning and teaching delivered across the age groups. Some teaching was observed jointly with the manager.  Meetings were held with the nursery manager, the deputy manager, the area manager, and a range of staff.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.  The inspector sampled a range of documents including the nurseries self-evaluation which was shared at the inspection, action plans, documents about the care and protection of children, reports from visits by the local authority, monitoring reports and plans for children's learning.  The inspector looked at children's learning files and registration records. She checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of nursery staff, including first aid.

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who attend. This requires improvement

Staff are suitably qualified, which enables them to provide different play experiences that help children develop across the areas of learning. Young children enjoy exploring textures while older children interact together as they play various games. Staff regularly complete observations of children and use a tracker system to identify their individual stage of development. However, staff do not always use the information gathered to carry out effective planning. This means that, on occasion, pre-school children are not purposefully challenged because activities are not effectively matched to their individual needs. Furthermore, interactions between staff and children vary across the nursery and this means that inconsistent teaching strategies are used. These contribute towards the quality of teaching being variable. Despite this, children are making steady progress in communication and language skills, physical development and personal, social and

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requires improvement

Staff raise children's awareness in learning to manage their own safety through discussions and routines. Self-help skills are actively encouraged during routines. Potential risks are minimised and this contributes towards promoting children's safety. However, during the inspection some of the registers recording children's attendance had not been accurately maintained. The environment is welcoming and children freely play with the range of resources provided. This contributes towards children being stimulated and motivated to learn. A key-person system is in place and settling-in procedures help promote children's well-being. Healthy food options are provided and children enjoy being physically active both indoors and outdoors.

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provision requires improvement

Management has not given enough consideration to how well the nursery is meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, monitoring arrangements have not ensured that children's attendance is accurately recorded. Safe recruitment and vetting procedures ensure all staff are suitable. Management completes regular supervisions with staff and encourages their development by organising training, including holding regular staff meetings. However, the improvement of staff performance, regarding the consistency of teaching delivered, is not yet robust to ensure children make better than satisfactory progress. However, the manager regularly monitors children's progress to ensure those who require intervention receive support, including seeking advice from other agencies. Management gathers the views from parents, schools and other professionals when evaluating practice. This helps to identify strengths and weaknesses.

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provision requires improvement

Parents are very happy with the nursery and information is regularly exchanged using a range of media. This enables parents to support their children's learning at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY392745 Local authority St. Helens Inspection number 859467 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 126 Number of children on roll 162 Name of provider Small Wonders Day Care Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 23 May 2012 Telephone number 01744627925

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Setting details

Small Wonders Day Care Nursery was registered in 2009. The nursery opens from 7.30am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. It also operates a breakfast club from 7.30am until 8.45am; an after-school club from 3pm until 6pm and a holiday club from 7.30am until 6pm, all year round. 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 educational needs and/or disabilities. There are 21 staff who work with the children. Six staff are unqualified, one holds appropriate early years qualifications at level 2, and 12 at level 3. The manager is qualified in early years at level 6 and one staff member holds Early Years Professional status.

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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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