Sandcastles Day Nursery

Sandcastles Day Nursery Yenton Primary School, Chester Road, Birmingham, B24 0ED

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 March 2016 Not applicable

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 The quality of teaching is consistently good and children make good progress. Staff provide well-planned, interesting activities and learning opportunities to support children's play. They use their observations of children's progress to establish their starting points and identify gaps in learning quickly. Monitoring of all children's progress is very thorough.  There are strong partnerships with parents. Staff guide them very effectively in the support of their children's learning. They are well informed about their children's progress and activities and are involved in many events at the nursery. Staff enlist support from a wide range of other professionals where necessary. This provides valuable additional support for children and families.  Children's well-being is given the highest priority. There are very good relationships between staff and children in a happy and welcoming environment. Children's

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This provision is good

behaviour is excellent and they learn to share and take turns. Children's needs are very well met and they are emotionally secure.  There is very thorough and effective monitoring and self-evaluation of the nursery provision. Strong leadership and teamwork have helped to bring about great improvements in children's learning experiences. Children and staff are very well supported and ideas are shared through highly effective partnerships with other early years providers and professionals.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 While the nursery is organised well to support all children's learning, the manager and staff have plans to further improve this by incorporating children's interests and ideas to create an even more-enabling 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

 review the impact of planned changes to the learning environment to assess the effect on children's progress and their learning outcomes.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the nursery manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery manager and provider. She looked at relevant documentation, such as the nursery's self-evaluation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to a small selection of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The manager and staff are very experienced and knowledgeable about how to protect children. They are proactive in finding out about local safeguarding issues, which they pass on to parents. Families are extremely well supported and children's safety is given the highest priority. The management team carries out regular observations in order to assess staff practice and target improvements. Staff work closely with the local authority to check the quality of the provision and to help identify areas for improvement. Staff, parents and children contribute to a clear action plan to increase the quality of the provision. The manager is highly motivated and has a clear vision for the future so that children's learning opportunities continue to improve. Staff attend a wide range of ongoing training to shape their professional development.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff use skilful questioning and challenge children well in their learning. Pre-school aged children are beginning to use mathematical language and ideas in their play. They match pairs of socks and tell staff which ones are big and small and what colours they are. Children count the socks and sing number rhymes and songs. They take the activity in their own direction as they put long socks on their arms and pretend they are puppets. Children are all very busy and engrossed in their play. Younger children enjoy making swirly patterns as they mix paint on pieces of tin foil. They experiment with painting their hands and using different kinds of brushes. Children love to play with the sand and water outside. They wash the toy dinosaurs with brushes and make marks on the ground with large chalks. Staff interact with children to guide their play and set challenges for them in their thinking and problem solving. They show them how to roll play dough into balls and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

read stories to them in a cosy reading area.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children develop their social skills very well as they talk to each other and staff during meals and snack times. Pre-school children have lunch in the school hall which helps them to be well prepared emotionally and to gain independence for their move. Children are active outdoors each day. They develop their physical skills well through the use of a range of good quality resources. Children learn about a variety of other cultures and festivals. Their home cultures are valued and celebrated. There are strong links with the schools children move on to, particularly the school in which the nursery is located. Children are well prepared for the move to new rooms in the nursery and to their new settings. Staff promote healthy eating and lifestyles extremely well, which is extended to promoting healthy eating at home with parents. Children respond well to frequent praise, which promotes good levels of self-esteem.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children including those who receive funded education make good progress in their learning. Their love of books and their early literacy skills are nurtured very well. The development of children's language and communication skills is given high priority. Children are developing the key skills in readiness for school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY481548 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 990281 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 1 - 4 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 68 Name of provider Debbie Jane Kennedy Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01214643719

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Setting details

Sandcastles Day Nursery was registered in 2014. The nursery employs 16 members of childcare staff, all but one of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 2, 3 or 4. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7am until 6pm. 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

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Setting details

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