Ottertots Day Care Nursery

Ottertots Day Care Nursery Ottertots Day Care Nursery, Hulham Road, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 5DX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20 December 2016 3 February 2014

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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

 Children make good progress, relative to their starting points. Staff use their knowledge of children's interests well, planning activities they are keen to take part in. The provider monitors children's learning well to identify and address any gaps.  Staff have good relationships with parents. They encourage parents to share information about activities children enjoy at home, and use this when planning for children's future learning.  The provider shows commitment to making ongoing improvements. Self-evaluation is good, and the provider and staff prioritise improvements that have the most impact on children. For example, they have focused on developing children's language, and on improving children's behaviour by using positive terms such as 'please walk' instead of 'do not run'.  Children of all ages have good self-esteem and show that they feel emotionally secure. Babies quickly form strong bonds with staff. Toddlers confidently explore their

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This provision is good

surroundings, indoors and outdoors. Older children have good opportunities to make decisions about what they do and they enjoy planning activities with staff.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 At times, activities to develop older children's understanding of how to use a range of technology for different purposes lack challenge.

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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

 provide more challenge for older children as they learn to use technology for different purposes

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff and children engaged in learning activities indoors and outdoors.  The inspector talked to staff, parents and children.  The inspector discussed staff practice with the provider, and talked about the effectiveness of self-evaluation.  The inspector sampled required documents, including safeguarding procedures and children's learning records.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The provider supports staff well and encourages them to develop their knowledge and skills to benefit children's learning. For example, staff recently completed extensive forest school training. They use their knowledge very well to provide exciting and challenging woodland activities that develop children's confidence, physical skills, and understanding of the natural world. Safeguarding is effective. The provider and staff have a good understanding of local safeguarding procedures and the correct action to take to help to protect children from harm. Recruitment processes are effective in checking staff's initial and ongoing suitability.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff use their good observations and assessments of children to identify the next steps in their learning and plan to help them make good progress. Staff communicate very well with children to challenge them further. For example, staff encouraged older children playing a board game to compare the number of spots on the dial they spun to the spots on a dice. Staff encouraged younger children to mix their own colours when painting and to experiment to get the shades they wanted for their dinosaurs. Staff used a song box very well to engage babies in singing, encouraging them to identify the songs from the objects they took out, such as a bus or an animal.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive good support to help them make good progress. Staff work well with other professionals to plan to meet their needs. Children thoroughly enjoy being physically active. For example, they use the very good equipment in the soft play barn where they climb, balance and slide through tunnels. They confidently move their bodies and show good safety awareness, being mindful of other children using the equipment. Children's behaviour is good and they enjoy being helpful. For example, toddlers help to sweep up spills and older children talk about recycling as they scrape leftover food into the correct waste bin. Babies move on to the toddler room when they are emotionally secure enough to manage change, rather than strictly by age. Pre-school children enjoy small group activities with others that will go to the same school, making friends to help them feel confident in a new environment.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children gain good skills to prepare them for the next stage in their learning, including going to school. Children are very imaginative. For example, they pretended to go in a rocket to space and talked about what they should take and why they needed oxygen cylinders to help them breathe. Children develop good mathematical skills. For example, they identified the numerals that corresponded to the number of spots on a dice.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY466500 Local authority Devon Inspection number 1069572 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 0 - 9 Total number of places 100 Number of children on roll 196 Name of registered person Ottertots Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 3 February 2014 Telephone number 01395 271987

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reference number

Ottertots Day Care Nursery registered in 2013 and is a privately owned provision in Exmouth, Devon. It is open Monday to Friday from 7.45am to 6pm, all year round, except for one week in December. There are 34 members of staff working with children, including the provider, who is also the manager. Two staff hold qualified teacher status, 25 hold early years qualifications at level 3, and two hold qualifications at level 2. The setting receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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reference 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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reference 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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reference number

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reference number

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reference 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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