My First Word...grows Up

My First Word...grows Up South Portslade Community Centre, Church Road, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 1LB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 1 February 2017 18 February 2016

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Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 Staffing arrangements are not fully effective to consistently meet all children's individual needs throughout the day.  Group times are not consistently well planned to interest and engage all children, in particular the younger children.  The main playroom and resources are not well organised to fully support the learning and development needs of the younger children.  Self-evaluation is not rigorous enough to ensure priorities for improvement are quickly and accurately identified and addressed.

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It has the following strengths

 Children behave well and develop appropriate relationships with staff and each other.  The manager and staff show a commitment and motivation to make improvements to the nursery. They have worked hard to make some important changes, such as improving assessments of children to ensure their progress is more closely monitored.  Staff work closely with parents. They keep them well informed and include them in their children's learning. For instance, parents are sent the weekly activity planning by email and given suggestions for activities to continue at home.  Staff have made good use of the help of the local authority to improve the support for children who are learning English as an additional language and to meet the actions set at the last inspection.

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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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Due Date

 improve staffing arrangements to more consistently and effectively meet all children's individual needs throughout the day 01/04/2017

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Due Date

 improve the planning of group activities to ensure that all children, in particular younger ones, are interested, engaged and benefit from these sessions. 01/04/2017

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Due Date

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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Due Date

 review the organisation of the playroom and resources to ensure the needs of the younger children are taken into account  improve the monitoring and evaluation of the provision further to ensure all areas for improvement are quickly identified and addressed.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children and staff taking part in activities.  The inspector sampled documentation, including staff records, children's files and improvement plans.  The inspector held meetings with the manager and spoke to children and staff.  The inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The manager is careful to make sure that there are enough staff on duty to meet the minimum required ratios each day. However, children's individual needs are not consistently supported during busier periods, due to the layout of the premises and the age range of children present. Safeguarding is effective. The manager carries out thorough checks on new staff to make sure they are suitable to work with children. Staff have a sound understanding of how to recognise and report child protection concerns. The manager monitors staff performance appropriately, for instance, through individual meetings, and staff have regular training opportunities.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

At times, staff are not readily available to support all children's learning needs. For instance, some children were not engaged in stimulating activities during the period before lunch, when staff were busy preparing this. Some group activities are still not planned effectively, in particular younger children are not fully engaged at these times and they quickly lose interest and at times become upset. However, staff plan a variety of activities for children based on their interests and needs. They assess children's progress accurately and identify areas where they need more support in their development. Staff support children's communication and language skills appropriately. For instance, they encourage conversations and give older children time to express their ideas.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff do not fully consider the needs of younger children to help them choose activities and resources matched to their needs through the day. They organise the main playroom mostly with activities and resources for the older children. At times, staff are not able to immediately attend to all children's individual needs as they are busy elsewhere. However, they act as good role models for children and are calm and patient. Children learn to value each other's similarities and differences, for instance, when they share their experiences from home. Staff make sure that children are within their sight or hearing and supervise them appropriately. They support children's good health. For instance, children learn to wash their hands and use tissues at appropriate times.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children make progress in their development and gain some skills that help prepare them for the move to school. However, the support for children's learning is not fully consistent to motivate and engage them effectively in play and activities. For instance, younger children are not consistently well occupied and sometimes activities are not matched to their needs sufficiently. Older children grow in confidence and independence and get along well together. They learn to count competently and enjoy stories.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY493929 Local authority Brighton & Hove Inspection number 1081839 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 29 Name of registered person My First Word Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 18 February 2016 Telephone number 01273 933161

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reference number

My First Word...grows Up registered in 2015. It operates from a community centre in Portslade, East Sussex. The nursery opens each weekday throughout the year from 8am to 6pm. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery employs three staff, including the manager, who all hold relevant early years qualifications at level 3.

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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

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

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