Dolphins Childcare Centre

Dolphins Childcare Centre North Petherton County Primary School, North Petherton, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 6LU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13 July 2017 17 January 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

 All children, including those eligible for additional funding and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress in all aspects of their learning and development. Staff work well to ensure any gaps are narrowing.  Children relate and play well together. There are good relationships between staff and children founded on high levels of mutual respect.  Children of all ages are very settled and secure, whether they attend the nursery, or the breakfast or after-school club. Staff care for the children well, giving precise information to parents about this each day.  The managers work well to continually improve the centre. They take into account suggestions from parents, staff and teachers from the school that children usually move on to, ensuring that they prepare children well for their future learning experiences.  Staff assess children's progress accurately and regularly share this information with

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This provision is good

parents. They make sure they plan activities, so that children continue to make good progress in their communication, physical and social development.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always give children enough opportunities that challenge them to think critically, and develop their imagination and creativity further.  The established routines staff follow sometimes restrict children's opportunities to pursue a wider range of learning activities, and children sometimes spend too much time waiting for their turn.

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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

 ensure that staff provide increased opportunities to challenge children to think critically and develop their imagination and creativity further  make better use of established routines to provide children with more opportunities to be involved in a wider range of activities, and that they do not spend too long waiting for their turn.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching and learning indoors and outdoors.  The inspector spoke to parents and took their views into account.  The inspector met with the managers and conducted a joint observation of teaching and learning with each.  The inspector spoke to staff and children.  The inspector looked at a sample of documents procedures and policies, including those relating to safeguarding, risk assessment, recruitment and suitability of staff.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The managers use a range of good tools to evaluate the quality of the provision. For example, they check with the staff how they use the resources, so that children can access what they need to develop their skills for future learning. The managers continually review the quality of teaching and assessment with the staff. They improve it by ensuring that staff assess children's communication accurately and check the progress that different groups of children make. The managers work well with a range of providers to ensure that they train apprentices well. Safeguarding is effective. The managers and staff know the signs to look for and who to contact if they have any concerns. The managers follow robust procedures when they recruit staff and ensure that staff further develop their teaching skills through the appraisal process. The managers and staff assess risk carefully, for example, they check the temperature outside, and ensure they protect children's feet,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff plan interesting activities, telling parents what these are in advance, for example, the sound, sign and language of the week. Staff provide a good range of resources that parents can use to support their children's learning at home. Staff use their good knowledge of child development to observe children's learning and follow their interests. They carefully question children, so that children can explain what they are doing, for example, when fitting construction bricks together to make a house. Staff use stories and books well to extend children's understanding of the world around them, for instance, discussing dinosaurs and how they lived a long time ago. Staff provide good role models for children, for example, when they are writing diaries, the children can join in. Staff work well with the teachers at the school. There are frequent visits during the summer term for the children who are moving on. Staff ensure they share assessment information with

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

other settings that children attend, so there are no gaps in children's learning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are independent, confident and choose what they want to do. They sustain their attention well and get fully involved in activities. For example, the babies explored glitter and flour, adding animals and sticks to make marks. Older children investigated how to mix colours of paint, they pour drinks for themselves and complete jigsaws, for example. Staff make sure they meet the specific medical needs of children, and work and communicate well with all other professionals and parents. Older children learn to play games as a group, understanding the rules of a chasing game, for example.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children learn to speak well and those who learn English as an additional language make good progress to learn new words. Older children begin to recognise and write their names and learn about other cultures and communities from books, for example. The youngest children make good progress with walking. They learn how to make sounds with instruments, and the names and sounds of animals. Children behave well.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY300144 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 1068734 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 - 11 Total number of places 64 Number of children on roll 140 Name of registered person Dolphins Childcare Centre Partnership

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 17 January 2014 Telephone number 01278661333

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reference number

Dolphins Childcare Centre is a privately owned provision that registered in 2004. It is in the grounds of North Petherton Primary School. The centre opens from 7.30am to 6pm on Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. It receives funding to provide free early education to children aged two, three and four years. The centre also provides a breakfast club, after-school club and holiday playscheme for children attending the primary school. There are 24 members of staff. Of the 22 who work directly with the children, one is qualified at level 6, one at level 5, one at level 4, 16 at level 3, two at level 2 and one is unqualified.

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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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Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

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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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