Elmore Kindergarten

Elmore Kindergarten 2 Birley Moor Road, SHEFFIELD, South Yorkshire, S12 4WD

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22 November 2017 9 July 2013

p.1

3

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

p.1

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

 Staff do not always complete the required progress check for children aged between two and three years. Staff do not keep parents fully informed of children's development and progress to help them to support their learning at home.  Staff do not gather sufficient information from parents when children first enrol to ensure they can plan effectively to meet children's individual needs, interests and stage of development.  Staff do not assess children's ongoing development effectively. Consequently, some staff are not clear about what children need to learn next. Staff do not always organise large-group activities well to support children's learning successfully.  The manager does not always provide her staff team with effective supervision and support to enable them to fulfil their role competently. The quality of teaching is variable and staff do not consistently provide children with the highest-quality support

p.1

It has the following strengths

 Where the quality of teaching is better, staff interact with children as they play alongside them. They are enthusiastic and keep children engaged in their learning.  Children are happy and settled. They play alongside caring staff who provide them with smiles and reassurance.  The environment is spacious and well resourced. Children freely choose what they want to do throughout the day.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider must:

p.2

Due Date

 complete the required progress check for children aged between two and three years, and provide parents with a written summary of development in the prime areas and keep them informed of children's ongoing progress 04/12/2017

p.2

Due Date

 improve partnerships with parents to find out about children's individual needs and interests, to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for children from the outset 04/12/2017

p.2

Due Date

 ensure methods of assessment identify children's next steps in learning and plan activities that help them make consistently good progress. 04/12/2017

p.2

Due Date

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

p.2

Due Date

 develop the methods of assessing staff performance further to ensure weaker teaching is identified and clear targets for improvement are set  improve the organisation of large-group activities so that all children are challenged appropriately according to their stages of development.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's records, planning documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. She also looked at a range of other documentation, including policies and procedures.  The inspector spoke with children and their key persons at appropriate times during the inspection and held meetings with the managers. She discussed the steps the managers have taken to evaluate and improve practice.  The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed several joint observations with the managers.  The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The environment is safe and well maintained. Staff implement effective risk assessments and supervise children to ensure they maintain children's well-being successfully. The manager knows the procedures she must follow to protect children. Staff are knowledgeable about signs which indicate a child may be at risk of harm. Staff supervision is not effective in monitoring the quality of teaching or helping staff improve their skills. However, training supports staff understanding of child protection, first aid and food hygiene. Partnerships with outside agencies are effective. Staff cater well for children who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. They give careful thought to the provision of resources and activities that help them make progress. Self-evaluation is in place and leaders know what the setting needs to do to improve.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Methods for monitoring and assessment of children's progress by staff are variable in accuracy and quality. Staff do not ensure that they gather enough information from parents when children enrol. They do not assess children's progress regularly enough to identify and plan for their next steps in learning effectively. As a result, children are not always fully engaged in their learning. Staff do not always complete the required progress check for children between the age of two and three years and, where they do, it does not always review children's development sufficiently. Children generally enjoy activities and show they are interested. However, at times, group sizes are too large to keep all children engaged in their learning. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language and communicate well with them.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Although staff provide parents with daily feedback about children's care needs, they do not keep them fully informed of children's development and progress to help them to support children's learning at home. Flexible settling-in procedures allow staff to meet the care needs of all children. Staff praise children and promote children's positive behaviour. Children help to tidy up and respond positively to staff reminders to play safely. Children become independent and are competent in self-care. Older children serve themselves food and drink for mealtimes. Staff provide children with balanced and nutritious food to maintain their energy levels throughout the day. Children access the outdoor environment regularly and children develop their physical skills.

p.3

Outcomes for children require improvement

Not all children make good progress from their starting points because they do not all benefit from consistently good teaching. This is due to inaccurate assessments. As a result, it is not possible to monitor how quickly children are making progress. Nevertheless, children are steadily developing the basic skills needed to support them to be ready for school.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY421797 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 1117784 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 80 Number of children on roll 94 Name of registered person Elmore Kindergarten Partnership

p.4

reference number

Date of previous inspection 9 July 2013 Telephone number 0114 2544889

p.4

reference number

Elmore Kindergarten registered in 2011. The nursery employs 19 members of childcare staff. Of these, the manager holds early years professional status and 10 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above. The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm, excluding bank holidays and a week at Christmas. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children.

p.4

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.

p.4

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.

p.4

reference number

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

reference number

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

p.5

reference number

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

p.5