Little Sunflowers

Inspection of Sunflowers Nursery Beacon Road, Pheasey, Great Barr, Birmingham B43 7BW

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is good

Children enjoy their time in this warm and welcoming, child-centred environment. Staff build close, nurturing relationships with children which support their emotional well-being to a high degree. Children settle quickly with familiar adults they know well. The large outdoor space provides a lovely area where children can run and play. Younger children laugh and squeal with delight as they go on a 'bear hunt'. They follow simple instructions and use their imagination well as they pretend to cross different terrain in search of the bear. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive high levels of support. Behaviour is good. Older children begin to self-regulate their own behaviour. They understand about sharing and taking turns, and consider the feelings of others. Younger children are introduced to simple rules that help them to begin to think about others. Staff use strategies to help children at an early age. They nominate a 'superstar' for the day

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The provision is good

to help with daily tasks. This helps to raise children's self-esteem. Staff use praise and encouragement with all children. Children develop a can-do attitude to learning. Leaders and staff have high expectations for all children attending the nursery to do well.

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need to do better?

n Speech and language are a keen focus in the nursery. Good use of Makaton helps children's emerging vocabulary. Staff introduce new words and model language well. Small-group times help children to practise words and replicate sounds. Children recognise themselves and others in photos. They smile as they name each other and consider 'who is here today?'. Language is displayed in the environment. Children begin to recognise that words have meaning. n Staff provide a good variety of objects and materials for babies' sensory exploration. They encourage babies' interest in a textures board to feel the different fabrics. New words such as 'soft', 'warm' and 'cold' are introduced by staff. However, staff do not fully consider providing babies and very young children with enough space and capacity to make marks in different ways. n Early mathematics is supported well by staff. Children count the cotton wool

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need to do better?

balls they want to stick on their snowman. They decide on the number of buttons to stick on. Children's fine motor skills develop as they use their good pencil skills to draw eyes and a nose. n Children can see daily routines in pictures. They can follow where they are in the day and what will happen next. This supports children's emotional well-being. Good hygiene practices are encouraged. Children learn about what keeps them healthy and well. Food is of a high quality. Individual dietary needs are a high priority. Care is taken to ensure that children eat what is good and safe for them. n A well-established programme of supervision and training supports staff to

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need to do better?

12 December 2019 deliver good-quality teaching. Staff feel valued. Regular training helps them to keep their skills up to date. Assessment and planning are effective across the areas of learning. Activities are interesting and varied. The wide range of activities, toys and resources engage children and spark their thirst to learn. Children make good progress. They acquire the skills they will need for their next stage of learning. That said, there are times when high levels of noise can distract children from learning. n Staff provide some experiences to help children learn about diversity. Older children visit some different places of worship. However, staff do not fully consider ways to help children to raise children's awareness of families, communities, cultures and traditions beyond their own. n Partnership with parents is strong. They report positively about their children's care and learning at the setting. Parents say that their children are making good

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need to do better?

progress. They have good access to information about their child's development. At the start of a placement time is invested with parents. A gradual settling-in period is arranged for their child. Transition between rooms is successful and is negotiated with parents. This helps to settle each child, taking account of their individual needs and care routines well. Children arrive happy and ready to learn. Behaviour is good.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

A programme of ongoing training supports staff to fully understand their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the signs and symptoms that may indicate that a child is more vulnerable to abuse. They are familiar with the local procedures to follow should they have concerns about any children in their care. Security of the premises is monitored effectively during drop-off and collection times. Adults and children sign in on arrival. Staff are vigilant in minimising any risks to children so that the environment supports children to play safely.

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should:

n enhance practice for supporting babies and very young children in having space and capacity to make marks in different ways n build on current practice for supporting children's awareness of similarities and differences with regard to families, communities, cultures and traditions beyond their own n help children to focus by limiting noise, and making spaces visually calm and orderly.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 254496 Local authority Walsall Inspection number 10116262 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 0 to 4 Total number of places 104 Number of children on roll 156 Name of registered person Sunflowers Nurseries Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 0121 360 9859 Date of previous inspection 16 September 2013

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Information about this early years setting

Sunflowers Nursery registered in 2000. It is one of two nurseries owned by the provider. The nursery is located in the Great Barr area of Birmingham. The nursery employs 33 members of childcare staff. Of these, 31 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above, including one with qualified teacher status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round, except for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n Managers and inspectors completed joint inspections of practice. Managers evaluated the quality of teaching and the impact this has on children's learning. n One inspector completed a learning walk with the managers. They viewed all areas used for childcare. They considered how the planning for the curriculum is implemented at the nursery to meet the needs of all the children attending. n Parents whose children attend the setting shared their views with inspectors about their experience of the childcare. Inspectors spoke to children and staff at appropriate times during the inspection. n A range of documentation that supports the safe and effective management of the nursery was checked. This included a sample of policies and procedures. The inspector saw evidence of suitability checks on adults working with children.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

12 December 2019 regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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