Roundabout Private Day Nurseries
Professional Childcare
Roundabout Private Day Nurseries
Professional Childcare
Roundabout Nursery Bucknall
Inspection report for early years provision
Unique reference number 224661
Inspection date 04/12/2008
Inspector Jennie Lenton
Setting address 382-384 Werrington Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST2 9AB
Telephone number 01782 273 285
Email: joanbrearton@aol.com
Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises
Introduction
This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.
The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration whichever is the later, which require Ofsted or the provider to take action in Annex C.
The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).
Description of the setting
Roundabout Day Nursery opened in 1980. It operates from seven rooms in a converted house in Bucknall, Stoke on Trent. The nursery is registered to care for 45 children from birth to five years of age and is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 35 children on roll. Children have access to an enclosed outside play area. The building is accessed via a flat driveway and a step. The setting supports children with English as a second language and welcomes those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The nursery opens for five days a week all year round. Sessions are from 07:15 until 18:00.
Eight full-time and two part-time staff work with the children. There are 80% of staff who have early years qualifications to National Vocational Qualification Level 2 or 3. Four members of staff are currently working towards further qualifications.
Overall effectiveness of the early years provision
Children enjoy their time at the setting as staff ensure that they are all engaged in fun and stimulating activities. Children learn and develop well as all staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Individual needs are promptly identified, respected and met as an inclusive environment is provided. Relationships with parents are positive and most policies and procedures work well in practice to ensure children's safety and well-being. The setting has a clear focus on outcomes for children and uses self-evaluation to good effect, planning future improvements and implementing positive change.
What steps need to be taken to improve provision further?
To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:
To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:
The leadership and management of the early years provision
Robust arrangements are in place to ensure suitable members of staff are recruited and a formal appraisal process is used to ensure their ongoing suitability. Strong contingency plans ensure that children are supervised by other vetted individuals in the event of staff absence. Policies and procedures have been recently reviewed to reflect the current statutory framework and ensure that children's welfare needs are being met. However, the policy regarding what to do if an allegation of abuse is made about a member of staff is not in line with current guidance. Potentially, this leads to the incorrect handling of an allegation.
More generally, however, safeguarding procedures are sound. A designated member of staff takes the lead on safeguarding issues and has ensured all staff are aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns. Staff display a good understanding of the signs and symptoms that may indicate abuse and details for the Local Safeguarding Children Board are in place. Risk assessments for the setting are appropriately detailed and cover all areas, making sure that children are kept safe at all times. Specialist equipment is used to protect children from hazards. For example radiator covers and safety gates are in place to protect young children from harm.
Partnerships with parents are good. Information about the setting is provided at the start of a placement and regular updates are also issued. Parents are encouraged to discuss their child's day at collection times and discussion forms are used to record any particular concerns or needs. The setting collates parental consent forms for outings, transportation and emergency medical treatment to be sought. This ensures that care is in accordance with parental wishes. Information about who has legal contact and parental responsibility for each child is not routinely requested. Potentially, this leads to significant information being missed.
Self-evaluation is used effectively to ensure that good standards of care are maintained. All recommendations from the last inspection have been met to promote children's well-being. For instance, the information in the registers has been improved to ensure that hours of attendance are now accurately documented. The management team has also put together an action plan to bring about future improvements to the setting. Staff and parents are encouraged to be involved in this process, with their views being sought on a regular basis. All aims for the future are focussed on improving outcomes for children.
The quality and standards of the early years provision
Children's health is successfully promoted as they are provided with nutritional meals and plenty of opportunities for active play. A range of freshly cooked dishes are provided and the setting has achieved a healthy eating award as a result of the well-balanced menu. Daily access to the nursery's outside area ensures that their physical development is also encouraged. Children also consider how to keep their bodies healthy through interactive activities such as a visit from a dental hygienist. Learning about how to stay safe is also well promoted. Children take part in regular fire drills and are aware of rules for their own safety such as not running indoors and sitting properly at mealtimes.
Building on children's interests, staff plan experiences that link to children's individual learning and development needs. All staff undertake observations of children as they play and assess their next steps, which are then fed into planning. This ensures that children are constantly stimulated and encouraged to develop. Young children mark-make in gloop, while older children show increasing control as they design pictures with paints, pencils and other craft materials. This promotes their early writing skills as well as allowing them to design imaginatively. Problem solving skills are developed as children look at their size and colour of plastic animals and group them accordingly. Babies have great fun as they splash in warm water or explore the feeling of glitter and foam. Older children play with construction blocks, play dough, musical instruments and many other items which are easily accessible. The wide range of activities on offer means that children are generally making good progress across the six areas of learning. However, staff are not matching children's achievements to the expectations of the early learning goals. This makes it more difficult to identify areas where further progression is needed. For example, older children are not given enough opportunities to develop their early reading skills. While staff do read stories to children and encourage them to recognise words in print, they do not sound out the initial letters in words or encourage children to consider other words that start with the same sound. This hinders progress in this area.
Circle time activities are used effectively to encourage children to develop their confidence in speaking out in a group setting. Additional support is given to those who are less confident or those with speech delay. As a result of this sensitivity to different needs, all children are relaxed and comfortable as they receive a high level of support and care. Support for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good as staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure their individual needs are met. All children behave well and understand what is expected of them. Staff deal with any unwanted behaviour calmly and positive actions are rewarded with the skilful use of praise and encouragement. Children take great pride in being the 'special helper' for the day, handing out plates at mealtimes. They also learn about being considerate to the wider community as they take part in charity events and learn about different cultures and beliefs. This encourages them to respect diversity and understand people's differences.
Annex A: record of inspection judgements
| The key inspection judgements and what they mean
Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough |
Overall effectiveness
| How effective is the provision in meeting the needs of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage? | 2 |
| How well does the provision promote inclusive practice? | 2 |
| The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement. | 2 |
Leadership and management
| How effectively is provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage led and managed? | 2 |
| How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement? | 2 |
| How well does the setting work in partnership with parents and others? | 2 |
| How well are children safeguarded? | 3 |
Quality and standards
| How effectively are children in the Early Years Foundation Stage helped to learn and develop? | 2 |
| How effectively is the welfare of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage promoted? | 2 |
| How well are children helped to stay safe? | 2 |
| How well are children helped to be healthy? | 2 |
| How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? | 2 |
| How well are children helped to make a positive contribution? | 2 |
| How well are children helped develop skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being? | 2 |
| Any complaints about the inspection or report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk |
Annex C: complaint/s made to Ofsted
This section of the report includes details of any complaint/s made to Ofsted when:
We will not report on any complaint where the provider met the requirements of the Early Years Register or did not require any action by Ofsted or the registered provider.
Detail of the complaint/s
There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection.
The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request.
The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.
