Twinkling Toddlers
Inspection report for early years provision
Unique reference number
Inspect ion date
Inspector
EY376949
05/03/2010
Teresa Marie Taylor
Setting address
Tyseley & District Community Centre, 280 Formans Road,
Sparkhill, BIRMINGHAM, B11 3BY
Telephone number
Email
Type of setting
01217 774022
Childcare on non-domestic premises
14662120
Inspection Report: Twinkling Toddlers, 05/03/2010
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Inspection Report: Twinkling Toddlers, 05/03/2010
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 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).
The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group
which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare
Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a
comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is
included in Annex B.
Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We
publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we
receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of
registration.
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
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Inspection Report: Twinkling Toddlers, 05/03/2010
Description of the setting
Twinkling Toddlers registered in 2008. It is one of two settings owned by the same
provider. It operates from a large hall within a community centre in the Tyseley
area of Birmingham and has a flat ramped access. A maximum of 20 children may
attend at any one time. The nursery is open from 9:00am to 3:30pm each week
day except Wednesday when the hours are 9:00am to 12:00noon. The children
use an adjacent enclosed public area for outdoor play.
There are currently 17 children on roll in the early years age group of whom 12
receive funding for early education. The setting is also registered on the
compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The nursery is able to support children
who speak English as an additional language.
There are two staff who work full time with the children, the manager works
between both settings. All hold appropriate childcare qualifications. The staff ratios
are maintained by using students on long term placements.
The overall effectiveness of the early years provision
Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.
Children are happy and settled in the nursery environment where they feel safe
and supported by the staff. Staff have an appropriate understanding of the Early
Years Foundation Stage which ensures children are provided with a suitable range
of play activities enabling them to progress in all areas of learning. Planning,
developing assessments and plans for the future enhance the children's learning
and development opportunities. Children’s uniqueness and individuality are
recognised and managed well. Written policies and procedures underpin the
group's practice and all are provided for parents. However, they are not all
effective in practice. There are good partnerships which ensures individual
children’s progress and needs are shared effectively. The nursery has a good
capacity for continuous improvement.
What steps need to be taken to improve provision
further?
To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:
ensure fresh drinking water is available at all times
(Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare)
conduct a risk assessment and review it regularly, at
least once a year or more frequently where the need
arises (Suitable premises, environment and
equipment) (also applies to the compulsory part of the
Childcare Register).
05/03/2010
26/03/2010
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
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Inspection Report: Twinkling Toddlers, 05/03/2010
To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:
promote equality of opportunity by providing positive images and activities to
challenge children's thinking and help them develop respect for equality and
for differences in culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, learning difficulties and
religion
improve the opportunities for children to recognise the importance of keeping
healthy, and those things which contribute to this
develop the systems for self-evaluation for example, by using Ofsted's selfevaluation form and quality improvement processes as the basis of ongoing
internal review.
The effectiveness of leadership and management of
the early years provision
Staff have a strong commitment to safeguarding and are well informed about
procedures to keep children safe. All staff undertake regular safeguarding training
and they fully understand the requirements of the Local Safeguarding Children
Board. The majority of policies, procedures and documentation for the effective
and safe running of the setting are well organised and effectively implemented.
However, no risk assessments have been undertaken. There are sound recruitment
procedures should additional staff need to be recruited and these are equally
implemented for students. Staff ensure parents fully understand the group's
policies and procedures and provide them with copies. The staff successfully
promote all areas of equal opportunities and inclusion ensuring children are given
an understanding of the wider world but, freely available resources to support
children's independent learning are limited. Staff check the outdoor play area
before children use it to ensure any potential hazards to children are minimised. A
regular cleaning schedule ensures children are kept safe and the risk of crossinfection is minimised.
The staff have a clear vision for the future of the setting and have identified areas
they wish to improve. These include, improving their systems for observation and
assessments to provide clearer evidence for planning the next steps for children, to
increase resources to support children's understanding of equality, to develop the
outdoor play area and to complete a formal self-evaluation to assist them in
improving their practice and the learning opportunities offered to the children.
Staff regularly undertake additional training courses in order to continue to develop
and improve outcomes for children. The staff commitment to continuous
improvement is good. They are proactive in obtaining the opinions of both parents
and children and they do reflect on their practice to ensure the best possible care
and learning opportunities are provided for the children. The group appropriately
addressed the recommendations from the last inspection, which ensures clearer
evidence has been recorded of children's development, more planned activities
have been provided to improve children's understanding of equality and the
heating is thermostatically controlled so as not pose a risk to children.
Communication both with parents and children is a strength and their ideas and
requests are valued and implemented. Parents have access to daily discussions,
children's individual and activity folders and regular questionnaires enabling them
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
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Inspection Report: Twinkling Toddlers, 05/03/2010
to comment on any area of the group's practice. They are actively encouraged to
be fully involved in all aspects of their child's care and learning. The group has
identified the need to improve and develop links with local schools to im prove the
transition arrangements for children moving on to school. The group has clear
policies and procedures in place to liaise with other agencies to support children
with special educational needs or disabilities to ensure their individual needs are
met.
The staff actively promote the uniqueness and individuality of each child. They
provide a suitable range of age-appropriate activities and resources to ensure all
children can participate in all play opportunities regardless of gender, background,
ability or disability. Staff actively encourage children to be proactive in their own
learning and begin to identify their own learning and development needs. All
children and families are highly valued.
The quality and standards of the early years provision
and outcomes for children
Children make progress as they enjoy a range of enjoyable activities. They are
very settled and relaxed and are given a good level of support that ensures that
they develop fully as individuals. Suitable planning ensures children are provided
with a range of creative learning experiences which keep them involved and eager
to learn. Information is obtained about children’s starting points and developing
written observations and assessments of children’s progress ensure all aspects of
individual needs are met.
Children are very confident when exploring the environment both indoors and out.
They play a full and active role in their chosen activity, they make choices and
decisions with the staff providing good support. A range of planned activities helps
children to understand the wider world as they discuss other cultures, celebrate
festivals and have a range of displays including world religions, numbers and the
alphabet in languages other than English. However, resources to enable children to
learn about the broader aspects of equality independently are limited. Children are
given clear rules regarding behaviour with staff being good role models. As a result
children behave well and have good self-esteem. They freely express their feelings,
ask for help when they need it and mostly willingly share. Children play both
independently and together, understand why they need to share or take turns, for
example when completing large floor puzzles together or using the slide and they
have very good communication skills which enables them to develop skills for their
future. They make good progress in their communication, language, problem solving and number skills as they enjoy a range of activities. For example, children
are all completing life size paintings of themselves and staff encourage them to
name the parts of their bodies, identify their hair and clothes colours and to paint
these. Children count themselves regularly for example, when visiting the toilet
and when going outside. Staff ask the children if the number they have counted
going out is the same as the number counted coming in. The activity on their
bodies is supported by discussions and action songs at circle time. For example,
children sang 'head, shoulders, knees and toes' with the staff checking the children
identified the appropriate part of their body. Small and large muscle skills are
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
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Inspection Report: Twinkling Toddlers, 05/03/2010
encouraged through a range of art and construction activities and by encouraging
children to put on and take off their outdoor clothes with staff giving assistance
with the more difficult buttons or zips. Planning includes resources to be used and
is linked to the six areas of learning. Children are actively encouraged to access
books, sing songs and repeat favourite nursery rhymes. They enjoy physical
activities both indoors and out.
Children have a strong sense of belonging in the security of the group. They show
they feel safe and are confident in sharing their news at circle time and asking
staff for help when needed. They show their understanding of keeping themselves
safe through their good behaviour, consideration of each other and show they
understand safety rules such as being careful on the slide and waiting until the
previous child has got off the slide before descending. They learn about personal
safety through planned topics which include visits from the police and ambulance
service.
Children are beginning to understand about a healthy lifestyle as they make
informed choices about what they eat as they choose from a selection of fruit and
vegetables at snack time. However, staff do not consistently discuss healthy
eating, healthy lifestyles and the benefits of physical exercise which limits
children's learning in these areas and water is not freely available. Parents provide
packed lunches and staff engage parents in discussions on the healthy contents of
lunch boxes. Children have access to a good range of outdoor play equipment
including, climbing frames, swings, slides, rockers, hoops, balls and skipping ropes.
Children’s general good health is promoted as they make the most of the fresh air
and the outdoor play available to them every day with additional activities, like
painting, taken outdoors in good weather.
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
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Inspection Report: Twinkling Toddlers, 05/03/2010
Annex A: record of inspection judgements
The key inspection judgements and what they mean
Grade
Grade
Grade
Grade
1
2
3
4
is
is
is
is
Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality
Good: this aspect of the provision is strong
Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound
Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough
The overall effectiveness of the early years provision
How well does the setting meet the needs of the
children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?
The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous
improvement
3
3
The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early
years provision
How effectively is the Early Years Foundation Stage led
and managed?
The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding
ambition and driving improvement
The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources
The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and
diversity
The effectiveness of safeguarding
The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the
steps taken to promote improvement
The effectiveness of partnerships
The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and
carers
3
3
3
3
2
3
3
2
The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation
Stage
The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage
3
Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage
Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation
Stage
The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning
The extent to which children feel safe
The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles
The extent to which children make a positive contribution
The extent to which children develop skills for the future
3
3
3
3
3
3
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
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
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Inspection Report: Twinkling Toddlers, 05/03/2010
Annex B: the Childcare Register
The provider confirms that the requirements of the
compulsory part of the Childcare Register are:
Not Met (with
actions)
The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or
voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.
To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register,
the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:
take action as specified in the early years section of
the report (Suitability of premises and equipment).
26/03/2010
This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
9