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.   

Description of the   setting    

 Thurrock Tigers Childcare is privately owned. It opened in 2003 and incorporates a full day care nursery, a pre-school and a holiday and out of school club. It operates from a refurbished building and is situated in Grays within walking distance of the town centre and local schools. Children have access to a fully enclosed small outside play area. Access to the premises is via a small step into a hallway. The building is on four levels. There is no lift and access to the lower ground floor is via a narrow staircase.

A maximum of 89 children between the ages of two and eight years may attend the provision at any one time, and no more than 19 of these may be in the early years age group. There are currently 132 children from 0 to 12 years on roll. Of these, 22 children are in the early years age group and 11 receive funding for nursery education. The setting opens five days a week all year round. Opening times are from 07.00 until 19.00. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting serves the local community and surrounding areas.

The provision employs 21 members of staff, of whom 18 currently hold appropriate early years or playwork qualifications. There are four members of staff currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, the National Day Nurseries Association and '4Children'.

 

Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

 Thurrock Tigers offers a truly inclusive early years provision, where each child is valued and respected. All children have the opportunity to be active, independent learners whilst being cared for by a friendly, caring staffing team that is well-deployed to support children's welfare and learning. Activities and experiences for children keep them motivated and they make good progress in their learning. Secure partnerships with parents and outside agencies contribute to the sharing of information, which is used very well to promote all children's care and education. The provision has the capacity for continuous improvement as all recommendations raised at the previous inspection have been fully and appropriately addressed.

 

 What steps need to be taken to improve provision further? 

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: ensure that records are consistently completed to clearly identify each child's progress towards the early learning goals   continue to develop systems for self evaluation so that it clearly identifies strengths and areas for development and targets for improvement.

    

 The leadership and management of the early years provision

 Management and staff work very well together as a team, they are deployed effectively and communicate well with one another. They share a strong commitment to improvement and are constantly reviewing their practice to enable them to make positive changes. However, self evaluation is not yet fully effective in highlighting strengths and weaknesses and setting clear targets and goals. Management ensure staff have the relevant qualifications and that they are able to attend a variety of training. Staff ensure all children are included and provide good opportunities for them to learn and develop. They forge strong relationships with parents, which enhances children's progress and helps them be involved in the children's learning. Regular information is shared with parents including daily update sheets and regular informative newsletters. The group is currently developing ways in which they can liaise in different ways with parents. They are developing a secure web site through which parents can access their child's development records, observations and photographic evidence of their achievements. Children are safeguarded well as staff are fully aware of their duty to protect the children in their care. Comprehensive and robust risk assessments are in place and used effectively making sure the children are kept safe. All the required documentation is in place including a range of detailed policies and procedures, to ensure the children's well-being.

 

The quality and standards of the early years provision

 The staff have a good knowledge of the learning and development requirements to encourage positive attitudes in children to learning. They support children by sitting with them and by allowing them to direct their own play, therefore providing a good balance of adult-led and child-led activities. Children move freely throughout the play areas and enjoy the purposeful play both indoors and outdoors. They take part in creative and imaginative experiences as they take turns to decide where they would like to go for the day and the group of children all enact each child's scenario. They sit in groups and sing songs, joining in with enthusiasm. They access good quality resources to motivate and interest them, developing their decision making skills and building their self-esteem and confidence. Children are purposefully engaged and occupied as they concentrate acting out roles of doctors and nurses in the role play area.

Planning and assessment is effective at identifying individual needs and monitoring progress. All areas of learning are identified and children's engagement in those areas recorded to ensure full participation for each child. Staff make observations of children which are used to identify their individual next steps for learning and to inform future planning. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals, although this is not consistently recorded in a manner which is clear. Key persons take overall responsibility for the children in their group to provide a secure, close and consistent relationship resulting in children being settled and confident in their surroundings. Children who have additional learning needs are supported by the links made with external agencies, for example, health professionals, and by the monitoring and accessibility to all the resources and play opportunities. Staff ask open ended questions to encourage children to think and promote their understanding. They ask children what might happen and as a result, children readily respond and are confident in answering and saying what they think.

Parents work closely with staff to support their children. This contributes to good and effective inclusion for these children. A good range of resources such as books, posters and toys help children experience the multi-cultural nature of Britain, and good support is given to those with English as an additional language.

Children's welfare is promoted well. They are taught to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. This is reinforced in a fun way as children discover that soap and water create bubbles. They are provided with healthy snacks and meals and encouraged to make a decision about what they will eat and drink. They learn to play safely together and keep things tidy.

 

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?	2

 

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 B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are:

Met

 

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: