Pallett Drive Day Nursery

Pallett Drive Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Pallett Drive Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY295345 Inspection date 02 March 2006 Inspector Sheila Dawn Flounders

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Pallett Drive Day Nursery

Setting Address 123 Pallett Drive, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV11 6JT

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E-mail

Registered person Pallett Drive Day Nursery Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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 For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Pallett Drive Day Nursery opened in 2005 and operates from 3 base rooms in an adapted building, with associated facilities. It is situated in the St Nicholas Park area of Nuneaton, Warwickshire. A maximum of 20 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 18.00 for 50 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 13 children aged from 3 months to under 5 years on roll. Of these

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 1 child is in receipt of funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide catchment area, either from the town or from further afield as their parents travel in to work. The nursery is able to support children with additional needs or who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 4 staff. All of the staff, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. All children have very good opportunities for physical play, mainly in the outdoor area where they climb, slide, jump and travel around on a variety of bikes. They also enjoy playing with balls, either throwing or kicking them as appropriate. Inside they dance to music, join in with action rhymes and play with items brought in from outside such as bean bags or the ball pool. They learn about healthy living through this daily access to fresh air and the babies are also taken for walks in the local area. Children understand simple good health and hygiene practices and co-operate well when their faces are washed with individual flannels or their hands washed after toileting or messy play. Older children are able to use the facilities independently, although staff do check to ensure they have washed properly. Good measures are in place to ensure that children stay healthy and that any cross infection is limited, such as

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Helping children to be healthy

robust cleaning routines, a very clean kitchen and individual bedding. All nappy changing is done in the toilet area, with gloves worn by staff and each child has their own supply of nappies and creams. Parents are all made aware of the sickness policy so that they expect to be contacted if their child is taken ill. All children are encouraged to rest after lunch and babies sleep according to their need, with the staff finding out their routines from detailed ongoing contact with parents. Freshly cooked healthy midday meals are provided and served by the cook from a 6 weekly menu, with daily fruit and vegetables, which is available for parents to see. Children are well nourished with a daily check made on the size of servings required by children. They have their health and dietary needs met because the setting works with parents to ensure they are kept updated about what these are. Parents provide all the bottles

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Helping children to be healthy

and food for younger babies, which are stored appropriately. Funded nursery children move around in safety and with confidence indoors and outside. They are able to control their movement when climbing, going into the playhouse, sliding down the slide or pedalling a bike. They have a strong sense of space and can steer a bike around and between the other children and apparatus in the playground without bumping into anyone. They are aware of their own physical needs and look after their own hygiene requirements. Funded children use a variety of small equipment such as rolling pins and cutters with dough, paintbrushes, chalk and larger items such as a tunnel, climbing frame and see-saw with increasing confidence and skill. Activities, such as using construction materials to make houses, are used to increase their hand/eye co-ordination.

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a welcoming, secure and safe environment where there have been no serious accidents. All minor accidents have been well recorded and shared with parents; although, incidents associated with some of them have not been. The space within each room is well used, with safety always considered and staff are vigilant about closing doors, especially when they go outside. The premises are very secure, with no external access to the rear garden and the front door protected by coded locks. Each age group has it's own base, although the toddler and pre-school groups use each others rooms at times, with resources used throughout the nursery, which staff ensure are safe for the children using them. The setting is aware of potential hazards and has adopted measures to reduce risks to the children such as fitting cupboard locks, having covers in all sockets, ensuring that

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

there is no low glass and that cleaning materials are not accessible. Suitable risk assessments are in place, although they have not been reviewed since the nursery opened. Children only use suitable and safe equipment, such as individual cots for the babies and sleep mats for older children. They are all well supervised, with monitors and 15 minute checks used for babies and a member of staff remaining in the room with sleeping toddlers. Babies are kept safe on outings with harnesses used in the pushchairs. All children learn to protect themselves as they practise the fire evacuation drill at different times to ensure that everyone is included. They also use hats and cream in the warmer weather for outdoor play. Children are further protected because the staff understand their role in child protection and know what procedures to put in place when necessary. They have discussed with all parents that the needs and safety of the child always come first.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children develop confidence and self-esteem as they play with the variety of age appropriate activities that are on offer. Babies particularly enjoy tactile messy play such as painting and foam, while older children enjoy singing, books, small world play and especially physical outdoor play. They are all interested in what they do and will play for extended periods with favourite activities, such as the baby who remains painting when the others have moved onto something else, or the toddlers who get really involved in a role play situation outside. Basic plans are in place throughout the nursery and children's progress is satisfactorily recorded, although most of the assessments used are not relevant to the ages of the children. Older children sometimes ask questions, mainly in connection with their play or their personal needs, and are confident to do so. Current ratios ensure that staff have time to spend

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

with the babies and less vocal toddlers building up strong relationships so that they can meet unspoken learning needs. Children use their initiative at times to access additional resources or use things in a different way. They acquire new knowledge and skills through their constant interaction with each other and the staff. They are offered good first hand experiences and staff support them in their learning by showing them how to do something, or by joining in the activity with them. Young

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 children and babies respond well to challenge, such as being encouraged to feed themselves from a young age. Staff are skilled at providing challenge for older children as they play, such as introducing different resources or talking about the shadows outside, although this is not always recorded. Teaching and Learning of funded nursery education is satisfactory. The staff who work with these children have a mixed knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum. The planning used is basic and currently being worked on with the advisory teacher. It does not include learning intentions, differentiation for more or less able children or evaluation of the activities undertaken. Challenge is included in some of the activities, mainly through interaction with staff, but it is not specifically planned. Staff use a

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

suitable variety of teaching methods, mainly through small group or individual interaction, with some child-led activities included daily. The management of behaviour is good. The use of time and resources is generally good, with staff using items from throughout the nursery and basic routines used with flexibility so that staff can react to children's interests or spontaneous opportunities. However, on occasions they do not sufficiently think through the impact of their activity on others within the room, such as reading conflicting stories, at the same time, in close proximity. Assessment of children's progress through the stepping stones has only just begun, with children's starting points established. However a system to make regular observations, to feed into the assessments and then link into future planning is not yet in place. Children are interested and motivated to learn, they willingly join in with planned

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

activities and concentrate on the task, such as discussing various colours in a book. They are aware of their own needs, able to take care of them independently and begin to show empathy and concern for others. Funded children have opportunities for self-selection of resources or tell staff what their choices are, such as which bike they would like. They relate well to other children in the group and will take turns and share resources. The need for codes of behaviour is understood and children respond quickly to reminders or requests from staff. They are beginning to have a sense of community as they see younger children daily, talk about their families and celebrate some religious festivals. Funded children have sufficient language skill to communicate their ideas and needs to each other and to staff. They join in and respond to stories and rhymes and use the correct vocabulary to describe colours or

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

what is happening in the books and in role play talk about the cooker getting warm or the microwave 'pinging'. They are beginning to recognise their own names, particularly the initial letter and have good visual examples of writing all around the nursery. Regular opportunities are provided to write for other purposes, such as a large outdoor chalk board or mark making with pencils and brushes as they cannot all correctly hold a pencil. Funded children concentrate appropriately on numbers to 5, in various activities such as number rhymes like '5 Little Speckled Frogs', which also introduce addition and subtraction, or when playing with finger puppets. They use the correct number names when counting and also use mathematical language such as big and little. They look at shape and pattern when building with construction or doing jigsaw puzzles. Funded children have frequent opportunities for creative activities

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

such as painting in 2 dimension or making collages in 3 dimensions, including observational pictures of clouds. They use a variety of materials and textures, often self-selected from the resources boxes. Imaginations are used to create role play

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 scenarios and join in enthusiastically with action rhymes, such as 'Dingily Dangly Scarecrow'. They use their senses in these creative activities and also during investigations, such as when looking at the shadows in the playground. Opportunities are provided to grow plants and children talk about how things change, for example ice cream melting or a cooker getting hot. They are beginning to show curiosity and ask questions such as how, why and who during their activities. However, they have only limited access to information technology at present, mainly during imaginary play. Children are aware of the routines of the setting, showing the beginnings of a concept of time and talk about what they did 'yesterday'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children have their individual needs met well as the nursery has very thorough settling in visits which allow staff to discuss with parents and spend time with each child to find out fully what their needs are. Staff are proactive and raise any concerns they have about a child's development with parents during the daily exchanges of information. All staff are made aware of the children's basic routines to ensure that they are adhered to, whilst giving children time and space to follow their own interests. Children have a sense of belonging and are happy joining in with activities. They see their work displayed around the rooms and also proudly take things home to share with their families. Children get on with each other and generally behave very well. Staff act as positive role models for them and treat them with respect, with any behaviour incidents dealt with consistently using age appropriate methods such

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Helping children make a positive contribution

as removing a toy, distraction or using stories which emphasise good behaviour. They are given frequent praise and lots of individual attention so that they understand reasonable behaviour and are aware of the nursery's boundaries. Children of all ages make choices about what activities they want to do and for how long, they make decisions about what they want to eat from the meals and snacks provided and older children choose what they would like to sing. Having choices helps children develop self-esteem and they know that staff know and value them as individuals, for example by providing alternate activities for those who do not wish to sleep after lunch. Most children are aware of their own needs and the older children are beginning to show concern for others. Children become aware of wider society as they play with a suitable range of resources which provide positive images of gender, disability and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

culture. The partnership with parents of funded nursery education children is satisfactory. They are provided with basic information about the setting and its policies and procedures, but they are not informed about the content of the education provision. They are able to access their child's achievement records at any time and have discussions with staff frequently about their progress. The regular exchange of information with staff enables parents to share what they know about their child. They are kept involved in their child's learning as they have access to the weekly planning sheets, are welcome to spend time in the rooms or looking at information in the reception area and can spend time talking to their child's keyworker. Social moral spiritual and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The nursery has high regard for the well-being of the children in their care. They have a well qualified staff group, who continue to attend relevant training to enable them to keep their knowledge and skills updated. The space within the nursery is well set out, so that all age groups are provided with an age appropriate child-centred environment. Staff use their time well, ensuring that children are always under supervision and using quiet times for their breaks and to do necessary paperwork, such as child diary sheets. They also make provision so that children can remain at those activities which interest them, whilst other children carry on to do something else in another part of the room. All necessary policies and procedures are in place. These work to promote children’s health, safety, enjoyment and achievements and their positive contribution to the setting. They are made available to all staff and

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Organisation

parents. Routine documentation, such as attendance registers or accident records, are accurate and well maintained and all required parental consents are gained. The provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. The leadership and management of the funded nursery provision is satisfactory. Regular staff meetings and annual appraisals contribute to the settings' awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses. They welcome the advisory teacher's input and have a commitment to improvement demonstrated as they work with her on their nursery education planning, the provision of role play and the outdoor classroom. The registered person works with the funded children and staff plan activities together, but there is not a coherent system to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the nursery education.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that risk assessments are reviewed regularly, especially with regard to any accidents or incidents • ensure that developmental records used are relevant to the ages of the children • ensure that incidents are recorded along with accidents.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that planning includes learning intentions, differentiation for more or less able children and an evaluation of the activities • ensure that parents are given information about the foundation stage curriculum • ensure that a system is in place to effectively monitor and evaluate the provision of the nursery education. • ensure that all staff working with funded children have knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum • ensure that frequent observations are completed so that staff are fully aware of children's current achievements.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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