Hackenthorpe Hall Nursery

Hackenthorpe Hall Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Hackenthorpe Hall Nursery

Unique Reference Number 300887 Inspection date 19 May 2006 Inspector Geneen Yvonne Hulse

p.1

Hackenthorpe Hall Nursery

Setting Address Hackenthorpe Hall, 28a Main Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S12 4LB Telephone number 0114 2483737

p.1

E-mail

Registered person Hackenthorpe Hall Ltd Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

p.1

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

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Hackenthorpe Hall Nursery has been open since 1999 and is based in a 17th century Manor House in the Hackenthorpe area of Sheffield. The nursery offers child care to the local community and wider area, providing full day care all year round. Children attend for a variety of sessions per week between 08.00 and 18:00. The setting has four playrooms, with office, staff room, toilets, kitchen and storage space. There is a secure grassed and hard standing outdoor play area available for

p.2

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 the children. The nursery cares for a maximum of 38 children aged from three months to eight years; there are currently 67 children on roll, of whom 30 receive funded nursery education. The group supports children with special educational needs. The nursery has 11 staff working on a full and part-time basis, who all hold recognised early years qualifications, plus two ancillary workers. The local authority community teacher visits the provision each term, and as needed for support.

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children take part in and enjoy a broad range of activities that contributes to keeping them healthy. They effectively use indoor and outdoor activities on a daily basis to develop their physical skills, enjoying riding bikes, climbing and playing ball games. Good use of the premises allows the children free play space indoors and out. Children excitedly explore the outdoors and are well dressed for the weather, with older children recognising the need to wrap up to keep warm. Staff are continuing to assess how they can develop additional opportunities for children to extend their physical skills and extend their awareness of their local environment. Children manipulate tools well, such as scissors, pencils, glue spreaders and cutlery, to successfully promote their fine motor development. Staff offer the children many opportunities to talk about being healthy through the use of projects, displays and planned topics. Children are developing an understanding of

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

a healthy diet, as staff talk to them about healthy eating, as part of the daily routine. They use activities and themes to help children explore what foods are good for them and demonstrate an extensive knowledge children’s individual dietary needs and plan accordingly. Children understand their bodies and know when they want a drink or snack, making choices about what they want to eat and help themselves to water when they are thirsty. They enjoy social meal and snack time where they can sit together and chat. Care plans ensure that young babies’ home routines are effectively followed. Children are cared for in a warm, clean environment, where effective methods ensure they develop good personal hygiene practices, such as hand washing before meals, after messy play and after outdoor play. They understand the importance of good practice and demonstrate it in their play and activities. For example, talking about

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The children are cared for in a safe and secure environment where risks are minimised. They confidently move around both indoors and out to develop their

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 independence and learn to keep themselves safe. Children understand to take care when climbing and not to throw things as they may hurt others. Staff talk to the children about keeping safe as part of regular discussions, using topics, themes and visitors, such as the fire service to consolidate their understanding. Staff effectively ensure that the premises are kept safe and secure. Children independently make choices of activities from a broad range of easily accessible resources and request anything they cannot see. Well planned areas allow them space to be quiet, use their creativity, extend their imagination and develop their play. Children benefit from daily access to an interesting outdoor play area, where they can explore and experiment, such as happily splashing in puddles

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

with their wellies on. Effective procedures are in place to support good practice and almost all staff hold current first aid certificates. The staff team are experienced and demonstrate a good knowledge of child protection procedures and how to keep children safe. They understand their role in protecting children and use this information effectively to promote the children’s well-being.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at nursery. They make good progress in all areas of development, as staff enthusiastically provide activities and experiences that keep children interested and motivated. Staff effectively use the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage to provide good quality care and education. The children are well settled, happy and secure, as they enthusiastically undertake a wide range of activities. They are confident and interested in their surroundings, establishing good relationships with staff and children alike. Children actively make choices about their play, selecting activities and resources from the broad and interesting range available. They are developing their independent skills and successfully starting to plan their own time, making decisions about what to do. Older children confidently put on their wellies to play outdoors. Staff consistently respond to the children's individual needs and adapt activities to

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

follow their ideas and suggestions. Children are encouraged and supported to extend and try out new skills, such as using scissors and mastering the computer. They receive high levels of support from staff who use observations and their good knowledge of the children to build on what they can do to extend activities at the child's own pace. Staff are developing their understanding of the Birth to three matters framework and have started to use it for planning and observations. Young babies are cared for in a warm, secure and sensory environment where their individual needs are catered for effectively. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff's good knowledge of the Foundation Stage ensures that children progress well in all areas of development.

p.4

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 are interested and motivated to learn through well planned and spontaneous activities and experiences, which challenge and extend them. They use their imagination very well during role play activities, making up simple stories when building the marble run and making dinner and drinks in the home corner. Children are developing good concentration skills and have free access to tools and materials to construct models. They build and design, extending their imagination and their natural creativity using a broad variety of craft materials and resources. Children are confident speakers and listen intently to each other. They share experiences, talk about home and recall birthday parties with enthusiasm. Staff listen with interest to what the children say, offering support and suggestions to enhance their

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

experiences. The children are very confident and engage well with each other and visitors; sharing their achievements and negotiating roles in games. They play well together and alone to enthusiastically progress their ideas. Behaviour is very good and reflects the staff's high expectations. Children take turns and share, learning how to manage their own behaviour and respect for others. They enjoy learning about the environment through topics and planned activities, such as talking about how plants grow and changes to snails and worms. Children confidently have fun in the nursery garden to search out bugs, explore how things grow and get to know their surroundings. Children excitedly explain how tadpoles become frogs watching them swim with interest. Visitors to the nursery introduce children to the wider world and local community. Children extend their understanding of number and problem solving through daily

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

activities, counting and sorting as part of daily routines, singing and ring games. They count the number of children present, talk about the date at circle time and can correctly tell their age. Children explore mathematical language when building towers, counting the number of bricks needed and making tall and small models. Staff are continuing to develop observation systems, which monitor children's progress and use information from parents to complete the picture. These observations form an effective aid to planning and to progressing the children's learning. Children enjoy a good balance of focused and freely chosen activities, as planning is flexible enough to respond to children's individual ideas and interests. However, they do not always undertake additional opportunities to further extend their independence, such as at meal and snack times. Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of the early learning goals and use this to plan a broad based curriculum

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

to include all areas of learning. They effectively use open ended questions to extend children's language, develop their thinking and value what they say, using positive responses. Attractive and well presented displays of the children’s work successfully contributes to promoting their self-esteem.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children build strong and respectful relationships with staff and each other. They show good self- esteem, confidently ask questions and actively make choices.

p.5

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 Children are warmly welcomed by staff who are sensitive and value their individuality. They receive praise and encouragement for achievement and attempts, such as when building models and painting pictures. Well planned meaningful activities and resources help children become aware of similarities and differences, which in turn increases their understanding of the wider world. Visitors to the nursery help the children broaden their knowledge of the local community. Books, toys and pictures show positive images and are used successfully to help the children develop their understanding. Children with special educational needs are welcomed into the provision and staff work well with other agencies to ensure the children are cared for according to their needs. Children's behaviour is good and reflects the staff's high expectations. Children

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

understand clear and consistent boundaries, demonstrating care and respect for each other. They share, negotiate and take turns when playing games and using equipment, for example, when waiting for their turn on the computer. They are sensitively reminded to be kind to each other and staff explain the implications of their actions in language appropriate to their ages and abilities. Children follow good role models in staff showing care and consideration for others. Partnership with parents and carers is good. Staff ensure parents are well informed about what the children are doing and use topics to help parents build on nursery activities at home. Parents and staff work well together to meet the children's needs. They receive good quality information about the setting and in turn share their knowledge of the children. However, parents are not routinely informed as to how children progress using the stepping stones to reach the early learning goals.

p.6

Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents confidently approach staff and demonstrate a high level of satisfaction with the setting. The children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

p.6

Organisation

The organisation is good. Effective organisation and good quality leadership and management of the educational provision ensures that children's care and learning are well supported. Knowledgeable staff demonstrate a consistent understanding of their roles and responsibilities and ensure that all children's individual needs are successfully met. A newly constituted and experienced staff team work well together following effective procedures that monitor and evaluate the nursery provision. The management team support committed staff and ensure they are involved in reviewing practice and adopting new procedures. The nursery staff are committed to training and development to consolidate their practices and further enhance the provision. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures are in place to support good practice and offer an effective service. These continue to be reviewed and updated to meet changes to legislation and

p.6

Organisation

working practices. The staff team use numerous opportunities to meet together, share information and continue to develop working practices. They are developing new observation and assessment systems to monitor children's progress and identify

p.6

Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 gaps in the provision. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the children who attend.

p.6

Improvements since the last inspection

Previous recommendation from the Children Act inspection concerning documentation and record keeping have been addressed and effectively contribute to ensuring children are kept safe. The recommendation regarding more flexible planning to meet the needs of older children has been addressed and continues to be developed to ensure children are consistently challenged. Previous recommendation from the Nursery Education inspection regarding opportunities for children to develop their independence has been suitably addressed. The recommendation regarding opportunities to practice and progress their ability to use words and numbers has been effectively addressed. Staff continue to develop areas within the setting for children to practice mark making and offer additional opportunities for them to further develop their independence. This contributes effectively to their all round learning and achievement.

p.7

Complaints since the last inspection

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.

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.7

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.

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.7

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): • continue to extend opportunities for children to develop physical skills and an awareness of the local environment (also applies to nursery education)

p.7

The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • continue to update and review policies and procedures

p.7

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): • consider how children can be offered additional opportunities to extend their independence (also applies to care) • consider how to further develop parents understanding of how children learn using stepping stones

p.8

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

p.8

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

p.8