Highbury Nursery & Day Care

Highbury Primary Nursery and Daycare

Inspection report for early years provision

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Highbury Primary Nursery and Daycare

Unique Reference Number EY315368 Inspection date 17 March 2006 Inspector Amanda Shedden

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Highbury Primary Nursery and Daycare

Setting Address Highbury Primary School, Dovercourt Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO6 2RZ

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E-mail

Registered person The Governing Body of Highbury Primary School Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care, Out of School 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Highbury Primary Nursery and Daycare are managed by the governing body of Highbury Primary school. The provision includes a breakfast club, a nursery and an after school and holiday club. The nursery, breakfast and holiday clubs are based in classrooms within the school. The after school club use the community room within the school campus. All of the groups have use of other school facilities.

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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 The breakfast club is open from 07:30 until 09:00 Monday to Friday during the school term. The nursery runs sessions from 09:00 to 11:45, 11:45 to 12:45 and 12:45 to 15:30. Children may attend on a full or part time basis during the school term. The after school club is open from 15:30 to 18:00. The holiday club is open between 08:00 to 18:00 during the school holidays. The nursery and breakfast club accept children from two to eight years of age. It is the policy of the after school club to accept only children who are attending school. The holiday club accepts children from two to eight years of age. Twelve staff, eleven of whom have qualifications in childcare are employed by the school to work with the 123 children on roll. Children may attend on a full or part time

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

basis to the breakfast club and nursery. At present there are 78 children on roll in the nursery, 40 of these are funded three and four year olds. The group provides support for children with special needs and children for whom English is a second language. Support is available from the Local Authority, the Early Years Manager and the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (Senco) teacher at the school.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children learn about the importance of personal hygiene and are developing good self care skills through discussion and clear routines, for example all children wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating and after messy play. Children gain an understanding through conversations with the staff, they know they are "getting rid of germs". All required documentation is in place to protect children and parents give written consent for staff to give medication and seek emergency medical treatment. Children are protected and enjoy a healthy environment as appropriate procedures are in place which help prevent the possible spread of infection. Children are offered a good range of healthy snacks and drinks which contribute to their good health. Children enjoy choosing from a range of fresh fruit, vegetables and crackers offered daily. The children in the after school club are offered a particularly

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Helping children to be healthy

exciting and varied range of foods and drinks. Children can access drinking water throughout the sessions, and knowledge about what their bodies need to stay healthy is emphasised through planned and incidental activities. Care is taken to ensure that children do not access foods they may have allergies to.

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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 Children have access to resources for physical play. In addition activities are planned for children to develop and practise their physical skills. Children explore, test and develop control through the varied activities from obstacle courses to yoga sessions. Children are growing in competence and staff interact and support them whilst developing new skills from using scissors, to becoming competent in using a computer mouse. Staff know the children well and have a clear understanding of which physical skills need developing for each individual child.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The clean and well maintained nursery and after school club provide a welcoming environment for the children. Children's work is displayed in all areas giving the children a sense of belonging. Children of all ages freely select from a range of safe and appropriate resources suitable for their abilities developing their independence. Regular risk assessments are undertaken to ensure children's safety. However the organisation of the children after lunch is limiting and can lead to too many children being in a particular area. All required documentation is in place and understood by the staff ensuring that the children's welfare is safe guarded and promoted. Staff have a clear understanding of the procedure to be followed if they had a concern over a child. The procedure is shared with parents to ensure they understand the nursery policy regarding child protection and the safety of children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The environment is child friendly and welcoming, children feel relaxed and comfortable, most are happy to leave their parents and extra support is given to children that require it until they feel secure. Children settle well into the session and they quickly become familiar with the daily routine. Staff get to know each child very well, they help young children plan what they would like to do using a pictorial time line. There is very good interaction between the staff and young children, staff extend their vocabulary and encourage children to try new skills, for instance undertaking yoga. Staff move around the room as necessary, supporting and assisting children wherever needed for instance whilst helping them choose resources from the shelves. Children's independence skills are encouraged at all times. Children play well individually and with their peers, for example young children at

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

times have great fun, they are engaged and concentrate whilst they experiment with the sand and water. The children mix the two together and are allowed to select resources such as paint brushes, place them in the mixture to see what would happen. A child who was distressed at being left joined in the activity and calmed down. Staff allowed the activity to continue until the children lost interest.

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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 attending the after school club help to plan their activities and can choose from a range of suitable resources and activities. They play well together and state that they enjoy coming to the club. They go out each day to the adjacent playground and play football, skipping or use the outdoor obstacle course. Children were keen to try out the new skill of weaving and they enjoyed the challenge of making domino runs. Nursery education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children thrive in the calm and stimulating atmosphere and they have a positive attitude to learning. Children are motivated and are confident to ask questions. The children play well together and have positive relationships with each other and the staff. They are confident to talk in large group situations and to converse with

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

each other whilst playing. They show good concentration during circle times recalling events and when they made constructions using the bricks. Children are learning about linking sounds to letters and rhyming through the planned and incidental opportunities staff create. At times children are encouraged to make their mark but this is not consistent throughout the sessions. Children gain confidence in using numbers for counting and are increasing their knowledge of mathematical language to describe shape and numbers through planned and routine activities for instance at circle time. However they are not gaining a sufficient understanding of addition and subtraction. Children become skilled at design and construction whilst using many types of resources. They explore different colours, materials and textures from bricks to modelling materials as they create different models such as boats and cars. Children's imagination is promoted as they engage in a variety of role play situations.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

they enjoy singing songs from memory and confidently match actions to song. Children are confident to change the words of songs and are encouraged to share their "invention" with all the children. Children access a range of musical instruments from around the world whilst using the school's music suite. They are competent in expressing and communicating their ideas. Staff are enthusiastic and provide a stimulating environment for the children. They have a very clear understanding of the foundation stage and how children learn. Children are offered a broad range of good quality resources and stimulating activities to enhance their learning. Observations are made on the children, effective evaluations are made on the activities and these are used to enhance the planning to ensure that each child is building upon their own skills and abilities. Staff know the children well and ask open ended questions helping children extend their learning.

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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 Children are valued and respected as individuals, their needs are met due to the staff's understanding of their needs. Appropriate challenges are set for all children according to their individual stage. All children throughout the nursery have access to a wide range of resources and activities that reflect diversity. Staff have a clear understanding of the nursery policy regarding children with special needs and for whom English is a second language. Children benefit greatly from the effective partnership between parents, staff and other agencies. Clear strategies and procedures are implemented well to ensure that their needs are being met. Children's behaviour is very good, and their understanding of right and wrong is increased by the positive approach of the staff. Children are praised frequently and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

they are encouraged to earn badges for their behaviour which is celebrated by the whole group. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral social and cultural development. Partnership with parents is good. Staff establish good relationships with parents; they share information about the children's progress through daily discussions, daily diaries and formally at parent evenings. Parents are involved in their child's day, because they are provided with comprehensive information about the settings operation including it's policies and procedures.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's care is enhanced by the effective organisation of the leadership of the nursery. Children feel at ease with the environment and staff enabling them to feel confident, which is conducive to their play and learning. There is usually good deployment of staff and resources, but at times when undertaking large group activities children are left with little to do or are uncertain as to what is going to happen next. The stable staff team are suitably qualified and experienced to work with children, and they continually update their knowledge and skills. New staff are vetted and inducted effectively, and work to a comprehensive set of policies and procedures to ensure children's welfare and education. All required documentation is in place however the complaints procedure is not clear to parents. All documents are stored in a secure yet accessible manner. The setting meets the needs of the range of children

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Organisation

for whom it provides. The leadership and management for nursery education is good. Management provides appropriate support to staff through formal and informal discussions. Staff appraisals help identify any training needs. Management ensures that staff are given time meet regularly to share ideas and plan the children's activities and evaluate. The manager carries out ongoing evaluations and action plans are in place to improve the nursery.

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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

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Complaints since the last inspection

There are no complaints to report. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain other than those made to Ofsted.

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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 good.

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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 when undertaking large group activities children are fully engaged • improve the environment for children after lunch • ensure that parents are aware of the complaints procedure including contact numbers.

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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): • further develop opportunities for children to develop their mark making skills • ensure that children have opportunities to gain an understanding of calculating in every day situations

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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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