Napley Lodge Farm Day Nursery

Napley Lodge Farm Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Napley Lodge Farm Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY310660 Inspection date 29 March 2006 Inspector Juliette Jennings

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Napley Lodge Farm Nursery

Setting Address Napley Lodge Farm, Mucklestone Road, Norton-in-Hales, Market Drayton, Shropshire, TF9 4AL Telephone number 01630 672125

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E-mail

Registered person D.E and S.E Furnival Limited 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 satisfactory. 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?

Napley Lodge Farm Nursery is situated close to the village of Norton-in-Hales, near Market Drayton on the Shropshire/Staffordshire Border. The nursery is based in a converted barn within the grounds of a family run farm and serves the local community. There are 36 children aged from 3 months to under 8 years attending the nursery, of these 8 are funded 3 and 4-year-olds. Children can access a variety of sessions

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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 within the nursery and there are also after school club and holiday club facilities available. There are appropriate procedures in place to support children with specific needs or who speak English as an additional language. The setting is open Monday to Friday from 07:45 until 18:00. There are six members of staff working with the children. Of these, five staff hold suitable early years or education qualifications. The staff access regular training on early years issues and receive support from the Local Education Authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy a good range of healthy snacks and meals, with the benefit of home-cooked meals, using fresh produce, prepared on a daily basis. They have access to drinks within the daily routine and talk about being healthy within activities and theme work. Children develop a sound awareness of hygiene procedures through routine activities such as regular hand-washing and personal independence in toileting. There are health and hygiene procedures in place in the areas used by children, however there is no readily available provision for staff in the baby unit to wash their hands easily, as detailed in the nappy changing procedure. There are appropriate procedures in place for ensuring that children's accidents are recorded and that administration of medication is documented in line with requirements. Children's physical development is promoted well. They have plentiful access to fresh

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Helping children to be healthy

air and outdoor activity, within a countryside environment, which supports their physical development appropriately. Children have good opportunities to climb, slide, balance, move around and use wheeled toys. They are able to develop other skills such as hand and eye co-ordination, through use of resources such as the computer, pencils, play dough, cornflour mixed with water, sand and water play and using construction toys. Babies are able to discover and explore through the availability of discovery toys and activities such as painting and movement to music.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy and benefit from a bright, airy, light space within an open countryside environment. The areas children use are bright, colourful, stimulating and interesting and children are confident, happy and secure in the space. Younger children particularly enjoy sitting on the sunny window seat and observing what is going on. All children have access to a good range of toys, resources and equipment which can be accessed from mostly low-level storage and within a routine which accommodates a good mixture of free play and structured activities. The organisation of the space sometimes limits opportunities for child-initiated play.

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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 Children's safety is important and staff have highlighted safety issues on an ongoing basis to ensure children are safe, for example, the arrangements for ensuring that the kitchen is inaccessible and the safety of the partitions in the foyer area. Two safety issues were highlighted at inspection in relation to some electrical sockets which were not fitted with socket covers and some trailing leads in areas used by children. These safety issues were dealt with quickly and efficiently once highlighted on the first day of the inspection. There are good systems in place for ensuring that children are secure on the premises, for example, a safe entry system, a password system and a record of visitors. Policies and procedures are in place which help to ensure that children's welfare is

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

promoted. Staff access training regularly and this helps to ensure that they are aware of what to do if there is an accident, emergency or a concern about any of the children. There is a thorough child protection procedure available to all staff and a file is being developed so that relevant information is readily available.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. All children benefit from a colourful, stimulating and interesting environment in which they are happy, content and secure. Younger children mix well with the older, more able children and access a range of activities within specific areas, busily occupied with favourite activities that include role play, dough, painting, water play and sand play. They enjoy good relationships with staff and other children and are developing their independence and confidence well. They have very good support and encouragement from staff, who for the most part actively engage in their play and know what is needed to help children progress. The provision in the baby room to encourage babies to become skilful communicators and confident learners is sometimes limited and can be adult-led. Staff have an action plan to implement the 'Birth to three matters' framework and this will enable staff to monitor children's

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

development and use these assessments to inform weekly planning. Nursery education. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Children aged 3 and 4 years use a good range of resources and equipment which enables them to develop and extend their learning well. They are excited and motivated to learn, interested in what is happening around them, intrigued to discover and investigate and are confident to ask questions. They form good relationships with staff and other children, appearing happy, content and secure in their environment and enjoy themselves whilst at the setting. Children are supported well in their play by staff who engage appropriately with them, are good role models and encourage them to develop their play opportunities to help them make good progress towards the early learning goals. Children benefit from the good staff to child ratio and this allows them to interact with staff as they choose

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

within a routine which reflects a sufficient balance of child-initiated play and some more structured activities. Staff are proactive in ensuring that children have access to the resources and equipment that they need in their play time, frequently reminding

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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 them of what is available. The organisation of space sometimes limits the opportunities for children to extend and re-enforce their learning in child-initiated play. The planning and assessment system works efficiently and allows children's progress to be tracked through the stepping stones, showing a clear progression towards the early learning goals. Staff are well aware of where the children are within their individual stages of development and know what to do to help them make progress. Children engage in a wide variety of activities which include using information technology, developing early writing skills and enjoying role play, particularly the dressing-up role play, outdoor games, creative activities, sand play, puzzles, sorting objects and cooking. The partnership with parents of the 3 and 4-year-olds is good. A relaxed, happy and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

helpful ethos ensures that parents are able to discuss issues informally whilst daily verbal feedback and availability of written plans helps to ensure that they know about what their children have been doing whilst attending. In addition, they are encouraged to be involved in their child's learning through being informed of activities and know about their child's achievements through regular discussions and parent meetings. There are informal ways of finding out from parents about what children can do through discussion and then early assessment of what children can do on entry to the nursery.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children's understanding of diversity and the world around them is promoted well through themed activities, access to the farm and it's inhabitants and through provision of resources which promote diversity, for example small world people, posters, puzzles, role play equipment and dressing-up clothes. Their individual needs are suitably accommodated and supported within the daily routine of the setting. Independence is supported and children confidently make decisions about what they want to do, for example, to choose to sit at the computer or to access various resources within free play time. There are appropriate procedures in place for supporting children with special needs, with some staff having previous experience of supporting specific needs and working with other agencies. Children are busy, occupied, keen and interested to learn. They enjoy the good range of activities which are accessed in free play or are provided by staff. Behaviour

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Helping children make a positive contribution

is good, with children developing sound relationships with other children and staff, who use appropriate techniques to foster positive behaviour, such as distraction, discussion and through being positive role models. Unwanted behaviour is dealt with in a sympathetic, consistent and age-appropriate manner. Children are constantly praised and their efforts are acknowledged, for example they receive lots of positive comments from staff and their own work is valued and displayed around the nursery. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. The partnership with parents is good. There are appropriate procedures in place to ensure that children are cared for consistently and in accordance with their parent's wishes. This is enhanced by daily verbal feedback to ensure that parents are

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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 informed about what their children have been doing whilst attending.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The leadership and management in relation to the nursery education is good. The staff team have a clear overview of the setting as a whole and are clear about future developments to improve the provision for the children. Staff have regular access to training and there is an ongoing review of policies. Staff work well together as a team, with everyone aware of their basic roles and responsibilities. They are caring and attentive with the children and obviously enjoy being with them. There are appropriate procedures in place for ensuring that children are cared for by staff who are appropriately qualified and experienced and have gone through the process for checking that they are suitable to work with children. Documentation is in order and in line with requirements. A brief statement that was missing from the child protection policy was included before the end of the inspection

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Organisation

and a timescale in the event of a child being lost was included in the procedure. Paperwork is stored securely in a locked cupboard, although this will be better enabled once a designated office has been provided. Children are cared for in line with parent's wishes, with appropriate consents and detailed information obtained from them prior to the children starting at the setting. Policies and procedures are in place and are reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that they continue to work in practice. Overall, the setting meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Not applicable as this is the first inspection.

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Complaints 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. 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 satisfactory. 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 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): • enable staff to follow the nappy changing procedure correctly by providing appropriate means of hand cleaning within the baby area and ensure that staff are aware of the procedures for cleaning toys/resources to help prevent the risk of cross contamination • make sure that daily safety checks are rigorous to ensure children's safety, particularly in relation to trailing leads and uncovered electrical sockets • develop the provision for the babies, in order to encourage staff to effectively and positively interact with babies, know how to acknowledge and deal with their moods and to provide a stimulating and exciting space in order to help them to become competent learners and skilful communicators

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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): • continue to improve the space and organisation of resources to allow children greater choice and flexibility and to encourage them to extend and develop their learning further still.

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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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