First Class NurseryOfsted inspection, 30 Mar 2006

First Class Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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First Class Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY312979 Inspection date 30 March 2006 Inspector Denise Sixsmith

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First Class Nursery

Setting Address St Thomas C Of E Primary School, Kenyons Lane, Lydiate, Liverpool, Merseyside, L31 0BP

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E-mail

Registered person Maryvale Nursery Ltd Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional 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?

First Class Nursery is operated by the Maryvale Nursery Ltd organisation. It has been registered since 2005. The nursery operates from a self contained room attached to St Thomas Primary school in Lydiate, Merseyside. A maximum of 12 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 34 children aged 2- to 5-years-old on roll, of which 26 receive nursery education funding. The nursery operates from 09.00 until 11.30 and 12.45 until 15.15 Monday to Friday,

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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 all year round. The organisation employs three staff. All of the staff, including the manager, hold appropriate early years childcare qualifications. The nursery receives support from the Early Years Development and Partnership.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health is successfully promoted as staff follow good hygiene practices to prevent cross infection and contamination. Children independently access the toilets and hand wash basins, where clear posters assist them to learn to take care of their personal needs. They readily access tissues, blow their noses and then dispose of the tissues in the lidded bins. Children's medical needs are effectively met as staff are vigilant in obtaining and recording medical information in line with policies and procedures. Children develop and test their physical skills daily as they take part in a range of stimulating activities both in and out of the setting. Indoors, children move with enthusiasm to music and movement tapes learning to find a space, start, stop, stretch up high and make themselves small. Staff help children successfully to learn how their bodies respond to exercise because they talk to them about how their

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Helping children to be healthy

hearts beat faster and they become hot when they are active. They remind them to have a rest so that they cool down after exercise before moving on to other activities. Children develop their small motor skills competently while they draw, paint, cut out, use tools and thread bobbins as a regular part of their play. Children increase their knowledge of healthy eating because staff provide a good variety of fruit and a mixture of healthy items at snack time. Children help themselves to water or milk and are encouraged to try other types of food through the celebration of different festivals, such as Chinese New Year.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The setting is very well maintained, bright and decorated in a child friendly way. The security of the premises is good, with the door being locked and entrance being gained via a staff member. Children are kept safe through staff's good monitoring of their whereabouts. Safe collection procedures ensure children leave with a known adult. A full risk assessment is available and induction systems ensure new staff are aware of the procedures required to protect children and keep them safe. The nursery occupies one room and space is limited, however, due to good organisation children independently select from a range of safe toys and equipment that are set out invitingly around the room. Toys and equipment, which are regularly checked for safety, meet the needs of the children who attend. Children are aware of

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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 safety rules and bring damaged toys to staff who assist them to dispose of them safely in the bin. Fire drills occur regularly so children are aware of evacuation procedures. Planned visits from fire fighters and police officers raise children's awareness of safety and stranger danger. Staff follow through the safety messages by thoughtfully introducing visitors and giving children permission to talk to them. Children are protected because staff understand their child protection role and are aware of the signs and symptoms of child abuse. The key staff have a sound understanding of the child protection procedure and are clear of the action to take should a child protection issue arise.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children make good progress in all areas of their development. Independent access to a wide range of equipment and defined play areas means children are purposefully occupied and self-sufficient in selecting resources. Staff make best use of children's independent activities to extend their learning. Adults are particularly skilled at involving children in the activities and asking questions which challenge children or develop their ideas. Staff have completed training in the Birth to three matters initiative and they use it to plan activities for the younger children. Pre-school children follow the stepping stones to help them to make progress towards the early learning goals. Children relate well to each other and enjoy a good relationship with staff. They enter the nursery happily and confidently and settle for carpet time. Children play together imaginatively with small world equipment, such as small world figures and the dolls'

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

house. They integrate their fire fighter role play with the rescuing of dolls from the roof of the dolls' house. Children move between the role play area, dressing up area, sand and science area, using their imagination and developing an understanding of the world. The theme of the role play area regularly changes which maintains children's interest. Staff provide and deliver an interesting programme of themed, planned activities that cover various aspects of children's learning. This enables children to make links in their learning. These planned activities stretch children's imaginations and capture their interests. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a growing knowledge of the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage. Plans show what children are to learn, how staff are to be deployed and what resources are needed. Assessment and recording systems are less well developed and consequently their use in assisting

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

staff in planning what children need to learn next is limited. Children enjoy the activities on offer and have good levels of concentration. They are happy and settled due to the calm, positive interaction of the staff.

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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 show care and concern for others, living things and their environment. They are good listeners, confident speakers and listen attentively to group stories, joining in appropriately. They have a good sense of time, assisted throughout the session by the effective use of activity sequence cards and they talk with interest about past experiences. Children readily sit with friends at snack time and converse with each other. They seek out friends to look at the glitter patterns they have produced and the birthday cake they have constructed in the sand. Children see print used for a variety of purposes. For example, there are posters, labelled displays, printed instructions and resource books, which assist children to focus on the themes as well as promoting positive interactions with each other.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children readily recognise their name cards at registration time. Children's writing skills are developing well, they spontaneously make their own notes in the role play area and write birthday messages on a card in the craft area. Many children can count up to 10 and some count beyond, for example, when they count 11 children at registration. They use early addition and subtraction during daily routine activities, such as working out how many chairs they need at snack time as well as through mathematical games. Children see numerals as labels in the environment, for example, on charts and displays. They frequently refer to numbers during spontaneous play activities. Children explore the environment and frequently construct using a range of toys and materials. Links with people in the community and visits from the mounted police and the fire fighters successfully teach children about the local community and people

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

who help them. Children’s attention is successfully drawn to the use and importance of technology in our everyday lives. They are developing good mouse skills when using the computer. Children have opportunities to use their imagination in art and design. Good access to resources enables them to freely choose to create. Children enjoy opportunities to move imaginatively with music. They are familiar with different resources, such as paint, crayons, glue and glitter sticky paper and use them for their own purposes. Staff successfully ensure that children have sufficient time and freedom to explore their own ideas and are given appropriate support when they require help. Overall, children are making good progress towards the early learning goals.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children have a good sense of belonging. They cheerfully greet each other and are warmly welcomed by staff who value and respect each family who attend. Staff communicate regularly with parents and outside agencies to ensure they are aware of children's individual needs. Children are well supported and included, which helps to promote their all-round development. There are policies and procedures in place for equal opportunities and special needs and staff have due regard for the Code of Practice. Children gain awareness of their local environment and the diversity of the wider

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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 world through a good selection of resources that promote positive images of others. Children enjoy planned activities based on a variety of festivals and celebrations to further their developing knowledge and understanding. The nursery is colourful and interesting to children and they feel a sense of belonging in the setting because their art work is displayed and there are photographs of children enjoying their play and activities. Children are very well behaved, polite, take turns and show concern for others. They learn to manage their behaviour very well, because staff use positive strategies and act as good role models, thus encouraging children through the use of praise and discussion. Children are assisted to develop their understanding of right and wrong through the good use of photographic displays of children being kind and helpful.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents are warmly welcomed and chat to staff readily when they collect their children, which contributes appropriately to the well-being of the children. An informative welcome booklet and regular newsletters provide parents with information about the provision. Parents are able to contribute ideas through the use of a suggestions box and evidence of staff's responses to these are in place, enhancing the care of the children. A system of recording any complaints made by parents is in place, however, the policy document has not been updated to reflect current requirements. Partnership with parents and carers of educational funded children is satisfactory. Parents informally gather information about the learning programme through discussion with staff. However, they are given limited written information about the Foundation Stage and how their children make progress though the six areas of learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The nursery building is well presented and maintained to a good standard. The space is sufficient and used to the best advantage to promote children's independence and their free flow of movement between activities. There is a good balance of active and quiet planned activities. There is a rigorous recruitment and selection system in place to ensure quality staff are employed and retained to the benefit of the children. The staff work well together as a team and support each other in their roles. Training is promoted for all staff to increase their knowledge, skills and to improve their practice, and therefore the care of the children. The staff are able to monitor their own performance through the appraisals system, self evaluation forms and regular staff meetings in order to improve the care and education provided for children. Leadership and management is good. There is a commitment to providing a quality

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Organisation

service for the children and their families. The registered person takes a hands on approach and is very supportive to staff to enhance and develop the service provided. The management team have a clear awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the setting and can verbalise these. There is a positive attitude towards improving and developing the nursery environment and the education programme. Effective record keeping systems are in place, which keep information

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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 about children and their families confidential. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There are no complaints to record. 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.

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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): • update the complaints policy to ensure that it reflects requirements implemented in October 2005.

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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): • develop the system for assessing and recording children's starting points and progression, and ensure that it informs planning • develop effective procedures to keep parents well informed about the Foundation Stage, the early learning goals and their children's progress.

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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 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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