Ashby Mill Primary School

York Rise Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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York Rise Nursery

Unique Reference Number 100606 Inspection date 25 April 2006 Inspector Chris Banks

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York Rise Nursery

Setting Address ST. Mary Brookfield Hall, London, NW5 1SB

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E-mail

Registered person Rebecca Coles 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

York Rise is a private nursery registered in 1991 and is based in a community hall in the NW5 area of Camden. It is open for 49 weeks of the year on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday between 09:00 and 16:00. On Thursday the setting operates from 09:00 - 13:00. Children can attend a variety of sessions and a few stay all day.

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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 There are currently 37 children aged between 2 and 5 years on roll, 14 of whom receive nursery education funding. Children have access to a hall and small secure outdoor play area. There are six staff working with the children. All hold recognised qualifications in early years childcare. The Nursery receives support from an advisory teacher from the Local Authority .

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in clean and welcoming surroundings. They are well protected from the risk of infection because staff have clear written procedures in place and carry out effective hygiene practices. Children are encouraged to learn about the importance of hand washing and other aspects of personal care from an early age and are very familiar with daily routines. Children enjoy nutritious snacks and drinks because staff positively promote healthy eating. They suggest healthy options for pack lunches and actively discourage food sharing if children with allergies are attending. Snacks are hygienically prepared and some staff are trained in Food Hygiene Practice. Children's individual health needs are catered for in a sensitive and professional way and staff are suitably trained in administering specialist medication. Most staff are qualified in First Aid which means they are well prepared in the event of any accident

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Helping children to be healthy

or emergency. Physical play and outdoor exercise form part of the daily routine. A combination of well organised indoor space and suitable equipment helps children gain confidence in their ability to balance, climb and stretch. Children also enjoy regular visits to nearby green open spaces.

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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 safe and secure environment. They are able to explore their surroundings in comfort and safety because staff take good practical safety precautions to protect them. Their arrival and departure is closely monitored and the good practice of asking parents to sign children in and out further protects their safety. Good routine safety procedures such as regular fire drills helps protect children and daily checks of indoors and outdoors minimises risks. Children are well supervised. Outings are planned with care and children are

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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 encouraged to learn about road safety from an early age. Children wear badges with an emergency telephone number in the unlikely event they become separated from the group. Children enjoy playing with a range of safe, clean and well maintained toys and equipment appropriate to their age and stage of development. Well organised space helps ensure they are able to freely help themselves from mobile work trays and low level storage. The overall safety of children is positively protected because staff are knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities in Child Protection. They are familiar with the process for monitoring, recording and reporting concerns but are less well informed about the role of Ofsted and the steps to take if an allegation is made against a member of staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children look forward to coming to the nursery because staff greet them warmly and make them feel very welcome. The hall is well prepared in advance of children's arrival and this enables them to settle quickly into activities. They participate in the daily welcome meeting with staff and enjoy circle time when they have a snack. New two-year-olds benefit from eating their snack separately with their key worker as they gradually become accustomed to daily routines. Staff are beginning to integrate the Birth to Three Matters Framework into their planning and this benefits younger children as their all round development becomes better supported. All children benefit from the effective key worker system which enables them to participate in small group activities with their key workers as well as engaging in spontaneous free play. Staff know their children very well and generally plan

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

interesting and stimulating activities. Themes and topics are well thought out by staff and children enjoy exploring their local area as part of a community project. Children have developed some firm friendships with each other and relate together well. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children engage in mostly interesting and worthwhile activities and are making some good progress towards reaching Early Learning Goals before they go to school. Children benefit from the good understanding that staff have of how to develop the curriculum to support children's learning. Staff effectively develop plans which show clearly what children should achieve. Their progress is very well monitored and documented in high quality portfolios that also contain detailed observations. Children are confident in the setting and understand when they need to concentrate and listen. Open ended questioning by staff during small group activities encourages

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

their language and communication skills. Children have a growing confidence to express themselves in a group, for example during the welcoming routine where they

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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 enjoy sharing home experiences with each other. The firm friendships being formed are because children are learning well how to negotiate, share and take turns. Children's independence is being fostered as they learn to take an active part in serving snacks and pouring drinks. Every day routines successfully incorporate a range of learning opportunities for children. As children enjoy singing rhymes and songs, staff extend their learning by asking them to think about size, colour, shapes and quantities. Children enjoy reading as an activity with staff in small groups but only occasionally use the book area independently. Stories and some activities for older more able children are not always sufficiently challenging which means at times they become somewhat distracted. Children's knowledge and understanding of the world around them is being well

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

developed and supported by staff. Topics are well planned in advance and children of all ages are enjoying the current project which involves exploring their relationship with facilities and business in their local community. On their return to the setting, their learning is successfully extended through a range of creative and imaginative activities. Role-play is particularly well encouraged and resourced. Children are learning about technology by using a computer with educational software and some are becoming very adept at controlling their fine motor skills.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are valued and respected because staff have a good understanding of their individual needs and respond to them well. They benefit from the warm and caring approach of the staff who have developed good relationships with children and parents alike. Children are well behaved and enjoy each other's company. This is because staff guide behaviour in a way that is consistent but also sensitive to individual children's circumstances. Children are encouraged to be kind and considerate toward one another and receive praise and encouragement from staff. Partnership with parents is good. They receive a warm welcome from staff and receive good quality written information about the service. This includes settling in arrangements for children which are sensitively handled to help make the process of separation less painful. Parents are actively encouraged to be involved in their child's learning. They are

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Helping children make a positive contribution

given clear information about how the curriculum is planned and subsequently kept very well informed about their child's progress. High quality portfolios track children's progress from when they join the nursery and contain photographs, examples of children's work and detailed observations. A satisfactory range of anti discriminatory toys helps children acknowledge difference and learn more about the world around them. Children also celebrate some other

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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 cultural festivals which helps them understand more about the traditions and values of others. These include Orthodox Christian and Jewish festivals. The setting fosters children's spiritual, moral. social and cultural development.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are cared for in a welcoming and comfortable environment. There is sufficient space for the number of children the setting is registered to care for and it is organised with the needs of young children in mind. Leadership and management of the setting is good. Staff are knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities because they receive clear guidance and work co-operatively to ensure the smooth running of each session. Overall, policies and procedures are well developed and effectively put into practice by staff. Children benefit from being cared for by the experienced and well qualified staff team whose performance is monitored on a regular basis. A commitment to staff development involves regular training opportunities and meetings where key workers share ideas for planning children's next steps. Staff have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage and how to apply this in practice to support children's

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Organisation

development. Plans have meaning for children and overall they make some good progress in reaching their early learning goals. There is a clear vision for the future with plans already in place to further develop and improve practice for the under three's by fully implementing the Birth to Three Matters framework. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides care.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Following the last inspection it was recommended routines be reviewed. New younger children are now grouped separately for some routine activities such as snack time. This enables them to take their time whilst eating, become more familiar with their key worker and gradually become accustomed to routine. It was also recommended to review the terminology used on registration forms when seeking information about children's dietary requirements. The provider and parents are satisfied that the current wording is sufficiently sensitive and should remain.

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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

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Complaints since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 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 written Child Protection procedures include the role of Ofsted and steps to take if allegations are made against a member of staff

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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 the curriculum provides challenging opportunities for older and more able children to develop their literacy skills.

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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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