Granville Plus Nursery School

Carlton Nursery School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Carlton Nursery School

Unique Reference Number EY310088 Inspection date 15 May 2006 Inspector Maggie Thorp

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Carlton Nursery School

Setting Address Granville Road, London, NW6 5RA

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Carlton Nursery School

Telephone number 020 7328 2070 E-mail lesley@carlton-nur.brent.sch.uk Registered person Carlton Nursery School Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Full day care, Sessional care, Out of School care, Crèche

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Carlton Nursery School

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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Carlton Nursery School opened in 1978, as an extended day/extended year maintained nursery school and was registered by Ofsted in 2005 when it began a provision for children under 3 years. This provision actually began operating in February 2006. It is located in Kilburn in the London Borough of Brent and is open Monday to Friday, 48 weeks a year from 08:00 until 18:00. As a maintained school, the Governing Body is the provider which, in turn, is responsible to Brent Education Authority both for the nursery school children and the provision for children under 3 years and the extended day. The London Borough of Brent own the building, which is partly a purpose built extension and partly a refurbished two storey property. There is

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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 a Sure Start Local Programme operating in a separate part of the premises. The school and Sure Start are partners in the developing Phase 1 Children’s Centre for South Kilburn. Carlton Nursery School is multi-purpose, provision. It includes day care for children 0 – 3 years, breakfast and after school places for children attending primary school and nursery school places. These are provided in the same building, under the same head teacher, and all resources and facilities are shared. There are 10 places available for 0 - 2 year olds with locally registered childminders, a drop in baby and toddler group for local families and a separate crèche to support parents using the Sure Start Local Programme. The provision is registered for 85 children aged from 0 - 8 years. Children with

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

disabilities are included. Currently 13 children attend under the registered provision for children 0 – 3 years and for the extended day and 41 children attend the school budget funded places. Some children have English as an additional language. Children under three and extended day children use three interconnected rooms and a bathroom. They share an outdoor play space with the older children. Children under three also visit the classrooms for the three to five year olds. Those using the crèche have a separate first floor playroom and bathroom. Adult facilities include nursery staff and parent rooms, offices and kitchen, and a centre café, group rooms and reception area. A qualified head teacher and deputy head teacher manage the provision. The under threes unit is staffed by five full time and three part time staff, and two additional staff work with extended day children. This includes seven qualified and three unqualified

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

staff. The provision receives advice and support from Brent school improvement service and Brent Early Years Service.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are kept healthy through being cared for in a clean environment with good measures in place to prevent the spread of infection. Floors, surfaces, toilets and equipment are all cleaned regularly and to a good standard. Children's good health is further promoted by the clear rules about not accepting children with infections. Children are learning to keep themselves healthy as they are encouraged to cover coughs and to wash their own hands; an activity they really enjoy as they have everything to hand and at the right level in the bathroom. Children's well being is safeguarded by the good proportion of first aid trained staff and careful recording of accidents. However, although medicines are administered carefully, parents are not asked to sign these records in order to be sure of the doses children have been given. Also parents are not asked for their consent for their

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Helping children to be healthy

children to receive medical treatment in case of an emergency.

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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 are generally quite well nourished by the meals provided. Each child's particular needs are known and catered for and care is taken over the preparation of bottle feeds. However, the food supplied for children with dietary restrictions is not always as attractive as other children's meals. Sometimes children find this upsetting. The head teacher is aware of the limitations of the brought in meals and is in the process of employing a cook so children can have fresh food prepared on the premises in the near future. Snacks are very healthy, children enjoy a choice of fresh fruit and milk or water to drink and they eat well at this time. Children have very good opportunities for exercise and to become increasingly mobile and agile as they run, climb and use the good selection of large play

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Helping children to be healthy

apparatus in the garden. Children have access to the garden throughout the day and thoroughly enjoy being outside. Indoors in the baby area the youngest children enjoy crawling in and out of a ball pool. Children are developing lots of new physical skills as they use scissors, crayons, chalks, and paint brushes; a child refining her cutting skills concentrates hard with tongue hanging out as she tries to cut string.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children play, eat and sleep in three, light, spacious interconnected rooms. They free flow between rooms safely because doors to other areas are kept closed. Children have easy access to the bathroom, which is conveniently situated between the baby and toddler areas. Tired children can rest or play quietly in the baby area away from the bustle of the other rooms. Children have easy access to the garden. The crèche room, although not currently being operated by this governing body, is well set out and resourced. All parts of the building are accessible for those with buggies or wheel chairs. Children's independence and comfort is supported well by the furniture and resources which are carefully planned to meet children's needs. Equipment is in very good condition and play materials are easily accessible promoting children's independence. Children enjoy using the large low level paint easels that are just the

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

right height and size for them. The exception to this is the lunch table which is not sturdy enough for active toddlers. Some effective measures are in place to protect children's safety. There is a designated and trained staff member who is responsible for health and safety. Good precautions are taken indoors and outside to prevent children accessing hazards. Medicines and cleaning materials are locked away, sockets are covered, and children do not have access to unchecked areas. Fire safety is good, exits are labelled, and fire fighting equipment is in place. Staff regularly practise evacuating the building, as if in an emergency, with children. Children are kept safe on outings because risk assessments are carried out before they go and a good staff child ratio is maintained. However, there is no policy for what to do if a child gets lost.

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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 The provision is satisfactory. Many children are happy, settled and learning. Children respond well to staff’s interest in them and staff take their lead from the children and help them to follow their interest. Children are learning new skills and exploring and experimenting with paint, clay, dough, sand and water. Toddlers are being creative and imaginative throughout the day using the wide range of open ended materials that are accessible to them. They wash dolls' hair and make parcels of dough with string and spontaneously sing and beat rhythms together with musical instruments. Babies and toddlers are rapidly developing new words and ways of expressing themselves. This is aided by the quality of individual attention and interaction each child receives and the good provision of books and story telling. Children have a

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

special key person who provides some interesting activities based on their good understanding of their key children's stages of development and interests. However, the lack of specific planning for individual needs means ways of supporting children are sometimes missed. Most children are engaged and involved in their play. They are finding out about the world using their whole bodies and all their senses. However, the youngest children sometimes become unsettled and unable to play for long when being handled by a number of different people or when not able to spend uninterrupted time with their key person. Older children staying for the extended day enjoy joining the younger children and they play well together.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Most children receive good individual care because their needs and circumstances are well known to their key workers. A good adult child ratio is maintained throughout the day, however, some children are unsettled by the number of adults that are coming and going in the under threes rooms to cover all the staff shifts and breaks. The effectiveness of the key person system is also weakened by the deployment of staff to cover all areas of the indoor and outdoor areas. Children relate well to each other and their good behaviour is praised to reinforce this. Staff guide children by telling them what they would like them to do rather than frequently saying "no" to children. Children like to help each other, for example, one child fetches a coat for another who wants to go in the garden. However, the organisation of mealtimes does not encourage good behaviour. Children are learning

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Helping children make a positive contribution

to value the different cultures and abilities of others and to discover the fun that can be had with all toys and that certain toys are not just for boys or just for girls. They are good systems in place to support children with disabilities. Children benefit from the partnership between parents and staff. Parents speak of the enthusiasm of staff and their caring attitude to children. Good slow settling procedures are in place to support parents and children new to the setting. Staff devise little routines with parents to help children separate happily. Home visits also help build this good partnership. In addition, each child has a profile book with photos

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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 and observations of what children have been doing and of family members and events. These go between home and nursery, and parents and children really enjoy looking at and contributing to them. However, not all the appropriate consents are obtained from parents before children start. The parent handbook written for the parents of the three to five year olds is available but the section on things specific to the children under three years old has yet to be completed.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children’s welfare and individual needs are generally met well by the nursery. Thorough staff recruitment and checking systems ensure suitable, well qualified staff care for both the children under three and for those who stay for the extended day. Children enjoy the security provided by most of the setting's policies and procedures and staff have a clear understanding of these. However, there are some exceptions to this. The system for ensuring management are aware of new regulations is not effective and the lost child and the complaints policies do not fully protect children. The times children are present are not recorded, and there are omissions in some of the written information obtained from and given to parents. The governing body are not operating the crèche currently but this is part of their registration and they do not have a robust system in place for ensuring it will be run in line with the National

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Organisation

Standards. Children enjoy the welcoming, child friendly environment created by the committed staff team. However, the large number of staff working with the children sometimes reduces the youngest children's sense of well being. Children's independence is encouraged very effectively by the well organised and resourced physical environment. The quality of children's care is further enhanced by the time the head teacher sets aside for staff to meet and discuss their work and for record keeping. Good systems for planning and evaluating what is offered have been devised but they have yet to be implemented to ensure that what is offered is finely tuned to individual children's interests. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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 made to Ofsted.

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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 On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve safety for children by recording the times children are present and developing a policy to follow if a child is lost • put in place the planning and evaluation system that has been devised to further enhance children's experiences and encourage their all round development • review staff deployment and the key person system to minimise the number of different staff that handle the youngest children in order to help them to feel secure and to provide continuity of care • improve documentation by obtaining parent signatures on medicine administration records, parents' consent for their children to go on outings and to receive medical treatment in an emergency and by providing all parents with information about how to contact Ofsted with any complaint they may have. • improve the accountability of the governing body through putting in place clear

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The quality and standards of the care

line management of the crèche and a system for ensuring management have up to date knowledge of new regulations and National Standards to ensure children's well being

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The quality and standards of the care

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 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

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