Bright Horizons Putney Day Nursery and Preschool

Asquith Nursery - Putney

Inspection report for early years provision

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Asquith Nursery - Putney

Unique Reference Number EY289996 Inspection date 27 June 2006 Inspector Catherine Greenwood

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Asquith Nursery - Putney

Setting Address 107-109 Norroy Road, Putney, London, SW15 1PH

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E-mail

Registered person Asquith Court Nurseries 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Asquith Nursery Putney opened in 2000 and was re-registered in 2005. It operates from three rooms in purpose built premises in Putney in the London borough of Wandsworth. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. A maximum of 41 children may attend the nursery at any one time, of these, 12 receive funding for nursery education. There are 46 children on roll. The nursery is open each weekday from 08:00 to 18:00.The nursery serves the local community.

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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 nursery employs 14 members of staff of which eight hold appropriate early years qualifications and two are working towards a qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children benefit from a nutritious diet because the organisation uses healthy menus which have been devised by an external dietician. As a result children eat well, and enjoy the fresh fruit they have each day at snack time. In addition, staff use information provided by the dietician to inform themselves about weaning for babies and younger children. Water is accessible to older children throughout the day in a jug in the main play area. Children follow good hygiene practice as they wash their hands independently before eating and after using the toilet. Children's individual dietary needs, including preferences, are clearly recorded on childcare plans and displayed in the main play areas. Staff have a good knowledge of children's individual dietary needs and there are effective systems in place to ensure details of any allergies are well known. Any cooking activities are well planned by staff to ensure

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Helping children to be healthy

they do not contain ingredients that children are allergic to. Long term staff have received training in how to use epipens, which means children are protected in the event of an emergency and most staff hold a current first aid certificate in paediatric first aid. Older children develop gross motor skills through regular indoor music and movement activities, for example dancing to music, playing indoor skittles and skipping activities. They steer and manoeuvre the wheeled toys and bikes with control in the outside play area, have a good awareness of the space available and are careful not to collide with anyone. Children in the pre-school group develop good hand and eye co-ordination through using resources and handling tools such as scissors, rolling pins, cutters and building complex constructions with wooden bricks. Young children can put on and do up their own shoes and boots independently. The

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Helping children to be healthy

outside play space in the nursery is small and there is no evidence of planning for the use of this area. There are limited opportunities for children's physical development outdoors and infrequent opportunities for them to access larger outside play space within the local community. Staff organise how the different age groups of children share the use of the outside play area during the day and pre-school children can choose to access this area during two 45 minute sessions. Staff do not make observations in this area of children's development or plan for the next step for their learning. Therefore some children do not have sufficient opportunity to improve their large motor skills, such as running, climbing and balancing.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are able to move around the premises safely, freely and independently because staff identify and minimise potential risks. For example, there is a secure

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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 entry system on the main door to the play areas which is operated by staff only. This means that children cannot leave the premises unsupervised. Staff complete a daily check of all areas of the premises and the well maintained play equipment to ensure they are safe for children to use. The organisation have comprehensive health and safety procedures which are made known to all staff on induction and a risk assessment for the whole premises is regularly updated. Children are well protected by staff who have a clear understanding of child protection policies and procedures and give top priority to children's welfare. Older children have a very good awareness of their own safety, for example, at lunchtime they tell younger children not to put the cutlery in their mouths and the

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

reason why. There are formal fire evacuation practises, however, these are currently infrequent and so new children are not familiar with how to evacuate the building safely in the event of a fire. Children are kept safe on outings because the manager and staff have a good understanding of the procedures to follow and help children to learn about their own safety by giving them clear guidance and explanations.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Staff make good use of the limited space available to babies by rotating and changing the play equipment for the morning and afternoon sessions. This means that children show interest in the toys available to them and are presented with new challenges and experiences throughout the day. Staff know the activities that young children enjoy, such as painting, cornflour and water play and provide these on a regular basis. Staff enhance experiences for the children by providing additional resources such as sponges and flannels in the water play so they can learn to squeeze and enjoy watching the droplets. Babies have access to the adjacent outdoor play area when other groups are not using it. In good weather staff put blankets in the shade which provide children who are not mobile with a change of scene and fresh air. Children benefit from outings within the local community

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

although these are not always on a regular basis. Staff have a very caring and attentive approach towards the children and quickly respond to their individual needs. They know the children well and are able to say how individual children are making progress in most areas of their development. Staff keep observations of children's progress and are beginning to use these to plan the next steps for children's learning in relation to the guidance for Birth to three matters. Planning identifies activities that are in addition to the usual resources. Staff set up activities such as washing the dolls in response to children's individual interests. Children develop good relationships with staff and feel comfortable to sit on their laps, which increases their sense of well being. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. All staff have recently attended training on the Foundation Stage Curriculum. Consequently they are beginning to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

use the stepping stones within the curriculum guidance to move children on in their development. Children confidently select their own resources from low level shelves

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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 in the play area. They show very good personal independence as they wash their own hands and use the toilet independently, serve their own lunch, and put on their shoes before going into the garden. Older children work together very co-operatively in small groups and pairs, for example when making complex constructions from wooden bricks. They take turns to add each brick and talk to each other about what they are trying to achieve. Older children concentrate and persist at activities of their own choice for long periods of time, even though they are often disrupted by the younger children. Most children are very well behaved because staff consistently praise them for their achievements and good behaviour, for example when they play together co-operatively whilst using the train set. Children communicate well with

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

staff and each other and are confident about voicing their views and feelings. They often use the book corner spontaneously and enjoy looking at books independently and in small groups. Children make marks, but do not often use the writing and drawing resources. In addition staff do not provide sufficient opportunity for children to develop their literacy skills within practical activities. Staff have a good knowledge of how individual children are making progress in most areas of their development. However, they do not extend learning for older and more able children in all areas of play to ensure they are provided with sufficient challenge. Planning is completed for individual children and is no longer completed under the six areas of learning. This is a new system that staff are beginning to use which has been introduced by the organisation for Asquith Nurseries. However, the system used for recording

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

observations of children's progress does not always include the next step for learning in all areas of children's development, for example physical. Monitoring systems are ineffective and it is unclear how staff link the next step for children's learning to planned activities. There is very little evidence of activities that have taken place, for example through the use of photographs. Staff support children well with counting and numeral recognition. As a result, children make good progress in this area of their development. Children learn about living things through activities such as growing mustard seeds, planting flowers in the garden and looking for insects. They are asked to bring in photographs of where they have been on holiday and share what they have experienced. Children go to the library to look for books on other countries that have been visited by members of their family. There is no computer

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and or programmable toys. Consequently children do not learn how things work or how to operate a simple programme. Children make very good use of the imaginative play resources and often enter into role play with each other, for example when packing the plates into a box for a pretend picnic. They enjoy cooking activities where they make their own sandwiches, bread, and fruit dip for teatime.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Staff have a flexible approach to making changes to ensure children's individual needs are met, for example, when children are developmentally ready to move into a room with a different age range of children. Babies settle well because staff work closely with parents to ensure they follow their home routine. Older children have a very good knowledge of right and wrong and will often explain the consequences of behaviour to younger children and resolve their own disputes independently. Children have a caring approach towards each other. The partnership with parents and carers

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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 is satisfactory. There is good informal daily communication between staff and parents. However, there are no formal opportunities for parents and key workers to share assessments of children's progress and discuss the next step for their individual learning. This limits children's progress in the nursery and consequently, their ability to fully contribute to the provision. Children learn about others cultures and beliefs through the celebration of different festivals. This is supported by a range of resources and books which reflect positive images, although they are not always well presented or accessible at all times. There are currently no children attending the nursery who have special educational needs. However, the nursery have a special educational needs co-ordinator and have clear systems in place to support

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Helping children make a positive contribution

children who have special educational needs. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Staff work together well as a team and are motivated and clear about their responsibilities, which means children are happy and settled. Children's welfare is protected because the registered person ensures that staff are appropriately vetted. Induction training and appropriate policies and procedures work in practice to keep children healthy and safeguard their welfare. Leadership and management is satisfactory. The manager provides a positive role model when working alongside staff in the rooms. She has a clear ethos for the provision, clear expectations of staff practice and involvement, and a good commitment to assessing and improving the quality of care and education for the children. However, the grouping of children aged two years to four years in the pre-school room, means that younger children are consistently disrupting older children's play and learning. In addition, it means that

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Organisation

more challenging resources cannot be made easily accessible to the children at all times for safety reasons. All staff have recently received in-house training on Birth to three matters and the Foundation Stage Curriculum. This means that children benefit from a range of experiences and resources related to the guidance. Written planning is completed individually for each child and new systems have been established to record children's progress. Children benefit from a structured routine, which includes time for physical activity and snacks as well large and small group sessions. All children have the opportunity to make their own independent choices from well organised accessible resources. This means that children are happy and secure in everything they do. 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 registration. The provider is

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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 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 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 satisfactory.

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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 planning includes physical development and the use of the outside play area, and increase the opportunities for children to develop gross motor skills. • complete more frequent evacuation practices so that children know what to do in the event of a fire. • improve the organisation of the different age groups within the pre-school group to enhance the learning opportunities for all children.

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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): • extend learning for older and more able children in all areas of play to ensure they are provided with sufficient challenge and ensure there are sufficient resources and opportunities for children to make progress in knowledge and understanding of the world. • review and improve the system used for recording observations of children's progress to ensure the next step for learning is clearly identified in all areas of their development and there are effective systems in place to link this information to planned activities. • provide more frequent opportunities for children to link sounds and letters of the alphabet, to recognise and find their name, use mark making for different purposes, and for older and more able children to learn letter formation within practical activities.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

• provide formal opportunities for parents and key workers to share

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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 assessments of children's progress and discuss the next step for their individual learning and ensure parents are provided with information about activities and events.

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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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