Little Dreams Day Nursery

Little Dreams (ex Little Angels )

Inspection report for early years provision

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Little Dreams (ex Little Angels )

Unique Reference Number EY233858 Inspection date 06 July 2006 Inspector Hazel Stuart-Buddery

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Little Dreams (ex Little Angels )

Setting Address 55 Dudley Road, Feltham, Middlesex, TW14 8EJ

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E-mail

Registered person Mrs Harbinder Dalal 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?

Little Dreams Day Nursery was registered in 2003 and is run by a sole proprietor. It is based in a detached property in Bedfont in a largely residential area of the London Borough of Hounslow, close to local amenities. The nursery operates on the ground and first floor. The nursery is open from 08:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday, 51 weeks of the year and provides full day care for 35 children aged from three months to five years. Currently

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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 23 children on roll, and four are in receipt of nursery education funding. The nursery supports children with learning difficulties. Over half of the staff employed hold a current Early Years Qualification and the remainder of the staff are working towards relevant qualifications.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The ground floor premises consist of a large play area, a kitchen, laundry and staff facilities, as well as a toilet and nappy changing area. Children also access the garden at the rear of the premises. The first floor accommodates children aged under two years. There are no pets kept on the premises.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children begin to learn the importance of personal hygiene through daily routines and staff gently reminding them. Older children routinely wash their hands and understand the reasons why, although younger children are not encouraged to wash their hands before snack time. Procedures for nappy changing help prevent the spread of infection. Staff wear gloves and the changing mat is sanitized after every use. Children benefit from a healthy, balanced diet. All meals and snacks are cooked on site and dietary needs taken into account. Children are offered drinks at regular intervals throughout the day, however their independence is not encouraged as they do not have free access to water. Children are appropriately cared for if there is an accident, as there are staff always available who hold a current first aid certificate. The welfare of the children is adequately promoted as most documentation is in

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Helping children to be healthy

place. Parents give prior written consent for the administration of medication, but their consent is not obtained prior to each individual occasion that medicine is administered. Staff are beginning to introduce the Birth to three matters framework to support children's development. Children enjoy daily opportunities to play outside and get fresh air which promotes their good health. Younger children enjoy sitting in the cars and being pushed around. Older children competently ride bikes and tractors, climb up ladders and slide down slides.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children play and learn in a safe and secure environment. Hazards around the nursery have been identified and minimized. Children play safely in the garden and learn about using the equipment correctly. Written parental permission is obtained to apply sun protection cream, however there is very limited shade in the garden to protect the children from the sun, so they can only play outside for short periods. Babies move around their area freely and safely. All resources are neatly stored around the room, allowing plenty of free floor space for them to explore and practise

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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 newly acquired walking skills. They are securely strapped in seats at meal times.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The premises are secure and there are good procedures in place to prevent unauthorized visitors from gaining access and children leaving unsupervised. Children benefit further from a CCTV monitoring unit in each room. Children's welfare is adequately protected. Some staff have an awareness of child protection issues and the procedures if there are concerns, however, other staff have limited knowledge and understanding and are unsure of the group's policies regarding child protection.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are happy and sufficiently occupied throughout the nursery. Babies enjoy the company of staff and respond positively to their interaction. Staff sit on the floor with the babies and encourage them to join in actions as they sing nursery rhymes. The babies smile and chuckle as the songs are sung to them. Children show interest and imagination in the resources available. They smile proudly as they use plastic colanders as hats. Toddlers enjoy pretending to make cups of tea for the staff. Older toddlers are confident and some communicate well with adults and their peers. Children have opportunities to select their own books and play materials, although sometimes they are not encouraged to get out extra resources. They laugh with delight as they choose to play with the box of balls, and throw the soft balls around the room and to each other. They gain self esteem when staff praise them for

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

successfully catching the ball. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children make sufficient progress towards the early learning goals because staff plan an adequate range of activities and experiences. Staff are not familiar with the Foundation Stage curriculum and have not completed training in this area. They interact with the children, but do not always use questioning and teaching methods to extend children's learning and cater for the more or less able child. As a result of this, not all children get maximum enjoyment out of the activities. Children are happy and confident. They are polite and show care and concern for each other. They thank each other when a doll's lost bottle is found. Children begin to develop their independence as they learn to take care of their own needs. They try hard to put on aprons before playing with the water and put on their own shoes to go

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

outside. However, they are not encouraged to pour their own drinks or serve themselves at meal times. Children behave well, although they can quickly loose concentration during some spontaneous activities which staff have not prepared sufficiently. The nursery has provided a comfortable and cosy book corner with a range of books

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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 for children to enjoy. There is a maths corner and a literacy corner with extra resources to support older children's learning. However these areas are not always freely accessible to them and so they are not always able to have independent access to age appropriate resources. Children's language skills are developed and extended by some staff. Children recognise the first letter of their name, although have limited opportunities to mark make. They have opportunities to measure each other and compare sizes using a height chart. They look at shapes and talk about triangles and circles. Children confidently count to ten during circle time. They use mathematical language when they compare how many girls to boys there are in the nursery today. Children learn about Africa and other countries as part of the current topic 'Near and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Far'. They learn about the type of clothes people wear and the different foods they eat. Children enjoy making passports and talk about the different countries they have visited on their holidays. They handle pencils and paint brushes well, showing sound co-ordination. Children play imaginatively in the role play area and use supporting resources, such as dressing up clothes. They pretend to be fire fighters and put out a fire in the nursery. They smile proudly when they are offered lots of praise from the staff. There are some opportunities for children to uses art and craft materials, including stamping and model making.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children with learning difficulties are welcomed into the nursery and an outside agency comes in to offer support. However, individual education plans are not always reviewed promptly. Children are well behaved and polite towards members of staff and each other. Younger children learn to take turns and begin to show concern for others. Children begin to develop their understanding of the wider world. They use resources that reflect diversity and learn about different cultures and customs as part of topic work. As a result of this, children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered. The partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. There is some information displayed for parents regarding the nursery's policies and procedures. However, parents are not provided with sufficient information regarding the Foundation Stage curriculum and, as a result, are not fully involved in their children's learning. Staff

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Helping children make a positive contribution

exchange information with parents on a regular basis regarding each child's progress and development. Daily record sheets provide information about how the children have been during their day at nursery. Babies and toddlers benefit from continuity of care as regular discussions with parents take place and home routines are followed in the nursery.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children enjoy the play space available to them, although not all areas of the nursery

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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 are used to their full potential. There are effective and robust recruitment procedures in place. All staff receive induction training to enable them to be familiar with the policies and procedures. However, not all staff have a sound understanding of some of the group's policies and procedures, including the fire drill and child protection procedures. Most documentation is maintained appropriately and stored confidentially. The leadership and management is satisfactory. Staff identify what training needs they have, but have been unable to undertake training due to the difficulties of releasing them during the day. The manager has recently introduced new procedures for the planning and assessment of children, although staff have not fully understood these procedures and therefore have not implemented them effectively. The progress

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Organisation

of children's learning is not documented and staff are therefore not always aware when children are ready to move onto their next stage of development. However, children mostly make satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the group was asked to improve systems for recording dietary requirements and to improve the recording of incidents to maintain confidentiality. Parents are asked to give details of the dietary needs of their children. These are recorded and the manager has implemented a system to ensure that staff are aware of children's dietary needs. The recording of incidents is now confidential. These improvements help to promote children's welfare and care. At the last nursery education inspection four key issues were raised. The nursery was asked to provide more opportunities for children to discover how everyday objects work; to enhance opportunities, through role play situations, for children to practise meaningful writing; to encourage the recording of purposeful mathematical findings such as measurements of growth, height and weight; and to extend the range of materials provided for children to create three dimensional art work.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Children learn about how everyday objects work when they bring in programmable items and equipment for the interest table, such as cameras and phones. Older children have opportunities to use the literacy area and maths area, although they cannot always access these areas independently. They have a variety of mark making materials in the literacy corner, as well as key boards. Children's mathematical language develops as they make height charts. They measure different parts of their bodies and compare their sizes. Children enjoy regular opportunities to use their imagination when they create models out of junk. These improvements generally help children to explore and investigate the six areas of learning. However there are still some weaknesses in staff training, and in curriculum planning which does not include provision for more or less able children.

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Improvements 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

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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 two complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection. The concerns related to Standard 1: Suitable Person – regarding the qualifications of staff; Standard 2 – Organisation – regarding the employment of staff; Standard 3 – Care Learning and Play – regarding insufficient resources for children; Standard 7 – Health – regarding hygiene procedures; and Standard 8 – Food and Drink – regarding the supply of appropriate drinks for children. Ofsted made two unannounced visits, as well as carrying out an arranged interview with the registered person. The childcare inspector discussed the concerns, observed childcare practice in the setting and reviewed relevant documentation. Actions and recommendations were raised to improve childcare practice. The provider took

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Complaints since the last inspection

appropriate action. As a result the provider remains qualified for 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 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): • develop staff's knowledge and understanding of child protection issues • ensure that prior written parental consent is obtained each time medication is administered.

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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 staff's knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and early learning goals so that planning and assessment are effective and promote all areas of children's learning

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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 • improve partnership with parents and carers by sharing information with them about the Foundation Stage curriculum and providing more opportunities for them to become involved in their children's learning.

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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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