Treetops Grove

Grove Nursery School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Grove Nursery School

Unique Reference Number EY218235 Inspection date 20 June 2006 Inspector Linda Filewood

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Grove Nursery School

Setting Address 28 Grove Road, Headingley, Leeds, LS6 4EE

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E-mail

Registered person Treetops 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?

Grove Nursery School is one of 17 nurseries run by Treetops Nurseries Limited. It opened 30 years ago, the current owner has been registered since 2001, and operates from the basement, ground floor, first floor and attic in a converted large detached private property. The nursery school is situated in Headingley, a suburb of Leeds. A maximum of 50 children may attend at any one time. The nursery school is open each weekday from 08.00 to 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year. All children share

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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 access to a secure outdoor play area. There are currently 69 children from three months to four years on roll. Of these, 11 receive funding for early years education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery school serves the local and surrounding areas and currently supports children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery school employs 17 members of staff, including a cook and cleaner. Of these, eight have early years qualifications and one is working towards a qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are beginning to learn about personal hygiene through adequate daily routines. However, not all children wash their hands immediately before eating and the effect of germs on the body is not always reinforced. Older children are encouraged to become independent in their self-care and are confident in going to wash their hands after messy play. Suitable practices and procedures are in place to ensure children are cared for in a clean, healthy environment. For example, tissue dispensers in rooms encourage children to blow their noses and not spread germs and no outdoor shoes are allowed in the playrooms. Satisfactory arrangements are put into practice to ensure that children are suitably looked after and protected from illness. There is always one member of staff on duty who holds a first aid certificate and accurate records are kept of any medication administered and accidents that

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Helping children to be healthy

have taken place. Children are provided with a nutritious and balanced diet and all dietary requirements are well catered for. Choice of, for example, fruit or sandwich filling is offered at snack and tea time. Older children are encouraged to help themselves to extra portions from serving dishes placed in the centre of the tables at lunch time. Younger children are adequately supported in learning to feed themselves and older children often help to prepare part of the meal, buttering the bread for bread and butter pudding, for instance. Children have drinks offered regularly throughout the day, especially at mealtimes and extra water is always available. Staff provide an enjoyable range of activities for the children that contribute to a healthy life style. For example, they go trekking on the local nature trail and walk to the local library to enjoy a different range of books. Children benefit from a

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Helping children to be healthy

satisfactory range of outdoor play equipment and extend their daily play into the garden, which offers a large grassed area with plenty of shade, whenever possible. They are encouraged to gain confidence in their physical skills. For example, babies are supported to learn to pull themselves up and older children learn to balance on wooden planks or kick a football. Children are developing good body control and can negotiate space with ease. They are given opportunity to use their fine motor skills through a satisfactory range of equipment, such as scissors and glue sticks. Staff are

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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 aware of signs of tiredness in young children and babies and areas are set aside for the children to sleep and rest, in line with home routines.

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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 warm, welcoming environment, where staff are effectively deployed to ensure children are well supervised at all times. The premises are well maintained and room temperature accurately monitored, using thermometers positioned on the wall in each room. Resources are easily accessible to children giving them independence and freedom of choice in what they want to play with. Safety indoors and outdoors is well considered, ensuring that the children can play and learn in a safe environment. Positive steps are taken to make sure this is maintained and reinforced regularly with the children. For instance, nursery children use two floors and they know they have to take care when negotiating the flights of stairs. Emergency evacuation is well thought out and the fire drill is practised regularly, especially when new staff are employed. This ensures all staff are aware of

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

their roles and responsibilities. Children are competently protected. A clear system is in place to ensure children are only collected by those authorised to do so and babies are well monitored whilst sleeping. Children are kept safe on outings, for instance, all children wear florescent jackets when they go outside the setting and written permission is obtained from the parents prior to the outing. Staff regularly update their knowledge on child protection issues and are fully aware of their duty to the children and the procedures to follow should they have any concerns. All staff are vetted before they are able to work unsupervised with the children and a clear written child protection policy is in place, which is shared with parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children settle confidently and quickly become engrossed in the daily routine. They enjoy a suitable variety of activities which support their all round development and are encouraged to make their own choices regarding their play. However, in some areas the lack of resources limits their choice and does not always offer the older and more able children sufficient challenge. All children take part in a good range of creative activities and young children are encouraged to explore paint and glue by using all their senses. Children receive clear support from the staff and are gaining in self-esteem and confidence as their achievements are praised and valued. They all have opportunity for outdoor play and outings to local amenities are a regular feature. Activities, such as catching butterflies in the garden, are planned to extend their experiences after an enjoyable trip to a butterfly house. They enjoy the guitar playing

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

of a regular visitor to the nursery and sit quietly in small groups to listen and join in with the songs. Babies enjoy the cuddles and attention from the staff. Young children’s developing

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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 independence, for example, in feeding themselves or putting their shoes on is satisfactorily encouraged. Staff have a basic increasing knowledge of the Birth to three matters framework and are beginning to put this into practice. The profiles for the younger children clearly show what they know and understand. However, they are not used sufficiently to plan for the next steps in their learning. All children respond well to the staff and each other. They are confident to play on their own whilst being equally happy joining in with a group to play a game or take part in an activity. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children are making sufficient progress towards the early learning goals supported by the staffs' developing knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum. However, the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children's profiles are not updated regularly therefore, they do not clearly show accurate progress through the stepping stones. A satisfactory balance of child-led and adult-led activities are planned and provided and staff join in happily with games at the children's request. Accommodation and resources generally promote children's learning and staff are continuing to explore the best positioning of equipment to create a stimulating, comfortable and safe environment for the children. Children relate well to each other and show care and concern. For instance, they co-operate well when playing games and confidently remind other children they should not put toys in their mouth. This is reinforced by the staff. Children take initiative and manage developmentally appropriate tasks, such as spontaneously cleaning up after messy play. They chat happily and confidently talk about holidays they are taking or how they felt after an accident. Older children are beginning to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

recognise the sounds of the letters in their names and all children are given plenty of opportunities to learn to form letters and numbers. Children are developing good counting skills and are encouraged to use these skills to solve harder mathematical problems. They explore colour in a variety of activities and confidently make models using a sufficient variety of junk materials and equipment. They are encouraged to think about using their senses. For example, they wonder what is for dinner when they smell the cooking as they come in from playing outside. The children are developing a satisfactory understanding of technology and regularly access a computer and cassette player, recognising the names of the songs being played. Planned activities enhance the children's awareness of nature and the world around them, and they learn to appreciate this. For example, they enjoy visiting the guinea pigs at the local farm and draw pictures of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

baby turtles they have seen on another outing.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. A bright and interesting environment is created by displaying a good variety of topic and children's work. The local library also displays the children's work, showing appreciation of children's creativity. This fully promotes children's learning and their sense of belonging. The nursery is continuing to build on the range of resources that

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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 raise the children's awareness of diversity. However, they do learn about other cultures through a satisfactory range of activities and make good use of outings and visitors to learn about the local environment and community. They learn about children not as fortunate as themselves as they take part in fund raising activities, such as a teddy bear's picnic, to raise funds for a children's hospice. Children mostly play harmoniously together and are generally well behaved, with only gentle reminders needed about sharing. They learn to take turns when playing games and all are encouraged to take part in the activities. Each child is respected and they are supported satisfactorily as they develop their personalities and individualities. This approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is satisfactory. Staff find out about children's home routines before the children start at the setting, although, this does not include what the child is capable of to give staff an indication of their stage of development. Babies and young children settle well and parents are fully informed of their child's day and progress through daily feedback sheets and clear profiles. Parents receive good quality general information about the nursery and policies and procedures are clear and available. However, information on the Foundation Stage curriculum is limited to verbal discussion and a small amount of written detail in the parent pack. Parents are not fully involved in their child's learning and development in a meaningful way, but are encouraged to meet with their child's key person to discuss their child's progress and are included in the life of the nursery in events, such as, open days and garden

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. All records, policies and procedures required for the efficient and safe management of the provision are in place and used effectively. Children are grouped according to age which allows activities to be planned for their differing stages of development. Staffing ratios are constantly maintained especially during staff breaks, by staff that are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities. Children are secure in their routines and the day is organised successfully. They benefit from a satisfactory variety of activities both indoors and outdoors, although the timing and effectiveness of group activities is not always appropriate. Leadership and management is satisfactory. Children benefit from appropriately qualified staff that work together well as a team and are good role models. Robust systems are in place to ensure that new staff employed are thoroughly checked

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Organisation

before being allowed to work unsupervised with children. Although the provider is in breach of a regulation by not informing Ofsted of a change in management, the care and welfare of the children has been maintained. The staff are being given good regional support by the provider until a new manager is appointed. New staff benefit from a clear induction procedure and an appraisal system is now in place for staff to identify and address any gaps in their future training needs. Planning is reasonably detailed and shows links to the stepping stones and early learning goals. However, activities are not always evaluated and used to make improvements to teaching and learning. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom

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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 it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection the safety and welfare of the children has been improved by moving the nappy changing facilities to the ground floor to comply with environmental health recommendations and making safe the drain by the front door. All records are now stored securely ensuring that confidentiality is maintained at all times. The level of challenge set for the more able children requires further improvement, but games and activities are being adapted to provide a better challenge. The nursery school is working with an Early Years adviser to improve the current assessment system used to record children's achievements and progress. Parents are still not fully encouraged to become involved in the children's learning and this continues to be a recommendation for future improvement. More opportunities have been provided for the children to develop their mathematical skills and their access to everyday technology has been improved. For example, they now access a computer

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Improvements since the last inspection

and are encouraged to operate the cassette player at music time.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection Ofsted has received one complaint relating to Standard 6: Safety. The complaint related to the safety of babies in prams in the grounds of the nursery school. We asked the provider to investigate the concerns raised in April 2004. A satisfactory response was received and the provider remains qualified for registration. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaint 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):

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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 • ensure children have sufficient resources to allow them to have choice and offer challenge to the older and more able • ensure that group time is managed and used effectively • ensure that Ofsted is informed as soon as possible of any significant events and changes to staffing, particularly to a change in management.

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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): • improve assessment systems, so that they clearly identify what needs to be included in the next steps for learning (also applies to care) • encourage parents to share what they know about their child and become fully involved in their learning and development in a meaningful way (also applies to care) • ensure evaluation of activities are used to make improvements to teaching and 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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