Inspirations Nurseries and Forest School

Dolphins Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Dolphins Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY296509 Inspection date 05 July 2006 Inspector Jill Scargall

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Dolphins Day Nursery

Setting Address West End Lane, Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS18 5JP

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Dolphins Day Nursery

Telephone number 0113 2585800 E-mail www.dolphinsdaynursery.co.uk Registered person Dolphins Day Nursery Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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Dolphins Day Nursery

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?

Dolphin’s nursery is a private day nursery. It opened in 2005 and operates from a purpose built pre-fabricated building. It is situated in the grounds of West End Primary School in Horsforth, a suburb of Leeds. A maximum of 55 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.30 to 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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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 82 children aged from three months to under five years on roll. Of these two children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local and surrounding area. The nursery employs 17 staff. Eight of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications. Two staff are working towards a qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are kept healthy and cross infection is minimised because they learn about personal hygiene during their daily routines. Older children can attend to their own toileting needs and choose paper towels to dry their hands after they wash them; some can blow their own noses. Young children are changed regularly and children who are potty training are gently encouraged and praised for their success. Suitable action is taken if children are taken ill to make sure parents are informed immediately. All children have daily opportunities to participate in outside play which encourages their physical development. They can use a range of play equipment and also walk, or travel by buggy, to the local park, and the supermarket. Staff talk to them about healthy exercise. Children enjoy a healthy diet, for example a typical menu is pasta and tuna bake and fruit. Babies are learning to feed themselves and trying to say

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Helping children to be healthy

please and thank you. All children can access regular drinks of water and babies are offered bottles frequently in hot weather. Children have an informal snack time but do not sit down to eat and drink, so do not enjoy this as a social occasion nor are they provided with plates for items, such as fruit. At lunchtime, older children miss the chance to practise using knives and forks as they are only given spoons.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a clean, generally safe environment. Space is used effectively to provide child friendly play areas and each room has a wet area, a home corner, an area for heuristic play and for rest and reading. Children enjoy comfortable rooms with swagged ceilings which provide different texture, form and colour for them to appreciate. They can delight in a garden area for outside play, however, this is still being developed so has some temporary fencing and lacks shade except for the area for babies which has a tree. This is set lower than the lawn level and is a hazard for very small children. Policies, procedures and some risk assessments are in place to support a safe environment for children. Appropriate routines are in place to make sure that only staff admit visitors to the nursery. Children are signed in and out by parents and by staff noting this in the register. Regular fire evacuation procedures are practised.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff are attentive to children's welfare when going on outings or moving about the building. Local outings are recorded and children learn about road safety when

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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 visiting the local park or supermarket. Children are safeguarded by staff's knowledge of the procedures in place for child protection but no member of staff has up to date training in these issues. Children can access a wide range of developmentally appropriate toys and resources for both inside and outside play, which can be independently accessed. They are beginning to learn about safety as they help to put away their own toys and help to care for their pet rabbit.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children have an interesting time at the nursery where they enjoy stimulating activities. They explore their surroundings with enthusiasm and confidence. Children relate well to one another and socialise well. Babies and toddlers enjoy taking part in imaginative and creative play and they chat to one another whilst they are playing, for example, when they are making tea and washing up in the home corner. They also have daily opportunities for heuristic play where they are offered a variety of tactile toys and resources to give them opportunities for self-discovery. Children under three are having their needs met by generally effective organisation and planning. Staff are using the Birth to three matters framework to assist children's progress. Nursery education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff work together enthusiastically to provide a range of interesting activities in a happy environment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

However, they do not always have a comprehensive understanding of the Foundation Stage guidance to assist children's learning through planned activities. Most of these provide a suitable framework to help children progress towards the early learning goals but there are limited checks as to whether planned activities provide an overall broad and balanced curriculum. Planning and assessment systems are currently under review. Children's records of achievements do not indicate which stepping stones they are working towards and although children's progress is observed, this information is not always effectively recorded or used to plan the next stages of children's development. Children are building self-confidence and self-esteem by becoming involved in daily routines. They are aware that they need a hat and sun cream when it is hot outside and that if their clothes get wet the sun will dry them and they confidently discuss

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

matters with staff. They are beginning to ask questions and sometimes provide their own answers, for example when they discuss what a puppy is and what it will eat. One child comments that this is a dog that is not trained. They listen well to familiar stories, rhymes and songs and join in enthusiastically, but children show some reluctance to look at books without the company of an adult. Mark making activities are always available for children, however, further opportunities to link sounds and letters are limited, for example, recognising their own names. Children compare size, shape and position in regular activities when they are

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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 playing in the sand or with water but there are missed occasions during the day when they could count and use number. A variety of creative activities are always available and children are exploring texture and space in two and three dimensions. They are developing a sense of time and place and can discuss what they have done at the weekend, watched football matches on television and where they have been. They are becoming familiar with a variety of tools and equipment, like scissors, glue spreaders, paintbrushes, hammers, drills and home corner equipment. Large muscle skills are developed by outdoor and indoor play equipment.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children benefit from good relationships with adults. There is a calm and caring approach by staff who praise and encourage positive behaviour. There is a clear policy in place with regard to behaviour management and children have a good understanding of responsible behaviour. They know what is expected from them and they are well mannered and cooperative. They share a clear understanding of responsible behaviour as they take turns and share toys. Older children like having their names on the 'kindness tree' and they set a good example to younger children. The group have effective procedures in place to work with children who have special educational needs or who do not have English as a first language. Resources are available that reflect different cultures and the wider world. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. The partnership with parents and carers is good. Staff actively seek parents' views

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Helping children make a positive contribution

before the children start in the setting and information is exchanged at doorstep meetings on a daily basis. This is recorded in diary form for younger children. Staff ensure that parents know how their children are progressing by allowing them access to their child's records whenever they wish and by the introduction of parents' evenings. Children benefit from the involvement of their parents in topics and this contributes to their learning development. Parents are fully informed about the Curriculum guidance to the Foundation Stage before their child starts funded early education.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Induction, policies and procedures are in position and work well to keep children healthy and safeguard their welfare. Children feel at home within the well organised environment and they are beginning to gain the confidence to extend their own play and learning. Staff contribute towards children's care by good organisation. Children are cared for in small groups, and there is good leadership and management of the nursery. Managers are currently assessing the staff team to make sure they are suitably qualified and are extending their knowledge of the Foundation Stage guidance and

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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 accessing other training. A development plan is in place and several improvements, for example, a key worker system, defining the roles of staff and staff appraisals have already been instigated. Children's well-being is maintained because the nursery has effective recruitment and induction procedures in place. 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 inspection, the quality of the care was judged as inadequate. The nursery was asked to make sure that children were kept safely. They have revised their policies and procedures and have an effective recruitment and induction policy in place. The nursery have recruited new staff to make sure they have a pool of trained staff available. The manager is now supernumerary. Staff make regular checks on group size and make sure that children's arrival and departure is recorded on the daily register and that parents' sign children in and out of the building. The main door is opened to visitors only by a member of staff. The nursery have introduced a programme of planned activities for all children based on either Birth to three matters framework or the curriculum guidance to the Foundation Stage. At the last inspection, the quality of the nursery education was judged as inadequate. The nursery was asked to provide more opportunities to build on children's

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Improvements since the last inspection

knowledge and skills. They have addressed this by totally revising their learning environment and making it more child friendly and addressing curriculum planning issues. They were asked to provide parents with information about the Foundation Stage guidance and to develop staff's knowledge of this and to record children's progress towards the early learning goals. Parents now receive regular newsletters, they can attend parents evenings and have many doorstep meetings where they are informed of children's progress. A start has been made on recording children's progress. Leadership and management have improved. The nursery have made the manager supernumerary and they are working on a development plan to address ongoing issues.

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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 no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection.

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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 AND 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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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): • make sure that children are provided with suitable plates and utensils • make sure that any outdoor hazards are inaccessible to 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): • further develop staff's knowledge of Foundation Stage guidance • develop the system for recording children's progress so that it shows clearly when and how children achieve the stepping stones • continue to develop planning so that plans cover all areas of learning evenly and regularly so that children achieve appropriately in all areas.

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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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