The Hunny Pot

The Hunny Pot

Inspection report for early years provision

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The Hunny Pot

EY300863 Unique Reference Number 06 December 2006 Inspection date Sally Elizabeth Lee Inspector

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The Hunny Pot

Launceston Road, Wigston Magna, Leicestershire, LE18 2GZ Setting Address

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The Hunny Pot

0116 2811113 Telephone number BILLY677@aol.com E-mail The Hunnypot Day Nursery Ltd. Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Out of School care Type of care

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The Hunny Pot

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

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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 good. 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Hunnypot Day Nursery was registered in 2005. It offers nursery care in a self-contained building next to Little Hill Primary School in Wigston, Leicestershire. The setting has use of two playrooms, kitchen and toilet facilities. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. In addition, the setting offers out of school care in the school hall and outdoor playing fields and playground.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is registered to provide care for 32 children aged under five years, and the out of school club is registered to provide care for an additional 24 children aged from three to under eight years, and accepts children up to the age of 11 years. The nursery operates from 08:00 until 18:00 and the out of school club from 07:30 to 08:45 and from 15:15 until 18:00. Both settings operate all year round. There are currently 38 nursery children on roll, of these 17 are funded for early years education. There are 38 out of school children on roll. There are currently no children attending who have special needs or for whom English is an additional language.

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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 eight staff who work with the children, all of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification. The setting receives support from the mentor/teacher from the Local Authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children stay healthy because staff follow very clear hygiene procedures and have a good understanding of health and safety issues. Children learn to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. They understand very well that they have to wash their hands because they 'will get germs on our food and we will be sick all day'. Children are protected because all staff are first aid trained and there are clear procedures in place to record accidents and medication administered.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are very well nourished by the healthy meals and snacks which are all prepared and cooked on the premises. Children benefit from the varied meals and the cook ensures they all have at least three, and often five, portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Children really enjoy the meals, sitting with the staff and eating their chicken curry, or roast pork from their bright attractive plates. They are offered drinks of water or milk regularly throughout the day and older children can access drinking water whenever they wish, which ensures they are well hydrated. Any special dietary needs are recorded before care begins and staff are careful to ensure these are met.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a wide range of physical play experiences. Staff plan physical play for babies and very young children every day and they try to ensure they go out whenever possible. Pre-school children eagerly take part in a warm up session before registration every day when they wiggle, jump and shake to the music. They have regular opportunities for indoor physical play, moving to music, often with props such as ribbons to wave, learning lots of mathematical language as they move their ribbon up and down, from side to side, and faster and slower. Each pre-school session includes a planned activity in the outdoor area where children can use wheeled toys, climb and jump. They experiment with the tyres, trying hard to control them as they roll them around, learning that it is easier if they co-operate with each other. They pile up the plastic crates and tyres, tying them together with rope to make boats and cars. They

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Helping children to be healthy

thoroughly enjoy the weather boxes which are taken out according to the weather of the day. The windy box includes kites, flags, wind chimes and balloons and the children shriek with laughter as they try to catch the balloons in the wind. Out of school club children enjoy playing football and running around on the school playground.

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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 and welcoming environment which provides all the necessary facilities to ensure their care needs are met. Staff are skilled at making children feel welcome by using posters and displays at their level. Babies enjoy looking at and playing with the hoops which hang, decorated with ribbons, tinsel and beads. The rooms are light, airy and well

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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 ventilated. Large, sturdy partitioning boards are used to make the school hall more welcoming for the out of school club.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children enjoy the wide range of good quality resources and play materials which are available to them. In the pre-school room, the resources are stored in boxes on shelved units which are named and labelled with pictures to enable children to develop independence in accessing them. Out of school club children are confident to ask for any resources to be brought out if they are not already out for them. All equipment and toys are checked regularly for safety and hygiene.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected because the staff are very vigilant about safety. Clear procedures and risk assessments make sure that children are safe and secure, for example, the procedure for the safe collection of children is detailed and works well in practice. Children learn to keep themselves safe because they practise the fire evacuation procedure regularly and staff explain to them that rules are in place to keep them safe. For example, they understand that they walk indoors 'in case we fall over'.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are further protected because staff have sound knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and are clear about the procedures in place in the nursery.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at the nursery. They come in eager to play and take part in all the activities provided. Children within all areas of the setting are confident and have good self-esteem because staff treat them with respect and praise them regularly. Children are welcomed into the setting by staff who greet them by name and are pleased to see them. They listen to the children and value their contributions, for example, at the out of school club children can take part in the club council which meets weekly to choose activities, resources and to discuss any concerns they may have.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are keen to experiment with the resources, building on their natural curiosity. Babies enjoy the texture of shaving foam, rubbing it on different objects, a rough chair or a smooth glass window, to see how it feels. Older children laugh as they discover what happens when a member of staff blows up a balloon and lets it go without tying it up. Very young children develop language skills as staff look at books with them, encouraging them to make animal noises, or chat to them as they tidy away, change and feed them. Children throughout the nursery have made good relationships with the staff which help them to feel happy and settled and to feel good about themselves.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are active, happy learners who come in eager to play. They have made good relationships with other children and are beginning to show concern for one another, for example, by giving their balloon to a child who was upset because their own balloon had blown over the fence. They are personally independent, showing pride in their ability to pour their own drinks, take themselves to the toilet and access resources.

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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 They are developing good language skills. They enjoy books and stories and listen eagerly at group story time, confidently contributing when appropriate. They can recognise their own names, and often the names of the other children and are beginning to recognise individual letters. They make marks with a wide range of media and use 'writing' in their role play, as well as attempting to write their own names on their work.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are learning about volume and size by experimenting with the water and sand. They can count and recognise numbers confidently to 10 and often beyond. The role play area is very well used, children adapt it from the intended office environment to Bob the Builder's workshop, where they offer to mend leaky roofs and windows for a mere twenty pounds. Children enjoy listening to a wide range of music and, with huge enthusiasm, play musical instruments and become involved in songs and action rhymes.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have done a great deal of training to increase their knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and have developed good systems to observe, monitor and record children's achievements and to plan experiences that help children take the next step in their learning. The organisation of space, time and resources is satisfactory, but the timetable of the session limits the time children can spend on any one activity and this prevents children from building on their experiences and developing their play which affects their learning and development. Overall children are making good progress towards the early learning goals.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a setting where staff respect their individuality and treat them with equal concern. Their individual needs, likes and routines are recorded before care begins and staff are careful to ensure they comply with parents' wishes. Children learn about the wider world through the good range of resources promoting diversity and the celebration of festivals. There are currently no children attending the nursery who have special needs but staff are experienced and monitor children's progress carefully. Consequently, they are confident to approach parents if they have any concerns and obtain appropriate support to enable children to make progress.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well. They benefit because staff manage behaviour appropriately. They learn to share and to take turns and are beginning to show concern for each other. They talk about feelings in circle time, looking at the photographs around the setting of children showing different emotions and talking about how the children feel. Staff provide sound role models for the children who are encouraged to say please and thank you at snack and meal times. Children are learning to respect and value themselves and each other and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents received good written information about the setting before care begins and they value the regular newsletters they receive, informing them of special events and future learning topics. These also offer ways that parents can become involved in their children's learning. Children's developmental records are shared with parents at the termly parents evenings and details of their care are recorded and sent home daily in

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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 their diaries. Parents enjoy coming along to the open play sessions when they have a chance to try for themselves the activities their children take part in on a daily basis.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children benefit from the commitment of the staff to meeting the individual needs of the children. Staff are qualified and experienced and work very well together as a team. They are very keen to improve standards within the nursery and undertake regular training as well as seeking advice and support to further this aim. Staff are sensitive to the children and make their care and education their first priority. Standards within the nursery are monitored regularly by the manager and there is a development plan to which all staff contribute. Regular staff meetings and appraisals all contribute to the smooth running of the setting. There is a clear recruitment and vetting procedure in place for all staff. The quality of the leadership and management of the nursery education is good.

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Organisation

Staff are well organised to ensure the recommended ratios of children and staff are maintained at all times and there is a clear procedure in place to record children and staff attendance. The setting is organised to allow children to develop personal independence and to give them opportunities in all areas of play and learning. There is a key worker system in place throughout the nursery and key workers assess their children's learning and know them well. However, they do not perform the daily care tasks for the children in their key groups which, especially for babies, is important to ensure children feel secure and are able to develop good relationships. 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 it was highlighted that the manager had insufficient knowledge of the frameworks used for children's learning. Since then she has undertaken a great deal of training which has developed her knowlege effectively. Staff have also undertaken training and sought advice and support from the mentor/teacher and now are well able to support children in their learning. Children now benefit from the clear and effective systems which have been developed to assess their progress and plan for the next steps in their learning and parents now benefit from the increased information they receive about their child's care and education and their involvement in their child's learning through the newsletters, parents evenings and open afternoons.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards. 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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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

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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 good. 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 good.

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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 every child is allocated to a key member of staff who is mainly responsible for his/her well being on a daily basis and ensures information about that child is exchanged with the parent.

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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): • organise space, time and resources to encourage children to build on their experiences and develop their play, providing challenge for all children.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) 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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