Tudor Manor

Tudor Manor

Inspection report for early years provision

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Tudor Manor

EY292312 Unique Reference Number 24 November 2006 Inspection date Andrea Ewer Inspector

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Tudor Manor

15 Berrywood Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN5 6JU Setting Address

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E-mail

Tudor Manor Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of 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

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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?

Tudor Manor is a family owned nursery which opened in 2004. The nursery is situated in the Duston area of Northampton. A maximum of 67 children may attend the nursery at any one time and there are currently 68 children on roll. Of these 10 children receive funding for nursery education.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is open each weekday from 08:00 until 18:00 for 50 weeks of the year.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Care is provided in three rooms on the ground floor. Children share access to a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 15 members of staff, including the manager, 11 of whom hold an early years qualification. There are three staff working towards a qualification.

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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 receives support from a local authority advisory teacher.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are gaining a good understanding of healthy eating. They benefit from well balanced, nutritious meals and snacks that are freshly prepared on the premises and promotes their healthy growth and development. Children choose from various fruits and drinks for their snack, and enjoy wholesome meals such as meat and vegetable stew with potatoes and jelly for afters. Staff obtain information about children's specific dietary needs from parents and suitable alternatives are provided for those who cannot have the planned meal. This ensures their individual dietary needs are met.

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Helping children to be healthy

Overall children's good health is promoted well because staff follow clear health and hygiene procedures. Children are cared for in clean and tidy premises and start to learn the importance of cleanliness. The good health of children under a year is potentially compromised by adults wearing outdoor shoes in areas that they crawl around in. Children are however well supported to wash their hands at appropriate times of the day and nappy changing routines effectively prevent the spread of infection. Children receive appropriate care in the event of minor accidents or illness because most staff hold an up-to-date first aid qualification and a well stocked first aid kit is readily accessible. Children are learning how to stay safe in the sun. They play in the shaded part of the garden and sun cream is applied appropriately during warm weather.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's individual needs for rest and active play are met well. Daily routines for babies are continued from home and older children have opportunities to rest as part of the daily routine. Children regularly participate in active play outdoors. Pre-school children develop increased control of their bodies as they push the wheeled toys around the garden and negotiate space well as they run around energetically. Children under a year become confident in what they can do as they practise crawling and walking in the safe and suitable environment. Children develop co-ordination as they enjoy moving to music, learn to throw and catch hoops and climb through tyres.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play safely in the well-organised and welcoming environment. Attractive displays of their artwork, photograph's and posters, help children feel a strong sense of belonging. Space is used effectively and allows children to move around freely as they participate in a wide range of activities. Creative use of the outdoor area allows children to explore and positively extends their play and learning experiences.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children benefit from a wide range of good quality toys and equipment that meets their play and development needs well. Pre-school children independently select further resources to develop their ideas from the low level shelving.

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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 Positive steps are taken to promote children's safety. Effective measures are in place to prevent accidents and ensure children are safe. Regular risk assessments ensure the environment, furniture, equipment and resources are in a good state of repair and are suitable for their purpose. Appropriate safety equipment is in place, such as safety gates that prevent children leaving their room unsupervised, handrails at child height, and the premises are secure with entry monitored closely by staff. Children's safety is further enhanced with the use of a close circuit television system and clear procedures for allowing access to the premises. Children start to take responsibility for their own safety as staff explain clearly that they must pick toys up from the floor so we don't trip over them. Children under a year are checked regularly by staff

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

and older children are supervised while they sleep. Children's welfare and safety are further promoted because staff have secure knowledge of the signs and symptoms of child abuse and implement procedures confidently.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time in the nursery and develop a strong sense of belonging because the nursery has a family oriented environment which helps them all feel special. The use of family books throughout the nursery provides a link between home and nursery which helps children settle well and feel secure. Children actively participate in an interesting range of activities that promotes their physical, emotional, intellectual and social skills. Children under three years old make good progress because staff have an excellent understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework and implement it very well. Children experience a range of activities that enables them to become competent learners, for example children under a year have fun mixing and exploring cornflour with their hands and feet. They show curiosity as they explore the treasure basket, enjoy playing in the sand and play peek-a-boo in the book area. These children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

develop their language as staff respond to their noises and facial expressions and talk to them continually which contributes to children becoming skilful communicators. Children from 18 months to three years become independent as they choose what to play with and feed themselves with appropriate support from staff. Children show good levels of concentration as they purposely engage in the activities provided. They play happily in the home corner where they pour drinks and cook dinner then feed the teddy, listen carefully to the different sounds of the musical instruments and look at books for enjoyment in the cosy book corner.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and children's learning is good. Overall children make good progress towards the early learning goals because most staff have sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage. Children enthusiastically participate in the stimulating range of worthwhile activities that are planned around the six areas of learning, and select further resources to develop their own ideas. Children's progress records show clearly what stage children are at in their learning and are used to plan for individual children. Some effective systems are in place to help all children make progress, however activities do not always provide sufficient challenge for more able children. Evaluation is generally used successfully to identify where the quality of teaching has been successful in promoting children's learning and how activities could be extended.

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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 Children make very good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. They play harmoniously together in the water where they chat away happily about what they are doing and learn the rules for getting along and building firm friendships. Children make sure their special friends are ready to go outside to play and feel important to each other when chosen by their friends during group games such as 'The farmer wants a wife'. Children feel secure because they are familiar with everyday routines and share very good relationships with staff who show interest in them which helps children feel valued. Children speak confidently to express themselves, describe what they are doing and to make their needs known. They listen carefully to audio tapes where they successfully follow storylines, asking appropriate

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

questions and making suggestions of how the story might end. This helps to develop their language for thinking. Children have very good opportunities to develop early reading and writing skills. They have daily access to a writing table and start to give meaning to marks as they draw pictures at the writing table and paint at the easel. Older children become confident as they correctly recognise and form the letters of their name on their artwork.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing a good understanding of mathematics. They regularly count as part of everyday activities, such as counting all the children as they wait to go outside and confidently count the beads as they move them along the abacus. Most children recognise, match and construct with shapes which contributes to them developing simple problem solving skills. Children are starting to make sense of the world as they observe the growth and change of living things. They show interest in planting sunflower and tomato seeds and care for them as they grow. They visit the baby room where they talk about when they were babies. The regular use of computers and magnets helps children understand how things work. They have fun finding objects hidden in the sand with magnets and are becoming competent using simple computer programmes. Although children play with a suitable range of resources that helps them start to appreciate our similarities and differences, not enough is done to help children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

gain an understanding of the cultures and beliefs of others. Children use their imagination creatively. They paint with bright colours, make models using recycled materials and act out real life situations in the home corner where they feed the baby, organise birthday parties and become a police officer.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural needs are fostered. Children enter the nursery happily and are welcomed warmly by staff. Children feel valued because they share warm, caring relationships with consistent staff who know them well. Staff work effectively with parents to make sure individual children's needs are met. Useful information is obtained from parents about their children and shared regularly thereafter to ensure children feel secure and receive consistent care. Children develop a positive self-esteem as they play with toys that positively represents themselves and helps them appreciate diversity.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Active steps are taken to ensure the needs of children who have learning difficulties are met. Staff implement the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice confidently and work closely with parents and other professionals involved in the child's care. This enables staff to provide care and activities that help children with learning difficulties reach their full potential.

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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 All children behave well and use good manners because they know what is expected of them and respond well to the high expectations set by staff. Pre-school children start to take responsibility for their own behaviour as they contribute to the rules and look forward to their photograph being displayed on the star board when they behave well. Children respond well to clear boundaries, praise and support. Children are further supported to behave well as they participate in a suitable range of activities that captures their interest and they have good opportunities to make decisions which positively enhances children's self-esteem.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of funded children is good. Very good attention is given to the partnership with parents to help children reach their full potential. Parents receive useful information about the Foundation Stage and the activities their children are involved in as staff regularly provide activity sheets which helps parents understand what children learn through the activity, and suggests activities they can do at home. Regular newsletters and information displayed around the pre-school room further informs parents of the current theme and activities to be provided in the nursery. This helps parent's to effectively support their children and extend activities to reinforce their learning. Regular parents meetings to discuss children's records keep parents informed of their children's progress. Parents have very good opportunities to contribute to children's progress records by including their observations of

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Helping children make a positive contribution

their children at home in the nursery's records.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Overall the needs of the range of children who attend are met. Children's welfare, care and safety are promoted well because space, staff and resources are organised effectively and allows children to play and develop their ideas in a safe, stimulating environment. Children are grouped according to their age and sufficient staff are deployed effectively to ensure appropriate care is given and children are supervised at all times.

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Organisation

Children benefit from clear recruitment and vetting procedures that makes sure staff are suitable, appropriately qualified and experienced. Thorough records, policies and procedures that staff understand and implement consistently, underpin the day-to-day practices in the nursery and contribute effectively to promoting children's well-being.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is good. The quality of care and nursery education children receive is continually enhanced because the management team have a strong commitment to providing good quality nursery education through staff training and development. Most staff working with funded children have attended training in the Foundation Stage and others have attended Special Educational Needs and Information, Communication Technology training. The use of evaluation is effective in monitoring the quality of teaching and children's progress towards the early learning goals. The management team constantly review practice and support new staff to maintain standards and ensure children continue to receive a high standard of nursery education.

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

The last care inspection recommended that the nursery ensure that staff continue to observe and record what children do and use their observations to help plan the next steps for the children's play, learning and development, increase the resources which reflect positive images of culture, ethnicity, gender and disability and ensure children have opportunities to begin to use technological equipment in order to support their understanding of Information Communication Technology in every day life. Children's progress records are completed regularly and information used effectively to plan the next steps for their play, learning and development which ensures children make good progress. Children have daily access to a computer where they use simple programmes which helps develop skills in each area of learning. They are developing competence in using a mouse and match colours, recognise letters of the alphabet

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Improvements since the last inspection

and follow simple instructions with increasing confidence. Children now have access to a wide range of resources that reflect positive images of culture, ethnicity, gender and disability. They play happily with dolls of various colours, some in traditional dress, look at books that show images of people of various cultures and play with small world toys such as people who have a disability. This helps children understand our similarities and differences and appreciate diversity.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The nursery was further required to ensure that regular risk assessments are carried out. Children's safety is promoted very well because risks assessments are carried out both in and outside the premises to identify any potential hazards. Action is taken to reduce the risk of accidents depending on the nature of the hazard and ensures children are not put in any danger.

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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 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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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):

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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 • enhance hygiene procedures to ensure children under a year are not exposed to the risk of infection

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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): • continue to develop staff understanding of the Foundation Stage • ensure activities provide sufficient challenge for more able children particularly during physical activities, that activities meet the individual needs of all children and allow children to express their own ideas during creative activities • plan and provide a suitable range of activities that helps children gain an understanding of the cultures and beliefs of others.

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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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