Borrowby Nursery School

Borrowby Nursery School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Borrowby Nursery School

EY272499 Unique Reference Number 19 September 2006 Inspection date Josephine Ann Northend / Ann Doubleday Inspector

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Borrowby Nursery School

Knayton CE Primary School, Knayton, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4AN Setting Address

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E-mail

Linda Chapman 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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?

Borrowby Nursery School is privately owned and managed. The group operates from a portacabin in the grounds of Knayton Primary School. Care is provided in one large play room and a smaller play room which is used for quieter activities. Children are mainly from Borrowby and surrounding villages.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 24 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 22 children on roll aged between two to under five years. Of these, 10 children receive funding for nursery education. Nursery sessions are Monday and Thursday from 11.45 to 15.30, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 09.00 to 15.30 during term time only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs four members of staff. The manager has a Level 4 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in early years and is working towards a Foundation Degree. A member of

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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 staff is working towards an NVQ level 3. The nursery is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance. It receives support from the Local Education Authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is inadequate. Children's physical development is supported well, with opportunities to play outdoors each day as they freely choose between the indoor and outdoor environments. There is a good range of easily accessible outdoor equipment. These are used well by the children to support their learning. For example, children pull and push each other in a large trolley and explore in the willow den. They climb up and down steps well as they access the outdoor play area. Children can rest or be active according to their individual needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are encouraged to follow good personal hygiene routines as they wash their hands frequently throughout the day. There are clear sick children procedures in place and accidents are satisfactorily recorded. However, only one member of staff has a current first aid certificate and she is not always present. This means children are not fully safe in the event of an emergency. There are procedures in place for the administration of medication, however, these are not followed. Medication is administered without written consent from parents and a record is not maintained of when the medication has been given. This means children's health needs are not met.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are provided with varied, generally nutritious meals and snacks, including fresh fruit each day. Drinking water is readily available throughout the day. Staff work appropriately with parents to ensure they are aware of and meet any special dietary requirements. The manager holds a food hygiene certificate. The meals are either prepared by the manager at her home or within the nursery kitchen. However, neither of these premises are registered with the local environmental health department. Therefore, children's health is not fully protected.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. Children move around freely while using a range of developmentally appropriate furniture and equipment. Resources are suitably organised in child height furniture to encourage independent access. Children can move around independently between the indoor and outdoor areas, although this is not always well supervised by staff. For example, children play on small trampolines in the outdoor area without any direct supervision.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There is a lost child policy in place, however, the procedures do not sufficiently protect children's welfare. Fire procedures are in place and a fire drill is practised regularly with the children, though the layout of the room means that fire exits are often obstructed with play equipment. This means children are not safe in the event of an emergency. Risk assessments are completed and some safety hazards have been minimised, for example, guards are fitted around the room heaters, but not all low-level electric sockets are protected and the home corner partition is not safe when children climb through the window. The premises are not fully secure as the gate

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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 and fencing around the perimeter are at a low level and the nursery entrance is usually propped open. This results in staff not being able to monitor and assess the suitability of visitors and the visitors record is not always completed. This results in children's safety being compromised.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have sound understanding of their role and responsibilities under child protection and procedures are in place in the event of an allegation against staff. This means the welfare of children is protected.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy their time at the nursery, they arrive happy and settle well. They have good relationships with the manager and are beginning to develop relationships with staff and each other, this promotes their sense of self. Children show curiosity and are confident communicators. This is supported well by staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The manager plans a satisfactory range of activities for children, she is are aware of the 'Birth to three matters' framework and is beginning to implement some aspects.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The manager has a good understanding of the early learning goals, however, this level of understanding is not yet developed by the new staff team. This results in some missed learning opportunities for children. Activities are planned each week by the manager and cover all six areas of learning, however, there are no medium and long term plans in place. Focused activity sheets have been developed but have not yet been implemented. Assessment records are completed and children's progress linked to the stepping stones, however, this information is not used well in the planning for future activities as they do not differentiate for children's individual learning needs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing good communication skills, they communicate well with staff and each other. They confidently join in with familiar nursery rhymes. Children participate well during informal story time and some children can predict what is going to happen next. They have good access to books in many activity areas, and handle them well. There are good opportunities for mark making within the nursery, children hold pencils correctly and some form recognisable letters. Children are confident in linking sounds to letters, for example, they know the initial sound of their names and those of their family.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children do not have sufficient opportunities to develop their information technology skills. There is a computer, but it is not always switched on and the programmable toys do not always contain batteries. Children show interest in the lives of people familiar to them and learn about the local environment as they handle pets carefully, go for walks in the wood and play in the willow environment. They are beginning to learn about features of the weather and the days of the week. Children count reliably up to five and are beginning to show interest in number problems through songs and rhymes, but do not have sufficient opportunities to use problem solving in other every day routines. Children recognise and can name many shapes and they are beginning to use size language appropriately. Children use their imagination well in role

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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 play, for example, as the make biscuits from play dough. They have good access to creative materials and can recognise and name some colours. They are beginning to learn about healthy eating and know that sweets are not good for their teeth. They extend their large physical skills well through a variety of experiences including regular use of outdoor equipment, for example, as they peddle tricycles and use sit and ride toys confidently. They develop good levels of hand-eye co-ordination through the use of small tools, scissors and throwing and catching balls. Children confidently organise other children within the group, for example, as they instruct each other where to stand for throwing games.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are not always well behaved. They do not always concentrate and the behaviour of some children impacts on the learning of the group, particularly during circle and story times. They do not show respect for each others space in group situations, jostling and climbing over each other. They are developing some understanding of other cultures and the world around them. Children are developing some self-care skills, for example, washing their own hands and attempting to put on their own shoes. However, this is not consistently supported by staff.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are happy and settled. They are welcomed by staff and the nursery is set up for their arrival. There is a clear equal opportunities policy in place. Planned activities are undertaken and a good range of resources are available reflecting other cultures and races. This helps increase children's awareness of diversity and develop a positive attitude to others. This fosters children's spiritual moral, social and cultural development. Children learn about the local community through many visits and through visitors to the setting. The group has a clear statement in place to support children with learning difficulties and disabilities and the named co-ordinator has completed relevant training.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Some children are generally well behaved and are beginning to share and take turns, however, others squabble and show little respect for each others space. Staff are not always consistent in how they manage this behaviour and in the explanations they offer. Children do receive some praise for positive behaviour and they are encouraged to be polite.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is satisfactory. Children benefit from the two way sharing of information about their needs and daily routines. Open evenings are held regularly and clear information is displayed for parents attention. Parents receive information about the setting and regular newsletters. They are involved in the initial assessment of their child and systems are in place to continue the child's leaning at home, for example, a book lending library. However, parents do not have clear access to their child's development records.

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Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. Children are generally comfortable and at ease within the nursery. Adult to child ratios are correctly maintained, however, a key worker system has not yet been developed. The staff recruitment and vetting procedures are not sufficiently robust to ensure children's welfare is

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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 safeguarded. New staff are left unsupervised before relevant checks have been completed. As the manager is unavailable one afternoon a week, the minimum qualification requirements are not met at this time. This means a requirement of registration is not met.

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Organisation

Most required documents are available and are stored confidentially. However, a regulation has not been met as the registers are not always completed as children arrive and leave; they are not clear and do not always show the hours of staff attendance. Most of the required policies and procedures are in place and they are shared with staff. There are satisfactory systems in place for the sharing of information with parents about the service and their child's activities.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. Support is received from the local authority and the manager attends relevant training opportunities. The knowledge gained is used to further support children's care and welfare. The manager acts as a good role model and staff are encouraged to attend relevant training, however, they are a new staff team and their experience and knowledge of the Foundation Stage is not fully developed. Consequently children's progress towards the early learning goals is not fully promoted. Delegation of staff roles and responsibilities have not yet been established. There is a staff induction and appraisal system in place, but the appraisal system has not yet been implemented with this team. This leads to the manager not being fully aware of staff strengths and weaknesses, resulting in missed learning opportunities for children. Overall, the provision does

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Organisation

not meet the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the provider was asked to ensure the policy for uncollected children is extended to include lost children and the child protection policy extended to include the procedure to be followed if allegations are made against a staff member. There is now a clear policy in place to be followed in the event of a child being lost. The Child Protection policy has been extended to include the procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation against staff. This means the welfare of children is safeguarded.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last education inspection the provider was asked to re-organise creative areas, structure role play and provide opportunities for children to practise writing and use mathematical skills. The provider also agreed to link assessments to observations in order to be clear about the next steps of children's learning and ensure sufficient space and opportunities for children to move with co-ordination.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The role play and creative areas have been re-organised and there are now opportunities for children to use mark making in many activity areas. Children do use counting, however, simple mathematical calculation is not used well in everyday routines.

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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 Assessment records are in place, however, observations are not fully used to differentiate for children's individual learning. Children now have sufficient opportunities to move their bodies with control and co-ordination.

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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.

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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.

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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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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, the registered person must take the following actions: • ensure that there are effective procedures in place for checking that staff are suitable to work with children • develop and implement an action plan that sets out how supervisors will achieve a level 3 qualification • take positive steps to promote safety in the setting and ensure proper precautions are taken to prevent accidents • obtain written permission from parents before administering medication to children and ensure an accurate record is maintained • ensure that anyone responsible for the preparation of meals is aware of, and complies with, Environmental Health requirements • ensure there is a system for registering children and staff attendance on a daily basis showing hours of attendance. These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice.

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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 To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • develop staffs' knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum • further the use of assessment to inform planning in order to offer sufficient challenge for all children • ensure children's behaviour is managed consistently to further develop children's learning.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

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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