Kirklington Primary School

Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Nursery

Unique Reference Number 122653 Inspection date 30 June 2006 Inspector Christine Clint

p.1

Nursery

Setting Address The Street, Betchworth, Surrey, RH3 7DJ

p.1

E-mail

Registered person u/a Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional care

p.1

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

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are outstanding. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Betchworth and Buckland Children's Nursery opened in 1992. The nursery operates from a purpose-designed, self-contained building within the grounds of Acorns School, Betchworth. Close to the towns of Reigate and Dorking in Surrey. The nursery serves the local community and many children are from the villages of Betchworth and Buckland and the surrounding rural communities. Most children transfer to the Acorns School after attending the nursery.

p.2

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 41 children on roll. This includes 35 funded 3 and 4 year old children. The nursery has experience of supporting children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday and session times are 09:15 to 13:15, during term time only. Children can be collected at 12:15 or they can bring a packed lunch and stay for the extended session. The nursery is flexible to meet the needs of parents and children. There are eight members of staff working with the children and over half of the staff are qualified. Staff continue to update and attend relevant training courses. The nursery has established close links with the Local Authority early years.

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children are able to be fully independent which enhances their health and well being. The nursery is superbly designed and planned with ample light and air. There is very effective use of space and complete freedom for children to play inside or outside at all times. There are thoroughly organised routines for cleaning the nursery and daily practice includes using anti-bacterial spray on the tables and surfaces, before children eat and drink. Children manage their own personal care extremely well. They use the toilets independently throughout the session and they respond readily when staff remind them to wash their hands at specific times. Children are immensely aware of the need to wash when they have dirty hands. Younger children systematically ask for help when using the toilets and staff are consistently available. The facilities are purpose built and all fittings are at a low level which children can reach easily.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Children who need nappy changing during the session are effectively managed and privacy is fully considered. Staff use a wrapped and sterilised changing mat, they wear gloves and follow completely hygienic routines. Children's health is entirely prioritised. All accidents are recorded and any injuries that children arrive with are clearly noted. Accident records are regularly monitored and linked with the nursery risk assessments. There are well stocked first aid kits available and staff ensure that first aid certificates are maintained through attending regular training. Staff are also fully prepared and trained in advance for specific medical requirements, these are organised and planned with parents to meet children's individual needs. Nursery procedures are meticulous regarding medication, illness and allergies. There are thoroughly planned procedures to display information about any allergies recorded on children's admission forms. There are individual records for

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

administering medication and any information about illnesses is rapidly shared with parents.

p.3

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 Children learn about food and healthy eating during topics and daily conversation. Older children confidently pour their own milk and eagerly help themselves to prepared fruit from a large plate. The children amiably pass the plate to each other and encourage younger children to learn the routines. They use paper tissues to efficiently wipe up any spillage themselves. Children can help themselves to water during the session, they come in from the field when it is hot and use the jug of water available. Children are encouraged to learn about socialising at meal times because staff sit with them at each table and guide the children's conversation. They competently manage their own lunch boxes which are stored in a cooler section of the nursery. Parents are regularly reminded about adding cool packs to children's lunch boxes if

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

they are needed. Lunch club is relaxed and sociable; children are learning to manage themselves in preparation for school. Children have ample opportunities to play outside all year round. They use several different areas regularly and the large field is used daily, so that children can fully enjoy the space. Children recognise that their hearts beat faster when they have been running and jumping. They recognise and remind each other to wear hats in the sun and they competently hang these on their pegs when they come inside.

p.4

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children are entirely safe and secure because the nursery has been designed and built, solely for their use on the school site. It is open and spacious, with ample glass doors for light and a superb soft surface, outdoor play area under cover. Children have continual outdoor and indoor play and they make full use of the new extended garden with permanent wooden fort buildings, tunnels and grassy slopes. Children also enjoy using the large field for supervised physical play and they sometimes join the school children's play times, to prepare for starting school. Children enter happily with their parents at the start of the day, there is a relaxed and informal atmosphere which parents fully enjoy. Children are settled and comfortable, they know the building well and move around freely. They are conscious of putting away play resources tidily. Staff are proud of the nursery and they are diligent in

p.4

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

maintaining the premises, they organise a thorough cleaning of the nursery building and equipment annually. Children are securely managed because there are very well planned systems for delivery and collection. The main entrance is used for arrivals and is locked after use. Children are collected from the rear nursery gate at the end of the session. The school grounds are also secure and gates are controlled. Visitors are easily identified through the glass doors and a visitor log is in place. Children are very sensibly supervised when they walk from the nursery to the field. There are complete procedures for lost or uncollected children and a full safety policy is in place.

p.4

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 There are also very thorough risk assessments to cover many activities, daily routines and areas of the building. This includes a daily observational safety check list and a health and safety assessment every term. There are also comprehensive risk registers for many of the committee responsibilities and the wider, external operational procedures. Children are fully considered before any fire drills are carried out, staff responsibly check the admissions register, to see which children may be more sensitive. Staff use a whistle and carry out emergency evacuations every term. There are fire notices displayed and fire equipment within the nursery is checked annually. Children's outings are fully assessed for any risks, these are usually local and children walk with staff and parents. Children also visit the school garden which has a

p.4

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

pond and they are continually supervised. Children's welfare is highly maintained because staff show a firm understanding of referring any concerns and the manager has attended fully up to date training. The nursery have a secure policy and procedure for child protection and a very organised manual of information for maintaining local authority procedures. There are clear and prepared procedures to be followed if there are any allegations against staff.

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children are totally settled and sure of their surroundings, they are encouraged to be self reliant and they gain high levels of confidence because they make choices and become independent learners. The planned activities and resources available ensure that all children are interested and motivated during their play. Children also benefit because of the high level of staff involvement during children's free play which enhances and extends children's knowledge and progress. Older children often lead activities through decision making and younger children are learning to follow the same patterns of independent play that have already been developed. Children are building positive relationships because of the sound key worker system which enables all children to develop trust in the nursery staff. Key worker staff show a strong awareness of knowing children's abilities and planning to offer stimulation

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and challenge to those who are more able, as well as being consistently available to offer support and give individual attention. Children are valued and acknowledged and staff are observant and offer praise readily. Staff fully assess all children's development and use the Birth to three matters framework to plan for their individual progress. They clearly link the everyday competence of younger children with the aspects of learning, these are included with the planning for all activities. Nursery education. Children enthusiastically dress up and make camps under the outside forts, they move between the different levels in the wooden forts and organise their cushions

p.5

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 and props for imaginative play. They negotiate with each other to share the different spaces, while they act out their role play in small groups. Children play happily with the dolls, they pretend to feed the babies and know that babies need bottles to 'grow bigger'. They brush the doll's hair and politely ask each other for the hair brush. They sort out the different sized clothes for the dolls and choose what to dress them in. Children are sociable and talk continually to each other, they remember and recount going to parties and getting wet in swimming in pools. Children have wonderful opportunities to experiment with different types of water play. They purposefully create and manage the flow of water, by using a piece of guttering and by changing it's position. Children make mud pies with wet sand and

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

create rivers. They manoeuvre the large crane over the water and wind the pulley up and down. They talk about sea creatures and identify whales, dolphins and sharks. They understand why creatures live in shells and know that it is for protection. Children make spontaneous decisions during their play, they carry the pirate ship cargo boxes inside and decide to make robot heads to wear. They describe the shape that they need to cut and ask for help with the scissors. Children look at each other and say that they are on television. Children count regularly and can identify quantity. They count the numbers of boys and girls when they are lining up and clearly know there are more boys than girls. Staff often use the colour of clothing or hair to distinguish and compare groups of children in this way. Children count and use number names in songs and rhymes, they enjoy the repetition and understand the use of positional language and

p.6

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

descriptions of size and shape. Children recognise and find their own names at snack time and on their individual drawers. They are able to use clip boards at any time to draw and write, older children can competently write their own names on their drawings. Children are very attentive and listen well, they are learning new words and they are able to recognise and identify words in the story. Children's attention is excellently held during story telling because staff use facial expression and alter their voice tone. Children are willing to help, they are learning to co-operate with each other at tidy up time. They responsibly ask if they need to wear hats when they are going out onto the field. They behave extremely well when they visit the reception class in the main school, to share story time. They listen and respond to the teacher with total concentration. Children are polite and remind each other to say please and thank you at snack time.

p.6

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They show a strong awareness of understanding the boundaries and the expectations of the nursery staff. The teaching and learning is outstanding. Staff are very well deployed at all times, they are attentive to children and keenly motivated to be involved with children's play.

p.6

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 offer high levels of understanding during activities and ask effective, open ended questions to encourage children to extend their thoughts and put these into words. Especially during water play to encourage children's understanding of gravity and when asking children questions about why sea creatures have shells. Staff are all involved in the daily planning of activities and share the responsibility to identify the learning objectives for all children. They are aware of the stepping stones and the areas of learning. Previous topics are often revisited and resources are kept. There are clear evaluative processes to remind staff of which activities worked well and why others did not work. Staff continually assess the strengths of teaching and learning through a thorough

p.6

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

self evaluation process, which gauges the areas of development required for the progress of all staff. All children's development and learning is fully assessed using the Foundation Stage curriculum. Children have individual records with superb photographic evidence of a very wide variety of activities; there is ample text to show how these relate to all the areas of development. Staff also complete a separate profile of dated and highlighted stepping stones which provides guidance for the reception class teacher. Children are valued and acknowledged, staff offer total consideration of their individual needs and provide extra support for children at any time.

p.7

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children are learning about equality because staff understand that it is important for children to be free from discriminating attitudes and that this enables them to have an accepting and broadening knowledge of the community in which they live. Children learn through books and stories, they have opportunities to develop a broader understanding of gender stereotypes through listening to the 'Little Girl Pirates', which also includes good moral perspectives. Children have a wide variety of play equipment which reflects the diversity in society, they dress up, they celebrate festivals from several cultures, they use cooking pots and taste different foods. They play with duplo and play mobile figures which represent different nationalities and families of different cultures are depicted on posters. Children are entirely included because staff seek ways to help them understand

p.7

Helping children make a positive contribution

when they are learning English as an additional language. Staff ask parents to help by writing and spelling words that can be easily understood. Children with individual learning needs are fully supported and their development is fostered. Staff show a strong understanding of creating individual planning for learning, using pictures and symbols if needed and linking with parents and support agencies for guidance.

p.7

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 Children spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They behave very well. Older children show complete confidence and an ability to manage their own behaviour; they are good role models for the younger children. Staff offer praise readily and thank children for their responses, especially after the music session when children are totally attentive and responsive to the new songs. The partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Children are comfortable and secure in the nursery because their parents are in total partnership with the staff. There is a fully supportive committee who also have close links with the primary school and the community. Parents are very knowledgeable about the responsibilities of the committee and staff, and of the daily timetable of the nursery. They entirely

p.7

Helping children make a positive contribution

appreciate the key worker system and the regular communication. Parents believe this is the 'best nursery around'. They are all totally happy with their children's progress and know that they can have regular feedback with their child's key worker at any time. Parents often remain in the nursery when they deliver children and they show interest and awareness in the activities provided. There is a very full and informative prospectus, with additional information on a practical level, for parents whose children are going to attend the nursery. All documentation for children's safety and welfare is prioritised and a complete procedure for managing any complaints from parents is in place. Parents are entirely happy with their children's learning. They are very aware of the process of funded educational places and of how staff plan and provide activities to encourage children in the Foundation Stage curriculum. Parents are welcome to

p.8

Helping children make a positive contribution

share in their children's learning, by spending time in the nursery and they look forward to receiving their children's photographic record of development.

p.8

Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. Children's care and learning is highly prioritised and enhanced by the exceptional level of organisation within the nursery. There are complete arrangements in place for processing all staff clearances and a very sensible approach to coping with any information received regarding the employment of staff. The manager and committee chair person have a fully responsible attitude to ensuring that children are protected. All staff have a very clear understanding of their roles and daily responsibility, there are job descriptions and staff appraisals, with continual opportunities for training. Over half of the staff are qualified and new staff follow an induction procedure to become familiar with the nursery policies. They are given ample time to settle and know the children and the routines before they embark on a full course of training. The registration certificate and recent Ofsted information is displayed in the nursery.

p.8

Organisation

A comprehensive operational procedure is available, this includes all the nursery policies and procedures. The daily register is fully marked with children's attendance and marked again when children leave. There is a daily white board used for any children being collected by

p.8

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 anyone other than their usual parent/carer. Staff are fully valued and recognised for their individual strengths, they show excellent team work and support for the nursery and the school. They hold formal staff meetings every term to cover the activity planning and they discuss additional needs and their key worker responsibilities on a daily basis. There are very strong links with the adjacent primary school and excellent shared opportunities. Children's transition to the school is entirely considered and many steps are included to ensure that this takes place smoothly. The nursery is proactive and has sound links with the local community. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom they provide. Leadership and management is outstanding. The nursery manager is highly

p.8

Organisation

organised and able to produce any documents from well filed information stored in the office. She shows experience and understanding for staff and children and shares her responsibility with the committee. All practitioners working in the nursery have a secure understanding of child development and key staff offer full knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum. They are keenly involved in the planning to ensure that activities provided include wide ranging variety and give all children imaginative opportunities. There are comprehensive systems for evaluating the educational provision for children and the manager is keen to embark on a recognised process for assessing the quality of the provision.

p.9

Improvements since the last inspection

The previous inspection required the provider to ensure that a written record of children's existing injuries is maintained. The nursery now hold records of any existing injuries and these are included with children's individual records and fully shared with parents to ensure children's safety and protection.

p.9

Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted 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.

p.9

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.9

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 The quality and standards of the care are outstanding. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.9

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

p.10

The quality and standards of the care

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of care are outstanding.

p.10

The quality and standards of the nursery education

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10