Bridge Lane Nursery LtdOfsted inspection, 6 Sept 2006

Bridge Lane Nursery Ltd

Inspection report for early years provision

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Bridge Lane Nursery Ltd

Unique Reference Number EY281653 Inspection date 06 September 2006 Inspector Christine Stimson

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Bridge Lane Nursery Ltd

Setting Address Bridge Lane, Battersea, London, SW11 3AD

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E-mail

Registered person Bridge Lane Nursery Ltd Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day 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 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?

Bridge Lane Nursery Ltd was registered in June 2004 and operates from a building situated in the Battersea area of Wandsworth. They have sole use of the premises. The area is well served by public transport and the majority of children attending come from the local vicinity. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.00 to 19.00 and operates 51 weeks a year, except for public holidays. Children have access to two large open plan play areas, a sleeping room and children's toilets. There is a fully

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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 enclosed garden for outside play. There are currently 110 children aged from three months to three years old on roll. Of these one child receives funding for nursery education. The nursery currently supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery currently employs 24 members of staff. Of these 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications and 10 are working towards a qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children begin to learn the importance of being healthy as they follow daily routines that encourage them to wash their hands prior to eating and after visiting the toilet. Staff minimise the risk of cross infection as they have generally good hygiene practice. For example, wearing aprons and gloves to change nappies and wiping down tables before and after meals. Children are developing their understanding of the benefits of a healthy diet as they eat fresh fruit for snacks and have home style cooked food that provides a healthy and well balanced diet. Fresh ingredients are used and children enjoy a range of fish, meat and vegetables each day, accompanied by drinking water. Children enjoy sociable meal times with staff sitting and supporting them. For example, staff encourage babies to hold their spoons, praising their attempts. Staff respect children's dietary needs and are very aware of their individual requirements.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff deal with any minor accidents effectively and are supported by well stocked first aid boxes with staff on hand who are first aid qualified. Accidents are recorded and parents informed on the day. The setting has written permission from parents to take children to hospital in an emergency, which means staff will act in the best interest of the child. The setting administers medication to children if it is required and parents give written consent. However, the medication book is not maintained in a confidential manner with one entry listed after another. Children enjoy a well planned range of physical activities which contribute to their good health. They have regular access to fresh air as good use is made of the garden. Children competently develop their large muscle skills as they pedal and manoeuvre bikes, jump and balance on trampolines and use climbing equipment.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for on premises where daily risk assessments are undertaken each morning to ensure children come into a safe environment. Vigilant staff identify and minimise risks by checking toys and equipment before children play with them,

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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 discarding any items that are broken. Monthly fire drills take place, with details recorded on the computer. However, these are always conducted on a Friday; children and staff not attending on Fridays are therefore not involved in the fire drills. This compromises their safety. Children play in clean premises using toys and equipment which are well maintained. There is sufficient equipment and furniture to meet children's needs. For example, there are settees in rooms where children and staff can sit together in a homely atmosphere to read stories and have a cuddle. Children's sleep routines are adhered to and there are plenty of cots, mattresses and clean linen to meet children's needs. Staff can protect children from possible abuse as they have developed their knowledge about the signs and symptoms of abuse. Some staff have attended Child

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Protection training courses and in- house training has been delivered by the owner to other staff. This ensures the setting can help protect children. There are clear procedures to follow if an allegation is made against a member of staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children happily enter the setting and settle quickly. They confidently choose what to play with or join in with the routine of the day. Children who are less keen to separate from their carers receive attentive support from caring staff. Children and staff have good relationships. For example, staff respond warmly to babies who hold their arms up for a cuddle. Older children are confident to approach staff for support, chatting to them about their home experiences and sharing their news with them. Staff respect children's decisions about what they wish to play with and link up with them to extend their learning once the choice has been made. Daily focussed activities are planned, but children do not have to take part if they choose to do something else. However, most children are interested and eager to participate. Children enjoy a range of activities which interest them and encourage them to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

develop. For example, babies enjoy staff singing songs and rhymes to them as they sit on the floor or in swing seats with staff encouraging them to clap their hands to the rhythm of the music. Toddlers enjoy regular messy play activities and use their fingers to paint or squeeze small chocolate pieces through a mixture of flour. Staff are on hand to support children's activities and are skilled in asking them open questions that make children think and question. Staff demonstrate they have a clear understanding of the Birth to three framework. They use their knowledge of the children and written observations to plan activities which children enjoy and which encourage them to develop. The displaying of plans for parents enables them to be aware of their child's day. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children make good progress as staff plan activities that promote children's learning. Children are engaged in a range of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

stimulating activities each day and have access to resources which support their learning across the six areas of the Foundation Stage. From the time the children come into the setting they are engaged in a range of activities that capture their

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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 imaginations. For example, children learn about subtraction as staff use teddy bear props whilst children sing a song about 'Ten in the bed'. They are encouraged to use their fingers to count down as each bear falls out of the bed. Children have opportunities to look and learn about living things with children recently exploring the life cycle of a chicken. Chicks were hatched in an incubator and the children followed their progress. Photos show children carefully holding very young chicks which had been taken out of their warm incubator for a short time. Children currently do not go on any local outings or have visitors coming into the setting. This limits their opportunities to learn about their local environment and the people within their community. Children work well together and are beginning to understand the need to take turns

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and share fairly. They are confident within the setting linking up together for play. Children have high self esteem; they are confident to approach adults to ask questions and to speak up at circle time to share news with staff and their peers. Children's creative development is encouraged as they use a variety of items to create pictures from their imaginations. Their work is displayed on the walls showing it is valued by staff. Staff undertake written observations on children's achievements and these are kept in individual files which are shared with parents at meetings called 'parent conferences'. These meetings are held every six to eight weeks. Parents are encouraged to extend their children's learning at home with the nursery willing to give advice or send home books and other resources to enable parents to achieve this. Activities children take part in are evaluated for their effectiveness and planning

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

shows that children are targeted to ensure individual children who are more able have their learning extended by providing more difficult challenges. Long term planning shows the topics the nursery will be covering during the term and the short term planning shows the activities that will be explored broken down into the six areas of learning. Each focussed activity has a planning sheet that indicates what children should be learning, what the children will do, the resources to be used and what children should be targeted. Details of the adult input are noted and evaluations of what children learnt are made. This ensures children's development is monitored to ensure they make progress.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children feel valued as staff are aware of their individual needs and take time to support these. For example, staff working with children who have English as an additional language use visual aids, books and music tapes to help children feel secure and confident. The rich diversity of staff, who speak a variety of languages, also helps these children to settle and they generally pick up the English language very quickly. Children play with resources which give positive images of culture, gender and disability and have opportunities to celebrate the festivals and cultures of others through art activities and music. Children behave very well. Staff help them learn good manners as they are positive

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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 role models who say please and thank you to the children and prompt them to do the same. Staff help children learn about acceptable behaviour as they explain why some behaviour is not acceptable. For example, if the children are all talking at once at circle time they are reminded about the importance of listening to each other. They are praised when they respond to this request. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. For example, children listen to classical music whilst eating lunch, they are well behaved and are beginning to understand the need to take turns and share fairly. Children link up together to play games and explore their imaginations and have opportunities to learn about other cultures through organised activities. Effective links enable consistency of care as staff and parents communicate using

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Helping children make a positive contribution

verbal and written methods. Parents are aware of their child's development as staff use observations and photos to record progress; these are shared with parents on a regular basis. Newsletters keep parents up to date with current information and letters are sent home to parents giving suggestions and ideas of how to extend children's learning at home. Policies and procedures are in place for the setting, but are not organised in a manner that would be easy for parents to access. Partnership with parents is good. Like other parents, those whose children receive funding for nursery education have regular newsletters and written information about the topics their child is covering within the nursery. Efforts are made to enable parents to extend their children's learning at home with suggestions of books to read, places to visit and games to play. All parents are aware of who their child's key worker is and regular parents conferences are held to report on children's progress

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Helping children make a positive contribution

and next steps of development. The owners are on hand each day if parents wish to talk to them and steps are taken to pass on any information about children achievements when they transfer from the nursery to school.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Staff work well together and effective management ensures that consistent staff work with children. For example, all staff care for a consistent group of children as they have an area which they regularly work in. This helps children develop close relationships and ensures they feel confident and secure. All legally required documentation which contributes to children's health, safety and well being is in place. However, children's attendance registers are not accurate on the first day of the inspection. This means that if an emergency evacuation is necessary staff may not know if all the children are safe. Leadership and management are good. Staff feel supported by the managers who visit rooms frequently during the day to ensure the quality of care and education is being effectively covered. Parents speak highly of the staff and the managers, feeling confident to approach them with any concerns they may have. Effective methods are

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Organisation

used to recruit suitable staff and an induction procedure ensures staff are made aware of how the setting runs. For example, staff read all the policies and procedures

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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 relating to the setting and spend time in their base rooms getting to know the routines and the children. A probationary period also means that if staff are not suitable they do not remain working in the setting. Staff are able to develop and extend their knowledge of child care practice as they have access to training directories where they can book courses. The appraisal system is used to identify staff's training needs and in house training is delivered by one of the owners, who is a qualified trainer. The managers oversee the planning of activities to evaluate the quality of teaching and it's impact on children's learning. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection good progress has been made for improvement. Cleaning products are now inaccessible to children, the side gate is kept locked and details of monthly fire drills are maintained. This supports children's safety. The setting has also increased resources that promote positive images of disability by providing posters, books and play figures. This ensures children learn about diversity.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection Ofsted have received one complaint. Concerns were raised on 31/01/2006 in relation to Standard 11; Behaviour Management. Allegations were made that a member of staff used inappropriate behaviour management towards a child in their care. Ofsted wrote to the provider requesting details of their internal investigation and as a result of this a recommendation was set. The provider remains qualified for registration.

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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 • ensure medication records are maintained in a confidential manner • ensure the staff and children's time of arrival and departure are accurately recorded each day. • ensure the policies and procedures are made available to parents

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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): • ensure children have opportunities to discover their local environment and gain awareness of people in the local community

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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