diandjims@Prudhoe

diandjims@Prudhoe

Inspection report for early years provision

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diandjims@Prudhoe

Unique Reference Number EY283465 Inspection date 12 September 2006 Inspector Shirley Peart

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diandjims@Prudhoe

Setting Address Balloon House, Broomhouse Lane, Prudhoe, NE42 5FT

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E-mail

Registered person diandjims ltd Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Full day care, Out of School care, Crèche

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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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

diandjims@Prudhoe was registered in March 2004. It is located in a residential area in Prudhoe, Northumberland, located within a short distance of Prudhoe town centre. The full day care nursery operates from two rooms in a modular building, based within the grounds of Adderlane First School. An out of school scheme and crèche facility also operate from the adjacent children's centre. Wrap around care is also offered. Children have access to the enclosed outdoor school yard and grassed area for outside play. There is a further provision, which is managed by the same company based in Hexham, Northumberland that has been established for six years.

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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 is open five days a week from 07.30 to 18.00 all year round. The out of school club is open from 07.30 to 09.00 and 15.00 to 18.00 term time and from 07.30 to 18.00 during school holidays. Crèche facilities are offered on a variable basis when required. The nursery cares for a maximum of 50 children aged under five years. The crèche and out of school scheme cares for a maximum of 38 children under eight years, although older children may also attend the out of school club. There are currently 57 children on roll in the nursery who attend for a variety of different sessions. The group is managed by a limited company, with a central office and administration staff based in Hexham. There are 10 permanent members of staff who work with the children at the Prudhoe site. Most of the staff have relevant childcare qualifications

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

from National Vocational Qualification Levels 2 or 3 to degree level. Staff are also available to work across both provisions within Hexham and Prudhoe.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children play in a lovely clean environment. Strict hygiene procedures are followed to protect children's health. For example, cleaning rotas are displayed and carried out by staff, individual sleep sheets are available for children to use, staff wear protective aprons at lunch time and disposable aprons and gloves for nappy changing. Children also learn about being healthy as they clean their teeth after lunch and are reminded to put their hands over their mouths to 'catch their coughs.' They follow good hygiene practices and are starting to understand about their own personal care needs. For example, children regularly wash their hands before meals, before playing in the sand and after painting activities. Some children also know when they need to go to the bathroom and manage with staff support. Children enjoy healthy, substantial, hot meals at lunch time, as this is provided

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Helping children to be healthy

through the school meals' service. The nursery is also flexible regarding the food provided for babies and children and often accepts the food that parents provide. This ensures that children eat the food that they enjoy. Varied foods, such as rice, meat, different vegetables, puddings and a range of snacks and teas, such as yoghurts, wholemeal toast or fruit, ensures that children's nutritional needs are met very well. Children sit together in small groups at snack and lunch time with the staff and clearly enjoy the social occasion. They manage to clear away their own plates, so that their independence is enhanced very well. Babies are given sufficient attention, as there are plenty of staff on hand to assist them at meal times. They sit in a small group strapped into high or low chairs and enjoy exploring their food and make good attempts to feed themselves. Children have good, regular opportunities to be active outside in the fresh air, as this

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Helping children to be healthy

is built into their daily routine. They clearly enjoy being outdoors and staff initiate fun games, such as pretending to be a vehicle, therefore children run enthusiastically across the spacious yard making bike and car noises. They eagerly choose outdoor

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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 toys from the 'sports bag' and love throwing frisbees, using different size balls and make good attempts to use the skipping ropes. They have lots of fun and staff are well deployed and involved with children's play. Babies are taken out for regular walks in their pushchairs or they play on the school field in warm weather. This ensures that children's overall physical development and need for fresh air is enhanced very well. Recording for medication and accidents meets requirements and most staff hold relevant first aid and food hygiene certificates. Clear policies are in place for staff to follow, which ensures that children's health is well protected. For example, health and safety, medication, sun procedure and exclusion.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in a safe and spacious environment, which is very child centred. Low-level comfortable seating in the quiet areas enhances the surroundings well and children move around easily, accessing their toys and activities independently. They play with sturdy, bright equipment that meets their development needs well. Generally a very good range of toys is available which are safe, clean, age-appropriate and diverse. For example, children clearly enjoy the role play area as they feed and dress the 'babies' or wear the dressing up shoes and clothes. The range of equipment in this area is suitable and there is some authentic representation available, such as the provision of real phones. However, there is generally a limited range of natural objects and materials, as most of the role play equipment is plastic. Babies have lots of opportunities to use real, natural and sensory materials by

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

handling items in the treasure baskets or acorns and conkers. Children's safety is of paramount importance. Through a combination of documentation, risk assessments and staff vigilance children are safe and secure. For example, sleep checking charts, daily risk assessments, which includes the outdoor play area, good registration and visitor recording and regular evacuation practices are all in place. As the majority of the children are under three-years-old, staff use reminders on how to keep themselves safe. For example, when they play outside with the frisbee, children are shown how to throw it safely. Good information and procedures are in place regarding child protection and there is a staff member who takes overall responsibility. Staff receive regular, ongoing child protection training and the manager and owner clearly understand their role regarding child protection. This ensures that children's welfare is appropriately

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children are very happy and extremely settled in the provision. Babies under two-years-old are cared for by competent, caring staff, therefore they are highly

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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 animated and confident. For example, they clearly enjoy sitting together and they sing and clap enthusiastically. They concentrate hard on their printing activity and eagerly put the fruit in the paint and on the paper, with the staff's support and one-to-one attention. Children approach the staff easily, make gestures, take their hands and lead them to the carpet or to a toy. Lots of natural, warm interaction is apparent and they benefit from highly responsive staff who offer lots of spontaneous cuddles. Children based in the two to four-year-old room clearly adore the staff. For example, when the owner arrived some of the children ran excitedly towards him, grabbed his hands, became verbally animated and eagerly wanted to demonstrate what they were doing. Children are extremely confident and self-assured, as they

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

spontaneously burst into song when they are playing happily. Some older children have developed superb relationships with each other. For example, they are starting to form very good social bonds with their 'friends' and play together beautifully. Staff are fully involved with the children so that all areas of their development are significantly enhanced. They extend their social and communication skills by following through activities with them. For example, when children bring 'cups of tea' from the role play area, the staff inform the children what they would like to eat, therefore they run enthusiastically to make the 'dinner' and explain confidently what they have made. Or when children are feeding the 'babies' staff bring baby bibs out for them to use. The 'rising threes' activities give older children a chance to benefit from small group time, where the focused adult-led activity assists with their learning,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

such as letter and colour recognition. Children demonstrate delight when they successfully make 'sand pies' and use their imaginations very well when they talk on the 'phone.' Therefore, the staff inspire the children who therefore achieve well and thoroughly enjoy what they do in the nursery.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Staff know all of the children well, therefore their individual needs are very well met. For example, they know when children are ready to move from the baby room into the two to four year old room and they are extremely well supported with this transition. All children are included in the life of the setting. For example, if children cannot reach the sand trough, they stand on appropriate stools so that they can join in with play. If staff have any concerns about a child's development or progress, this is fully discussed with parents in the first instance. Children are learning to understand how to behave responsibly and their behaviour is very good. Because children are motivated and engrossed in their play, very few conflicts happen and children are learning how to play co-operatively. Staff provide lots of enthusiastic, positive praise, therefore children are confident and have high

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Helping children make a positive contribution

self-esteem. Partnership with parents is very good. They are involved in planned parents' evenings and receive good quality information in the prospectus and regular newsletters. Updated staff and general information is also displayed on the notice

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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 boards. However, the information poster for Ofsted is not displayed and the complaints procedure contained the old contact details for Ofsted. Parents' verbal comments, written cards and references indicate that parents are extremely happy with the provision and the care that their children receive. They particularly like the flexibility and the hard working, dedicated staff. As well as friendly, verbal exchanges with the parents, completion of children's individual daily diaries ensures that parents are fully informed of their child's day.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. Children's care is significantly enhanced by the exceptional organisation of the provision. Recruitment and selection procedures are robust so that children are very well protected. An out of school scheme and crèche facility has been set up and a staff member has been appointed to take overall responsibility for this provision. The stable staff team benefit from ongoing training, one-to-one appraisals and very good induction procedures and they are very well supported by the owners. They implement the 'Birth to three matters' framework well, are focused on the outcomes for children and have high regard for 'What it is like for a child here.' The staff team are highly dedicated, competent, knowledgeable and clearly enjoy their work. The nursery provision is highly developed and reviews are carried out regularly via staff meetings, parents' evenings and by using recent publications, such as those from

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Organisation

Ofsted. They are also working hard to achieve the National Day Nurseries Association 'Quality Counts' accreditation scheme. Adult-child ratios are very high, therefore children receive lots of attention, which gives them excellent support with their increasing development and learning. All staff are involved in the activity planning process and use the daily activity planning diaries effectively. Therefore, staff provide a good mix of exciting adult-led and child-led activities for the children, that enhances their all round development very well. For example, when children noticed caterpillars crawling up the windows outside, they collected one to care for with the aim of watching it change into a butterfly. Staff monitor and document children's progress well and often link this to the 'Birth to three matters' framework. Key workers take responsibility for the care of individual children and for liaising with their parents, which works very well.

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Organisation

Policies and procedures are linked to the National Standards, so that all aspects of children's care is covered very well and promotes their health, safety and well-being. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Complaints since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 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. Since registration 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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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • consider increasing the range of safe, real, natural objects and materials for children aged over two years • update the complaints procedure and display the relevant information poster for parents on how to contact Ofsted.

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The quality and standards of the care

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 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

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