Yellow Dot Town Nursery

Yellow Dot Town Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY331705 Unique Reference Number 11 September 2006 Inspection date Alison Jane Kaplonek Inspector

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61-63 Leigh Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 9YG Setting Address

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02380 651166 Telephone number hello@yellowdotnursery.co.uk E-mail Yellow Dot Limited Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Yellow Dot Town Nursery was registered in 2006. It is one of five early years settings run by Yellow Dot Limited. It is situated in a central location in Eastleigh, close to amenities including a play park and a library, which are accessed by the children. It is registered to provide full day care for a maximum of 57 children at any one time. A variety of sessions is offered. Babies and toddlers are cared for on the ground floor and older children on the first floor of this two storey building. Children have access to a playground for fresh air and physical activities. There are currently 64 children from four months to under five years on roll. Of these, 13 children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery is able to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children with English as an additional language. The nursery opens five days a week throughout the year, except for a week closure over Christmas. The nursery receives

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. The nursery employs 14 members of staff. Of these, 10 hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children’s good health is assured in the clean and well maintained environment. They are very well protected by staff who follow effective procedures and practices, such as regular cleaning of surfaces and changing mats and the use of checklists to ensure that all areas of the nursery are clean. Babies’ emotional well-being is nurtured by staff who manage their individual feeding and sleeping routines well. Older children play an active part in keeping themselves healthy by independently taking themselves to the toilet and washing their hands. They understand the hygiene routines and remind staff to wash their own hands after handling a dragonfly, which has been brought into the nursery for the children to see. They are beginning to be aware of their bodies and know they must put on a sun hat before going outside to play. Good use of documentation ensures that staff are recording accidents or the administration of medicines.

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Helping children to be healthy

Registration forms include information regarding children’s allergies and dietary needs. Permission is obtained from parents to enable staff to administer first aid or to seek emergency treatment or advice.

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Helping children to be healthy

All babies and children are offered nutritious snacks, such as fresh or dried fruit. Toddlers and older children can choose when to access these during the rolling snack time. They are also offered drinks and can request others at any time from the jugs which are kept in each room. Healthy main meals are freshly cooked on the premises each day and are provided in a pureed or mashed form for the babies and toddlers.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children develop a good range of skills during their physical play. They enjoy their outdoor time in the play area, when they can access a range of equipment which enables them to practice skills, such as climbing, peddling and crawling. However, outside play is unplanned and it is not always clear what children will learn from these experiences. Babies and toddlers are regularly taken out for walks in the local park, where they enjoy the fresh air and change of scenery. They have the use of soft play equipment to crawl and climb on indoors. Older children also enjoy visiting the local park to use the play area. They confidently use a good range of small equipment to increase their manipulative skills, such as scissors, staplers and pencils and are gaining in control and co-ordination.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children are very well cared for in an outstandingly safe and secure, child centred environment. Effective use of the available space both inside and out enables children to move freely, but safely, accessing well maintained toys and play materials. The large, spacious and colourfully painted rooms provide an attractive and stimulating environment for both children and parents. Staff are extremely vigilant and reduce the risk of accidents by carrying out daily, visual and written risk assessments on the premises and equipment. Procedures are in place to ensure that equipment is repaired or replaced if damaged. Babies and toddlers are carefully monitored while they sleep and records of their routines are shared with parents. Children and staff are becoming familiar with the fire evacuation procedure, which they practice regularly each half term.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Older children are effectively involved in protecting themselves from harm. They are encouraged to take responsibility for their own safety when using the stairs and are spoken to about keeping

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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 safe before they go out for walks. They are provided with nursery tabards to wear to ensure that they are easy to see and hold onto a brightly coloured rope, so that they all keep together. Staff continually explain to the children why they must stay with the staff and their friends while out in the local community.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are extremely well protected by staff and managers who have a very clear understanding of child protection procedures and keep local contact numbers accessible. A comprehensive policy is shared with all new staff during their induction process. Parents can access information about the day nursery's child protection policy from the information pack and policy folder provided. Staff also regularly share information about accidents and incidents with parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Babies and toddlers benefit from the provision of a good range of resources and activities. Resources are stored in child friendly containers, which the younger children can access themselves, and the range of activities is well planned using the Birth to three framework for younger children. Activities planned include painting, puzzles, looking at books and a vast range of sensory experiences. Babies particularly enjoy exploring fruit purees or flour using their hands and mouths, often becoming engrossed in the activity. They join in with familiar songs and rhymes and clap their hands excitedly. They very much enjoy their daily walks in the park or to the shops, where they can observe people and animals in the local community. Staff are attentive and responsive to the younger children, talking and singing to them and encouraging them to use their voices. Toddlers are learning a good range of familiar action

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

songs and rhymes and like hand painting or sitting in the sand and feeling it fall through their fingers. Staff encourage the toddlers to join in as they count aloud.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Many staff are new to the nursery and are in the process of familiarising themselves with the planning and teaching systems. They work hard to get to know the children, many of whom are also new to the nursery. They all act as good role models and provide a calm learning environment. Staff and management value the children's work and use some for display purposes, providing a colourful environment for children to play and learn in. The kindergarten teacher works in conjunction with her staff to plan a range of activities, which cover all areas of learning and link to the stepping stones of the Foundation stage curriculum, although these are not always appropriate to the children's developmental level, such as copying over shapes or letters in their names. Outside play is not planned and some areas of learning are not given sufficient emphasis, such as maths or

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

imaginative play. The unplanned or free play times offer children a limited choice of activity and do not encourage a great deal of child initiated play and learning. The plans include differentiation for the older or more able children and activities are evaluated at the end of each day and shared with all staff during team meetings. Clear assessment records are completed to indicate which stepping stones the children have achieved or are working towards. These records are to be linked to the Hampshire records of achievement for each child.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Many children chatter while they play and enjoy talking with staff members and each other. They use language to explain what they are doing, for example when stapling a book or designing with tape, paper and scissors. They use language to organise their play as they talk about needing yellow paint to paint a picture of their mum’s hair. Children enjoy rhymes, songs and stories and listen attentively at whole group story time. They are beginning to recognise the

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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 sounds and shapes of letters as they take part in the phonics activity or talk about the letters in their names. Some children are gaining confidence in using one handed tools such as paintbrushes and pencils, although there are limited opportunities for them to develop their writing skills during their play. Children count regularly during planned activities and during daily routines, such as lining up or when going outside, and many count to five. They enjoy singing number songs and are beginning to develop an understanding of addition and subtraction as they talk about the number of monkeys left in the bed. They explore shape, size and quantity during a range of planned activities such as threading or when talking about the compare bugs, although there are limited opportunities for them to initiate their own learning in this area as

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

they cannot easily access resources such as the sand, dough or mathematical games, unless this is planned.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children explore with water, dough and paint and have planted seeds. They enjoy looking at a dragonfly which is brought into the nursery and talk about the shape of the wings and length of the tail. However, they do not have access to resources to enable further investigation such as magnifying glasses. They make and design with malleable materials such as dough and also with construction kits, although there are limited opportunities for them to select their own choice of materials. The nursery have a computer and those children who have access to this are able to complete simple programmes to support their learning. Children are settling in and gaining a sense of time as they learn the routines of the nursery. They gain an excellent sense of place as they explore the local community, where they have visited the local doctors and the library. They talk about and taste foods from other countries when they buy biscuits from the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

local visiting French market. Children have opportunities to explore colour and sound during planned activities such as dance sessions or when doing print pictures. They use their imaginations when they access the role play corner or draw their own pictures. However, there are few opportunities for them to initiate their own creative or imaginative play because of the limited choice of activities and resources.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Babies and toddlers are cared for by attentive staff who are responsive and meet their needs well. They settle in quickly and are developing their self-assurance. Staff complete daily record sheets with information about each child's particular sleeping and feeding routine, which they then share with the parents. The transition children and those in the kindergarten are very involved in the routines of the nursery. They talk about the rules, help to tidy away and choose when to have their snack. They enjoy their trips out into the local community and talk about visiting the library and the market. Children's individual personalities are valued by staff, who praise good behaviour and achievements such as crawling or lining-up well. As a consequence, children respond well and behaviour is good. Staff are able to support children with learning difficulties and work alongside the parents.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Older children are gaining in self-confidences and form good relationships with staff and each other. They concentrate well and are learning to share and take turns. Staff provide good support for those children who find this difficult. Older children concentrate well and are interested in what they are doing. They take time to learn how to operate the stapler, or to cut the paper as they make their own books. They are keen to learn and to develop new skills. Children are becoming independent as they pour their own drinks and serve their own food. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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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 The partnership with parents and carers is good and this has an important influence on children's wellbeing. Parents are provided with a wide range of information through notice boards and regular newsletters. Plans and menus are displayed in all rooms within the day nursery and the parents of the children in receipt of nursery education funding are supplied with a list of the topics which children will be covering, so that they can contribute to their children's learning if they wish. They are supplied with photographs of the activities their children have taken part in, so that they can talk to them about what they have been doing. Parents of babies or toddlers receive detailed written information about their child's sleeping and feeding routine every day. Parents state that staff are very approachable and that they gain a good insight into their

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Helping children make a positive contribution

child's day during verbal feedback when they collect their children. Polices and procedures are available for parents to see and include a complaints procedure and record.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are fully included and happy in the well organised nursery environment. They are cared for in bright and welcoming premises where staff are appropriately checked and well qualified. Staff work directly with the children, providing good support where required. They are particularly good at providing the appropriate support and encouragement to enable the new children to settle and become familiar with the nursery routines. They work effectively as a team, are well deployed, have clear roles and responsibilities, and ensure that children's individual needs are well met. Children benefit from organised and enthusiastic staff.

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Organisation

Good essential records are kept for each child and shared with the parents, ensuring that children's welfare and care are of a good standard. Staff are getting to know the children well through the use of information obtained on the children's registration forms and through daily communication with parents .They complete daily registers for children, staff and visitors, although these do not always include times of arrival and departure and some staff forget to sign in. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures, which are shared with both staff and parents, enables the nursery to meet the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is satisfactory. Clear aims and objectives have been set for the day nursery and there is a clear management structure in place. Management and staff are committed to providing care and education of the best possible standard. All new staff are selected for their qualifications and experience and take part in an induction process. Many are new to the nursery and are themselves learning new routines and practises with the support of the management team. They all receive regular appraisals, which help to identify their training needs, and many have already signed up for a number of courses with the local authority. However, the provision for nursery education is not yet sufficiently well monitored to ensure that children are provided with a range of choices and activities to enable them to make the best possible progress.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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. The provider is required to

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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 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 satisfactory.

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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): • ensure that all children and staff are signed in the register with times of arrival and departure.

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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): • increase the range and choice of age appropriate activities and resources, to enable children to initiate their own learning, to explore, be creative and use their imaginations. • ensure that plans for outdoor play include clear learning intentions with particular regard to how children develop their physical skills. • increase the emphasis on the curriculum for mathematics, in particular, problem solving and space, shape and measure.

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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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