Ysgol Bro Fammau

Wickham Bishops Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Wickham Bishops Nursery

402028 Unique Reference Number 24 January 2007 Inspection date Anne Daly Inspector

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Wickham Bishops Nursery

The Annexe, Wickham Bishops Village Hall, Church Road, Witham, Essex, CM8 3JZ

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Setting Address

01621 892991 or 01376 511725 Telephone number belindawakelin@btconnect.com E-mail Belinda Frances Wakelin Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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Setting Address

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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Wickham Bishops Nursery is one of three privately owned nurseries by the registered provider. It opened in 1983, changing ownership in 2000. The nursery operates from one of the halls within the Village Hall of Wickham Bishops. A maximum of 36 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 09:30 until 12:OO and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 09:30 until 16:00. All children share access to an enclosed, outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 86 children from three to five years on roll. Of these, 52 children receive funding for nursery education. Children from the local and surrounding areas attend for a variety of sessions. This setting currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and can also support children with disabilities or who speak English as a second language.

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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 employs 13 staff. Of these, 11 hold appropriate early years qualifications. There are currently four staff working towards an early years qualification or to enhance their qualification. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP), the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PSLA) and the National Day Nursery Association (NDNA).

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children have daily opportunities to choose from a wide range of physical exercise, both indoors and outdoors, to contribute to their good health. They have plenty of time to explore, experiment and refine their movements and actions such as when using the ‘peddle roller’. Their confidence and self-esteem grows when they are successful, for example when cutting with scissors. They learn through using their senses when seeing things from different perspective, such as from the top of the climbing frame or from inside a tunnel. Staff have a good understanding of the needs of younger children and provide them with appropriate activities and resources to support their physical and emotional development.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children’s dietary needs are well met, because staff request information from their parents and carers about any dietary requirements and allergies. Children are increasing their understanding of the importance of a healthy diet by staff rotating choices of healthy snacks, while daily providing a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Children are able to make decisions about their snacks as to what they would like to drink and their choices of fruit or vegetable. They are developing a good understanding of healthy eating through staff talking to them about why fruit and vegetables are good for them. They can help themselves to drinking water throughout the session to avoid becoming dehydrated.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children stay healthy because they show good levels of understanding of simple health and hygiene practices, such as by using individual hand towels after washing with liquid soap. Older children manage their own personal care well and understand why they must put their hands over their mouths when they cough to prevent their germs being spread. Younger children are protected from cross-infection during nappy changes by staff following procedures, such as wearing disposable gloves and disinfecting the changing mat after each child. Children are protected as the staff members holding first aid qualifications are always available to effectively handle their minor injuries. Accident and medication records are appropriately maintained to evidence that children are fully protected. On outings, children requiring medical treatment, for example an asthmatic child must stay with the staff member responsible for the inhaler to

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a clean, warm and welcoming environment. The premises are secure and generally safe because staff’s written risk assessments and procedures help to safeguard children from potential hazards. Staff undertake daily checks to ensure that the play equipment

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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 is clean, undamaged and safe before children arrive. However, children are not fully protected from all hazards as staff provide plastic carrier bags for children to take their artwork home, which are freely accessible to young children in an unsupervised corridor.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children’s safety on outings is paramount, with adult:child ratios being increased to one adult to two children. Prior to any outings, the organising staff undertake risk assessments of the venues to ensure that all relevant safety measures are in place and that the play facilities are well maintained. Before an outing commences, all helpers are fully briefed about the nursery’s educational visit code of practice to fully safeguard children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children know and comply with safety routines, for example knowing when asked to carry a chair, to hold it with its legs pointing to the floor to prevent another child being hurt by them. Children regularly practise fire drills to ensure their safety by knowing what to do if they have to evacuate the premises in an emergency. Children self-select from a wide range of good quality, clean and well-maintained toys and equipment to support their enjoyable activities, which are appropriate for their full age range.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safeguarded by staff having a good understanding of child protection responsibilities. Staff are vigilant, aware of the signs and symptoms of possible abuse and know the correct procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child’s welfare. There is a named person responsible for ensuring that any concerns are dealt with promptly and sensitively. Staff share their child protection procedures with parents and carers to ensure that they know what actions will be taken to fully safeguard their children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are familiar with the setting’s routines and surroundings as evidenced by their happiness and eagerness to participate in all activities. They demonstrate good levels of confidence while learning through play, when they are also able to relate well to each other. They are purposefully engaged throughout the day, working and playing enthusiastically, either alone or with others. They are well-behaved and are developing a clear awareness of the nursery’s expectations of their behaviour. Caring staff show an interest in what children see and use everyday opportunities to develop their knowledge of the world around them, for example watching workmen operating a ‘backhoe’ loader to move earth into a dumper truck. Children respond to simple instructions and staff provide many practical experiences to encourage them to respond to challenges, such as when threading two different coloured pasta shapes in sequence. Staff consistently praise

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children’s achievements to raise their self-esteem and to develop their confidence.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children aged under three years are becoming confident learners through staff supporting their play. They implement the 'Birth to three matters' framework to observe and note what children can do to help them plan for their next stages of development. Younger children creatively respond to the world by staff encouraging them to enjoy repetition in their movement, language and other sensory experiences. Younger children gain confidence and relate well to staff. They have a special circle time when staff read short stories, using visual aids to support their language development. Children become very involved and interested in singing songs as staff show them artefacts, such as five ducks, relating to their songs.

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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 Nursery Education

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage, the stepping stones and how children learn. This enables all of them to be involved in the planning of a purposeful range of activities for children working towards the early learning goals. They know the children well to ensure that the activity plans detail the main learning intentions for the week in all six areas of learning. The daily recording against each child enables staff to know their starting point for every focused activity. However, the activity plans do not consistently include the key questions, associated vocabulary or how the activity will be adapted to fully challenge individual children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff work well as a team to deliver a focused range of activities by the use of an innovative range of teaching methods. They build trusting relationships with children and encourage them to try new experiences. They have a good knowledge of how young children learn, allowing them to learn at their own pace by providing a good balance between adult and child-led activities. Staff manage children’s behaviour by providing a learning environment that enables them to develop their understanding of right and wrong. Children with learning difficulties are involved in activities and staff support them to help them gain the most from their different experiences. The environment is well organised and good use is made of both the inside and outside to ensure that children are able to independently access activities, to make choices about their learning and to have time to complete their activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are happy and settled in the nursery and are confident to try new activities. They have an awareness of their own needs and are allowed to operate independently. They have a positive approach to trying new experiences, for example fire drills. Children are developing an awareness of their own needs and of others, beginning to understand that their behaviour may have consequences, for example if they run around inside. Children use initiative and are self-sufficient within their learning by choosing activities and independently accessing resources.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop and have plenty of opportunities to practise the elements of speaking, listening, reading and writing. They develop language when role playing, for example when recreating family roles and recalling past experiences of how they cared for a baby. They recognise their names and are helped to understand familiar words on labels within the environment. Children have opportunities to practise early writing skills in role play situations, such as at the estate agents. They enjoy linking sounds to letters and more able children are able to hear an initial sound and to link it to words, for example ‘e’ for elephant. A wide range of practical activities and singing rhymes promote their understanding of names and of the sounds of the letters of the alphabet. Children confidently re-tell traditional stories using finger puppets.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing their mathematical skills through a wide variety of enjoyable, practical activities, including stories, songs, puzzles, patterns and solving problems. More able children confidently recognise groups up to nine and can recognise numbers up to six. During practical activities, children count and solve problems with confidence with numbers that are one more or one less. More able children are developing an understanding of measurement by cutting materials to size, for example cutting paper to wrap presents.

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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 Children are beginning to make sense of the world around them by investigating and exploring through first hand experiences in an interesting environment. They investigate objects and materials by using their senses, for example using binoculars to observe snails. Children confidently build and construct with a wide range of objects, for example large cardboard boxes or small wooden bricks to build homes for elephants. They show an awareness of technology, for instance telephones and keyboards, in their imaginary role play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children move with control and confidence through activities, such as musical statues. They have many opportunities to practise and refine their skills, for example when climbing the steps of the climbing frame. They use a range of malleable materials, such as clay and use hand-eye co-ordination when using tools to roll and cut the clay.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are able to be creative and to use imagination in art, music, dance and role play. They recognise and explore how sounds can be changed, for example by using different quantities of rice in simple shakers. They learn through their senses and use imagination when exploring the three dimensions, for example elephant ears being fixed to a head band.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals, with staff observing, assessing and recording achievements to inform their next steps of learning. However, plans do not consistently include how the more able child will be fully challenged and supported to maximise outcomes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are valued and respected as individuals by a well-qualified staff team to ensure that they develop high self-esteem. All children and their families are welcomed, treated with respect and made to feel part of the nursery. The manager undertakes home visits to ensure that each child’s needs are fully understood before starting at the nursery. If children have a special toy they like to cuddle or any special words to enable well-being, staff ensure that their requirements are fully considered. Children enter the setting with confidence and feel a good sense of belonging. They understand the routines by hanging their outdoor clothing on individual pegs, before self-registering and joining staff sitting in a circle reading stories to individuals or small groups.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There is a sound system to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The appointed co-ordinator liaises appropriately with their parents and seeks advice from professionals to successfully maximise each child’s developmental progress.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They are able to have tranquil moments when quietly looking at a book alone or confidently make conversation with staff, visitors and other children. They have many opportunities to learn about the wider society through topics and projects on other countries to foster respect for other beliefs, cultures and traditions. They are encouraged to understand other cultures by investigating different foods and by handling a range of cultural items, for example dry noodles and a Chinese wok and bowls. Children are learning about the local environment through visits to the library and local church.

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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 Children's behaviour is good and they play extremely well together. Good use is made of behaviour management strategies, such as children knowing that, if they want a turn on a specific piece of equipment, they must use the egg timer and wait until the sand has passed through until they can expect the other child to leave the toy. They are fully aware of what staff expect of them through consistent routines, for example when staff say ’123 look and see,’ they know that they all have to help to tidy away the toys.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There are good working relationships with staff, parents and carers, who can speak to the manager at any time to discuss concerns about their child’s welfare and development. Children benefit from the close and caring relationships between staff and their parents and carers, who are made to feel welcome. This good partnership contributes significantly to each child's well-being as they are able to settle quickly by staff ensuring that they follow the information the manager gathers about them during her home visits prior to them starting at the nursery.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership of parents and carers of funded children is good. They are kept informed about their children’s learning through a prospectus, open days, newsletters and developmental records in all six areas of learning. There are opportunities for parents to become involved in their children's learning, such as by knowing the letter of the week and by reading library books with their children. Parents and carers observe all the activities set up when taking their child into the setting. However, they are not fully informed as they have little weekly information regarding the kind of activities the nursery provides to help children to progress through the stepping stones and to enable them to become fully involved in their children’s learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are supported by a caring and qualified staff team, who have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They organise the space and resources effectively to meet children’s needs by offering them the choice of inside or outside play for the majority of sessions. Group sizes and staff deployment allow children to be confident to initiate and extend their own play, while the splitting of circle times ensures that age appropriate stories meet individual children’s needs.

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Organisation

The operational plan is continually being reviewed and includes a range of policies to enable the setting to operate safely on a day to day basis. The registered provider ensures that all staff are suitable to care for children thorough recruitment, selection and vetting procedures. Children’s welfare, care and learning is valued as their records are openly shared with parents and carers, who are able to contribute for the benefit of their children.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is good. The registered provider focuses on staff development to ensure the progress and achievement of all children. Before receiving any children, the daily supervisor discusses the daily activities with her team to ensure that they have a clear focus on each learning outcome. However, the activity sheets do not consistently fully support more able children to fully maximise their potential. Roles and tasks are delegated amongst the staff team, who have a strong commitment to further their professional development through training and regular appraisals.

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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 Children benefit from the staff taking part in projects to examine their own working practices, for example ‘Effective Early Learning’ to help them identify their own strengths and weaknesses. Staff develop links with both local schools and outside agencies to promote an inclusive environment in which every child matters.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection, the registered provider was asked to consider checking for cleanliness and safety to enhance the daily risk assessments. Staff now undertake daily risk assessments of both the inside and outside, including ensuring that the toilet area is clean and that floors are clean and not damaged to fully safeguard children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection, there were no key issues to report, although the registered provider was asked to give consideration to introducing children to a wider range of music. Children now have many opportunities to dance and to listen to a wide range of different music, including Indian, Chinese and of classical composers to enhance their development.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are 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): • assess the risks to children in relation to plastic carrier bags and take action to minimise.

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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):

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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 • develop further the activity planning to ensure identification of sufficient challenge to fully support more able children to fully maximize their learning • develop a method by which parents and carers will become more fully involved by being more aware of their children’s weekly learning.

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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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