The House Of Rompa

House of Rompa Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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House of Rompa Day Nursery

305119 Unique Reference Number 17 January 2007 Inspection date Janice Shaw Inspector

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House of Rompa Day Nursery

Holly Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 1LN Setting Address

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E-mail

Mrs PR Hunter and Mrs A Harper Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of 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

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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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The House of Rompa Day Nursery was registered in these premises in 1999. It operates from a mobile building in the grounds of Wilmslow High School, Wilmslow. Children are accommodated in four group areas: baby, tiny tots, tots, and pre-school. The outdoor play area comprises a combination of paved, grassed, and barked areas. Children attend from various locations due to the nursery's proximity to the A34.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 47 children aged from birth to five years. There are currently 72 children on roll of whom 18 receive nursery funding. The nursery currently supports children with disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is open from 07.45 to 18.00 hours, Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. There are 13 members of staff, of whom seven hold appropriate early years qualifications and

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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 four are working towards a child care qualification. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is inadequate. Children throughout the provision learn the importance of good hygiene and develop their self-care skills well. They are actively encouraged to wash their hands at appropriate times and often talk about 'germs', developing their understanding of the need for good personal hygiene. Children are beginning to learn the importance of healthy eating and enjoy a range of healthy and nutritious snacks and hot meals throughout the day. Staff and children in all the groups talk about the types of food that are good for them, helping to develop their understanding of healthy eating. However, some out-of-date food is being stored inappropriately for future use. Children access a simple range of equipment in the outdoor area, to develop their physical skills. But planned activities and time to develop and extend their skills control and coordination are limited.

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Helping children to be healthy

In some areas children’s health is not sufficiently protected. There is only one person on the staff team with a current first aid certificate. Therefore the appropriate support if an accident or serious illness occurs cannot be guaranteed. Accidents are recorded, but not all parents have signed to acknowledge the entries. The procedure for the administering of medication is not sufficiently robust as creams are administered to children without written parental permission, which may impact on the children’s health. This is a breach in regulation. Children's allergies and medical requirements along with cultural needs are discussed in detail with the parents and recorded on the children's registration forms. Secure systems are in place to ensure that children’s dietary needs are appropriately accommodated.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. Children are beginning to learn about the importance of keeping themselves safe through daily routines and discussions. For example, when lining up to play outside children are able to explain how they practice the procedure to follow in an emergency. The premises are secure, staff monitor who is at the door and all visitors are required to sign in and out of the building, helping to keep the children safe. Not all areas of the nursery are adequately resourced. For example, the range and quality of books available in all rooms is limited. The writing area and home corner are not stocked sufficiently to fully promote the children's independence, freedom of choice or to allow for the spontaneous expansion of their own ideas. There are few resources in place to foster children’s awareness of diversity.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children’s safety is not assured as risk assessments are only in place for some areas of the building. Vigilance is not sufficiently applied, for example, some electric sockets are uncovered, piles of leaves have not been removed from the external play area and could be masking hazards. An unguarded electric heater which is hot to the touch and impacts on the children's safety is accessible to them. Some equipment and areas of the nursery are not cleaned to a satisfactory

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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 standard. Children are not sufficiently protected because the management team do not have a clear understanding of the procedures to follow in the event of a concern being identified. Whilst a new child protection policy has recently been created this has not been shared with all staff. Staff induction in this area is insecure.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Staff know the children well and greet them warmly on arrival at the nursery. Children’s imaginative play is developing well as they play with dolls, pretending to feed them and wrapping them up in covers. Communication skills in children over one are actively promoted and encouraged as staff listen and respond using words, gestures and facial expressions. Toddlers enjoy shaking or banging a musical instrument as they happily participate in a lively action song.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children under one experience a good range of stimulating activities. The activities planned for the children in the baby room are short and appropriately reflect the concentration span of the children, holding their interest and ensuring they are fully occupied and engaged throughout. They are able to sit or crawl and self-select resources from the easily accessible toys arranged on the carpet for them. For example, a young child pulls out of a small carrier bag crinkly paper, she is happy with what she has found and begins squealing with delight, waving the paper in the air to show everyone. Her achievements are recognised and she is offered lots of praise and encouragement. The interactions between children and staff in this age group are very good. They make eye contact, laugh with them, cuddle them, talking to them continually, providing a calm and trusting environment where the children are settled

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and happy. They separate easily from their carers and are pleased to see the staff, waving their arms with excitement as they arrive.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is inadequate. Children do not make enough progress towards the early learning goals because staff have an insecure knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and stepping stones. Planning is not effective because staff do not use observations or any systematic assessments of the children to inform this, therefore structured group activities do not meet the individual needs of the children. There are no records to show how staff help children progress through the stepping stones. Although staff plan various activities for the children, many of these are adult led or directed and staff do not always explain to children the purpose of activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are secure in their relationships with most members of staff who respond well to them. Staff manage children’s behaviour satisfactorily, but the strategies are not consistent and staff speak inappropriately to children at times. Activities are not evaluated so staff cannot identify what the children have learned or what their capabilities are. Staff continually miss the opportunities to extend the children's ideas and development through incidental learning and well-organised activities and routines. For example, when a small group of children were building very tall towers with small bricks, which was an excellent example of children playing cooperatively and developing ideas together, they were interrupted by staff who requested

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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 them to do other things. As a consequence the towers fell and children were unable to continue to tussle with the problems of stability and many rich learning opportunities were missed.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy and join in their favourite nursery rhymes, but an uninviting book corner and access to a limited selection of quality books limits their enjoyment of print. Their spoken language is developing well, they are able to express their feelings clearly, for example, negotiating roles, suggesting ideas in games and reminding others to share nicely. They are making steady progress in reading. Many are able to identify their name, for example when finding their peg to hang their coat on and finding their drinking cup. Reading books are taken home on a weekly basis with a reading record for parents and staff to make comments in about children’s progress. Children are developing their independence and a sense of responsibility as they pour their own drinks, set the tables at snack time, and help to clean up.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Planned and spontaneous opportunities for children to explore mathematical language and to solve problems are not exploited sufficiently. Many children can count confidently up to 1O and, at times, up to 17. When discussing ages they successfully relate three and four with the correct number of fingers proudly telling a visitor how old they are. Opportunities to investigate, observe and find out first hand how things happen are limited. There are few resources to foster children’s understanding of information and communication technology. Children are provided with some opportunities to develop their imaginative play such as dressing up and the home corner. However, this is not fully developed as there are limited resources and staff do not fully support children in their play.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. All children are included in the activities provided and individual needs are generally well met. This helps develop the children’s confidence and self esteem. They have insufficient resources and opportunities to become aware of the diversity in society. All children behave very well, develop good self regard and respect for others. Children can be heard saying ‘please’, ‘thank you’, and ‘excuse me’ spontaneously throughout the day. Most staff are good role models but, at times instructions are given to children that are not mannerly. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Staff provide a welcoming atmosphere and have good relationships with parents. Parents wishes regarding the care that their children receive are respected, thereby providing continuity of care for the children. Parents speak positively of the care their children receive although some were very vague about the key worker system.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents in relation to nursery education is inadequate. Some links are made between home and pre-school through the weekly shared reading scheme. Whilst parents receive an annual report and attend an annual meeting on the progress of their children, linked to the areas of learning, this is not reliable as observations and assessment of children’s development are not secure.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. Children’s safety and wellbeing is not sufficiently promoted, because the registered person does not have effective systems in place to demonstrate that all staff are appropriately qualified and vetted. There is little evidence of staff qualifications on file and, in some instances to confirm that staff are appropriately vetted. At times, there are no members of staff on duty with a current first aid certificate. The lack of a comprehensive induction process means that some staff are unsure of some of the nursery’s policies and procedures. This means that children’s individual needs and continuity of care is not met.

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Organisation

The registered person has not informed Ofsted of significant changes or events, namely, that the business partnership had been dissolved and a new manager had been appointed. Both of these are breaches in regulation. The daily attendance registers are not adequately maintained as they do not show hours of attendance for children. It is therefore difficult to assess if the nursery is maintaining appropriate staffing levels at all times. Children’s paperwork and documentation is in place and most is maintained adequately.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education is inadequate. There are no systems in place to ensure that staff have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage or to monitor and evaluate the educational provision offered. This has a serious impact on the children's learning and individual progress. The management understands that there are substantial areas of weakness and is obtaining additional support to improve the nursery education. As a result, the setting does not meet the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Following the last care inspection there were two recommendations made. The nursery was required to develop a comprehensive equal opportunities policy and ensure that all records are maintained with regard to confidentiality. A satisfactory equal opportunity policy is in place and records now give due regard to confidentiality.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection four key issues were raised. One of these which relates to improving children’s independence skills has been appropriately addressed. Children now help themselves to drinks throughout the day, pour drinks at snack time and tidy up enthusiastically. The nursery has failed to address the remaining three key issues which are included in the actions for nursery education in this inspection.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Ofsted received concerns relating to National Standard 11 Behaviour, National Standard 12 Working in partnership with parents and carers, National Standard 13 Child Protection and National Standard 14 Documentation. The concerns were originally shared with another agency. A childcare inspector from Ofsted Early Years then visited the provision on the 22 December 2005. Actions were raised against all the National Standards investigated and satisfactorily met

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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 by the registered provider. The provider remained qualified for registration at the time the investigation was closed.

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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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care, the registered person must take the following actions: • ensure that there are effective procedures in place for checking that staff are suitable to work with children • maintain a system for registering children and staff on a daily basis, showing hours of attendance • provide sufficient suitable toys and equipment to provide stimulating play opportunities for the children’s in all areas of play, learning and development (also applies to nursery education). • ensure that positive steps are taken to ensure children's safety • make sure enough staff are trained in first aid to ensure that at least one member of staff with a current first aid certificate is on the premises or on outings at any one time. Ensure that all accident records are countersigned by parents. Obtain written parental permission before administering any medication • ensure that the child protection procedure complies with those of the Local Safeguarding

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The quality and standards of the care

Children Board (LSCB), that staff are fully conversant with them and that these procedures are shared with parents before admission • ensure that all staff have secure knowledge of the current policies and procedures within the nursery. Devise a robust induction procedure to ensure that all staff are fully aware of the operational plan (also applies to nursery education) • complete appropriate risk assessments in all areas of the building. Ensure that children can play safely and are protected from possible hazards, particularly in the outside play area and rooms where temporary heaters are used. These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice.

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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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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education, the registered person must take the following actions: • ensure that all staff have a thorough understanding of how children learn, the Foundation Stage, the stepping stones and the early learning goals in all areas of learning • implement an effective planning, observation and assessment system to show clearly what children are to do and learn, what they achieve and what they are to learn next • improve the leadership and management to ensure that a well planned curriculum is offered that supports the needs of all children and which is properly evaluated and monitored. These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice. The Department for Education and Skills and the local authority have been informed.

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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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