Yew Tree Community Junior and Infant School (NC)

Primary Colours Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Primary Colours Day Nursery

142858 Unique Reference Number 17 October 2006 Inspection date Elaine Douglas Inspector

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Primary Colours Day Nursery

The Trident Youth Hut, Galmington Road, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 5NN Setting Address

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Primary Colours Day Nursery

01823 334507 or 07747 708069 Telephone number

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E-mail

Susan Wendy Fursdon 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 satisfactory. 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?

Primary Colours is a privately owned day nursery. It opened in 1999 and operates from a large playroom with kitchen and toilet facilities, in a portacabin on the Trident Youth Hut site. It is situated in the Galmington area of Taunton. A maximum of 20 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 17.45 for 50 weeks of the year. Children attend for a variety of sessions. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 32 children aged from two to under five years on role. Of these, 16 children receive funding for early education. Children come from the local area. The nursery currently supports children who speak English as an additional 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 employees five members of staff. All of these hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is working towards a Foundation Degree in Early Childhood Studies. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children develop a good awareness of healthy practices through activities and their daily routines. They wash their hands prior to eating and after using the toilet. They are provided with liquid soap and paper towels to prevent cross contamination. Children clean their teeth after meals; using their own toothbrush and toothpaste. Good discussions take place about healthy eating and children are involved in purchasing vegetables to make soup. Children help themselves to fresh drinking water at any time and are provided with nutritional snacks and meals. Good information is sought on any dietary requirements.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's health is protected by staff requesting parents to bring in relevant clothing for their children. For example, they are asked to have hats and gloves in winter, and sun hats and sun cream in the summer. Children play in clean premises, which are appropriately heated and ventilated. Good records are kept of any medication required, and parents give consent for staff to seek any emergency treatment or advice. A good supply of first aid equipment is readily available and staff have had first aid training.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's health is promoted through regular opportunities to take part in physical activities, go for walks and use the local park. They enjoy regular music and movement sessions, and use the garden when the weather permits. Children's physical development is encouraged through the use of bikes, slides and tunnels.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are protected by good systems to record access to the premises. Visitors are supervised and parents complete detailed forms, if any other person is collecting their child. Good records are kept of any accidents and thorough risk assessments are carried out each day. However, there are no records kept of the timescales or actions required to minimise risks. Clear fire procedures are displayed and fire equipment regularly checked. Children take part in regular emergency evacuation practises to enable them to be able to assist with their own safety. Portable appliances are regularly tested to ensure they are safe to use. Good equipment keeps children safe while allowing them independence. For example, a large gate prevents children accessing the kitchen and entrance, while allowing them access to the toilet.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children have good space to play, which is divided into areas for messy activities, role play, quiet activities and tabletop games. They are able to access resources safely for themselves from the low draws and shelves. There are a wide variety of well maintained toys and resources, which support their learning in all areas of their development. Children have access to a secure garden, the sheds are padlocked and hazardous areas fenced off.

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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 Children's welfare is safeguarded by the staffs, good knowledge of child protection issues. Good policies and procedures, and further guidance are part of the staff induction. Concerns are recorded and staff are clear of the issues regarding confidentiality.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children happily settle to the activities provided. Children are confident in their relationships with staff and enjoy the warm, caring interaction. Staff listen and respond well to them, supporting their play. Children aged two to three years are cared for alongside the preschool children; they experience a variety of activities based on the Foundation Stage curriculum. Staff are currently implementing the Birth to three matters framework to ensure the activities are appropriate for the younger children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff plan a good range of activities, with clear learning intentions, which promotes children's development towards most of the early learning goals. However, some of the early learning goals are not planned for as effectively as others. For example, there are no plans for children to use climbing and balancing equipment. Staff ask good open ended questions, such as ' what do you notice about the mushrooms when you put them in the water?'. Children are given plenty of opportunities to practise skills for themselves and to be involved in the preparation of activities. Effective use is made of impromptu situations, such as exploring and building with snow. Staff make regular observations of the children's achievements and use these as evidence in the children's assessment records. The new system, clearly identifies children's stages of learning on the stepping stones and identifies

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the next steps for development. Staff are deployed appropriately and good use is made of the role play area to support children's learning. For example, it is often changed into a cafe, doctors, picnic site or used to support an area of learning such as mathematics.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children become independent, as they confidently ask for different resources, help to take care of the environment and take care of their own personal hygiene. They help each other with dressing up clothes, and the older and more able children take turns in playing games. Children develop a good awareness of the purpose of writing and practise their emergent writing. For example, they use diaries and notebooks in their role-play. The older and more able children write recognisable letters. They enjoy books independently and in groups, and handle books appropriately. They engage in conversations with each other and with the staff, during their activities and games. Children enjoy number rhymes and their daily routines encourage them to be aware of numbers in the environment. They order items by height, size and shape.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children select from a range of textures and 3-D materials to create their own designs. They cut up pieces to the shape and the size required. However, they are only provided with clue which limits the techniques they can use to join items together. Children regularly look at their own environment and the natural world. They know that the season is autumn by the leaves on the trees. However, there are limited plans for the older and more to able children to learn about other peoples cultures and beliefs, or to use ICT to support their learning. Children have regular access to water and sand, and free access to paint. They experiment with painting with

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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 different equipment, such as sponges, brushes and their fingers. They enjoy hitting, shaking and blowing percussion instruments. Children displayed good imagination in their role-play. They take on roles which are familiar to them and use one item to represent another. For example, one child takes the large coloured beads and uses them as different foods. Children have good opportunities to be creative on the large and small scale.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are appropriately included in all activities, and have access to all equipment and resources provided. Children who speak English as an additional language are effectively supported, which enables them to be included. There are good systems in place to identify and support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children learn about people's differences through a good range of resources. They dress up in a variety of cultural outfit's, play with a range of cultural dolls, and use books, puzzles and small world toys which provide positive images of gender and disabilities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are confident, settled and generally well-behaved due to the staff building good relationships with them. Ongoing behavioural incidents are monitored and parents are informed. However, there is no system to record actions to be taken in conjunction with parents, to improve behaviour, as stated in their policy. Staff provide good role models, dealing with incidents in a calm, sensitive way. They praise appropriate behaviour and give reasons why inappropriate behaviour is not acceptable, this supports children in understanding expectations and the consequence of their actions.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's welfare is protected by parents having access to the policies and procedures. The Ofsted poster for parents is displayed and a good system is in place to keep a clear record of any complaints. However, this is not recorded confidentially, as children and parents names are included. the policy has not been updated in line with new procedures. Parents are welcomed into the group and have daily opportunities to speak to staff, the manager and their child's key worker.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers for the nursery education is good. They receive good information on the role of the key worker, how their child's development will be recorded and their access to files. Parents are encouraged to be involved in the group, to join them for outings, and to share any talents or skills they may have. Parents receive good information on the Foundation Stage curriculum and the weekly activities, and so they can be involved in the child's learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children's care and welfare is effectively supported through the appropriate deployment of staff. The flexible routine, meets children's individual needs. They are cared for by qualified staff who have appropriate checks made on them to ensure their suitability. However, there is no system to ensure they continue to remain medically fit to care for the children. Sufficient

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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 staff hold a first aid qualification. However, this has been allowed to expire before their next training is completed, which means there will be no qualified first aider for a brief period of time. A good key worker system with clear guidelines, helps children and parents to settle at the group and provides consistent care. Most documentation is in place, and children's records are well organised and stored confidentially. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom they provide.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. The manager and supervisor work directly with the staff and children, providing support for the less confident staff. The manager supervises the quality of teaching and provide informal feedback. She is in the process of introducing annual appraisals to look at staff development. Regular planning meetings ensure all staff are involved in the curriculum. However, there is limited evaluation of activities, and no system to monitor the overall planning to ensure all areas are covered. Therefore, children do not have equal opportunities to develop as well in all areas of learning.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection, the group were asked to conduct ongoing risk assessments and record the procedures for outings, to keep clear records of the attendance of children, staff and visitors, and to obtain written permission from parents to administer medication.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since that inspection, the group have devised clear risk assessments for each area of the premises, garden and outings. Staff use these as a daily checklist to identify any hazards and ensure children remain safe at all times. Parents now sign their children in on arrival and departure, recording accurate times of attendance. Staff also sign-in each day. Visitors to the premises sign-in with times of attendance, and complete a form to record who they are and their reasons for visiting. This ensures that a clear record is maintained of who has cared for or had access to the children at any time. Parents now complete medication record forms, which give clear instructions and permission to staff to administer medication. This ensures that children only receive the correct medication as instructed by their parents.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection, the group were asked to use their observations to identify the next steps for children and ensure they are sufficiently challenged, and to identify the learning intentions of activities.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since that inspection the group have devised an action plan to meet the key issues. The new observation system is used effectively by key workers to identify each child's next stages of development. This is used to inform planning to ensure all children are sufficiently challenged and make progress. The learning intention of activities is now identified and highlighted on the planning; they are also discussed at planning meetings. This helps the less confident staff to understand the focus of the activity and how to support children, to promote their learning.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last unannounced visit the group were set actions to improve. They had to show hours of attendance on the registration system, ensure robust recruitment and selection procedures for staff are in place, record significant incidents and share them with parents, and maintain a record of complaints which is accessible to parents on request.

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Improvements 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 Since that visit the group have improved their registration system to show very accurate times of attendance, as stated above. They have taken advice from the local authority and are in the process of updating and improving their operational plan. This includes having robust recruitment and selection procedures. Thorough checks are now made on all staff and records maintained. This ensures that children are only cared for by suitable adults. Good records are now kept of all significant incidents, which parents sign to acknowledge that they have been informed. This helps staff to work in conjunction with parents to identify and consistently manage ongoing incidents. The group now have a system to maintain a record of complaints, which is available at parents request. Parents are now able to protect their child's welfare by seeing the nature

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Improvements since the last inspection

of any complaint and how it has been dealt with.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take action in order to meet the National Standards.

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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 satisfactory. 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): • record the actions to minimise risks and hazards, with timescales, in the risk assessments • ensure confidentiality when recording complaints and update the policy in line with the new procedures • record the actions taken in conjunction with parents to deal with significant behavioural incidents • devise a system to ensure staff remain medically fit to work with children • ensure first aid qualifications are renewed before the current qualifications expire

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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 further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve planning to include more opportunities and activities for children to use climbing and balancing equipment, to use ICT to support learning, and for older and more able children to develop an awareness of other peoples cultures and beliefs • devise a system to monitor and evaluate planning, to ensure children have opportunities to develop equally well towards all the early learning goals

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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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