The Governing Body of Robert Blair Primary School

School

Inspection report for early years provision

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School

EY333836 Unique Reference Number 28 November 2006 Inspection date Philippa Clare Williams Inspector

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School

Robert Blair Primary School, Brewery Road, LONDON, N7 9QJ Setting Address

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School

02076074115 Telephone number admin@robertblair.islington.sch.uk E-mail The Governing Body of Robert Blair Primary School Registered person Childcare Type of inspection Full day care, Out of School care Type of care

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School

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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Robert Blair Children's Centre and Extended School Services opened in 2006. The group provides full day care, a breakfast club and after school club. The setting forms part of the Robert Blair Primary School, there are five group rooms and a secure outdoor play area. The setting is open from 08:00 until 18:00 each week day for 49 weeks per year. The centre is registered to care for no more than 21 children in the nursery at any one time and no more than 23 children at the breakfast club and after school club at any one time. Seven staff work with the children of these five hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 25 children under five years on roll. The group supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with learning difficulties and disabilities. The centre receives support from the Local Authority.

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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 satisfactory. Children play in a clean environment and staff follow generally clear hygiene procedures, for example, they wear gloves and aprons for nappy changing, use disposable tissues, and wipe down surfaces with anti-bacterial spray, which protect children's health. However, practices relating to sharing bedding and babies' snack time do not adequately protect children's health. Children learn about the importance of covering their mouth when they cough and using the toilet correctly. Staff have attended first aid training, and relevant accident and medication records are in place which ensures they can act in the best interests of the children in their care. Although the children's centre has a sick child policy, some children who are potentially infectious still attend, therefore putting other children's health at risk of cross infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Fresh drinking water is available and children are well nourished. Meals are wholesome and balanced and are freshly prepared, with lots of fresh fruits throughout the day. Children enjoy a substantial lunch time meal of lasagne with salad and vegetables and a tea time meal of fish cakes and beans. Children's individual dietary needs are well catered for. Staff sit with children at meal times and support them well, as a result babies and younger children make good attempts to feed themselves. Babies' feeding cups are labelled, so that there is no confusion.

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Helping children to be healthy

All children and babies use the outdoor area on a daily basis to ensure that they get plenty of fresh air. Younger children show good co-ordination and are appropriately challenged when climbing, balancing, running and jumping. Babies learn to move about independently with staff support, they enjoy crawling in and out boxes, they manoeuvre wheeled toys competently and learn to kick and throw balls.

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Helping children to be healthy

The children's individual rest and sleep needs are successfully met by the staff because they know the children well and recognise when they are tired.

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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 warm and welcoming environment, which is well-designed with low level displays and soft furnishings. Rooms are arranged well and enable children to move freely around areas for role play, creative play, sharing books, construction, resting and eating.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The risks of accidental injury are minimised due to the good safety and security precautions. For example, there are security codes on all doors, and staff ensure they knock on doors before entering the baby room. Children are learning to keep themselves safe because staff remind them, for example, to take care of their fingers in the door hinges. Staff use a good balance between freedom and safe limits which enables children to have growing independence and allows them to explore and actively increase their capacity to learn. Children are well monitored when sleeping and babies are placed safely in cots.

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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 use a wide range of exciting, stimulating and good quality toys and resources. These are extremely well organised at child height to encourage independent access.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are generally protected as staff have a sound understanding of safeguarding children issues and ensure that their prime responsibility is the welfare and well-being of children. Comprehensive child protection procedures are in place, however, not all staff have been made aware of these procedures at their induction.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The children are happy, relaxed and comfortable with staff who know them well. Children are warmly greeted by staff and some children respond by giving staff spontaneous hugs when they see them. The staff implement the Birth to three matters framework well. There are stimulating activities planned which give babies and younger children some very good sensory experiences, for example, exploring water, cornflour, sand, mud and paint. The babies and toddlers enjoy playing in areas which are designed and resourced with low-level storage to ensure they can easily access the good range of equipment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy free access to books, they can handle them correctly and enjoy spending time looking at them. Story time is thoroughly enjoyed by the children who listen intently to a story called "How Kind", staff engage their interest by asking questions. Staff narrate well whilst children play and set challenging questions to make them think. For example, they ask "how do you think we can get the water from here to there?", "do you know why this has happened?" Younger children have good opportunities to make marks and enjoy role play, for example, they pretend to write letters and post them in the post box. Babies enjoy action rhymes and are beginning to join in with actions, they especially enjoy "if you're happy and you know it" and clap their hands and nod their heads in time. Younger children are learning to be independent as they wash their hands after using the toilet, scrape their own plates at mealtimes

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and begin to learn to dress and undress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children’s progress is effectively tracked through regular snap shot observations, narratives and assessments which are recorded well. This valuable evidence of children’s development, which includes photographs and samples of their work, is used well to inform planning. Therefore, ensuring children’s individual needs are met.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Staff know the children well through initial home visits and a flexible settling in procedure. They gather good written information on children including their routines, comforters, interests, independence skills and their language and physical development and then use this to plan for each child's needs. Children’s sense of belonging is promoted through the friendly ethos of the setting. The brightly coloured displays around the rooms and photographs of the children engaged in activities provide opportunities for discussion and promote the warm welcome they receive. Children are helped to understand their world around them as they are taken on regular

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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 outings in the local community, for example, to the library for story time and the local park. There are suitable systems for identifying children with learning difficulties and giving them support. Children are developing confidence and self-esteem, behave well and are beginning to show an understanding of right from wrong. For example, they are praised for their achievements, for sitting well at lunch time and for sharing resources.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Good partnerships with parents and carers contribute to children's well-being. Parents are welcomed into children's rooms where they have the opportunity to speak to children's key workers on a daily basis. Parents receive an informative leaflet with details of procedures, the learning environment and routines. Notices are displayed throughout the centre to ensure parents are kept well informed. The parents of the children aged under two, receive a daily information sheet that keeps them up to date with their child's food intake, nappy changes and activities undertaken, this ensures continuity of care. Parents have access to their child's portfolio which includes photographs of their children engaged in activities and their art work. However, there is no system in place to formally share written observation records with parents, as a result they may not be fully aware of their child's current targets and progress. Most

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Helping children make a positive contribution

personal information kept on children is stored securely and confidentially, however, some information is displayed and therefore accessible to others.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children's welfare is safeguarded because there are sound recruitment procedures in place which ensures that all staff have all required checks in place. Most staff are qualified to a level three standard in child care and show commitment to improving the care of children through attending ongoing courses.

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Organisation

Space is organised well which offers good opportunities and experiences. The children benefit through the well equipped outdoor area and good use of resources in free play activities. The group sizes and key worker systems contribute to children's good health, safety, enjoyment and ability to fully take part in the setting.

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Organisation

Children’s welfare is promoted through the implemented policies and procedures that generally work well in practice. Most of the required documentation is in place. The registration certificate is clearly displayed, and emergency contact numbers are easily accessed. Although registration systems are in place, registers do not give actual times of children’s arrival and departure and some previous registers are not available. Therefore, in the event of the need to check historical records children may not be fully protected.

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Organisation

Overall the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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

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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 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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are 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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure confidentiality of records and children's information • review the implementation of the hygiene procedures and sick child policy to ensure children are protected from cross infection • improve the systems for recording children's attendance so they include the arrival and departure times, and ensure they are available for inspection at all times • make sure induction training of all staff includes safeguarding children procedures

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The quality and standards of the care

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 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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