The Village Nursery

The Village Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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The Village Nursery

EY334615 Unique Reference Number 23 October 2006 Inspection date Sarah Taylor Inspector

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The Village Nursery

The Village Nursery, Third Avenue, Trafford Park, MANCHESTER, M17 1JE

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E-mail

Julie Lightley 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 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?

The Village Nursery is one of three nurseries owned by the proprietor. The nursery has been registered since 1996 and was re-registered under the current ownership in 2006. It operates from a purpose built single storey building and is situated in the Trafford Park area of Manchester. Children are cared for in four rooms according to age and all have access to the fully enclosed garden. The setting is registered to care for 63 children and currently has 63 children on roll. The nursery is open from 07.30 to 18.00 from Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery cares for 18 children who receive funding for nursery education. Staff are appropriately qualified and experienced.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are very well protected from infection as staff follow consistent and thorough hygiene routines. For example, tables are wipes with anti bacterial spray throughout the sessions. Children have a very good knowledge of personal hygiene routines and can recite these and explain why they are followed. For example, children say, ’toilet, flush and wash your hands because of germs.’ They wipe their noses independently and learn to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children’s good health is very well fostered as they enjoy a healthy range of home cooked meals, such as chicken curry, lamb meat balls, pasta, roast chicken and a selection of vegetables. They have the opportunity to enjoy fruit and raw vegetables and enjoy meal times where they sit together with their friends and adults and chat. They are developing the skills to use cutlery at an appropriate size for their age and stage of development and are given assistance in feeding themselves if necessary. Babies are comforted and held whilst being fed and have the benefit of eye contact and conversation. Jugs of water are provided in the rooms for children to help themselves to drinks, however, sometimes during routines this is not always possible.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have the benefit of daily exercise and learn about adopting a healthy lifestyle, as they use the outdoor area to run and play. They thoroughly enjoy using the bikes and scooters and play together and with adults, learning new skills, such as playing tennis and golf or balancing a bean bag on top of their heads. They are encouraged to become out of breath and adults talk about exercise being important and good for them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children’s safety is guarded as they are cared for in safe and secure premises that are well maintained and kept to a high standard of repair. They have the benefit of plenty of space, indoors and out of doors, and can play and move freely without fear of injury. All facilities used by staff and children are appropriate. Children use toys and equipment that are safe and suitable to each child’s age and stage of development. Equipment is checked to ensure it is safe and there is a toy list and rota to ensure that all toys are looked at regularly.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safe and secure as the premises have an intercom entry system and external doors are kept bolted. Risk assessments of the areas used by children identify any issues that need rectifying. For example, the outdoor area is checked each day before the children go out to play. During outdoor play, children are very well supervised and staff count the children at regular intervals to ensure their safety. Children learn about personal safety and practise fire evacuation throughout the year. They are taught about road safety as part of their topics.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children’s welfare is maintained as staff understand the Local Safeguarding Children Board’s guidance and are clear about their responsibility to safeguard the child. They have a good knowledge of the signs and symptoms of abuse and have clear procedures to follow in the

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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 event of a concern. Parents are made aware of the nursery's responsibility and are asked to sign a statement to say that they understand the process.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are very well cared for in a warm and homely environment where staff are fully aware of their individual needs and routines. Children enjoy a wealth of well planned activities that are appropriate to their age and stage of development. Staff knowledge of the National Standards, Birth to three matters and the Foundation Stage ensures that children access well planned opportunities, which ensure that they make progress socially, physically, emotionally and intellectually.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Younger children have opportunities to explore using their senses as they play in wet pasta, cornflakes and water, and investigate the treasure baskets filled with interesting objects made from different materials. Staff have very good knowledge of the Birth to three matters framework and conduct thorough observations and evaluations of what children can do, by assessing what they can identify as well as many other skills. They use their findings to plan for the next steps in the child’s development and ensure that the child’s progression is recorded in their development file. These steps ensure that children make good progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are challenged to try new things. For example, a child puts out her arms and the adult encourages her to lift herself up onto her feet. This achievement is highly praised by the adult and the child wants to try it again. They are confident to find their way around the room and can access equipment that they would like. For example, the baby crawls to the construction toys, lifts herself up and reaches for brick, which she then builds with. She confidently explores her environment and is given time to investigate and develop her play in her own way.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Early language development is well supported as children have the benefit of lots of one to one conversation and their words are valued by adults. For example, the child says, ‘Pooh’ and the adult says, ‘Well done, it is Winnie the Pooh’. Children are encouraged to talk and have conversations, such as chatting about what fruit they enjoy or the topic about the sea, and staff skilfully engage children in talk and encourage responses.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn to respect others as they are asked to listen to each other when speaking or singing. They are learning self care skills as they put on their own coat or wipe their own noses and they show sustained concentration when listening to stories or when exploring an activity, like the water. They show concern for others and realise that their actions have consequences. For example, when a child bumps heads with another, he pats the child on the back and says sorry.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children sit and listen to a lively story session about a monkey and join in with familiar lines with confidence. They recognise the letters in their names and have opportunities to practise writing their name. They also enjoy using the writing area to explore their own writing. Children develop a good understanding of numbers and what they mean as they play games, such as

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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 dominoes, where they match a numeral to a quantity. They learn to calculate during everyday activities when they are asked to ensure that the right number of children are in the home corner or when they share out the crockery and cutlery at tea time. They use number skills with confidence.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are encouraged to explore their environment and enjoy looking at the autumn leaves and talking about what has happened to them. They thoroughly enjoy investigating floating and sinking in the water tray and are keen to show the adults what they have found out. Children develop their physical skills as they handle and use a range of tools and equipment, such as paintbrushes, pens and pencils, and a range of bats, balls and hoops. Children enjoy exploring different materials and making pictures out of autumn leaves. They can play the instruments in the music area and enjoy singing songs about crocodiles together. The role play area is limited and does not provide many opportunities for children to develop their skills and knowledge in other areas of learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children make good progress in the six areas of learning and staff ensure that activities are planned according to children’s individual needs. Skilful questioning challenges children to move their learning forward or supports children if they are struggling.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are treated with equal concern throughout the nursery and the staff are very aware of their individual needs. They learn about the wider world as they enjoy topics about Chinese New Year or Diwali. They read books and play with jigsaws that show positive images and are able to select from all of the equipment without any of it being gender specific. Children with learning difficulties or disabilities are well supported in the nursery. The nursery take part in charity events to develop children's sense of community and to contribute to the community.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are very well behaved and the staff use developmentally appropriate methods of behaviour management for children at different stages of development. For example, children in the toddler room who become frustrated are distracted as they are taken to the window to look at the birds, and children in the pre school are spoken to calmly about their behaviour and given time out if necessary. Throughout the nursery, children are offered praise and positive comments and this raises their self esteem. Staff are excellent role models and are calm and gentle with each other, as well as with the children. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents receive good information about their role in their child’s learning and every effort is made to include them in the life of the nursery. They receive information about the progress made by their child as they take home the development folder and are invited to comment on its contents and their child’s progress. Parental feedback is very positive and the staff receive emails praising their efforts and stating that parents are very happy with the care offered to their child. They also receive emails from children that have left the nursery updating the staff on their progress and thanking them for everything that they have done.

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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 good. Children benefit from well qualified carers who hold relevant qualifications. The owner and manager are committed to staff development and believe that the nursery cannot move forward unless staff are up to date with current good practice and developments. Staff demonstrate very good knowledge in the frameworks and guidance that underpin their practice. Vetting procedures ensure that all staff with access to children are suitable at all times. Staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities and work extremely well together to promote the smooth running of the nursery.

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Organisation

Clear routines are displayed in each room and are followed. Each child’s individual routine is catered for ensuring children receive care that is appropriate to their needs. Children have a key worker and this ensures that they feel secure and that their next steps in development can be easily identified. The rooms are well organised and staff make the very best of the toys and equipment to maximise the space offered to children. Staff to child ratios are maintained at all times to ensure that children are cared for well. Relevant documentation is all in place and policies and procedures support the care of the children very effectively.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is good. The management of the nursery have a clear vision for the setting. They work very hard to ensure that the care and education offered is up to a high standard through the monitoring of the rooms and planning, staff meetings and appraisal system. They understand the need to build committed teams and many staff members have been with the nursery for a long time. They offer opportunities for further development and training and this ensures that staff members feel that their role is valued.

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Organisation

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

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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.

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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 AND 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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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): • further develop children's independent access to fresh drinking water throughout the day.

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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): • develop the role play area to give children opportunities to explore different areas of learning independently.

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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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