Headstart Nursery

Headstart Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Headstart Nursery

EY338619 Unique Reference Number 30 October 2006 Inspection date Joan, Patricia Flowers Inspector

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Headstart Nursery

Headstart Nursery, 23 Herschell Street, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 3QU Setting Address

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E-mail

Rosy Apple Childcare Ltd 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 outstanding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Headstart Pre-school Centre has been in existence since 1989. The setting became re-registered to Rosy Apple Childcare Ltd. in 2006 and is now known as Headstart Nursery. It is one of four child care settings owned by the company in the Preston area. The nursery is situated in the Avenham district of Preston which is within walking distance of the town centre. The setting caters for the local and wider community and supports children who speak English as an additional language. The facility operates 51 weeks a year, Monday to Friday, between 07.45 and 17.45. There are 17 staff employed including the cook and ancillary staff. The supernumerary nursery manager leads the child care team, 14 of whom are qualified or relevantly trained in child care, including one early year’s teacher.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Meals and snacks are prepared freshly each day on the premises. There are two separate enclosed outdoor play areas, one with fixed climbing apparatus erected. This facility owns a minibus

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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 which is used for regular outings. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) and is working towards achieving the Quality Counts award 2006. Support and training is accessed from the local authority Sure Start development team.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children enjoy a wide range of physical play enthusiastically because practitioners plan and organise a stimulating and diverse selection of activities. They are given daily opportunities to play outside in the well laid out play garden and also the separate grassed garden available for the youngest children. Here they can practise their developing mobility skills safely in the fresh air. Older and more able children can extend their skills using challenging apparatus, such as the fixed climbing structure outside. Children gain confidence in their movements and coordination as they slide, run, pedal and negotiate obstacles successfully and enjoy trips out to Avenham Park where they can run in the wide open space. This helps children develop their enjoyment of exercise and so promotes their physical good health. Their bodily awareness, coordination and muscle development is further promoted during weekly ballet and swimming

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Helping children to be healthy

classes. Many indoor activities are taken outside in fine weather with care taken by practitioners to protect children from the harmful effects of the sun. The considered use of sun hats and sun cream helps to maintain children's health very well.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are actively learning to be healthy as they follow daily routines and watch as practitioners provide good role modelling opportunities in their every day practice. Children are fully encouraged to be independent in meeting their own needs, such as when they go to the toilet. They are learning about why it is important to wash their hands at these times and also before eating their meals and snacks, hence they are learning to form good habits and limiting the spread of infection. They can sleep and rest according to their individual needs with activities planned to allow a good mix between active and quiet activities throughout the day. Four practitioners have up-to-date knowledge of first aid so that appropriate responses to accidents can be made in the event of any accidents occurring to children. Other staff hold expired certificates which are due to be renewed with the aim being that all staff will be trained

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy meals and snacks from a well planned, nutritious menu. The registered provider has built into the daily menus the five recommended portions of fruit and vegetable so that children's health and development is effective. Daily fresh fruit either at morning snack time or for dessert at lunch time is enjoyed by children who eat their meals and snacks with gusto often retuning for seconds. All the main food groups are incorporated into the meals provided so as to ensure that children have a balanced and nutritious selection of healthy freshly prepared food to eat. Children, as result, benefit from this healthy approach to maintaining their nutritional health now and for the future. Children have regular opportunities to enjoy drinks of water, milk or diluted pure fruit juice at set times as well as having water available throughout the day. Toddlers can help themselves from the water dispenser becoming increasingly

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Helping children to be healthy

independent as they learn to recognise their own needs when they are thirsty. Older children pour themselves a drink from the jug of water that is always available in their groups' area and

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 serve themselves and each other at lunch time at the table. In these ways children's independence and well-being are promoted very well. Individual children's dietary needs are met extremely well. There is a secure system in place to ensure all practitioners are aware of specific information relating to every child's dietary needs thus ensuring that only foods allowed are provided. This gives reassurance to parents and maintains children's good health.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are welcomed into a visually stimulating and well maintained environment in which they are safe and secure. Children's art work is prolifically displayed throughout the nursery. Informative displays, posters and notices are displayed, along with meaningful sources of information for parents. The staff are vigilant in only releasing children to those adults authorised to collect them and have secure systems in place for checking when other persons come to collect children. Safety of the premises is effectively managed whereby all visitors are checked and a record made of their presence. In such ways children are protected and kept safe. The premises are suitable for their purpose because it is effectively organised. Good use is made of space, so that children can move freely around the setting. Children have a sense of belonging because the different groups within the nursery have their own names allowing children to

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

identify with their group. Practitioners fully understand and implement total supervision of children, thus ensuring that safety is not compromised.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

All practitioners are competent in providing children with a substantial range of safe and developmentally appropriate resources. This ensures that children are progressing in all areas of their development safely and appropriately. The furniture and equipment provided meets the needs of the range of children attending, is of an appropriate safety standard and facilitates children's care, learning and development. Children can access easily the play resources and activities which promotes their independence and choice. There is a comprehensive risk assessment carried out and daily safety checks are completed and recorded so that children's safety is assured, however, the methods used to transport hot meals from the kitchen compromises children's safety and the nappy buckets containing diluted nappy sterilisation fluid is accessible in the baby changing area. Children partake in monthly emergency evacuation

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

drills, thereby encouraging their understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's safety and welfare is safeguarded should there be any concerns of abuse. Practitioners clearly understand their responsibilities for recording and reporting any child protection issues to the appropriate authorities. Some practitioners have attended child protection awareness training and all are aware of the setting's child protection policy through induction and on-going discussions at staff meetings.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy a well-organised routine throughout the day, therefore they feel settled in the nursery. Babies have good exploratory experiences with sand, water, play dough and paint, for example. Staff are effective in meeting their individual care needs throughout the day and

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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 successfully use the Birth to three matters framework to enhance the care of the children who attend. Staff and children develop close relationships as they work in small groups giving children stability and security, aided by the effective key worker system employed for every child. All children are interested and engaged in play at all times. They enjoy learning about how to share, for example, one toddler encouraged another to climb onto the back rest of a small wheeled bike so they could ride along together. They concentrate well and persevere for some time as they complete sticking pictures linked to an autumn topic, sponge paint paper plates ready to be transformed into faces to be displayed on the wall supporting the theme of Ourselves.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff challenge and support children effectively as they play, for example, to identify colours when they are painting. Many children are starting to become independent as they hang up their own aprons, go to the toilet themselves and help themselves to drinks from the water dispenser. The interaction children have with their carers is effective in helping them feel secure so that they can enjoy and achieve well. Practitioners introduce children to new words many times throughout the day, for example, when they play with play dough or show interest in drawing a picture. Children enjoy their time at the setting, particularly quiet times with staff when they listen to stories either in one to one situations or in small groups. Children eagerly take part in action rhymes and singing both at routine times and during the planned music sessions. Variety within the usual days routine activities such as a visit to a sister nursery's

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

sensory room provides children with added experiences that in this case stimulate their enjoyment of light, colour and sounds.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. The skilled staff team have a secure understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum. They work together to plan and provide an extensive range of activities to support children's learning towards the early learning goals. The time management of the sessions is planned successfully, with children able to take part in extremely well structured group activities on the carpet or free play and learning with the excellent opportunities available freely in the different learning areas. Staff are well deployed, act as positive role models and support children in developing their independence, confidence and self-esteem. Practitioners are aware of each child's stage of development and ask thoughtful questions to make children think thus reinforce or extending their learning. They undertake regular written observations and assessments of the children. Information from assessment is

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

used in the planning of activities to promote individual children's future progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children count and use number with confidence. They quickly recognise numbers as labels and relish solving simple mathematical problems, such as how many currant buns are left when one is bought during the group number rhyme singing activity. Through practical activities, including completing puzzles or exploring sand, children learn more about space, shape and measure. Practitioners use practical activities during water play to strengthen children's hand eye coordination when pouring water from one container to another. This provides good learning opportunities that can be transferred to self help skills such as when children pour themselves a drink from the jug at lunch time. Children have a wide range of vocabulary. They have varied and meaningful chances, such as when involved in role-play, to practice and develop their early writing skills. They use language very confidently when talking to peers and to adults and often

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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 are seen sitting looking at books together or on their own in the book area as they learn about how print works. They quickly recognise their names in print and sound out the letters in their name as the practitioner reveals one letter at a time from their name card. Most children have a secure knowledge of letters and their sounds and use the writing area to write letters and lists or make birthday cards for a family member. The well positioned prompt words such as 'mummy' 'daddy', 'love', 'to', and 'from' displayed for children to use, encourages them to write for a reason. Children also experience listening and learn a different language such as French during the weekly lesson guided by a professional French teacher aided by 'Hugo the snail'. They also see other written languages displayed on posters within their learning environment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy taking part in an extensive range of stimulating activities and outings to learn more about their local environment and to explore the natural world. For example, they go out to collect leaves for their topic display and to the near by park. In addition, they welcome visitors to the setting, such as a parent who is celebrating Eid. Children sing a growing repertoire of songs from memory and enjoy dancing to a variety of musical styles during the music and movement classes. They love using role-play to initiate and develop their own imaginative ideas. For example, one three-year-old thinks her friend needs to go to bed so she 'will be ready for the party'. Understanding about information technology is provided during free play, with children being able to use freely the tape recorders to listen to tapes playing nursery rhymes and number songs or other types of music according to current topics or planned

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The partnership with parents is outstanding. Children settle well into the nursery as practitioners ensure that they have detailed information from parents/carers about their child at enrolment. The manager and key workers take time to discuss all aspects of nursery life with them from the outset. Excellent and informative information is provided about the setting and practitioners explain all elements in detail. Regular newsletters and informative displays on the notice boards throughout the nursery areas promote partnership highly effectively so that children's needs are met well. Clearly explained information about the nursery education Foundation Stage is made easily available to parents/carers. Practitioners show respect and understanding for the role parents play in their children's learning with this being explicitly encouraged so that children make outstanding progress towards achieving the early learning goals. For all children the key

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Helping children make a positive contribution

workers communicate with parents daily both verbally and through daily written records. All parents/carers can look at their own child's development records at any time and are given regular opportunities to both formally and informally discuss their child's progress. Children love to take their work home each day to share with family members and friends. This high level sharing of information with parents allows learning to be supported and continued at home linked to current themes and topics.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children show good care and concern for one another. They understand what friendship means and how they can support each other as staff guide their interactions. For example, pre-school children help each other when sharing tasks such as helping to set the table for lunch. They behave very well and imitate good role modelling from practitioners who frequently praise

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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 and support them as they come to learn about how their behaviour may affect others. Children chat socially together and discuss and laugh out loud as they gather together at lunch and snack times. They develop and learn social etiquettes, such as waiting until everyone has been served their meal before starting to eat. Children relax at sleep and rest times as they listen to quiet classical or other mood music.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are confident and their self-esteem is promoted effectively by practitioners who help children to feel good about themselves, encouraging them to contribute positively to their nursery community. They thrive on the close relationships with their key workers and know that they will have their contributions valued as they eagerly share their art work or talk about their home life such as going to a friend’s birthday party. Their decision making is actively encouraged as they make choices in their play and are encouraged to contribute at story and registration times thus promoting their confidence and self-esteem, learning to take turns and be part of a group. Children learn about other people’s differences and similarities through having access to a wide and varied range of play resources, images displayed on posters and in books, as well as by taking part in planned activities and celebrations such as Eid. In these

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Helping children make a positive contribution

ways children develop their awareness and understanding about other people’s differences and similarities. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are cared for by a well-qualified staff team who have high regard for children's well-being, and work effectively as a whole staff team. Children benefit because staff receive thorough induction and good support and development opportunities. Managers, together with the registered provider, make sure that there are enough staff to work directly with the children at all times, and there are regular opportunities for meetings, both as a whole staff group and also in room teams, to discuss and devise new curriculum plans and the implementation of the Birth to three matters framework and the Foundation Stage curriculum. The effective key worker system employed means that staff use their time in the best interests of the children who therefore receive very good levels of individual attention. The records needed to ensure the smooth running of the setting are well-organised and readily available,

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Organisation

with confidentiality of information being a key feature.

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Organisation

The quality of leadership and management of the nursery education is outstanding. The group's delivery of the early year’s curriculum is greatly enhanced by the training and experience of the teacher leading this group, combined with the commitment and ability of the highly motivated staff. The consistent staff team work together extremely well. There are regular opportunities for practitioners to plan the educational provision and discuss any child care issues and the progress of individual children's learning. Very good communication and room leadership ensures that all staff working with funded three and four-year-olds is as effective as possible in helping children move along the stepping stones towards the achieving the early learning goals. Staff have shared aims for the future development of the group and are putting strategies in place to support further improvement in the quality of the education and care

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Organisation

offered to children. New development folders for every child are being introduced to replace existing ones so that development can be consistently monitored for every child as they move

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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 through the different age groups within nursery. Such evaluation and moderating of practice serves to reinforce the commitment of the setting to improve how children's development is charted to inform the next steps in their learning across the age range birth to five years. There is a strong partnership between the provision and the local authority teacher team to ensure that every child can develop to their full potential. In these ways children are supported extremely well towards their transition into their chosen reception class.

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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 outstanding.

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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 that hot food is transported safely through areas where children are, and safety is maintained in regard to the nappy buckets in the Sunbeams nappy changing area.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.

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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 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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