The Teddy Club

The Teddy Club

Inspection report for early years provision

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The Teddy Club

EY334266 Unique Reference Number 14 November 2006 Inspection date Janet, Elizabeth Singleton Inspector

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The Teddy Club

Whitegate Children's Centre & Nursery School, Victoria Road, Padiham, Lancashire, BB12 8TG

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Setting Address

01282 772283 Telephone number head@whitegate.lancsngfl.ac.uk E-mail The Teddy Club Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Sessional care, Crèche Type of care

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Setting Address

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 satisfactory. At the time of the inspection there were no children in receipt of nursery education. Ofsted judges that the provider remains suitable to provide nursery education.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Teddy Club Children's Centre has been registered since May 2006 to serve the local area of Padiham. The centre comprises of a day nursery, which is open each weekday for 51 weeks of the year from 07.45 until 17.45, a crèche to support parents and carers attending the centre, and a variety of courses and support groups for parents, carers and their families. The centre works closely with the health and family services and the Job Centre Plus.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

All services are housed in an extended nursery school with outdoor play areas for children. A maximum of 34 children may attend the day care at any one time and there are currently 61 children aged from three months up to eight years on roll. There are no children in receipt of free early education on roll at present. The crèche offers a maximum of 12 places and operates

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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 as required to support various adult groups. The centre welcomes children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those with English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The centre is managed by a management committee who have overall responsibility for the management and appointment of staff. There is an overall centre manager who is supported by a team which includes the day nursery manager, a part time qualified teacher, a family support worker and crèche worker. There are eight staff employed within the day nursery, all of whom are qualified in early years.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children's health is satisfactorily promoted as the staff follow sound hygiene practices, for example, washing children's hands before and after meals and after playing outside. Staff act as good role models as children are able to observe them washing their hands and wiping the tables before snack time. However, the younger children have their hands washed in a bowl of water and therefore, the risk of cross contamination is increased. At the current time, parents are providing lunches for their children and work with the staff on healthy options for their child's meals. Children enjoy helping to prepare their snack, peeling and cutting the healthy option of fruit, for example bananas, in small groups of four.

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Helping children to be healthy

All appropriate and necessary documentation to promote children's medical health is in place, well maintained and up to date.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are able to benefit from daily opportunities to play outdoors and access the large climbing equipment and wheeled toys to promote their developing physical skills. Indoor creative activities ensure their fine movements are promoted as they use the pencils and paintbrushes and take part in topics which develop their hand and eye coordination.

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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 very welcoming and very safe indoor and outdoor environment, both of which are planned to meet their needs by the very good use of free space. There is soft furnishing in the baby unit, for example, a sofa, and resources are stored at the child's height ,making them easily accessible. This enables children to make decisions and enhance their play as they would wish. The nursery is a lovely, new environment and is very welcoming to parents and children. The staff display children's work attractively and therefore children develop a sense of belonging.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children enjoy making choices from a wide range of good quality, suitable and safe equipment. There is a vast range for them to choose from including bricks, books, jigsaws and craft materials. The children readily select the delightful treasure baskets which include metal pans, varying sizes of brushes and lots of different textures for them to feel and explore.

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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 safety is monitored extremely well because staff have a good understanding of their role in child protection and are able to put appropriate procedures into practice when necessary, based on national and local guidance.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy and achieve as they are very interested in their play and enjoy their time at the setting. They settle well and enter the nursery confidently. They relate well to each other and socialise as they move around, delighting in each other's company. They eagerly access the well stored resources as they choose to paint at the easel or to read a book they have selected from the book corner. They have fun as they dress up and act out the roles they have created using their imagination. Younger children enjoy the one to one interaction of their keyworker, they sit together and have their care needs met by a consistent person as they build a trusting relationship. The children play confidently in the outdoor play area as they build towers and are thrilled as they ride the wheeled toys. They eagerly take part in the activity to make the 'shakers' as they explore the plastic bottles and feel the spaghetti and lentils as they put them

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

However, an outdoor focused activity had not been fully prepared to ensure the climbing equipment to be used was dry and suitable. Therefore, children's enjoyment and the impact of the activity was reduced.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The staff keep folders of the children's work and use their good observations to inform the planning. The planning shows clear links to the Birth to three matters framework. It is flexible and adapted as the week progresses, making it a working document. This focuses on following the child's lead and allowing them to determine their own play. There is a strong emphasis on all activities being the child's own work and not dependant upon the end result, as a consequence, children own their work and take a pride in the finished result.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. There are currently no children on roll in receipt of early education funding. The staff have provided evidence of how they would meet the needs of the children in receipt of the funding, through discussion, documentation and by observation of the pre-school room. Staff have a satisfactory understanding of the Foundation Stage, with planning clearly linked to all the areas of learning. All aspects of the areas of learning are identified and the long- and mid-term planning shows how each area is given equal weighting and monitored. However, not all staff are confident of the planning procedure. There is an observation system in place to identify children's progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The layout of the room allows for children to make decisions about their play and access the necessary resources. The toys and equipment to promote the areas of learning include the role play area, messy play, computer and book corner. The planning shows how children's learning in the area of mathematics and communication, language and literacy are to be covered. Their creative development is very well promoted with the use of the messy area and the art 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 craft activities provided. The key worker system would ensure children are supported in their learning and build relationships to support their self-esteem and confidence.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The setting has written policies in place to support the positive contribution of all children. All staff are fully aware of these policies and ensure all children are welcomed into the setting being valued and respected. The staff build the children's knowledge of cultures, customs and practices through activities and access to resources that promote diversity, for example, dolls, books and jigsaws. Children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities are very well supported because staff work with other agencies to identify and meet individual needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

They learn to manage their behaviour, which is good, because staff use very positive strategies and act as good role models, encouraging children by the effective use of praise. They discuss the behaviour with the child and support them by being enthusiastic when children succeed, for example, 'well done', 'good boy or girl', 'that's super'. Staff set consistent high standards, boundaries and guidelines which enable children to take responsibility for their own behaviour. This takes into account the age and stage of development of the child. Staff talk calmly and reinforce rules as they give gentle reminders, for example, 'don't run you may fall' and 'are you listening?' to gain children's attention when asking who wants more juice.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good, this being effective and contributing significantly to the wellbeing of the children. They share quality information, welcome parents into the nursery and encourage them to contribute to their child's time at the nursery. Parents are informed of their key worker for their child should they wish to discuss any issues. They are provided with a bi-monthly newsletter and all policies and procedures are fully shared with them. In discussion with parents, they expressed their positive feelings regarding the friendly staff and the good care their children receive.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Through the planning documentation and observation of the older children present, it was demonstrated that children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Planning identified the topics to raise children's awareness of diversity, for example, the celebration of all festivals, and there are resources that promote their understanding. The observation of the older children gave examples of children playing together and sharing.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The varying needs of the children are met by the effective use of space, time and resources. Children move freely and enhance their own play by choosing from the well organised toys and equipment. The well planned daily routine enables them to benefit from both adult-led and spontaneous play opportunities to promote their learning. Effective systems are in place to record the children's attendance and all required documentation is up to date and very well maintained. The very good induction procedure and staff training ensure all staff are fully aware of all policies and procedures. This ensures they are clear about their own roles and area

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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 of responsibility. Training for all staff is promoted and encouraged to assist staff in further developing their skills and areas of expertise to meet the needs of the children attending.

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Organisation

The additional services allows for children to benefit from other types of groups depending on their needs, for example, the crèche and toddler group. Therefore, a wider section of the community is able to access childcare and this enables parents and carers to access the information and courses to help them develop their own skills.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is good, with staff being led by a committed management team who are very forward thinking and actively plan for change. The staff work well together as a team and support each other in their roles. Training is fully promoted for all staff to increase their knowledge and skills, to improve their practice and therefore the care of the children. The centre manager and centre deputy monitor staff performance through the appraisals system and through the regular staff meetings in order to improve the care and education provided for children. The full management team has been operational for a short period of two months, and is working very effectively to progress the service and meet the needs of the families who attend the service.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets 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 satisfactory. At the time of the inspection there were no children in receipt of nursery education. Ofsted judges that the provider remains suitable to provide nursery education.

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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): • revisit the hand washing procedure for the younger children • ensure all activities are fully prepared in regard to the balancing and climbing outdoor experience.

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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 staff awareness and understanding of the planning process for the foundation stage.

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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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