Kidsunlimited - North Cheam

Kidsunlimited - North Cheam

Inspection report for early years provision

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Kidsunlimited - North Cheam

EY336120 Unique Reference Number 23 November 2006 Inspection date Patricia Ann Edward Inspector

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Kidsunlimited - North Cheam

North Cheam Sports & Social Club, 660 London Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM3 9BZ

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Kidsunlimited Nurseries 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Kids Unlimited North Cheam is one of a large number of other provisions run by Kids Unlimited Nurseries. It opened in 2006 and operates from three double aspect base rooms in a single story purpose-built building. It is situated in North Cheam, located in the London Borough of Sutton. A maximum of 80 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.30 to 18.00 all year round except bank holidays. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 42 children aged from seven months to under five years on roll. Of these, 11 children receive funding for early education. The nursery currently supports a number of 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 employs nine members of staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications and two are working towards a qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a effectively clean, child centred environment. They follow good personal hygiene routines which are reinforced by staff, all of which help to prevent the spread of infection. Older and more able children are able to independently wash their own hands and wipe their nose and dispose of the tissue appropriately in the bin.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's health is well promoted because a number of staff have relevant first aid training and have a clear understanding of procedures to follow should a child become ill or have an accident whilst in their care. Detailed records of their individual health needs are readily available in the event of an emergency.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's understanding of being healthy is reinforced by having access to healthy balanced meals and snacks daily. A number of menus are in place and include separate menus for children under 12 months. Meal and snack times are a social occasion where staff sit with the children to encourage and simulate language and support children with feeding needs. Their health is further protected because staff members ensure meals and snacks provided to children comply with their dietary requirements. Children in all area have access to drinks throughout the day.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a good range of play opportunities and experiences that promote their physical well-being and development. They access the outside area on a daily basis and have effective opportunities to move with control and co-ordination. Children ride bikes, have access to hoops, skipping ropes and bean bags. They use their hands and tools, such as, buckets and spades when playing in the sand or using the computer, which further develop their fine motor skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children in all areas are able to move safely and freely around their environment. Their welfare is effectively protected to ensure they can not leave the premises unsupervised. There are CCTV cameras in place and at both ends of the day staff members are situated at the entrance to vet all visitors. The rooms, hallway and play materials are organised well to allow children maximum opportunities to select from a good range of activities set up attractively on table tops and the floor.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are encouraged by staff to learn to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe and learn about potential dangers as staff explain safe practises to children, for example, staff remind children not to run around the room. Daily safety checks are completed by staff, written risk assessments are completed and help eliminate most hazards, which ensures children’s safety.

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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 in the event of a fire is not effectively protected because no fire drills have been completed since the setting has been in operation. This would develop children's understanding of what to do in the event of a fire. However, other precautions such as fire evacuation notices are displayed throughout the building and the appropriate fire equipment is in place to protect children, parents, staff and visitors.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have a good understanding of child protection issues and are aware of procedures to follow should they be concerned about a child in their care. None the less no named person for child protection has been put into place.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are warmly welcomed and greeted and happy when they arrive. They enjoy their time at the nursery. The majority of children separate from their parents with confidence and new children are supported by caring staff who ensure they feel settled and become familiar with their surroundings and the daily routines. The learning environment is stimulating and welcoming to both children and adults, which enhances children’s learning and increases self-esteem, for example, they are able to see their creative work displayed throughout the building.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children under three are becoming competent learners. They have access to a good range of materials and opportunities that stimulate their interest and senses such as treasure baskets, wet and dry sand, sensory bottles and experiment with sound and movement. Children enjoy the textures of messy play materials, such as sand, which they happily explore with buckets and spades or their hands. Young children develop early communication skills as they are free to express their views and opinions to staff and their peers during activities and in small groups. Children are becoming skilful communicators because they effectively use baby sign language to communicate with staff. They use signs for milk and more confidently. Staff communicate with them continuously talking about what is going on in the room or in the garden.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children in the baby room enjoy being together and are confident in their relationships with their carers and one another. The staff provide good levels of support and praise to children. The staff know the children's needs well and are quickly at hand to provide cuddles, distraction and change the routines and activities, to ensure they remain happy, safe and secure. Staff are observant of children’s safety, for example when a baby put a drum stick in his mouth staff distracted him by encouraging him to use the drum stick to bang on the drum.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The staff position themselves effectively on the floor, so they can offer encouragement and support when necessary. For example, a baby is encouraged to attempt to walk further, by the staff calling to the baby and putting a toy just out of her reach.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children in the toddler room have access to a good range of activities and opportunities that are attractively set up well on tables and the floor. The children play happily together, enthusiastically selecting resources independently and linking up with other children to enjoy and share toys. The children are encouraged to become skilful communicators. For example, the staff when looking at books in small groups encourage the children to repeat words after her to develop their emerging vocabulary. This is also done through songs, children were

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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 observed singing some of their favourite songs such as row, row, row your boat and doing the actions with their peers and staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The majority of staff members have undertaken in house training in the 'Birth to three matters' framework, they are very aware of the experiences and activities that younger children need.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage, and an appropriate understanding of how children learn and progress. Staff plan an effective range of activities and experiences that appropriately cover the six areas of learning and meets the needs of individual children in attendance. Staff use a number of appropriate teaching methods to aid children’s learning. They have good questioning techniques that enable children to organise their thoughts and share their ideas. The pre-school room supervisor has a very good knowledge of the foundation curriculum and she plans a good range of activities for the children, to ensure they remain excited and motivated to learn. She is an effective role model, which has ensured that less experienced staff are also now developing a sound understanding of the activities children need, to help them make

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

progress. The planning is very clear and evaluated on a regular basis, to ensure that learning intentions are carried through and teaching remains successful. Staff observe the children and plot their progress on a developmental chart. However, the individual observations and assessments do not inform planning of the next steps for children's individual learning. This impacts on children's progress and opportunities of challenges.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children’s attitude towards learning is good. They are able to concentrate at self-chosen and group led activities, and they persevere until finished. They show a strong sense of belonging as they greet each other and staff on arrival. They are beginning to take responsibility for their own personal care, which aid them to develop their self-help and independent skills, such as putting on their own coats. However, their independence is not fully promoted at meal and snack times to enable them to serve their peers, dish out their own lunch or prepare the lunch table.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

All children have good opportunities to learn about shapes, colours and have daily opportunities to lean about size and measurement through sand and water play and also cooking. Children are developing skills of investigation and exploration through practical activities such as floating and sinking items in water play. Children have daily chances to learn about themselves and the environment through planned activities and themes. They also have daily opportunities to use information technology to support their learning. Children have good opportunities to express their imagination and creative ideas. They are provided with a range of small and large play equipment that helps to promote their small and large motor skills.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children have good levels of confidence and value themselves and one another. Children are learning about diversity through having access to positive play materials that form part of integral play. They also celebrate a range of cultural and religious festivals throughout the year

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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 that include Diwali, Christmas, Chinese New Year and Easter. All this helps to fosters children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with special needs are welcomed into the setting. There are a number of staff who have experience of caring for children with learning difficulties and disabilities. However, a staff member has not been allocated responsibility as Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well, because staff have clear consistent knowledge of managing children's behaviour age appropriately. They act as positive role models and use consistent methods such as distraction, and explain behaviour that is expected of children. Children are learning to negotiate, take turns and share play materials.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's individual needs are effectively met because staff ensure good links are developed with parents from the settling in stage. Detailed settling in procedures are in place. Staff on a daily basis exchange information with parents this is done both written and verbally. This informs parents of what activities and care needs have been addressed and completed. Policies for the group are available to parents in a file and they are discussed during the settling in period. This contributes to consistencies in the children's care. The partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is satisfactory. Children's progress is monitored by staff, however, parents are not involved in their children's assessments and do not receive information about their next steps for development, which affects opportunities for them to fully contribute to their child’s learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The registered person uses effective and robust recruitment procedures which ensure that staff working with the children are effectively vetted. The majority of staff are qualified and experienced and work well together.

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Organisation

There are a range of detailed and effective records in place that include the necessary detail. They are also appropriately maintained and stored confidentially.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. Management use team meetings, general discussions and management structure to monitor the curriculum and the impact on children's progress. Staff have access to regular training that is obtained in-house and through the local authority. The management team have an awareness of their strengths and of the areas that need improvement.

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Organisation

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

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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

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the 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.

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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 regular fire drills are in place to develop children's understanding of what to do in an emergency. • ensure designated member of staff with responsibility for child protection, behaviour management and special education needs co-ordinator are in place and receive appropriate training.

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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 a system to ensure children's assessments inform planning and the evaluation of activities identify the next steps for individual learning and to ensure that parents can be fully involved in all aspects of their child's care and learning.

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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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