Apricot Day Nursery

Apricot Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Apricot Day Nursery

EY317616 Unique Reference Number 17 January 2007 Inspection date Rachel Edwards Inspector

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Apricot Day Nursery

Lescun Close, Pangbourne Road, Upper Basildon, Reading, Berkshire, RG8 8LN

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E-mail

Eve-Maria Loisel Registered person Childcare 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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Apricot Day Nursery was registered in 2006. It operates from purpose built premises in Upper Basildon, near Reading. There are two playrooms and a kitchen and an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The nursery is registered to care for no more than 12 children under five years at any one time. The registration does not include overnight care. The nursery is open from 08:00 until 18.00 during week days. There are currently 13 children on roll. Children are cared for by four staff, two of whom work part-time. Two staff hold relevant early years qualifications. The nursery receives support from the local authority early years childcare development worker.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. The children are cared for in a warm, clean and very welcoming environment. There are thorough nursery procedures in place to protect children from cross infection and illness but these are not consistently followed as staff and children do not always wash their hands before preparing or eating meals, which does not teach children about the importance of personal hygiene. Very hygienic procedures are followed for nappy changing and children are supported well by caring and sensitive staff as they are potty trained or learn to use the toilet and wash their hands.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy sitting together for snacks and meals, which are healthy and nutritious. Meals are prepared off site from fresh ingredients, including fruit and vegetables and carefully re-heated in the nursery. Children are regularly offered drinks of fresh water. The children develop a positive attitude to physical exercise through daily outdoor play in the nursery garden. They all bring suitable outdoor clothing so they can comfortably play outside in most weathers. They enjoy jumping in puddles, playing in the sand pit, climbing and running so that they develop good control of their bodies. In summer they enjoy helping to pick fruit, which they then help to prepare for snacks.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are happy and settled in this very homely environment. Babies are able to follow their normal routines for sleep and feeds. All children are encouraged to sleep or rest after lunch and they enjoy this quiet time, listening to music. The effective key worker system allows children to build close relationships with staff and helps them feel emotionally secure. For example, as a sleepy baby wakes, he is lifted from his cot and cuddled and sung to before being offered a drink.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are well protected from hazards and injury in a safe and closely supervised environment. The premises are locked during sessions so that children cannot leave unnoticed nor unwanted visitors gain entry. Twice each day, the manager carries out a thorough risk assessment of the inside and outside areas and any hazards are promptly dealt with. Children begin to learn about keeping themselves safe, for example, as they take part in emergency evacuation drills or follow nursery rules about playing safely, such as not kicking balls indoors. Children use and play with high quality equipment that is appropriate to their stage of development. It is stored on low level shelving so that children can select resources for themselves, allowing them to develop independence and follow their own interests.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is safeguarded by staff who have received training and have a good knowledge and understanding of child protection issues. Staff would be able to act in the children's best interest if they had concerns. However there is not a procedure in place, to follow should there be an allegation made against a member of staff, which could put children at risk.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children really enjoy their time at this small and homely nursery. They arrive happily and settle quickly to the good range of activities on offer. Staff are warm and caring towards the children and really nurture their confidence and self-esteem. Staff are experienced and knowledgeable and use early years guidance, such as 'the Birth to three matters' framework and the Foundation Stage curriculum to help plan a variety of interesting activities that help children make good progress in all areas of their development. Children are eager to join in with a good variety of enjoyable and worthwhile activities. All ages play together for much of the day and this benefits not only the younger children who are able to watch and learn but also the older children who learn to be aware of the needs of the younger children and they also enjoy being the 'big ones' showing them how to do things. There is a separate room so that at times the older children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

can be appropriately challenged in their play, without being disrupted by the little ones.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children love sharing stories and regularly choose books to be read. They enjoy exploring sensory play materials, such as sand or dough and different textured fabrics and they look closely at natural objects they find in the garden. Children's language skills are very well supported by the staff who talk to the children all the time about what they are doing and ask good open questions that encourage children to think and express their ideas. Children regularly enjoy art and craft activities and examples of their work are attractively displayed around the nursery. This helps children feel valued, for example, a child proudly shows his painting and explains 'I did it with my fingers'. Staff carefully monitor and record children's development but are still developing the system and are not yet fully effective in using the information to plan and adapt activities to meet children's individual developmental needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are welcomed into the nursery and valued as individuals. Each member of staff has a special responsibility for a small group of children, which means that they build strong relationships with the children and their families. Staff work closely with parents to make sure that children's needs and interests are known before the child starts and that there are on-going discussions between staff and parents throughout the child's time at nursery. Parents are made aware of the developmental records kept for their child and they are invited to look at these at any time.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave very well. Staff are sensitive to children's level of understanding and consistently use positive methods to encourage good behaviour. Children respond well to this firm, gentle and consistent approach. Staff are excellent role models as they treat each other and the children with kindness and respect. Even the youngest children respond enthusiastically when asked to help tidy up and they are well supported as they learn to share and take turns.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children begin to learn about the wider world and to value differences and similarities between themselves and others. They play with a good range of resources that promote diversity, such as dolls, puzzles and books. They celebrate birthdays and often take part in activities around

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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 different festivals, such as the Chinese New Year and Easter and the French owner often talks or sings to the children in her home language.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are well cared for in this generally well organised nursery. The nursery effectively recruits suitable and experienced staff. They are encouraged to attend further training to enhance their skills which benefits the children. Staff are well deployed so that children receive high levels of adult support at all times. The effective use of key workers and consistency of staff helps children feel secure and relaxed. Policies and procedures are in place to promote children's health, safety and welfare. However, these are not always consistently followed for hygiene routines.

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Organisation

All the required documentation is in place, although on occasions lacks sufficient detail. There is a complaints procedure but it does not meet current regulations and the nursery are unsure of the procedure to follow if there was an allegation made against a member of staff.

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Organisation

The provider meets the needs of the range of children for whom they provide

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection 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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are 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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure staff and children wash hands before preparing or eating food

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • improve documentation by: ensuring the child protection policy includes procedures to follow, in the event of an allegation against a member of staff; and ensuring the complaints procedure fully complies with Children Act Regulations and inform parents of this

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The quality and standards of the care

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the care

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

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