Ladybirds Educational Nursery

Ladybirds Educational Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Ladybirds Educational Nursery

EY338540 Unique Reference Number 19 February 2007 Inspection date Carole, Jean Bell Inspector

p.1

Ladybirds Educational Nursery

Falcon Business Centre, Victoria Street, CHADDERTON, Oldham, Lancashire, OL9 0HB

p.1

Setting Address

07906 698 638 Telephone number colamda@aol.com E-mail Barbara Keeling Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

p.1

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

p.1

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.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Ladybirds Educational Nursery operates from a purpose built building in the Chadderton area of Oldham. There are four playrooms for children and two enclosed outdoor play areas. A maximum of 30 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 for Christmas and Bank holidays. There are currently 42 children on roll. The nursery currently supports children with learning difficulties and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 11 staff, eight of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The manager has a PGCE in primary education. Three staff are working towards a qualification.

p.2

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

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a setting where staff pay good attention to hygiene routines, such as sterilising dummies and recording cleaning routines in the kitchen. They ensure that children learn simple, good practices, such as washing their hands at appropriate times and the safe disposal of tissues. Children remind each other to cover their mouths when they cough. They are encouraged to help with simple cleaning routines and sing as they clean and set the tables for lunch and sweep the floor with a dustpan and brush. The setting is mostly maintained in a clean and hygienic manner.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Children are well nourished by healthy and nutritious snacks and meals. They all enjoy their meals and are able to have second helpings if they wish which promotes their independence. Staff provide interesting themed snacks, for example, they have fortune cookies, spring rolls and prawn crackers during Chinese New Year celebrations. As they eat, staff encourage them to try new foods and offer praise for good table manners. They enjoy a new experience trying jar pears and star fruit mid morning. Their health and dietary needs are successfully met.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Outdoor activity is positively promoted and children enjoy daily physical exercise in the outdoor area whatever the weather. They wear waterproof coats and Wellingtons to play outside in the rain. They have access to a very good range of outdoor resources, such as sand, logs, tyres, bikes, imaginative play and large cardboard boxes for construction. They negotiate space well, riding bikes around the area and changing direction to avoid obstacles. The older children have weekly swimming lessons at a local toddler pool which further promotes their understanding of a healthy lifestyle.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are kept safe in very well maintained and welcoming premises. The setting is well lit, warm and well ventilated and this promotes children's well-being. Children are kept safe within the setting by a range of safety measures such as regular risk assessments, door buzzer on entry and exit, regular fire safety checks and all visitors are signed in and out. Learning about personal safety is important. Children recognise that people within the community, such as the lollipop lady, fire and police officers, help to keep them safe.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are able to develop a good sense of belonging through the warm and welcoming accommodation. Their photographs and names are displayed on coat pegs and their art work is exhibited throughout the building. Children experience a sense of pride in seeing their work displayed for others to admire. They benefit from having plenty of space to move around in. They have free access to the main playroom, the sensory room and the outdoor area. This allows them to explore their environment and take risks. Staff provide an excellent and stimulating range of toys and equipment that meets the needs of all the children attending. There are low level mirrors which are placed at floor level, so that the babies can see themselves and stimulating fabrics lining the walls to add interesting textures for them to feel. Imaginative resources are

p.3

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 made by staff which include see-through drain pipes that children roll balls through, tights hung from lines with balls in to swing and lots of plastic bottles full of coloured water and glitter.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is further protected as staff have a good understanding of child protection issues and their responsibility under the Children Act to keep children safe. Information is shared with parents to ensure that they understand that the staff's first responsibility is to the child. Parents complete forms to inform staff of existing injuries and information is displayed about appropriate contact and cuddles with children.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children arrive happily and are eager to chat to the staff and other children. They confidently join in group activities or choose their own play. Children are all happy and settled in the secure, caring environment and there is lots of happy laughter and giggling throughout the day. The toys and resources are easily accessible allowing them to make independent decisions about their play and initiate their own learning. Children are making good progress in all areas of development. They develop physically through indoor and outdoor play, intellectually through focussed activities and socially through expectations of good behaviour and values, such as sharing and caring for their friends.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are skilled in providing activities to suit the developmental ages of the children. For example, children were discovering noodles as part of their celebrations for Chinese New Year. The younger children ran their fingers through it, tossed it in the air or tasted it. Some of them were very tentative about touching it, others grabbed handfuls. Older children tried eating the noodles with chopsticks, learning about how people from different cultures eat. Staff recognise that children need to spend time developing their senses and explore different mediums rather than produce an end product. They enjoyed adding different spices to the play dough and smelling them, trying to guess what each one was like. Children enjoy playing out in the rain. There were squeals of delight as they jumped in puddles and stood under a leaky gutter protected by waterproof clothing and Wellington boots.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have a sound knowledge of how children learn and make progress. They have a good awareness of the different frameworks to support children's learning and development. All staff use the 'Birth to three matters' framework and the early learning goals to plan and assess children's learning.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and children's learning is good. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals because staff have a secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage. The planning systems are clear and detailed. They include good observations which recognise children's individuality and identify their next steps in learning.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enter the nursery with confidence and are learning self help skills. They are able to carry out simple tasks, such as hand washing, hanging up their coats, blowing their noses and

p.4

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 sorting pairs of Wellingtons to play out in the rain. They take turns at setting the table and getting the water jug and beakers for lunch. Children respond well to the literacy rich setting where staff have mature conversations with the children. Many words are displayed throughout the setting and children visit the library to choose books. They have good listening skills and are able to look at a book and re-tell the story in their own words. Staff take every opportunity to extend their language skills and ask open ended questions to gently challenge the children and extend their thinking. They use words, such as 'fragile' and explain the meaning to the children. The children extend their language skills during focussed activities, for example, when tasting new fruits they describe it as sour, crunchy and juicy. Children are beginning to recognise

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

their own names on place settings, coat pegs and on their art work. They have lots of opportunities to make marks and become engrossed in the mark making area, explaining to each other how to write their names and explaining that it is important to 'lift the pencil off the paper'. Children learn basic concepts and solve problems as staff encourage them to compare size and work out if they can fit a large box through a small doorway in the play house. Staff use mathematical language in play, for example, asking for four children to help and holding up four fingers. However, children are not always given opportunities to extend their knowledge of numbers and counting to fully experience the practical application of numbers in play. They develop good hand and eye coordination as they pour themselves drinks and try to use chopsticks.

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are learning about the community they live in and the wider world, allowing them to develop a sense of place. Staff provide very good opportunities for them to learn about other cultures. They celebrate Chinese New Year with a very well resourced role play area which is set out as a Chinese restaurant. It is decorated with lanterns and photographs of China town, they build a Chinese arch with large cardboard boxes and build the great wall of China with planks, chairs and tyres. They develop their creativity further by copying Chinese writing with lots of black paint. They have good access to information and communication technology. For instance they know how to use cassette players, torches to play outside when it is dark and take photographs of each other to compliment their activities. They have interesting visits in the area to the library, to the post office to send letters and they go swimming at the local

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

pool. The children know about people who help and support them, such as fire officers and lollipop ladies and talk knowledgably about how she helps them to cross the road.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are developing a good sense of the community they live in because they visit local places of interest and have visits from people who offer services to the community. Children are aware of the wider world because staff provide them with a very good range of resources that promote all aspects of diversity and provide stimulating activities which includes celebrations from differing cultures, such as Chinese New Year and Christmas. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff are experienced in meeting the needs of children with disabilities. They successfully promote children's development by working with parents and outside agencies to provide

p.5

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 special services. They develop individual education plans in conjunction with parents, speech therapists and health visitors to determine attainment and future goals.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are very well behaved and staff have high expectations of them. Staff are very good role models for children offering praise and support, which increases children's self-esteem. Children are given gentle reminders from the staff to take turns, not to take toys from another child and to be friends with each other. They encourage children to be responsible for their environment by giving praise for small tasks, such as tidying toys away and putting rubbish in the bin.

p.6

Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Staff are very aware of children's individual needs and capabilities from information received from parents at intake. This ensures a smooth transition from home to the nursery and enables children to feel secure. There are very good procedures in place to keep parents informed of their children's progress, such as development and feed back files, daily information sheets and a communication policy. Children who are in receipt of nursery education funding have their achievements cross referenced to stepping stone charts, giving parents a clear view of their children's progress towards the early learning goals. Staff hold developmental review meetings with parents every six months. Targets for future learning and development are jointly determined by staff and parents at these meetings.

p.6

Organisation

The organisation is good. The happy atmosphere of the setting contributes to the children's confidence and their independence skills. The staff work extremely well as a team. Their commitment to further improvement is reflected in the programme for staff training and the clear process for self evaluation and continuous assessment. This maintains the quality of care and learning for all children.

p.6

Organisation

Records detail the individual needs of each child and include relevant consents and contacts. All required policies and procedures are in place. However, parents do not have the correct details of how to contact the regulator should the need arise. Policies and procedures work well in practice to promote children’s health, safety, enjoyment, achievement and ability to make a positive contribution.

p.6

Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education is good. Children benefit from the good leadership of the group and staff have appropriate qualifications or are working towards a qualification. Good planning is in place. All staff are involved in planning and have time allocated each week for updating children's development files and planning the next steps of their learning. They have regular review meetings to ensure that all stepping stones are sufficiently covered to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum. The staff work closely with their local authority advisory teacher to monitor the effectiveness of the delivery of the nursery education curriculum.

p.6

Organisation

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

p.6

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

p.6

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.7

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.

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.7

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 all flooring is regularly cleaned • ensure that all parents have correct details of how to contact the regulator.

p.7

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): • increase the opportunities for children to extend their knowledge of numbers and counting to fully experience the practical application of numbers in play.

p.7

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

p.7

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

p.7