Sunshine Day Nursery

Sunshine Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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508285 Unique Reference Number 19 March 2007 Inspection date Ann Coggin Inspector

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4 Clifford Street, Redcar, Cleveland, TS10 1RW Setting Address

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E-mail

Mr G & Mrs S Hawthorne 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Sunshine Day Nursery has been registered since 1989, and the after school club was registered in 2002. It operates from seven rooms in a detached building in the town centre area of Redcar. All children share access to a secure outdoor play area. A maximum of 71 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 18.00 all the year round apart from bank holidays. A before and after school club and holiday scheme is operated within the nursery.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 96 children on roll aged from three months to 10 years. Of these, 13 children receive funding for early education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are procedures in place to support children with learning difficulties or disabilities and children with English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Fifteen staff work with the children, all of whom have early years qualifications. A cook and domestic are also employed. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nursery Association and has received an accreditation in the Quality Counts, quality assurance scheme.

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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 good. Children are protected from infection because staff follow appropriate health procedures. The detailed sick children's policy is shared with parents and adhered to in order to protect the health of others. All staff hold current first aid certificates and appropriate records are maintained for recording accidents and the administration of medication.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children demonstrate a good understanding of simple hygiene routines and take responsibility for their own self-care routines. For example, they use the toilet independently and wash their hands, however, soap is not easily accessible to all children. Staff talk to children about why they wash their hands and children know it is because they have germs on them.

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Helping children to be healthy

Meals are prepared on site by the nursery cook and they are varied and nutritious. Children enjoy their meals and are offered second helpings. Fresh fruit, such as apples and pears are offered daily and children talk about growing big and strong if they eat all their dinner up. Fresh drinking water is accessible to all children. Healthy eating is promoted throughout the nursery and children have explored topics, such as keeping healthy and healthy foods. Staff take into account the wishes of parents effectively and all children's likes, dislikes and individual dietary requirements are met, with information regarding allergies displayed in the activity room and the kitchen.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have opportunities for outdoor play daily promoting their physical development. They enjoy practising balancing on the bales of hay and on the obstacle course and enjoy swinging on the rope swing. Babies use a wide range of musical instruments, making their own music to dance to. All children are developing a healthy independence because staff give the children confidence to try out new challenges. Children are able to rest according to their individual needs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in an environment where staff confidently balance freedom and safe limits, so children develop a good level of independence. Staff routinely explain and reinforce safe practice, like holding onto the banister when going up and down the stairs and holding tight when swinging on to the rope swing. Good supervision encourages children to behave in a responsible way, for example, they help to tidy away the toys before lunch and consistent reminders from staff help younger children take responsibility for keeping themselves safe. Health and safety procedures are implemented effectively and risk assessments are completed in order to reduce potential hazards and to allow children to access all areas of the environment, including free flow visits to other rooms within their area. Fire evacuation procedures are displayed and emergency evacuations are practised with the children so that they know how

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

to get out of the building in an emergency and where to go to keep themselves safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children have access to sufficient safe space to allow them to enjoy a wide range of activities. Their risk of accidental injury is minimised in the setting due to the well organised space and equipment. Children move around freely while using a good range of safe, good quality, well maintained, developmentally appropriate furniture and equipment. Resources are stored at child-height enabling them to self-select safely.

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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 Risk assessments are undertaken for all outings and appropriate documentation is in place regarding procedures for children travelling in a vehicle to and from school, however, written permission has not been obtained from parents for transporting children in vehicle.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff understand the nursery's policies and procedures regarding protecting children. They are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities within child protection, ensuring children's welfare is fully protected. Procedures have been updated to reflect current guidance.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children's care arrangements are effectively met as a result of staff being aware of each child's individual requirements and ensuring all children are well supported. Children enjoy coming to the nursery and settle well upon arrival. They explore and enjoy the environment, developing self- confidence as they plan their own play. Self-esteem is well nurtured as staff show an interest in what they can do and say. For example, staff talk and listen to the children, asking questions and appropriately offering suggestions. All children are gaining an understanding of routines and know what is expected of them. Children help at tidy up time, wash their hands before meals and snacks and line up to wait to go outside.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Babies settle well, they have good bonds with all staff and this has a positive impact on their sense of security. Staff use their good understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework and the Foundation Stage to provide interesting activities and opportunities for the children resulting in them being motivated and interested. Babies and toddlers enjoy lots of physical closeness, they are very secure and play contentedly, enjoying being with others. Communication skills with children are well supported through good adult-to-child interactions. The babies beam with pride as they are praised for making their own sounds and they have great fun repeating themselves.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Babies enjoy exploring the range of natural materials and household items and gurgle purposefully as they investigate different textures and look at their reflections in the mirror and play peek-a-boo with staff. Babies and toddlers join in with their favourite songs, such as "Wind the bobbin up", "Miss Polly had a dolly" and "Ten little Indian boys". They have opportunities to explore treasure baskets and sensory pockets which stimulate their senses and curiosity. All children's learning experiences are enriched by staff who closely observe children and plan a stimulating environment using the 'Birth to three matters' framework.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

All children, including babies experiment with different media and develop their own ideas as they freely explore sand, water, paint, jelly and dough. They blow bubbles in the water, use vegetables for printing and bake biscuits.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

After school, children are able to relax or be active as they choose. Some children spend their time socially chatting and enjoy talking about what they have done at school, other children like playing outside, playing team games and musical bumps. Activities are planned, themes and topics are followed and children are encouraged to tell staff what they would like to do. Creative activities are freely available and include modelling from junk materials, baking, printing and painting, with children's artwork being valued and displayed around the out of school room. During the school holidays they enjoy nature trails, visits to the beach and workshops to practise circus skills. They also enjoy food tasting from different countries, particularly enjoying Chinese and Indian food.

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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 Nursery Education.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a very good knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals and there is effective curriculum planning in place covering the six areas of learning. Staff's observations of the children informs planning ensuring appropriate challenges are set for individual children. Children are motivated and make good progress towards the early learning goals. Assessment records are completed and staff have a good knowledge of where children are at, in relation to the stepping stones. However, this information does not clearly shown starting points or identify progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident, interested and motivated to learn. They concentrate well at storytime and in small group work. They are developing good relationships with adults and other children, and take turns. For example, throwing the bean bags to each other and playing the spotty the dog game. Behaviour is good and children are beginning to understand right from wrong. They know the routine of the day and know that the use of the egg timer and the playing of music means it is tidy up time. Children love stories, they listen attentively and respond with enjoyment and enthusiasm to familiar songs and rhymes, such as "Pat a cake, pat a cake" and "Miss Polly had a dolly". Children are beginning to write their own names and have opportunities to write for a variety of purposes, for example, clip boards in the home corner and mark making with paint. They link sounds and letters and use language for thinking and talking about events.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children count and use numbers in everyday activities, for example, counting the bean bags, windows in the room and how many children are present. They use size language well and understand the concept of long and short, big and small, full and empty. Some children are recognising numerals and can match the number to objects, for example, when playing the spotty the dog game. Calculating skills are also promoted well in routine activities, such as small world and how many bowls and cups are needed at lunch time. Children are developing a good sense of the local community, they visit shops, the library and the beach. There are good opportunities for children to explore and investigate and find out about living things, such as mini-beasts and growing plants. Children build and construct with a wide range of objects and have good opportunities to explore information and technology. They use digital cameras, remote control toys and the computer, with most children having very good mouse

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's physical skills are developing steadily as they move confidently and safely. They are gaining good control of their bodies as they balance on the obstacle course, go through tunnels and use wheeled toys. They develop good levels of hand-eye coordination through the use of scissors, glue spreaders and tools when using the play dough, such as knives and rolling pins. Exploratory and creative play with water, sand and paint are part of children's everyday experiences, allowing them to freely explore their own ideas, where their work is valued and displayed for all to enjoy. Children use their imagination well in role play activities, for example, pretending to be shop keepers at the "Sunshine shop" and pretending to be mummies and babies.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's contributions are valued, and they receive genuine praise and encouragement because staff have children's best interests at heart. Children are cared for by familiar and well known staff who work closely with parents to ensure children's individual needs are met. All children are respected as individuals, staff know the children well and plan suitable activities in line with

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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 their developmental needs. Children are beginning to learn about their local community and the wider world through visits within the community, topics and food tasting.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Behaviour is good, good manners are promoted at all times and children frequently say please, thank you and excuse me. There is a strong emphasis on respecting and caring for others, for example, helping each other put on their coats and hats when going outside to play. They share and take turns, for example, when playing spotty the dog and playing in the sand and water. Children's understanding of right and wrong is increased through the prompts from staff. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. The displaying of the rules with pictures reminds children what is expected of them, such as walking indoors. The out of school children have devised their own rules with support and guidance from staff and these are clearly displayed for all to see.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. They are encouraged to spend time settling their child and getting to know staff well. Verbal communications between staff and parents are warm, friendly and relaxed helping children feel secure and confident. Parents noticeboards are well presented with the 'Birth to three matters' framework clearly displayed for parents to follow. Regular newsletters are distributed to all parents and parents receive good quality information about the setting and their policies and procedures. Parents of children who are in receipt of funded nursery education are well informed about the Foundation Stage curriculum. However, whilst there are systems in place to help support their child's learning at home, this needs extending. A suitable complaints procedure is in place, however, the complaints record does not reflect amendments to the National Standards.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The nursery and out of school environments are well organised to ensure children's welfare and safety. Daily routines are clearly planned and flexibly implemented to respond to children's varying needs and interests. Staff demonstrate a commitment to developing their practice by attending regular training. Group sizes and staff deployment successfully support children's experiences, for example, limited numbers of children during some activities, such as sand and water and using the bales of hay. This helps keep children safe and maximises their enjoyment. The recruitment and vetting procedures in place for staff ensure children are well protected and cared for by suitable adults. Space is organised so children can make good choices in their play and in their relaxation. For example, resources are available for the after school children to relax quietly after a busy day at school.

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Organisation

Most of the required documents are available together with policies and procedures which are shared well with parents and staff in order to promote the welfare, care and learning of the children. There are effective systems in place for the sharing of information with parents about the service and their child's activities. A register is maintained and children's arrival and departure times are recorded.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of the nursery is good and promotes the children's learning. Staff work well as a team and all are involved in the planning of activities. All of the staff have early years qualifications and the children are well supported through the effective key person system. This is because the management and staff have a secure understanding of the principles of the 'Birth to three matters' framework and the Foundation Stage and of how these can be implemented in practice. The setting is able to assess their strengths and identify areas for improvement. Management and staff are committed to the ongoing improvement of the care

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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 and education for all children. There are clear systems in place to monitor the curriculum with the manager supporting and advising staff very well. Formal staff meetings are held and systems are in place for regular supervision sessions and appraisals.

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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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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the nursery was asked to ensure that children do not have access to the utility room, ensure the written record of medicines given to children is signed by parents and meet any recommendations made by the fire safety officer. Documentation has been improved and parents sign the medication record promoting children's health. The fire safety officer's recommendations are met and the utility room is inaccessible to children ensuring the safety of the children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The nursery was asked to develop the assessment system so that it is used effectively to inform future planning giving consideration to how three-year-olds learn and ensure the deployment of staff and resources are used effectively to sustain children's interest and to provide appropriate challenge in all areas of the curriculum. Assessment records are completed and effectively used to inform future planning. Staff are deployed effectively and planning ensures children are appropriately challenged and resources are accessible ensuring children's interest is sustained.

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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 complaint 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 good.

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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 there is soap available for all children for hand washing • obtain written parental consent for transporting children in a vehicle • update the complaints record, in line with the amendments to the National standards.

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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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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): • continue to develop opportunities to inform parents how they can extend children's learning at home • ensure assessment identifies children's starting points and clearly shows their progression towards the early learning goals.

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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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