Winwick Pre-School Nursery

Winwick Pre-School Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Winwick Pre-School Nursery

315255 Unique Reference Number 13 March 2007 Inspection date Sheila Iwaskow Inspector

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Winwick Pre-School Nursery

Winwick Leisure Centre, Myddleton Lane,Winwick, Warrington, Cheshire, WA2 8LQ

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E-mail

Ann Iddon Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional 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 satisfactory. 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?

Winwick Pre-School Nursery opened in 1985 and has charitable status. The facility is located within the local community building in Winwick and serves children in the local and surrounding area. The nursery is open each weekday from 09.15 to 11.45, term time only. Additional sessions are offered on a Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 13.00 to 15.30.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Children attending have access to a large hall, outdoor play area and associated facilities. There are currently 37 children on roll; of these 24 receive funding for nursery education. The setting supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities and also those who have English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs four staff, all of whom are fully qualified. Support from Sure Start in Warrington is given to the setting.

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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. Children's self-help skills are developing well. They are becoming independent as they learn to wash their hands at appropriate times of the day, set out plates at snack time and help tidy toys away. Steps stools are available in the bathroom area to help children reach the sink and brightly coloured pump action soap makes hand washing a more pleasurable experience for the children. The bathroom area has good reference to procedures for hand washing, displayed in picture and written format and simple explanations from staff help children understand the underlying concepts of good hygiene routines. Visits from the dentist and exploring topics, such as healthy eating further reinforce children's understanding of good health. Children receive acceptable levels of care in the event of illness as a sick child policy is in place and staff are suitably qualified in first aid. The environment in which the children play is well maintained

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Helping children to be healthy

and clean. A cleaner comes in on a daily basis and staff wipe down surfaces during the day with anti-bacterial spray, minimising the risk of cross infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a range of snacks, which are, in the main, healthy and include apples, grapes, toast and pancakes. Health and dietary needs are recorded and respected, ensuring that snacks provided are suitable for children with allergies and special diets. Snack time is an established social occasion where children enjoy chatting to each other and staff. Attractively coloured plates and cups encourage children to eat and drink. Children are offered a choice of either milk or water with their snack. However, drinks are not available at other times during the session to allow children to quench their thirst.

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Helping children to be healthy

Daily access to a suitable range of energetic activities indoors, enables children to have fun and make steady progress in their physical development. Activities available provide variety and allow children to gain confidence to move with control and use their bodies in different ways. Children have lots of fun as they crawl through the tunnel and negotiate the climbing frame. They laugh with delight as they play on the slide and ride on the rocker. Children enjoy running around in the fresh air and participating in team games when playing outside. However, this area is not used on a regular basis to fully promote all areas of children's physical development. Children enjoy playing with different consistencies, such as play dough or sand and gain fine motor skills with pencils and brushes.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in bright and stimulating surroundings. Lots of effort has been put in to make the nursery aesthetically pleasing. Examples of children's art work, friezes and posters create a purposeful learning environment and give children a sense of belonging within the setting. Play areas are maintained at a consistent temperature and children move around their immediate environment with ease and confidence. There is a particularly attractive books area with a range of soft furnishing to allow children to rest in comfort. The child-sized tables and chairs are of good quality and meet the needs of the children who attend. The setting has a

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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 wide range of developmentally appropriate resources suited to the needs of all the children within the setting. Toys seen at inspection are safe, clean and in good condition

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Secure procedures are in place to enter the setting to ensure children's safety. The entrance door is kept locked and access can only be obtained by a member of staff opening the door. Risk of accidental injury is minimised by the use of safety features and good supervision of the children. Informal risk assessments are carried out at the beginning of the day. Fire drills are clearly displayed and carried out termly. This allows children to confidently follow defined procedures in the event of a fire or emergency evacuation. However, fire drills are not logged correctly. Furthermore, some plug sockets in the play room are not covered, which pose a risk to children's safety. Children learn about road safety, which raises their awareness of keeping themselves safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected because staff have a clear awareness of the signs and symptoms of abuse and who to contact if they are concerned. A child protection policy is in place and accessible to parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are warmly greeted by staff when they arrive at the nursery in the morning. Staff are caring and friendly. They welcome children individually and settle them into the group. As a result, children are happy to come to the setting and they separate from their carers with confidence. Those who take a long time to settle are offered lots of hugs and extra reassurance from staff. Settling in procedures are in place, helping children to feel comfortable and secure in their new environment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young children enjoy exploring and investigating the range of play opportunities available. They rush to put on their favourite dressing up clothes, help their friends complete jigsaw puzzles or write a card for Mother's Day. Children happily make their own choices in free play sessions as they move around the different areas. Young children develop a sense of self as they look at themselves in the mirror and sing action songs, such as 'head, shoulders, knees and toes'.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are beginning to learn right from wrong as they are gently reminded to put up their hands if they want to speak and not to shout. Staff implement components of the 'Birth to three matters' framework, however, planning and assessments are not clearly linked to this curriculum. Furthermore, parents do not receive any information on the framework, which prevents them being fully involved in their children's learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Outings in the local area to shops and visits from the mobile library help to develop children's knowledge of their local community and the diversity of the people who work and live there.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children benefit from being taught by staff who have a growing awareness of the Foundation Stage. Consequently, children make steady

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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 progress towards the early learning goals. Staff are keen and encourage children to become involved and interested in the range of activities on offer. Planning takes a thematic approach and there is a balance of adult-directed and child-initiated activities. However, the planning of the focused activities at times lacks detail, the needs of more and less able children are not consistently identified and the next stages for children's learning are, at times, not predicted. Formal procedures are in place to monitor children's progress, which are clearly linked to the stepping stones. This allows staff and parents to easily track children's progress towards the early learning goals. The setting is currently implementing systems to make and record spontaneous assessments of children as they play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Some defined areas of interest are clearly available within the nursery to allow children to independently consolidate skills that they have already learnt. However, resources are not readily available to allow children independent choices in mathematics and information and communication technology.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Good use is made of questioning to develop children's thinking. For example, staff ask children 'what giraffes have that we don’t'; children reply 'a long neck'. Staff then extend their thinking skills by asking them to consider why giraffes have long necks.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are happy and settled. They are confident communicators, speak clearly and purposefully with adults and other children as they play in the sand and with the building blocks. They are secure in the routines of the nursery, understanding that they sit on the carpet when the register is being taken. Friendships are being formed as children play alongside one another and independently sharing and taking turns as they play. Children enjoy listening to stories. They are able to sit for sustained periods of time and handle books correctly. Staff point to words as they read, helping children to understand that print carries meaning. Children squeal with delight and follow simple instruction as a puppet, called 'Peter the rabbit', asks them to stamp their feet and smile. Children have opportunities to link sounds to letters as they look at the alphabet poster and tell staff that the word arrow begins with 'a' and 'e' is for elephant. Writing

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

skills are developing well as children write a letter to Father Christmas and put their name on their painting. Children have opportunities to recognise their name as they look for their coat pegs or search for their name card.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Mathematical concepts are promoted as part of the daily routine or in planned activities. Children count in sequence as they add up how many children are sitting on the carpet and then identify the number on the number line. Problem solving skills are fostered as children count the number of girls present and then calculate how many there would be altogether if two more girls were added. Mathematical language, such as big, small, heavier, lighter, more and less are used and incorporated into children's play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children observe changes that occur. For example, they monitor the changes to the trees in the outdoor play throughout the year and observe changes in the weather. Children are learning about living things and growth as they plant seeds and watch them grow. They enjoy constructing models from building blocks, however, they have limited opportunities to freely select resources of their choice to join and stick a range of objects or materials together. Talking about holidays or sharing news with staff allow children to appreciate the passing of time.

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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 A good range of creative opportunities, using a variety of media, are available to all children. During the inspection children proudly painted pictures of their mum as they saw her through their own eyes. Staff then annotated personalised comments from the children, such as 'my mummy has beautiful brown hair'. Children use their imagination in everyday play as they dress up, make a meal, or do the ironing in the home corner. However, a lack of natural materials in areas designed for imaginative play inhibits children's understanding of real life experiences. Music is incorporated regularly where children experiment with a variety of musical instruments and enjoy joining in with familiar songs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Cultural diversity is well promoted within the setting through a range of well thought out and meaningful experiences. For example, parents come into the nursery and talk to the children about the Japanese culture and staff dress in national costume for Ghana Independence Day. The celebration of festivals, including Chinese New Year, Harvest, Easter, Christmas and Hanukah help children appreciate the wider world and those who live in it. Children's understanding is further enhanced through a good range of resources that reflect equality of opportunity, and by cultural posters and information about other countries that are beautifully displayed around the nursery. Each child receives an individual present at Christmas as they enjoy their party on the play bus and birthdays are acknowledged, which makes children feel special. Children with English as an additional language are making progress, due to the high level of interaction

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Helping children make a positive contribution

from staff. Staff are keen to learn key words in the children's home language to enhance communication skills. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities are welcomed into the group. Information is shared between staff, parents and relevant agencies to promote an effective partnership to support individual children and adapt activities to meet their needs. Staff respect the uniqueness of the child and individual needs are met.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are delightful and well behaved. Staff act as good role models and their frequent use of praise supports children's efforts. All children are treated with individual care and respect. Age-appropriate strategies, such as simple explanations are used to deal with any minor instances of unacceptable behaviour. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents receive a booklet, which details all relevant policies and procedures with regard to their children's care. Informal discussions at the end of the session keeps parents informed how their children have spent their time at the nursery. Newsletters, a notice board and progress reports keep parents informed about events in the nursery and their children's attainment. Parents have the highest regard for the service provided by the nursery.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children who are in receipt of nursery education is satisfactory. Parents receive a written report at the end the year detailing their children's progress towards the early learning goals. However, parents are not encouraged to become actively involved in their children's learning as they are not provided with information on the Foundation Stage or invited to contribute towards their assessments programme.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Staff are dedicated, suitably qualified and work well as part of a team. Some staff attend short training courses, such as 'celebrating diversity' and 'observing children's play'. This information is then cascaded to other members of staff to ensure that all are able to offer the best possible care to children.

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Organisation

Acceptable procedures are in place for the recruitment and selection of staff, but at the time of the inspection there were no formal procedures in place to monitor the on-going suitability of staff have worked within the nursery for a number of years. This is a breach of regulations. Systems are in place to induct new staff or volunteers within the nursery, such as students or those on placements from local schools. Contingency arrangements are in place to cover for staff shortages or illness. Close links are established with the school nearby to ensure the smooth transition for children from nursery to the Reception year

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Organisation

Space is organised to provide children with a balanced range of activities. Staff are deployed effectively to ensure that children receive good levels of support throughout the session. The setting's certificate is clearly displayed, keeping parents fully informed of conditions of registration.

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Organisation

Most documentation, relating to the continuity of care for the children, is in place and organised to reflect confidentiality. However, some omissions have been identified; the behaviour management policy does not make reference to bullying and the complaints procedures does not reflect recent changes to the National Standards.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is satisfactory. The manager is actively involved in all aspects of nursery life and supports the staff team during the nursery session. Both the manager and deputy demonstrate a clear sense of purpose and a strong commitment to continue to maintain and improve the overall quality of the nursery education provided for the children.

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Organisation

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

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Improvements since the last inspection

Following the last care inspection the provider agreed to implement an operational plan, a key worker system and ensure that all policies and procedures are in place. These issues have now been addressed. An operational plan is in place and the manager and deputy are key workers within the setting. All the necessary documentation and policies relevant to sessional care are in place and accessible. These improvements ensure that documentation required for the continuity of care for the children is in place and up to date and parents have a named source of contact within the setting.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection it was requested that the provider increase opportunities for children to access and select resources independently, to give children the chance to investigate objects and freely use tools and techniques to assemble and join materials. Other

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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 areas for consideration were to develop an assessment system, devise procedures for monitoring and evaluating the nursery education and to implement appraisals for staff.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Progress has been made. An assessment system is now in place and informal procedures are in place to monitor and evaluate nursery education and appraise staff. Children have opportunities to investigate a range of objects. However, although some resources are now more accessible to the children, this area, together with opportunities for children to freely select tools to assemble and join materials together have been highlighted for further development at this inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

These improvements made to date improve the quality of the nursery education offered to children.

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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 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 satisfactory. 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 that children have access to fresh drinking water at all times • make plug sockets inaccessible to children and ensure that fire drills are logged correctly • ensure that planning and assessments for younger children are clearly linked to the 'Birth to three matters' framework • implement procedures to monitor the on-going suitability of staff and update the behaviour management policy to include a statement on bullying.

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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): • provide children with more opportunities to engage in physical play outdoors (also applies to care) • provide parents with information on the Foundation Stage curriculum and invite parents to contribute towards their children's assessments • increase the availability of resources to promote independent learning in mathematics and I.C.T.; allow children freely to select resources of their choice to join and stick a range of objects and materials together • incorporate natural materials into children's imaginative play.

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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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