Daisy Chain Day Nursery

Daisy Chain Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Daisy Chain Day Nursery

253797 Unique Reference Number 21 March 2007 Inspection date Anne Georgina Phillips Inspector

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Daisy Chain Day Nursery

The Annexe, Norton Community Centre, Kempton Way, Norton, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 3AZ

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E-mail

Ketrina Hill 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 outstanding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Daisy Chain Nursery opened in 1994. It is privately owned and managed. It operates from its own building which is situated in an annexe to Norton Community Centre in Stourbridge, West Midlands.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 40 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07:30 to 18:00 for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 77 children aged from four months to under under five years on roll. Of these, 20 children receive funding for early education. Children come from a wide catchment area, as many of their parents travel to work in or around the West Midlands.

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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 is able to support children with learning difficulties and disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 17 members of staff. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications and six are working towards a qualification. Students attend on study and work placements.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. They make very healthy choices about the food they eat and are learning about leading healthy lifestyles. They have excellent opportunities to enjoy fresh air, exercise and physical play outdoors and are always able to have a drink of water when they are thirsty.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are very well protected from infection because staff consistently implement excellent daily routines, prepare and present food safely. The premises are very clean and well kept and there are good quality facilities for both adults and children. There are very good procedures in place to help children learn about simple good hygiene practices. The youngest children are involved in finding their own clean nappy and cream. The older children develop a really good understanding of the need to develop good hygiene. They draw their individual pictures of what germs might look like and make up stories which are then laminated and displayed around the toilet areas to remind them of the importance of good hygiene when they visit them each time. They remind them that germs do not like soap and water. They use wipes to wipe their hands before using the cafe at snack time. They help themselves to tissue to wipe their own

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Helping children to be healthy

noses and even fetch tissue for their friends when they see their nose needs wiping too. They independently throw the soiled tissue into the covered bin. The oldest children put on their disposable gloves when taking part on the litter picking exercise and are reminded by staff why they need to do this.

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Helping children to be healthy

There are very effective procedures for ensuring children do not attend when they are ill and ensuring that children's individual dietary needs are met. Staff liaise closely with parents about children's infections. There is an excellent system for ensuring that all those preparing food are aware of children's dietary needs because there are good sized pictures of the children concerned in the kitchen which specify the foods they cannot eat. A high proportion of first aid trained staff ensures children's welfare is safeguarded in case of accidents.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are provided with nutritious, balanced meals and snacks appropriate to their individual needs. They enjoy healthy snack times such as raisins, pieces of apple or pear. The breakfast menu is also balanced and healthy with a range of cereals and fruit but choice for the children coming in at the busiest time seems to be limited to toast. The lunchtime menu is wholesome and children eat well. It is well-balanced and offered to children in good quantities with second helpings. For example, children eat roast meat with potatoes, cabbage and carrots with fruit kebabs for dessert.

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Frequent outdoor play in the large outdoor garden, a wide range of equipment, and improvised obstacle courses ensure that children develop excellent control of their bodies. The use of clay, wet and dry sand, and a wide range of manipulated activities ensure that children develop extremely good fine motor control as shown in their creative work. Children rest and sleep soundly according to their needs. Restful music ensures that the environment is relaxing so that they are calm and sleep soundly.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are very safe and secure overall. They enjoy stable care that protects them from harm. They develop a very good understanding of how to think and act safely during planned and spontaneous events.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are very well cared for in a welcoming, child friendly environment. They and their parents receive an individual and cheerful greeting when they arrive. Very colourful and attractive displays of children's work and photographs of their recent experiences ensures that they feel valued and provide valuable information for parents about how the children are cared for.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

All areas of the nursery are very well presented. The individual rooms where children are accommodated carefully match their developmental needs with toys and equipment carefully chosen so that it is readily accessible to them and to encourage their independence. Space is very well-organised so that children can play freely and safely and effectively supports their emerging toddling and mobility skills. Outdoor space is large and attractive to children and they are able to use it throughout the year. There are good daily procedures for checking those arriving at the nursery, the outdoor area, and ensuring that the gates are secure once parents have left.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are secure and generally very well supervised in the clean and well maintained environment. Staff consistently supervise children well indoors, outside and on outings. Mostly very well thought out daily procedures effectively reduce risks to children overall but occasional brief lapses in the maintenance of staff ratios at the beginning of the day potentially compromises children's safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are developing an excellent understanding of how to think and act safely. Older children wear disposable gloves and listen carefully as adults explain the safety rules they must observe when taking part in an organised litter picking activity on the adjacent football field. They know that they must ask before picking up items because that may not be safe. They learn about the kinds of litter that might be hazardous to themselves or animals. They act out real emergencies in their play such as practising fire drills after a visit to the nursery from a fireman, or pretending to be rescued from a surfboard in the sea.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are well-protected by staff who are vigilant and understand their role in child protection well. All staff have completed child protection training and have a clear understanding of their responsibilities.

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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 enjoy a very wide variety of stimulating and interesting play experiences that help them develop and achieve very well in line with their age and stage of development. They are confident to make decisions, explore and investigate. They keenly look for solutions to problems and confidently express their ideas.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Enthusiastic implementation of the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework positively enhances the care and development of children under three. Staff plan a wide range of activities that children enjoy and observe their development in order to plan the next steps in their learning effectively. Warm and caring interaction ensures that children are emotionally secure, develop confidence and a good self-image.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are cared for in separate rooms which match their individual needs very well. Very attractive displays with lots of hanging and shiny mobiles catch and hold the attention of babies. There is lots of space for them to develop their mobility skills. They are fascinated by laminated pictures of themselves stuck to the floor which encourage them to move to the next one and explore. They enjoy making the musical stepping stones work. Mirrors are strategically placed so that children move backwards and forwards to see their reflection.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Gentle music creates a calm atmosphere and children enjoy exploring the different textures of the wall plaques and items in the treasure baskets. Toddlers start to learn to share with others with sensitive adult support. They love exploring the dry sand, pouring it over and over again from a metal beaker or sea shells or running their hands through the spilt sand on the floor to make patterns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

All children revel in imaginative and creative experiences on a small or larger scale. They develop close and caring relationships often offering to help one another in their play. Staff skilfully use children's experiences to develop activities, for example, they support children in building their own shelters indoors using pieces of material and also develop this into den building outdoors. First with pieces of branch from a tree and then providing them with tarpaulin when children notice that the rain comes through.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Children make excellent progress. They are developing extremely positive attitudes to learning. They concentrate and persist very well. They are happy, very settled and purposefully engaged in a wide range of practically based play activities which challenge and excite them. Staff skilfully observe children and interact with them developing their learning which is focused upon their own interests and so matches their individual learning needs extremely well.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop very positive attitudes to learning. They behave extremely well, and become totally involved and absorbed in their play. They are often spontaneously helpful and kind.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff use their excellent knowledge of how children develop and learn to create and provide a very stimulating and exciting environment and excellent play based activities. The innovative

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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 style of teaching based on the Reggio Emilio approach is extremely child centred. All the staff working with the children skilfully develop children's interests whilst covering all the areas of learning comprehensively. Comprehensive assessments of children’s learning are used effectively to identify any gaps in their learning and inform future planning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Resources are extensive and cleverly presented to inspire children to be very creative and solve problems for themselves. The pre-school environment is skilfully arranged to maximise children’s independence. An excellent creativity area contains a wide range of materials including paint, all sorts of writing and fixing materials as well as clay which children use independently during the sessions to make very individual creations that have been inspired by their own ideas and experiences.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are skilled in noticing what catches children's attention and use every opportunity to develop their learning so that this closely matches each child's individual needs and builds very effectively on what they know and can do already. They have high expectations of what children can achieve so that activities provide a high level challenge for each child. They choose topics that interest and excite children, for example, dinosaurs, building dens and superheroes. They skilfully extend and encourage children's thinking, for example, when linking ice, frost and freezing to Eskimo’s houses and glaciers. They interact with children frequently praising their ideas which gives children confidence and encourages them to explore further.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children build excellent relationships and are developing a real concern for one another and the world around them. For example, in keeping their local environment clean and litter free or composting recyclable materials. They develop extremely good attitudes to learning and try new experiences with confidence. They are keen to help and share with others.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing excellent communication skills. They are confident to speak in groups especially when helped by the smiley and sad faces that give each child an opportunity to speak about something that has happened to them. They build a very real love of books because their own stories and activities are made into attractive books which are laminated so that they can use them over and over again to revisit past experiences and develop their thinking. They have an extensive vocabulary especially relating to dinosaurs whose complicated names they say competently when playing in the sandpit outdoors.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing excellent mathematical and problem solving skills. They competently compare sizes of sticks and twigs and talk about them being long or straight, long or short. They choose different sizes for different tasks skilfully. They carefully decide how big the piece of tape needs to be to hold their rocket together deciding whether this needs to be shorter or longer. They use numbers in their play and in numerous daily situations so that they are gaining their understanding from meaningful experiences. For example, they calculate if they have enough plates for lunch and how many more they will need.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are constantly inquisitive and asking questions. For example, they want to know what happened to the water because it seems to have turned to glass. They want to know ‘what makes thunder?’ and ‘why the sky is so high?’ and ‘why is it dark at night? They develop excellent problem-solving skills when learning to build dens together and finding the best way to hold up a roof or stopping the rain coming in. They eagerly suggest ways to get litter from

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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 high up in the fence, suggesting that a ladder might help to get a piece that not even the adults can reach.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop excellent physical skills. They confidently move and manoeuvre. Some competently twirl around on alternate feet. They learn to care for their bodies by doing aerobics and Yoga exercises as well as becoming very proficient in their personal care such as brushing their teeth. They skilfully manage and manipulate a wide range of resources. They balance and build competently with a wide range of materials. They develop excellent fine motor control and are very competent when negotiating the improvised obstacle course outdoors using alternate feet and balancing carefully.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are extremely creative and imaginative. They act out their own stories in their role play which are recorded in photographs and made it into books for them to recall and develop. They illustrate books with their own drawings which are very individual, detailed and expressive. They conceive and make their own creations and spend considerable time revising and refining their designs. They experience numerous textures and smells and enjoy exploring the feel of the shaving foam.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children make very positive relationships, engage in positive behaviour, are fully involved in what is going on around them. They gain high self-esteem and self-confidence. All children are welcomed, their individual backgrounds respected, and their needs met. They have extensive opportunities to learn about themselves, the world around them and their local community through planned activities and visitors to the nursery.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from copious activities and resources which help them to value diversity. Older children look at the map of the world and discuss travel to different countries. They celebrate numerous festivals and traditional events such as Holi and St Patrick's Day. They use chopsticks in their role play, make their own fortune cookies, try out ribbon dancing and listen to traditional Irish music. Toys and resources that they use are embedded with numerous reflections of positive images of diversity. Children are introduced to Makaton signs which stimulates the communication skills of the youngest children and increases the awareness of the older children to different forms of communication.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave extremely well because staff have high expectations and set consistent boundaries. They sensitively support younger children in learning to negotiate and control their feelings so that by the time they reach the pre-school they are spontaneously considerate and kind to one another. For example, when finding a tissue for their friend to blow their nose, or patiently explaining the need to take turns on the obstacle course. They are helpful and keen to be involved, for example, fetching extra plates for lunch or the shaving foam for an activity.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children are developing an excellent regard for good behaviour in the wider community, for example, when thinking about what makes litter and how they can personally ensure that they do not leave it lying around so contributing to keeping their local community clean, attractive and safe for others.

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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 They learn about global warming and superheroes, and feel empowered that they really can make a difference when joining in composting activities such as deciding which pieces of the litter can be reused or added to the compost bin.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Excellent relationships contribute significantly to children's well-being. Communication between parents and staff is meaningful and effective. Parents receive very good quality written, verbal, and photographic evidence about nursery procedures, and the care and learning of their children. Their views and opinions are sought and acted upon promptly.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Leadership and management is outstanding. The environment, resources and teaching excites and engages children, firing their imaginations and developing excellent thinking, problem-solving and communication skills. An approach based on developing activities based on children's observed interests ensures that they make excellent progress.

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Organisation

Managers and staff organise themselves very effectively to promote positive outcomes for children overall. They have a clear vision of the environment and overall experience that all promote high quality care and nursery education. The enthusiastic implementation of the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework positively enhances the experiences for children under three. Overall children’s needs are met.

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Organisation

The cohesive, well-qualified and experienced staff team were highly motivated. They are proactive in undertaking training and consistently implement effective working practices to enhance the outcomes for children overall. A regular appraisal system ensures that comprehensive policies and procedures are consistently applied.

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Organisation

Staff make a very good use of their time to support the children’s health, safety, positive contribution, enjoyment and achievement. Continuity of care is maintained well because staff get to know the children as they work through the nursery, share developmental records of children as they move on, and have a good understanding of their needs and how to build on these effectively. Well planned separate rooms closely match individual children's ages and stages of development and so promote children's development progress extremely well. Relationships throughout the nursery are consistently good with staff consistently interacting with children at their own level giving them close support and encouragement so that children are very settled and keen to communicate.

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Organisation

Overall adult:child ratios are very well met with staff deployed effectively with children. There are good arrangements for extra staff at most times of the day but contingency arrangements for staff cover when parents and children arrive early sometimes lack depth and foresight potentially compromising children's well-being. Appropriate measures were taken during inspection to rectify this. There is no noticeable impact upon the children who all come in happily and settle into their appropriate rooms without any upset.

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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 All the required policies, procedures, documentation and children's records are in place, well-kept and readily available for inspection. They are used effectively to support the care, learning and welfare of children, and to communicate with parents.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care and nursery education inspections, one care recommendation and a point for consideration for improvement of the nursery education were raised. They related to: Ensuring that arrival and departure times of children are recorded accurately; improving children’s free access to painting to develop their creativity and imagination. Both have been addressed well. Children’s individual arrival and departure times are now recorded promptly in the nursery register as they arrive and depart with their parents so safeguarding their welfare effectively. Free painting and a wide range of excellent resources have been provided so that children can be spontaneously and individually creative at each session.

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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 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 outstanding.

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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 contingency arrangements for ensuring that there are sufficient staff at all times are robust

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.

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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 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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