Jack and Jills Nursery School

Jack and Jills Nursery School Ltd

Inspection report for early years provision

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Jack and Jills Nursery School Ltd

EY338395 Unique Reference Number 17 January 2007 Inspection date Ann Doubleday Inspector

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Jack and Jills Nursery School Ltd

Thirsk Industrial Park, York Road, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3BX Setting Address

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E-mail

Jack & Jills Nursery School Ltd 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?

Jack and Jills Nursery School Ltd is one of three provisions run by a limited company. It was registered in August 2006 and operates from four rooms in a purpose built building on the industrial park in Thirsk. A maximum of 86 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.30 to 18.00 all year round. Children have access to an enclosed, outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 84 children aged from nought to four years on roll. Of these, 37 children receive funding for nursery education. Children attend from the local area. The nursery currently supports children with physical disabilities and learning difficulties, and also supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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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 employs 18 staff. Fifteen of the staff, including the managers, hold appropriate early years qualifications. One member of staff is working towards a qualification and three members of staff are working towards a further qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children enjoy a range of physical activities that contribute to their good health. Daily activities include opportunities for children to play outdoors. Older children manoeuvre tricycles around the play area well, skilfully balance on boxes and climb on stacked tyres with ease. Younger children enjoy playing on the 'sit and ride' toys. Children can rest or be active according to their individual needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are encouraged to follow some good personal hygiene routines as they wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet. They are beginning to understand the reason why they need to do so. However, they do not wash their hands before eating their snack. This means good hygiene practices are not always promoted.

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Helping children to be healthy

Appropriate sick child, medication and accident procedures are in place. All staff hold current first aid certificates and consent has been gained from parents for seeking any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment. This ensures children's health needs are well met.

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Helping children to be healthy

Healthy eating is promoted well. Children receive varied and nutritious meals and snacks, and have fresh fruit each day. Drinking water is readily available throughout the day. The staff and cook work well together to ensure they are aware of, and meet, any special dietary requirements. During mealtimes good hygiene practices are implemented, for example, staff wear aprons when preparing and serving meals, and set a good example as they wash their hands before preparing snacks. However, they do not wipe the residue of food from the tables between courses at lunchtime.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a clean, warm and welcoming environment where risk assessments are regularly carried out and most risks are minimised. This means children are able to move around safely, freely and independently. Children are grouped well in separate base rooms depending upon their age. Appropriate fire safety procedures are in place and the certificate of fire inspection is displayed. Staff help children to understand how to keep themselves safe, for example, as they teach them how to carry scissors safely.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There is a good range of developmentally appropriate resources which are well-organised in child-height furniture, to encourage independent access. Although there is comfortable and appropriate furniture in most childcare rooms, there is no domestic style furniture in the room for children aged one to two years, in order to assist in developing their mobility. The security of the premises is good and there are clear lost and uncollected child policies in place.

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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 Staff have good understanding of their role and responsibilities under child protection and have attended training in this area. Comprehensive procedures are in place, including the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against staff. This means the welfare of children is protected.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children arrive happy at the nursery and settle well. They are confident communicators, holding conversations for extended periods of time. Their communication skills are well supported through good adult to child interactions. Children have positive relationships with staff and are developing their relationships with each other. Staff are interested in what children do and say, and join in with their activities appropriately in order to promote children's all-round development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have access to a variety of activities that are well planned by staff. There is a good balance between adult-directed and child-initiated activities. Plans for younger children incorporate the 'Birth to three matters' framework. Staff have received training in this area and are implementing the framework competently, for example, children explore natural and sensory materials in treasure baskets. Babies are settled and they relate well to staff within their rooms. This has a positive impact on their sense of security. Children's communication skills are developing well as staff respond well to babies' early vocalisations, and talk and listen to children during their play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a strong understanding of the Foundation Stage. There is an effective key worker system in place and an interesting and varied programme of activities is planned across the curriculum, based upon the children's individual interests and learning needs. The pre-school room is set out very well, creating an interesting and accessible learning environment and activities are well prepared. Assessment records are completed regularly and children's progress is linked to the stepping stones. They are dated to show children's individual progress and are used very well to inform planning, in order to meet children's individual learning needs. Staff encourage children to make their own decisions and support this through a system they have developed entitled 'PEGS' (Praise, Encourage, Guide and Support). They use good questioning to extend children's learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident; they settle quickly to activities and concentrate for extended periods of time. They have very good relationships with staff and are developing their relationships with each other. Children are generally well behaved and are learning to share; this is supported well by staff. The children talk confidently about their home lives and are developing a very good understanding of other countries and cultures. For example, they go on 'African safari', make pretend campfires and learn about the animals that live in Africa. They look at reference books and maps, and then draw a map of Africa. They have very good opportunities to explore and investigate throughout their nursery day. Children are beginning to develop self-care skills as they pour their own drinks and attempt to put on their own coats, however, this is not fully extended. For example, children do not have opportunities to serve their own meals or help to

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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 set the table for lunch. They are developing some health and bodily awareness, for example, they learn about healthy eating and are beginning to understand why they need to wash their hands.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children speak clearly and confidently and hold conversations for extended periods of time. They communicate well with staff and each other and use language for thinking, for example, as they talk about what type of food they eat on a train journey. They are beginning to link sounds to letters as they talk about the initial sounds of words. Books are readily available; children handle them well, turning the pages correctly. They listen attentively during informal story sessions. Children are developing good writing skills; they begin to hold pencils correctly and form recognisable marks, sometimes ascribing meaning to their marks. However, there are limited opportunities for children to recognise and write their own names.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have access to a computer and use programmable equipment well. For example, they use the digital camera to take a photograph of their work and use the photocopier to copy their artwork. They are developing an understanding of numbers and use counting within daily activities. Children confidently count objects up to ten and beyond. They are beginning to use some problem solving within their day, for example, as they work out how a large vehicle can fit through a tube and how many more apples than bananas there are at snack time. Children are beginning to learn about shapes and are using size language appropriately. They are recognising patterns and can spot the odd one out from a group of objects.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children extend their physical skills well through a variety of experiences including daily use of the outdoor area. They ride on tricycles skilfully and confidently balance along boxes, jumping off and landing with two feet. They are developing a good sense of space as they sit together for circle time. Children construct with a purpose in mind, both on a large and small scale, and have good levels of hand-eye co-ordination, as they confidently use scissors and small tools. They recognise and can name many colours and mix them to create other colours as they explore creative materials such as paint, glue, and corn flour. Children use their imagination very well in role play. For example, they give the toy dog a drink of water and pretend the water has gone all over each other as they pretend to trip when carrying it. They use a range of musical instruments from around the world, rhythmically, and sing and dance spontaneously throughout

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are welcomed into the setting and participate fully in all activities because staff know children well and value and respect their individuality. Children access a good range of activities and resources which increase their awareness of diversity and they develop a positive attitude to others. For example, they make campfires and learn about animals of the world during their 'African safari.' Children learn about the local community as they take part in outings and receive visitors to the setting. Children are learning how to sing and sign, and babies are learning to recognise baby signing. The nursery has clear procedures in place to support and integrate children with physical disabilities and learning difficulties. The named coordinators have completed relevant training.

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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 Children are generally well behaved. There is a clear policy in place for managing behaviour. Children are encouraged to share and to say 'sorry' to each other. Staff use positive strategies for managing children's behaviour and children receive lots praise and encouragement. This means children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Children benefit from the positive partnership staff have developed with their parents. Information about the child's individual needs is actively sought from parents before the child starts. Information is displayed on a notice board and written details about the setting, the Foundation Stage and the 'Birth to three matters' framework, are issued to them. Parents receive regular written reports about their child's progress and have opportunities to attend open evenings to formally discuss their child's progress. The setting's policies and procedures are readily accessible to them and information about the topic is displayed for their attention. However, they are not involved in the initial assessment of their child's learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The nursery staff provide a well-organised environment which contributes to the children being happy and settled. Space indoors and outdoors is well used to cater for all the children's play needs. This means children are able to move around their rooms independently. There is an effective key worker system in place and adult-to-child ratios are correctly maintained. There are clear staff recruitment procedures in place and all staff have been satisfactorily vetted. However, the vetting procedures have not yet been fully developed as there are currently no checks undertaken on staff's health.

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Organisation

There are detailed, comprehensive policies and procedures in place. They are shared with staff and are readily available to parents. There are clear systems in place for the sharing of information with parents about the service and their child's activities. All required documents are available and they are stored confidentially.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education are good. Most staff have early years qualifications and all have up to date first aid certificates. The management actively encourage staff to attend relevant training opportunities. The knowledge gained by staff is used to enhance the care that is given to children. The management have high expectations of staff and are very committed to improving and developing the provision. Staff have a good knowledge of the Foundation Stage and how children learn and work well as a team to provide a range of interesting and meaningful activities. There is a staff appraisal system in place and regular staff meetings are held. This enables the management to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the provision.

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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

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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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.

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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 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): • further develop good hygiene practices by encouraging children to wash their hands before snack and by wiping tables between courses at lunchtime • provide some domestic style furniture in the room for children aged one to two years, in order to assist them in developing mobility and to continue normal life experiences.

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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): • further develop the opportunities for children to develop their self care skills by encouraging them to serve their own meals and set the table at meal times • increase the opportunities for children to recognise and write their own names.

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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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