Dradishaw House

Dradishaw House

Inspection report for early years provision

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Dradishaw House

EY339820 Unique Reference Number 30 January 2007 Inspection date Stephanie Joy Bennett Inspector

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Dradishaw House

15 Dradishaw Road, Silsden, KEIGHLEY, West Yorkshire, BD20 0BH Setting Address

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Dradishaw House

01535 652 020 Telephone number claire.eeyore@tiscali.co.uk E-mail Claire Halliday, Michael Halliday & Susan Halliday Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Out of School care Type of care

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Dradishaw House

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?

Dradishaw House Nursery is privately owned. It opened in 2006 and operates from four rooms in a converted building. It is situated in Silsden, near Keighley. A maximum of 64 children may attend at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.00 to 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year. All children have access to an enclosed play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 102 children aged from birth to under 11 years on roll. Of these, three children receive funding for early education.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 10 members of staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is working towards a qualification.

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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 encouraged to develop good personal hygiene skills and learn the importance of hygiene. They independently wash their hands, using liquid soap and paper towels, and understand that they wash their hands to 'get germs off, so we don't get poorly'. Young children are changed appropriately, as staff use aprons and gloves to prevent cross-contamination. However, children aged between two and three years are changed on the disabled toilet floor, and the changing mat is stored on floor. This compromises the children's hygiene. Clear sickness notices are displayed for parents, which contributes to preventing the spread of infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's daily health and well-being is effectively safeguarded as staff follow accident and medication procedures and share these with parents. Children are cared for properly in the event of an accident because over half the staff hold current first aid certificates.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are offered excellent meals and snacks which are nutritious, healthy and meet their dietary needs. They enjoy a wide range of organic fruit and vegetables and freshly cooked meals, including vegetable hot pot and yoghurts. The cook is particularly keen on seeking further training and advice on offering meals which further promotes children's health. Older children who attend out of school and pre-school, are often encouraged to help prepare the meals and snacks with the cook, promoting their independence and a good awareness of hygiene practice. Older children's independence and ability to make healthy choices is further promoted, as they select their own breakfast cereal, toast or fruit from a breakfast bar. All children freely access drinks which are in their own labelled cups and stored at their level, so that they develop an understanding of when they are thirsty.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children develop well physically. Young children have good opportunities indoors to crawl, walk with staff support or use push-a-long toys to stimulate physical growth and development. Older children enjoy daily outdoor play, where they climb, balance on beams, build and transport large boxes or play with hoola hoops. Focused activities, such as parachute games, further promote their physical abilities and sense of enjoyment. They develop an appropriate sense of health and bodily awareness, as staff use meal and snack times to talk about healthy eating. As a result, children know that fruit is good for them and too many sweets are bad for you.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children play in an environment which is mostly welcoming and friendly. However, some areas, such as the entrance is currently cluttered with computer equipment and wires, and appears uninviting to children and parents. Some play areas, such as the home corner, book area and sand and water area appear disorganised, which means that children are less interested to access them. Staff carry out a daily risk assessment using a safety sheet. However, issues such as accessible television wires are overlooked, which compromises children's safety.

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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 Children are kept very secure, as an effective system is in place to manage the security of the building using video intercom links. Staff follow procedures effectively, to ensure that all visitors and themselves sign in and out, so that all adults arriving and leaving the setting are well monitored to keep children safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Equipment is appropriately maintained and suitable for the ages of the children. Older children access resources easily to promote their independence. Babies enjoy reaching for books to look at with staff. However, there are less opportunities for babies to explore interesting activities at low levels safely. Those attending the out of school provision benefit from the 'bar style' work top to play on and can easily select a wide range of resources from underneath, promoting their opportunities to make their own choices. Most furniture is in good condition and suitable to meet the children's needs. However, the pre-school children eat their meals in the out of school room, where the tables are too tall for young children, which makes it difficult to eat and sit comfortably.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children benefit from the staff's secure knowledge of child protection procedures to safeguard them from harm. Procedures and records are up to date and comply with the new Local Safeguarding Children Board, which are shared effectively with parents, so they are aware of staff's responsibilities to put the children's welfare first.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are very settled and secure, as staff relate very well to them and understand their needs. Babies emotional needs are effectively met, as they receive lots of cuddles, praise and attention and their individual daily routines are respected with regards to eating and sleeping.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are offered a sufficient range of activities which meet their developmental needs. However, staff's limited understanding of how to link the 'Birth to three matters' framework with their provision and daily routines, restricts their abilities to ensure that children enjoy purposeful activities and become competent learners. Young children begin to be creative, as they access hand printing activities, cooked spaghetti, cornflour and play dough, which help them to explore different experiences and make connections. However, less is done to promote young children's abilities to be imaginative. Young babies access some activities, such as books, which staff will read to them while they are sitting on their knee, so they enjoy being together. However, few activities, such as natural or home based materials, are easily accessible, which limits their curiosity and interest in sensory experiences. Their sense of belonging and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

self-assurance is developed, as they use their own named coat pegs and cups. Children learn to find a voice and become skilful communicators because they are constantly talked to by adults, who make lots of eye contact and facial expressions with them. Children are praised and encouraged, such as when they begin to walk holding an adult's hand or complete a simple jigsaw.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children aged two to three years integrate well with those who receive funding for nursery education, as staff have appropriate regard for their individual development and use interaction and planning well, to adapt the activities to meet their needs. For example, different programmes are available on the computer to help young children develop mouse control.

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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 Children who attend the out of school provision enjoy a spacious, welcoming environment where they can feel relaxed and freely select a good range of activities, suitable for their age and abilities. Children can play with games, art and craft activities, look at books or watch television on the soft seating provided. They are able to be involved in the planning of activities and make their own suggestions, which promotes a feeling of ownership. During the summer, children benefit from a variety of outings and activities which enhance their awareness of the environment and the local community. Staff frequently invite organisations to bring things of interest to the children, for example, large unusual insects, such as millipedes and tarantulas, to enhance their experiences of the natural world and caring for living things.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children make good progress towards the early learning goals because staff have a secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage and use the curriculum well to promote all six areas of learning effectively. Children benefit from clear simple plans, which staff use to ensure that activities relate to the stepping stones and what they intend each individual child to achieve. This means that older and more able children's learning is extended and those less able are offered appropriate support.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are very confident, settled and secure. They behave very well, and listen and concentrate for long periods to stories and during group activities. Their independence and self-care skills are developing, as they share the snack plate between each other and help to tidy up. Children develop strong relationships with each other and show great care and concern for their peers. For example, if a younger child is hurt they rush to their aid and want to comfort them.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's progress in communication, language and literacy and maths development is strong. They benefit from the print around the room and begin to recognise numerals from the number line, jigsaws and maths table which is available. Opportunities, such as story time, singing and snack are used to extend their mathematical concepts and language skills, as adults ask purposeful questions, such as 'we only have a couple of pieces of apple left, how many more do we need?' They sing songs, such as 'five current buns' to help them count and increase their early calculation skills. Children enjoy listening to stories, for example 'Rumble in the Jungle' and join in confidently with favourite phrases. However, the book area is currently not organised effectively to help children begin to handle books well, look for favourite books or look for those which can be used for information. Children use the appropriately equipped mark making

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

area to begin to write for a purpose on notepads. They have opportunities when playing outdoors to record and make tally sheets of, for example, how many red cars they see that morning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children make very good use of information and technology to support their learning. They quickly develop good mouse control with staff support and make up their own story books designed on the computer. They begin to design, build and construct various materials and objects in the technology area and can shape join and assemble, using glue, scissors and tape. Interesting topics are planned, which help them learn of their environment and changes, such as the winter season, where they access a winter tray made of flour and sugar and then make marks and trails, using toy cars.

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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 The provision of sand and water helps children develop physical skills, such as pouring and digging and concepts of heavy, light, full or empty. They make sufficient attempts to use their imagination, as they dress up as doctors and play hospitals, using various objects to represent another. However, both the role play area and sand and water is disorganised, which affects their abilities to easily find and select resources, sort objects and take care of their environment.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are welcomed into this environment, as they look at various photographs, pictures and their own art work, which promotes their sense of belonging and value. Their individual needs are met, as staff work closely with parents to ensure that their daily routines are followed. Parents of younger children receive daily written records of their child's day and their activities, which promotes good continuation of care.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's awareness of our diverse society is well developed, as they play with resources, such as dressing up items and see posters which represent children from various backgrounds and cultures. Activities and displays, such as Chinese New Year and food tasting sessions, positively promote children's awareness of different cultures and events, both within their local community and of the wider society. All children behave very well, as the staff act as good role models and reinforce boundaries, such as sharing and taking turns through praise and encouragement. Children have a high regard and respect for each other, for example, as they pass each other the plate of fruit, or make room in the sand play for their peers to join them.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

They become very independent and make a positive contribution, as they enjoy different experiences, such as baking sessions with the cook. Older children who attend the after school club, occasionally help her to prepare their snacks. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They are able to express themselves creatively, through musical, singing and dance sessions. They enjoy suggesting their own songs and contributing to group activities, such as matching colours in circle time and talking about their experiences of taking home teddy for the weekend, which develops their self-esteem.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good. Parents receive very detailed information about how the Foundation Stage is implemented, through regular parents' evenings and literature. Children benefit further from the shared learning approach, which encourages parents to contribute to their learning at home. They receive a regular newsletter, describing the current theme and suggestions of resources or photographs which parents can contribute. For example, children have been asked to 'wear red' on a certain day to promote the colour red and see what red objects they can find at home. All parents are offered opportunities to view their child's development profiles and discuss their development with their key person, which further contributes to their child's progress.

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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 good. The registered person had good procedures in place to ensure that all staff are suitably trained and qualified to work with the children. Children benefit from the wide age range of staff employed, who bring various skills and experiences into the setting and act as positive role models. For example, the cook regularly bakes with pre-school and older children. Staff are effectively deployed and know their individual roles and responsibilities well, to manage the provision of activities and daily routines effectively.

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Organisation

Space and resources in the rooms are sufficiently organised to meet the children's needs, so that they freely select a range of activities which promotes their independence. Older children attending the out of school room enjoy a large space, where they can relax on a sofa, or use the spacious floor or work surfaces. Resources are very well organised to help them select and make their own decisions. However, some areas in the pre-school room, such as the role play, book, sand and water area, are not organised well to increase their interest and help them to order and select objects easily.

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Organisation

All records relating to the children's daily health and safety are well maintained and shared effectively with parents. This includes the new complaints procedure, which is fully in place and up to date. Staff undergo a rigorous induction procedure, which means that policies and procedures are followed effectively to safeguard the children. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is good. The registered person has a secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage and ensures that staff working with three and four-year-olds are able to deliver nursery education effectively, so that children make good progress towards the early learning goals. The team are highly motivated to increase their knowledge and skills. They work closely with the early years development coordinators. As a result, areas for development are accurately identified and actions plans are made, to address the areas they wish to improve on. This means that children benefit from the continuing improvement of the education provided.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider to take any action in order to meet the National Standards. 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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Complaints 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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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): • improve hygiene procedures and the storage of nappy changing equipment, to prevent the risk of cross-contamination • make sure that the furniture, such as large tables and computer equipment is assessed as safe and suitable to meet young children's needs • further develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework, so that activities planned increase children's potential to progress further.

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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): • improve the organisation of the areas of learning, with regards to the role play, book corner and sand and water area, so that children can easily select and sort resources independently and learn to take greater care of their environment.

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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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