Copthorne Kinders Day Nursery LTD.

Copthorne Kinders

Inspection report for early years provision

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Copthorne Kinders

EY340213 Unique Reference Number 08 February 2007 Inspection date June Fielden Inspector

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Copthorne Kinders

LA Living Health Club, Copthorne Road, Copthorne, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 3PG

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Setting Address

07792 605 990 Telephone number tracey-o-dwyer@hotmail.com E-mail Tracey O'Dwyer Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Crèche Type of care

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Setting Address

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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Copthorne Kinders is a privately run creche and nursery. It opened in 2007 and operates from one main room, subdivided into three different areas. It is situated in LA Fitness Health Club in Copthorne, Crawley. A maximum of 10 children may attend the creche at any one time, and it is open each weekday from 09:30 to 12:30 all year round. A maximum of 20 children may attend the nursery at any one time, which is open each weekday from 07:45 to 18:00 all year round. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area and an indoor squash court for physical activities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 25 children from three months to under five years on roll. Of these, one child receives funding for early education. Children come from a wide catchment area.

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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 creche and nursery employs seven members of staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a clean environment, where good health is maintained through the effective hygiene routines the setting has in place. Staff use disposable gloves when changing nappies, and children place dirty tissues in the bin, to prevent the spread of infection. They wash their hands after using the toilet, and dry them on paper towels, to avoid the risk of cross-contamination. Staff sing a rhyme with children while they clean their hands, which makes them aware of why they need to do this before they eat.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are provided with a nutritious hot meal at lunch time, which includes a selection of vegetables. They are offered healthy snacks, such as fruit, vegetables and bread sticks. Water is always available to children, to ensure they are not thirsty. Staff feed younger children in a patient and caring manner. They understand children's food allergies, and ensure they are served appropriate meals.

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Helping children to be healthy

A quiet area is available for babies and young children to sleep or rest after lunch, following their own routines. Children exercise outside in the enclosed play area. When it has been snowing they dig in the snow that has gathered in the water tray and roll it around to make snowmen. There is a well organised selection of equipment for children to use in this area, including slides for them to climb up. Children use a squash court at the Health Club when they are unable to go outside. This enables them to strengthen their muscles while they practise jumping, becoming aware of others and the space around them. Children sing action rhymes, using a range of body movements. They play with a colourful parachute, working together to shake it by the handles, and move around in different ways, pulling it up and down.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The setting is pleasantly decorated with attractive murals on the walls, making it welcoming to young children. It is well organised, and divided into different areas, providing space for messy play, and a carpeted area for construction, puzzles and games. Children help themselves to toys from a low level storage unit. They move freely between the different areas, and choose what they wish to play with, when they are not engaged in focused activities. There is a variety of safe, suitable, toys and equipment, that is interesting and challenging for children. Most of the resources are made of sturdy plastic, in bright attractive colours. The equipment is appropriate to the age and stage of children cared for at the setting.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Extensive measures are in place to ensure children's safety. They are not able to leave the premises unsupervised, and there is a secure system for their arrival and departure. Risk assessments are completed daily by staff, and they follow their fire safety policy. However, there are glass mirrors in the toilet area, which are hazardous to children.

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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 protected from harm, as the majority of staff at the nursery have had training in child protection. Any worries staff have about children in their care will be reported to the manager and recorded. These records will be kept confidential, and concerns reported to the appropriate authority when necessary.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children attending both the creche and the nursery play together. Younger children join in the same activities as the older ones, but staff have different expectations for them. Staff show interest in what children say, and respond to their comments. As a result, they are confident, and approach adults to engage them in conversation. Staff help children learn what is right and wrong, frequently reminding them about sharing. They develop children's interest in books, as they read stories to them, putting expression in their voice. Some of the toys encourage children to be inquisitive, as they make sounds and have flickering lights. Staff encourage children to use their imagination as they play with train sets and use the dressing up equipment. They let children know that they are valued, and develop their self-esteem. Staff often tell children that they have completed a task well. They make observations of younger children,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and complete records for them that are linked to the Birth to three matters framework, as evidence of their achievements.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Nursery education is ongoing throughout the morning, through focused activities and free play. Staff are patient with children and speak to them in a calm and friendly manner, demonstrating how to use simple equipment. Activities are mainly child led, and staff allow them to take control whenever possible. For example, in one experiment, looking at how things change, children were allowed to decide how much dye to put in the water, and what they should do next. However, the majority of children attending the setting are under three years of age, and normally take part in activities with the funded children. As a result, children receiving nursery education sometimes get frustrated, as the younger children are unable to participate at the same level, which affects their learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The weekly planning sheets show the equipment and activities that will be used to cover the different areas of the curriculum. The tasks are not necessarily completed on the day shown, to allow flexibility, and to enable staff to follow children's interests. Currently, staff do not produce focused activity planning sheets. Consequently, there are no details of the tasks, or how they will be differentiated to meet the needs of children of all ages and abilities. As a result, it would not be easy for someone standing in for a member of staff to carry out the activity and ensure that it is pitched at the right level for all children. The long term planning is not yet in place, as the setting has only recently started to offer nursery education. As a result, there is no way of checking the coverage of the stepping stones in the Foundation Stage Curriculum. Staff complete development records for children receiving nursery education. There

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

is a key worker system in place, and observations are made regularly. These are dated, and included in children's records under the areas of learning. The appropriate stepping stones are then marked as achieved. The records show that children are making progress in the Foundation Stage Curriculum.

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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 generally cooperate appropriately with each other, and greet friends as they arrive. They are beginning to operate independently with regard to self-care, as they take themselves to the toilet, and attempt to put on their outdoor clothing for themselves. Children assist staff in getting out the equipment and putting it away when it is time to tidy up. They all sit down together to eat and socialise. Staff use meal times as a learning opportunity. They discuss the colours of the plates they are using, and count how many children will be eating lunch that day. Staff sometimes show children shapes to identify, and ask them the names of the ones they have made with the play dough. As a result, children are becoming familiar with simple shapes. One child correctly named the triangle that had been made.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff question children about what they are doing, in order to develop their language skills. They share stories with children, so they are familiar with how books are used, and know how to hold them correctly. They let children see the pictures as they read, and ask them for details about the story. Staff develop children's understanding of letter sounds and names as they use coloured letter shapes with the play dough. They are requested to find the letters of their name and give the sound the letters make. Children are provided with various opportunities to use paper and pencils to practise mark making. They pretend to write party invitations, and staff join in their play. For example, one child gave an invitation to a member of staff. She thanked the child, and asked what type of invitation she had been given. Children extend this activity by using small tools such as scissors to make envelopes for their invitations.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff encourage children's interest in investigating materials, thinking about the temperature of the play dough, and how this can be changed. Children enjoy exploring how things can be altered. For example, they look at how liquids turn into solids by making jellies, and watch blue and yellow dye mix together in water, to create a different colour. Children have the opportunity to be creative, completing painting activities, making animal masks, linked to a story they had shown interest in. Staff support children in their imaginative play, as they use the use the role play equipment. Children use their small muscle skills to manipulate malleable materials, using rolling pins and shaped cutters. They also engage in threading and lacing activities, encouraging them to use hand-eye coordination.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are all treated equally by staff. Parents are requested to complete a booklet about their child when they register them at the setting. This enables staff to build up a picture of their requirements and preferences. Staff try to find out as much as possible about children's individual needs and routines. Their policy informs parents that all children will be valued and treated with respect. There are settling in sessions to enable children to become familiar with the setting before being left for any length of time. However, the nursery currently has insufficient resources to promote children's understanding of culture, ethnicity and disability. When caring for children with learning difficulties/ or disabilities the manager will ensure that the planning is adapted meet their needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are encouraged to show good manners towards each other and members of staff. Staff are positive with children, and try to raise their self-esteem. For example, they tell children how beautiful they look in the dressing-up clothes. Staff make children aware when they have

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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 made others sad by their behaviour, or by not sharing. Children who do share are praised and set as an example to the group. Staff respect children's individual level of understanding and maturity when they are spoken to about their behaviour. Children are generally friendly and helpful towards each other. For example, one child picked up a toy to give to another child who was playing with similar pieces of equipment. The setting fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is satisfactory. There is an information sheet provided to new parents. This gives them general information about the setting, details of the main policies and how the provision operates. A full set of policies is available to parents, and a folder showing the qualifications staff have is on display. Parents are made to feel welcome, as they are greeted by staff on arrival at the setting. Staff talk to parents at the start of the session, and again when children are collected. They pass on information about the amount of sleep children have had, and what they have been doing. Parents are positive about the care their children receive at the setting. The parents notice board provides them with general information, and details of how to contact Ofsted. The manager makes parents aware of the complaints procedure. There is a newsletter for parents of children attending the creche. Parents of children receiving

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Helping children make a positive contribution

nursery education feel that their children are making progress, and that they receive suitable verbal feedback from staff. They are aware of the appropriate key worker to speak to about their child. The weekly planning is displayed, and plans are in place to implement parents evenings. However, opportunities for parents to be involved in children's education are not currently available, which affects the partnership they have with the nursery.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Effective arrangements are in place to protect children from unvetted visitors. They are required to sign the visitor's book and are escorted around the setting by staff. Children benefit from being cared for by well qualified staff, as there is an efficient recruitment and induction process. The manager arranges staff rotas to ensure the appropriate number of staff are present. Part-time staff are generally used to provide cover for any who are absent. Children's records are stored securely, and made available to their parents on request. All children are marked in the register on arrival. However, the registration system does not show the exact times that some children are present, which impacts on their safety.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the setting is satisfactory. The manager leads by example. She is courteous towards staff and often gives them a choice of the duties they prefer to carry out. As a result, staff are flexible, and work together as a team. The manager has a list of the qualifications held by all members of staff. She uses this to assist her in deciding on the necessary courses staff need to attend, to keep their knowledge up to date. Future training needs will be discussed with staff at their appraisal meetings, which the manager is in the process of organising. All staff have some input in the planning, which is produced by the manager and her deputy, who has had training in the Foundation Stage Curriculum. The manager has overall responsibility for the setting, and the deputy takes charge in her absence. She is currently delegating responsibility for different areas of children's care to individual staff. The manager

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Organisation

is still in the process of getting the provision fully established, and will shortly be introducing

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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 an appraisal system and regular staff meetings. She has produced an action plan for the future of the setting, and has successfully identified most of the areas which still need further development, as they affect children's learning. These include inviting parental involvement in children's education, introducing long term planning, and ensuring that older children can pursue their activities undisturbed. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom they provide.

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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 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 the toilet area is free from minor hazards • ensure there are sufficient resources to promote children's understanding of diversity • ensure the registers clearly show the times children are present.

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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): • develop long term planning and ensure that plans for focused activities provide sufficient detail, and include differentiation

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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 • ensure there are more opportunities for children receiving nursery education to work separately from the younger children • provide opportunities for parents to become involved in children's education.

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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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