The Willow Children's Centre

The Willow Children's Centre

Inspection report for early years provision

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The Willow Children's Centre

EY335023 Unique Reference Number 13 February 2007 Inspection date Caren Carpenter Inspector

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The Willow Children's Centre

Barnhill Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 9YP Setting Address

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E-mail

London Borough Of Brent Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Crèche 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?

The Willows Children's Centre was registered in 2006. It is one of five children’s centres. The Willow Children’s Centre is the only centre that is funded directly by Brent Children and families Early Years through a local management board. It operates from a purpose built centre and is located within the London borough of Brent. The centre offers a crèche, nursery provision and a high dependency unit. Places are open to families within the local area. All children share a secure enclosed outdoor play area. A maximum of 99 children may attend the nursery at any one time. A maximum of 12 children may attend the crèche at any one time.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 36 children on roll aged from under one year to under five years. Of these 15 receives nursery education funding. The setting supports a number of children with English as an additional language and children with learning disabilities. The nursery opens each week day from 08.00 to 18.00. The crèche is used on a drop facility and also for regular sessions for

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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 community support. The crèche is open from 08.00 to 18.00 to accommodate multi-disciplinary support sessions such as, Parent Line Plus. The centre operates 50 weeks of the year.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The centre employs 11 staff including two advisory teachers, the manager and a deputy. All staff hold early years and teachers qualifications. The centre receives support from the Children and Families Early Years Service.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children benefit from a clean, warm comfortable and child friendly environment. Children's health is protected effectively by regular hygiene routines. Staff prevent the spread of infection by wearing disposable gloves when changing nappies. They use safe procedures when handling food. Children learn about hygiene, most wash their hands independently before eating and after visiting the toilet. Younger children are supervised and helped by staff.

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Helping children to be healthy

The weekly menu is developed by the provision to ensure that children receive a good variety of nutritious snacks and meals that are freshly cooked. Children help themselves to fresh drinking water from the water cooler. Food is provided according to the dietary requirements of the children to ensure that their individual needs are met effectively.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy fresh air and exercise. They are eager to participate in daily outdoor play. Children thoroughly enjoy themselves using a good range of quality outdoor play equipment. The well resourced outdoor play area provides children with good opportunities to be physically active. Children move spontaneously with increasing control and co-ordination. They run, balance, jump, climb, push and pull, lift, carry and throw. These experiences give a sense of well-being, develop body awareness and contributes to the children's growing feelings of who they are.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are welcomed into a stimulating environment with colourful wall displays and interesting and attractive activities. Space is well organised and enables children to move freely and participate comfortably in all activities. Children choose what to play with from the wide range of good quality resources and equipment that meets their play and development needs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The centre has good systems in place for ensuring safety of the children and the premises at all times. Staff carry out daily safety checks and regular risk assessments. Children understand and practise fire drills regularly which are clearly recorded. Excellent security precautions are in place to safeguard children. The door is locked with a keypad entry system after children arrive and well kept records of visitors ensure children's safety is managed effectively.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are well protected because staff have good understanding of their roles in child protection issues. Staff understand the correct procedures to follow in the event of any concerns. An effective system of recording incidents is 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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are enjoying their time at the centre. Younger children benefit from staff's knowledge and understanding of the Birth to three matters framework. They are cared for by caring and loving staff team. Children are supported well by staff to help them settle into routines. They are given help and encouragement as they participate in activities. Babies to two year-olds are developing confidence and self-esteem. They are actively participating in activities which are appropriate for their age and stage of development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children begin to develop their independence and learn to play in groups as they participate in range of interesting activities. They develop their physical skills through a good range of outdoor equipment and construction activities. Children have their individual needs met well and are developing a good range of knowledge and skills. This is because staff plan and provide first hand play experiences.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children explore a variety of interesting materials which stimulate their curiosity such as painting, water and sand play. The sensory room provides children with good opportunities to develop their senses as they feel, hear and see a range of different lights and sounds.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are highly involved in their chosen activities, for example, when completing puzzles, looking at books and during creative activities. Children's independence skills are well promoted as part of the daily routine for example; some children visit the toilet independently to wash their hands and tidy away activities and toys. Funded children are making good progress as staff plan effectively for the six areas of learning to deliver a well-balanced curriculum.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Clear boundaries are consistently applied which support children to learn what is expected of them. Staff give reassurance, encouragement and lots of praise. Children's care, learning and play are supported well by staff who routinely monitor their progress and use this information to provide for their individual needs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals due to staff's knowledge of the Foundation Stage and how children learn effectively. The learning environment and activities are planned to provide a good range of activities across the six areas of learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The key worker system enables staff to monitor the children's progress to help them to move on to the next steps of learning. Information from observation and assessment records are used effectively to plan for individual children. Plans shows clearly what all children are expected to learn, this ensures that they are sufficiently challenged to move on to the next stage in their learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children share good relationships with staff and each other. They play well together and benefit from staff's skilled approach in helping them understand right from wrong. Children participate enthusiastically in the activities provided. Children are valued and staff help them to feel good about themselves by frequently providing positive support, praise and encouragement. Children

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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 respond and express their ideas and share feelings during free play and when talking to each other and staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have good opportunities to develop early writing skills and some children write their names independently. Writing resources are well organised to allow children easy access. There are good opportunities for children to write for different purposes. For example, during outdoor play they have good access to a wide range of writing materials such as large white boards, chalk and pencils. They join in enthusiastically with songs, rhymes and stories. Children receive good support and encouragement from staff to enjoy books for pleasure. Children have good access to a wide range of quality books and enjoy looking at books independently. They listen to a range of interesting stories. However, children with English as an additional Language do not have access to dual language books to support their learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children count confidently and can count up 10. They are exploring simple addition and subtraction through many practical activities. Children enjoy mathematical activities such as fitting puzzles together and identifying shapes, colours and numbers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children find out about the environment as they plant seeds and grow plants outside. They are studying living things such as mini beasts. However, children have few opportunities to use information and technology. They develop awareness of their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people, for example they enjoy a wide range of festivals such as Eid, Diwali, Chinese New Year and Christmas. However, there are few opportunities for children to learn about their local community.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop their large muscle skills through daily outdoor play. They relish their time in the well resourced outdoor play area. They climb, balance, run and manage space well using wheeled toys. Children handle small tools such as pencils, play dough cutters, rolling pins and scissors with increasing control.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children use their imagination well as they play in the home corner. They explore media materials and colour during a variety of creative activities and have access to collage materials. They engage in dressing up in costumes and develop good imaginative play in a variety of role play situations.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children gain a strong sense of belonging and feel secure in the centre. They share warm and caring relationships with staff. Older children start to form friendships with each other. Children are developing good self-help skills as they select toys independently. Children behave well because they know what is expected of them and respond well to regular praise and encouragement. This helps them to learn right from wrong. The needs of the children with learning difficulties are recognised and met sensitively by the centre. Staff work closely with the Early Years Special Educational Needs team to ensure that children's individual needs are met effectively.

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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 have access to resources which show people from other cultures, for example dolls, books and jigsaw puzzles. This helps them to understand about the wider world. They enjoy activities and resources which promote a positive view of the wider world. They celebrate a variety of festivals such as Chinese New Year and Diwali. This positive approach fosters children’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's well-being at the centre is enhanced by the good partnership with parents. They receive daily feed back about their children's routine and their developmental progress. Parents are given clear and meaningful information on the Foundation Stage and the programme of learning through notice board leaflets. This helps parents to gain an understanding of how their children make progress and how this can be supported at home. Parents receive informative written progress reports towards the early learning goals. They are invited to attend regular parents' meetings to discuss their children's progress with staff. Staff use a daily communication book for children under two years to share information about their daily routine. As a result, children are happy and content because their individual care needs are met extremely well.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The centre offers a warm and welcoming learning environment where all children are happy and settled. Children are cared for by adults who are routinely vetted and have relevant experience, knowledge and skills. However, staff are not always deployed effectively during outdoor play to ensure that children are well supervised.

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Organisation

Children benefit from the effective organisation of the space and resources both indoors and in the outdoor area. This helps them to develop their ideas as they play. Staff support children well during activities and allow them time and space to initiate their play. Resources and equipment are organised to promote children's safety welfare and development.

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Organisation

Children's care and welfare are safeguarded by clear and well maintained documentation. An operational plan is in place which is reviewed regularly and shows clearly how the centre operates. Policies and procedures ensures that staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the setting is good. Staff work well together as a team and work closely with parents to maintain communication in different ways. Open communication across the staff team means that all contributions and ideas are shared and valued. Planning is shared and understood by staff team. Plans are flexible and demonstrate how first hand play experiences routinely support children to make choices and become independent learners.

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Organisation

Good systems are in place to evaluate the care and education and to help make improvements. Staff are well managed and there are regular planning meetings. The manger and staff extend their knowledge through training and there is a good training programme available which clearly shows that staff are valued.

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Organisation

The centre works closely with the Advisory teachers, who are actively involved in the planning, teaching and evaluating of the curriculum. The setting meets needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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

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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. 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): • ensure that staff are suitably deployed during out door play.

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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 opportunities for children to use information and technology • improve opportunities for children to learn about their community for example, people who help us • improve opportunities for children with English as an additional language to access dual language books to support their learning.

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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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