Railway Children Day Care

Railway Children Day Care

Inspection report for early years provision

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Railway Children Day Care

EY342254 Unique Reference Number 23 February 2007 Inspection date Tracey Jane Outram Inspector

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Railway Children Day Care

Building 13, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Wath Road, Elsecar, Barnsley, S74 8HJ

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E-mail

Kathryn Spratt 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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?

Railway Children Day Care opened in 2006. It is a privately owned nursery, which operates from a large building on the site of Elsecar Heritage Centre in Barnsley. A maximum of 56 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 07.45 to 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 36 children aged from birth to under five years on roll. Of these, four children receive funding for early education. The nursery employs eight members of staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications and one member of staff 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 inadequate. The nursery staff work in partnership with parents to ensure that children’s health needs are met. For example, they talk to parents to ensure that they are fully aware of the children's dietary needs and individual routines. However, the policies and procedures for dealing with the recording and administration of all types of medication do not meet regulations.

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Helping children to be healthy

Standards of hygiene within the setting address children's health requirements. For example, the premises are cleaned daily and the equipment is washed thoroughly in between activities. Personal hygiene routines are implemented appropriately; the children understand the necessity to wash their hands frequently and they follow procedures to safely dispose of used tissues. As a result, their independence is fostered appropriately and the risk of infections spreading between the children is minimised.

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Helping children to be healthy

Members of staff are knowledgeable regarding the children's preferences, food allergies and intolerances; consequently, the children are served with a nutritious diet, which addresses their personal requirements. For example, mid-morning the children benefit from a healthy range of snacks, such as fresh fruit, vegetable and salad crudités with cream cheese. Overall, meal times are a sociable occasion for the children who eat together and enjoy a varied menu, such as chilli-con-carne and curry. Food is hygienically prepared and served to meet the requirements of individual children and babies who are progressing through the weaning process.

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Helping children to be healthy

Opportunities for the children to exercise are provided intermittently throughout the day. For example, outside play is provided at set times and the children benefit from using small wheeled toys and some climbing apparatus. In addition, babies and non-mobile children are provided with access to activities and equipment that encourage them to move their bodies by wriggling, stretching and kicking.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. The nursery premises are spacious and secure. Staff take positive steps to create a welcoming and inviting indoor environment; for example, children's artwork is displayed, activities are attractively presented and the playrooms are warm and comfortable. The free space is organised for the children to enjoy a broad range of activities, including the provision of areas for children to rest and play quietly. In addition, non-mobile babies have access to a small secure area in which they can use age appropriate floor toys in safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Equipment and toys are good quality, clean and well maintained. The children have access to a broad selection of interesting resources, which are purchased to enhance both development and learning. Appropriate procedures are in place to remove any equipment found to be defective or broken; as a result the children's safety is maintained.

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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 Members of staff are vigilant; they monitor and supervise the children appropriately during the day. They identify risks and hazards within the premises and take action to ensure that the children remain safe; for example, they ensure that children cannot access sharp objects or dangerous substances. Similarly, before children are allowed to play outdoors, the environment is checked thoroughly in order to maximise the children's security. However, there is a risk to children's well-being because fire safety procedures are not practised and members of staff are unaware of the procedures for emergency evacuation of the building. This is a breach of national requirements.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Members of staff have an understanding regarding some of the indicators of child abuse and neglect; for example, unexplained bruising and significant changes in children's behaviour. They have access to a written child protection procedure, but telephone numbers for the Local Safeguarding Children Board are not easily accessible and staff do not have access to the latest government guidance on for the protection of children. As a result, they are insufficiently prepared to quickly report any concerns to the local investigating agencies.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The welcoming environment and supportive staff help children to settle. They quickly develop good levels of social skills and confidence. They enjoy access to a broad range of interesting activities, which are attractively displayed and easily accessible. The children enjoy the company of the staff who use their time effectively to encourage further learning and development. Staff are beginning to develop an awareness of the 'Birth to three matters framework' and they are in the process of developing clearer activity planning, which is designed to meet the individual needs of the children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Babies are cared for appropriately; they enjoy flexible routines, which are adapted to meet their individual health and developmental requirements. They receive plenty of encouragement from staff to assist their growing independence; for example, they are encouraged to feed themselves and help themselves to toys from low-level shelving. The babies have access to musical and tactile equipment, which helps to develop their sensory skills and encourage exploration. Members of staff are warm and friendly; they listen to the babies and respond to their early communication skills with sensitivity and warmth.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children aged two to three years have access to broad range of activities and resources. They are making good developmental progress as they investigate their surroundings and enjoy activities, such as painting, sticking, singing and role-play. Similarly, they benefit from the use of treasure baskets, which increases children's exploratory impulses and successfully enhances their vocabulary as they describe the shapes and textures of artefacts, such as pine cones, shells and rocks.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The children are making sound developmental progress; however, this is the first term that the nursery has received nursery education funding. Consequently, the curriculum planning is in the early stages of development and does not yet

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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 effectively differentiate activities to ensure the needs of all children are addressed. Similarly, assessments records do not monitor children's achievements, help children move to the next stage in their learning or effectively promote the welfare and development of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. However, the staff know the children well and they are good at asking children thought provoking questions and allowing them to experiment and explore. For example, children are encouraged to complete tasks in their own time and they are not asked to stop simply because it is time for a drink or snack. Therefore, children's concentration is not interrupted and they gain maximum impact and learning from the activity of their choosing.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children display high self-esteem; they are cheerful and confident in their abilities. They are keen to demonstrate their skills to others and they relish the praise and attention that they receive from staff. The children are beginning to understand the importance of sharing; for example, they are helped to solve problems, such as how to divide the fruit equally at snack time. Likewise, staff successfully introduce the children to early addition and subtraction as they sort, pair and sequence the farm animals during small world play. As a result, the children are beginning to understand the use of numbers and some of the older children efficiently count to ten and beyond.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Language freely flows within the setting; many of the children are articulate and they confidently demonstrate their increasing vocabulary. For instance, they correctly use a range of adjectives, such as spicy, tangy and sour to describe the different fruits that they taste. The children are also beginning to develop an understanding of linking sounds and letters, for example, as they participate in valuable discussions about the changing seasons and different weather patterns they are able to explain that 'c' is for cold. Similarly, the children are very interested in books; they display good concentration skills and they correctly answer a number of questions at the end of the story, which are intended to encourage listening and memory skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Overall, the children's physical skills are progressing well; they confidently pedal bikes, climb steps and manoeuvre their bodies as they run around avoiding obstacles. They have good self-help skills; for example, they are able to independently wash their own hands, put on aprons and fasten their coats ready for outside play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children are beginning to develop a sense of time; they name days of the week and they confidently use terms, such as later and tomorrow. Some children know the differences between healthy and unhealthy food types. For example, they understand that 'carrots are good for you' and 'lots of chocolate is unhealthy'. Frequent outings are organised by staff; therefore, the children learn about the local area as they enjoy walks to the local park where they delight in seeing the geese. However, the children do not currently have opportunities to develop a sense of other countries, cultures and the wider world. The children show high levels of involvement in activities. They are creative and confident to use their imagination during role-play. Similarly, during water play children make-up their own stories and articulate the significance of their paintings and artwork. Music is an important aspect of the curriculum and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the children benefit from singing songs and using musical instruments to tap out rhythms.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. The nursery provides children with access to some resources that reflect diversity within society. They are helped to value each other and they have access to books and posters that promote positive images of their own and other cultures. Anti-discriminatory practices are implemented appropriately and all children are valued. Members of staff are aware that some children have learning difficulties and/or disabilities; therefore, they are happy to work closely with parents and other external organisations in order to meet children's individual needs. However, they do not have a secure knowledge of the 'Special Educational Needs Code of Practice'; consequently, they are not fully prepared to support all children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The children are eager to participate in the range of activities that are provided; they demonstrate confidence in their own abilities as they initiate play with both their peers and adults. They enter the nursery happily and they are self-assured; for example, at snack times the children confidently state their likes and dislikes. Members of staff support the children sensitively; they are approachable and they ensure that children are treated equally. The children are polite and they use their manners well. They enjoy helping staff to complete small tasks, such as tidying away, and they are developing an understanding of the importance of sharing and taking turns. The children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is satisfactory. They have access to a notice board, which contains a mixture of both regulatory information along with menus and a number of written policies and procedures. Members of staff take positive steps to ensure that they are always available to talk to parents at the end of the session. As a result, trusting relationships are developed and friendly dialogue is exchanged, which ultimately benefits the children. Parents are extremely happy with the level of care that their children receive; they are provided with both written and verbal feedback at the end of each session. In addition, members of staff are skilled at reassuring parents who are new to the nursery; they are encouraged to maintain frequent telephone contact until they are satisfied that their children are settled and happy with their new surroundings. However, parents are not encouraged to learn about the Foundation Stage

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Helping children make a positive contribution

and they are not involved in planning the next steps in their children's learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. The environment is organised to allow children independent access to a broad range of activities and staff are deployed appropriately in order to provide children with adequate support. However, the procedures relating to staff training and induction are inadequate. For example, the systems used to ensure that staff trained in first aid are on the premises at all time are insufficient, and newly employed staff are not routinely informed of the fire safety requirements or child protection procedures during the induction process. In addition, the vetting and recruitment procedures for new staff are not sufficiently robust. This is a breach of regulations, which compromises the safety of children.

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Organisation

There are some clearly written policies and procedures in place but on the day of inspection a statement detailing the steps to take in the event of a child being lost is unavailable. However,

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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 the children's personal details are recorded appropriately; emergency contact information is in place and careful thought is given to storing information in a manner that protects children's privacy.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is satisfactory. The setting has only recently started to provide funded nursery education; therefore the systems to expand and monitor the quality of education offered are not fully formed. The manager supports staff to work alongside development workers from the local authority in order to enhance the quality of the nursery education that is offered to the children. She is aware that that are areas of the service that require further development; for example, the curriculum planning, children's assessment records and the arrangements to promote the welfare of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Overall, the provision does not meet the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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, the registered person must take the following actions: • ensure that all staff have induction training which includes child protection and the emergency evacuation procedures in their first week of employment • ensure that rigorous vetting and recruitment processes are in place to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children • provide a procedure to be followed in the event of a child being lost • obtain written permission from parents before administering medication to children

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • make sure enough staff are trained in first aid to ensure that at least one member of staff with a current first aid certificate is on the premises or on outings at any one time. These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice.

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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): • ensure that the curriculum planning addresses children's different levels of understanding and individual needs • make regular assessments to monitor children's achievements and progress • ensure that steps are taken to promote the welfare and development of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities who are identified or admitted to the provision • ensure that the information gained from assessments and development records are used help children move to the next stage in 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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