Carlton Day Nursery

Carlton PDN (2)

Inspection report for early years provision

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Carlton PDN (2)

Unique Reference Number 206091 Inspection date 26 July 2005 Inspector Georgina Walker

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Carlton PDN (2)

Setting Address Maxwell Avenue, Allestree, Derby, Derbyshire, DE22 1GQ

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E-mail

Registered person Arthur Blackwood Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day 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 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?

Carlton Private Day Nursery (2) opened in 1993. It operates from a purpose-built, three-storey property in Allestree, adjacent to Derby University. The nursery serves the local and surrounding areas. The Under Three's Unit has eight rooms and the Pre-school Unit comprises of four rooms. Children have access to age-appropriate changing and toilet facilities adjacent to their playrooms. Appropriate staff and domestic facilities are on site. A soft play activity facility, housed in a separate

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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 building on site, is available for use by nursery children and can be hired by the general public. There is a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery opens 7.30 until 18.00, all year round, except for Bank holidays. There are currently 50 children from 6 months to 4 years 9 months on roll. This includes 20 children who receive funding for nursery education. The setting currently supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 11 full time staff who work with the children. Over half the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. Three staff are currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from Derby City local authority. The day nursery has the 'Investors in People' award and is one of three owned by an individual, who

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

delegates day to day responsibility to the staff.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children stay healthy because staff follow current and appropriate environmental health and hygiene guidelines, policies and procedures. The importance of personal hygiene is learnt by the children through following appropriate daily routines, such as washing their hands before snacks and meals and they become increasingly independent in their personal care. The spread of infection between children is minimised as suitable steps are taken to prevent this. The prevention of accidents is reduced as staff are vigilant and aware of stages of children's development. Children's needs are met effectively if they do have an accident as staff hold appropriate first aid certificates and maintain first aid boxes which are readily accessible. Accident records are generally maintained and shared with parents, however there are some inconsistencies in the recording of detail. In the event of

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Helping children to be healthy

children becoming ill staff instigate the very well documented procedures and parents are contacted with the utmost priority to ensure any distress is limited. Children benefit from the healthy and nutritious snacks and meals provided. The inclusion of more fruit and vegetables in the menus is continuing in consultation with parents. Children are starting to understand why certain foods are good for them and serve themselves snacks and drinks with increasing skill. Fresh drinking water is available throughout the day and babies are offered drinks and bottles according to their individual need ensuring children's thirst needs are met. Individual dietary needs, which ensure children remain healthy, are shared by parents with childcare staff and the qualified cook. Children's meals are produced from mostly fresh ingredients and are presented well to ensure children eagerly enjoy meal times. Children are supported effectively to develop their physical skills throughout the

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Helping children to be healthy

nursery. Staff are developing an understanding of 'Birth to three matters' framework. They have produced a programme which promotes challenge and assists in

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 promoting children's health and emotional well being. Children are happy and settled in the environment. Rest and sleep routines are met according to their needs. They move with confidence and an awareness of personal safety throughout the premises, which have steps to some playrooms. Daily opportunities to play outdoors are programmed with purposeful activities. Children are able to negotiate competently as they climb up the slide or drive wheeled toys, some with trailers, stopping carefully to prevent driving into other children. Older children delight in demonstrating skills such as jumping to the Tweenies music tape and share detail of what they do in the soft play facility. Regular use of small tools such as pencils, scissors and paint brushes help children develop their fine manipulative skills competently.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children benefit from a welcoming environment where the playrooms are decorated with posters, photographs and some of their own craft work. The children have access to a wide range of interesting activities, although some are not regularly available in pre-school as staff recognise they cannot safely observe more than one room at a time. Activities are changed to promote challenge to children throughout the day and are safe, age appropriate and presented at suitable levels to encourage independence and development. Safety equipment for babies and toddlers is well maintained. Resources in the designated rooms ensure children develop safely in appropriate surroundings. They are protected effectively from potential hazards of older children's toys and resources. Children are secure in the environment. Very good security and collection procedures are effectively maintained. Comprehensive risk assessments, policies and

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

procedures create a generally safe environment for children, however minor garden maintenance is required to ensure the areas are consistently safe. Practices of fire evacuation and subsequent evaluations ensure children develop a good understanding of the need for fire safety. Children are safe on outings as the setting has comprehensive procedures which are implemented effectively when children are out walking or visiting facilities such as Markeaton Park or Wonderland. Children are cared for by staff who have a sound knowledge of signs and symptoms of abuse following recent training and demonstrate an increased understanding of how to give priority to children's welfare. However, child protection policies and procedures require modification and consistent implementation in future by all staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children settle well in the nursery and have a friendly relationship with the staff. The children are confident and keen to access the range of play activities, such as water play and bubbles for younger children. Older children enjoy the pre-snack outdoor play session. Children's developmental progress is maximised, due to consistent staff interaction, monitoring children's use of activities and extensive planning linked to the

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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 'Birth to three matters' framework and the Foundation Stage. The children develop appropriate socialisation skills as they join in group activities and move between the age defined rooms in the nursery. Their physical development is promoted effectively both indoors and outdoors during the day. Children become independent as they learn to sit with support and become mobile, gradually leading to them accessing resources for themselves as the staff provide age appropriate access and high levels of challenge. The access to an extensive range of messy play activities linked to themes ensures children development is significantly enhanced across many areas of learning. They learn new words during such topics as water and growth, creating pictures which are later displayed. Children's daily activities and developmental progress is well documented and the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

staff throughout the nursery share information with parents regarding their child. However the starting point for new children is not available to ensure staff know how to promote individual future need or share developmental progress made at home. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children make good progress towards the early learning goals as staff have a secure understanding of the Foundation Stage and use an interesting range of teaching methods. Children are challenged by staff who use open ended questions to develop potential well during such activities as discussing paint mixing and creating a painting of the visit to Wonderland. Planning is generally effective and staff use the stepping stones to identify children's achievements. The assessment systems immediately identify the stage which children are at in their learning and what they need to learn next. The routine and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

programmed use of the four pre school rooms prevents children from having direct access to the full range of resources throughout the day and limits their opportunities to make choices. Children are well behaved and eager to try new experiences and ask questions about how things work or what the herbs and spices are used for when exploring their sense of smell. They are animated when suggesting their own ideas for play and share them with their peers and visitors, demonstrating confident personalities and good imagination in the role play area. Children are developing good recall as they listen attentively to stories and respond eagerly, by putting their hand up, to staff questions regarding the sequence and content of a story. They have a good understanding of maths and spontaneously use their knowledge effectively during play, including language for calculating volume of water and how many children are

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

helpers each day. Children are developing awareness of the needs of others and creatures of the natural world as they enjoy the varied topics presented by staff. They show concern when others are injured and have an awareness of heat and how to prevent burns. Computer skills and knowledge of how to use the mouse are developing well and expertise is shared with younger children. Children's physical development is promoted effectively through the use of an extensive range of small resources and a well balanced programme of activities which can be adapted for indoor or outdoor play. They enjoy the opportunity to go outside and eagerly pedal bikes with trailers

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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 which contain two friends, informing adults it is fun. Children enthusiastically develop their creative experiences as they have access to an extensive range of craft, role play and musical activities. They produce still life works of the range of instruments demonstrating good concentration, an eye for detail and are proud the paintings are displayed.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are respected and treated as individuals, they are welcomed and valued. Staff use their childcare expertise, have ongoing discussions and use information sheets completed by parents to ensure children's individual needs are met. Increased support is available for children with specific needs and staff work well with parents and outside agencies to ensure the child's needs are met appropriately. Children are developing an understanding of how everyone positively contributes in society as the staff promote inclusion with resources, language and carefully planned activities to assist learning. Equality of opportunity is promoted well as activities are adapted to ensure children's needs are met. Their knowledge and experiences are successfully extended as craft activities linked to culture and festivals are included. Children's understanding of others needs are promoted successfully through

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Helping children make a positive contribution

discussion and when coming in from outdoors to make space for the two to three year olds to go out to play. Children develop a strong sense of independence and self worth as they are encouraged to share, take turns, follow rules and listen to others. They are very confident in the setting and show a sense of belonging to a wider group. All are well behaved as they learn to accept the rules and respond to the firm and consistent expectations of the staff. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Partnerships with parents and carers is good. Ongoing sharing of verbal and written information ensures any changes to children's circumstances can be addressed which contributes to partnership with parents and children's care needs being met. However this does not formally extend to the child's starting point regarding their development and therefore cannot fully contribute to meeting the child's needs

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Helping children make a positive contribution

through the planning of activities. Whilst parents are invited to view their child's development records at any time and specifically at open evenings, some only see the content as their child leaves for school and have not contributed their views. Parents receive extensive information about the services provided and have access to comprehensive policies and procedures. Notice boards provide purposeful information regarding the 'Birth to three matters' framework and pre-school curriculum and what children will be learning. Parents questionnaires are completed regularly. Staff address any concerns, informing parents of changes through newsletters, notices and recently via copies of the new menus which further assist in meeting children's needs.

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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. Children are in the care of qualified or experienced staff who support them well to ensure they are happy and settled in the day nursery. Good organisation of effectively planned, developmentally appropriate activities, which the children are eager to engage in, ensures children's time in the nursery is worthwhile and challenging. There is regular support for the staff team from the local authority. The leadership and management of the nursery is good. Children benefit considerably from the regular training provided by the local authority which the staff attend and the sharing of new knowledge during staff meetings. The provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. The welfare care and learning of the children is generally promoted through the maintenance of records, policies and procedures which are required for the efficient and safe management of the provision. However some require consistent

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Organisation

implementation by the staff, minor adjustment and further discussion with parents to ensure children's health, safety and developmental needs are fully met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The previous care and nursery education inspections recommended that the staff attended training, their deployment and grouping of the children was monitored to ensure children's learning was developed appropriately and menus provided a variety of healthy and nutritious food. Staff were to implement the policies and procedures in the operational plan consistently. Under the leadership of the manager and with support from the local authority the setting staff developed a comprehensive action plan, which continues to be monitored and updated. Their commitment to improve has been significantly enhanced with extensive training and obvious understanding of the early learning goals, comprehensive planning and evaluation as seen in the current documentation. The staff have ensured children's individual educational needs are met. The routine and planned use of the four pre-school rooms still limits the children's consistent

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Improvements since the last inspection

opportunities to use the full range of resources to progress their learning. Menus continue to be changed to provide a more healthy and nutritious variety. The cook has undertaken both catering qualifications and training in nutrition for under fives to ensure the children develop good eating habits and an understanding of why certain foods are good for them. The implementation of the operational plan, policies and procedures by all staff has been addressed by regular meetings and ongoing updating of documentation. However, the recording of the size and location of injuries is still inconsistent throughout the nursery.

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Improvements since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since April 2004 there have been two complaints concerning National Standards 1,2,11,12,13 and 14. A complaint was made to Ofsted about the care of sleeping children and deployment of staff in relation to management of an incident where a sleeping child had been injured by another child. Initially the concerns were addressed by the owner who responded in writing to Ofsted. As this information was limited an Ofsted child care inspector visited the nursery to investigate further. A breach of Standard 2 was identified and the provider was asked to take action to ensure the safety of sleeping children. This has been done by moving the sleep room downstairs where it can be observed more effectively. No other breach of Standards 11 and 12 were found. A complaint was made that the nursery did not address a child protection allegation appropriately. This was linked to behaviour management, staff deployment and

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Complaints since the last inspection

notification to Ofsted. An Ofsted child care inspector visited the nursery and interviewed key staff and reviewed relevant documentation. The concerns were considered against national standards and no evidence was found to suggest a breach in Standards 1,2,11,13 and 14. Three recommendations were made by the inspector to help develop practice and were detailed in a letter. Training for all staff has taken place and ongoing development of policies and procedures, for the whole company, has commenced. The provider continues to remain qualified for registration.

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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 child protection policies fully reflect regulations and members of staff implement appropriately • ensure accident records are consistently maintained with all relevant detail recorded • continue to develop methods of obtaining information from parents regarding

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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 their child's starting point and the sharing of ongoing progress.

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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 the children consistently have opportunities to use the full range of resources to progress their learning.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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