Rothley Park Kindergarten

Rothley Park Kindergarten Ltd

Inspection report for early years provision

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Rothley Park Kindergarten Ltd

Unique Reference Number EY244466 Inspection date 19 July 2005 Inspector Alexandra Brouder

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Rothley Park Kindergarten Ltd

Setting Address Loughborough Road, Rothley, Leicestershire, LE7 7NL

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E-mail

Registered person Rothley Park Kindergarten Limited 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Rothley Park Kindergarten Limited registered in 2003. The nursery operates from a purpose built unit between the villages of Rothley and Mountsorrel, Leicestershire. A maximum of 97 children may attend at any one time. The setting operates from 08:00 to 18:00 from Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year and offers nursery, after-school and holiday care. There are currently 201 children from birth to 8 years on roll. Of these 46 receive

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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 funding for nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting offers support to children who have special needs and has experience of caring for children who have English as an additional language. The nursery employs 27 staff. Seventeen of the staff including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications. Eight are undertaking training. The setting receives support from the Leicestershire Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Staff follow clear procedures for maintaining hygiene which ensures that the children are cared for in a clean and healthy environment. For example, tables are wiped with anti-bacterial spray prior to being used for food. Children become independent as they follow good hygiene practices such as washing their hands before eating and more able children show confidence in this. Children enjoy the food that is offered to them, older children participate in the preparation of snacks and have choices in what they would like to eat at meal times, thus enabling their independence skills to develop. Children eat a healthy, balanced diet and have their individual requirements met, because of this children are beginning to understand the importance of eating well. More able children independently access drinks that are available on a table at their height, enabling them to hydrate themselves freely and easily.

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Helping children to be healthy

Babies and young children have positive experiences of physical play due to the use of the Birth to three matters guidance that staff use to plan the activities they do. Children freely explore their environment and use the available resources to encourage their movement and mobility. All age groups have their individual needs recognised and met in relation to their sleep patterns enabling them to sleep and rest as they desire. Older children have access to large physical play on a daily basis and use the equipment to develop their climbing, balancing and shuffling techniques. For example, using the slides and stilts. Although physical development is planned well for the funded children, scope for challenge and differentiation is not always included which leads to aspects of more able children's development in this area not being challenged effectively.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children's safety is paramount at the setting, children are unable to leave the premises unsupervised due to the restrictions that staff have put on entries and exits to the building. For example, all outside areas are fenced and secure ensuring children's safety when playing outside. An effective risk assessment and good procedures for health and safety are clearly understood by staff, this enables them to ensure that children are kept safe in line with health and safety requirements.

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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 begin to learn safe practices through helping to organise the environment with practitioners which allows them to develop some sense of how to keep themselves and others safe, for example, they help with setting out and putting away and learn the safe practices associated with these activities. Most children have easy access to a good range of developmentally appropriate resources which promote independence and choice. Children are well protected by practitioners who have a good awareness of child protection procedures and know how to put these into place to safeguard children's well-being.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Babies and toddlers receive appropriate care and attention from all staff that work with them and have a strong bond with their key workers. Staff recognise the importance of providing children with good routines to ensure that they feel secure and nurtured and are consistent in their approach. Children enjoy the range of suitable and accessible resources that are available to them. They are beginning to explore and show interest in the sounds and varied colours that manufactured toys display. Babies develop early communication skills as they attract the attention of staff who respond to their needs. All children are developing their confidence through the skills, care and attention that staff show them. Older, more able children are beginning to play well alongside their peers. They participate in a wide range of planned and freely accessible activities and show enjoyment in what they do. However, there are occasions in the two to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

three-year-olds room, that resources are not set up to offer sufficient challenge or increase independence skills which leads to some children becoming disinterested at times. Most children are beginning to play independently with resources such as puzzles, games, small world toys and various outdoor equipment, whilst others receive good support from staff to enable them to achieve all they can. Staff's sound use of the Birth to three matters framework is improving children's achievements although not all staff recognise the importance of evaluating activities to ensure that children's needs are identified and met. Babies and toddlers thoroughly enjoy the variety of messy play that is available to them such as dough, water and wet and dry sand, and develop their communication skills with staff and each other during such activities. Musical activities include singing and using instruments which also helps

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children's communication skills. Older children that take part in the holiday club are given many opportunities for varied and entertaining play. Staff plan an assortment of age and stage appropriate activities that the children are able to participate in as well as discussing with staff what they would like to do. This enables the children to feel very much a part of the group and involved in all aspects of their play. NURSERY EDUCATION Children are making satisfactory progress. Staff’s knowledge of the Foundation Stage is developing, although not all staff are fully trained in the curriculum. They present a range of interesting activities to promote children's learning, though they are not yet planning or targeting individual children which leads to insufficient challenge for more

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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 able children in all aspects of learning. Staff plan using the six areas of learning and stepping stones as their guide and are beginning to evaluate the activities. However, this is not always linked to the overall outcome for children and therefore can lack purpose. Although there is a system in place to record observations staff do not use these effectively to plan for children's next steps in learning. Children are very confident and demonstrate a sense of belonging as they greet each other and staff on arrival. They build warm relationships with staff, actively seek support when required and interact appropriately with peers to work well in small and large groups. Children have a very good vocabulary and use talk well to organise their play. Most staff are beginning to develop their questioning skills in order to extend on children’s

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

progress in this area. Older children use language confidently to talk about their play. Children have a high level of independence and freely access equipment to extend their play. Resources are stored appropriately to enable them to access paper, writing implements and various media. Children enjoy role play and are able to use their initiative when playing in groups, for example, a group of children used the dressing-up clothes as capes and became “super heroes”. There are good opportunities for mark making, as children practice this skill daily. However, children are not given sufficient opportunities to write their own names on their creative work, though many of them are capable of doing so. Children enjoy books and readily select these to look at and share with each other and staff. They recognise their names which they spontaneously sound out and staff use flash cards with more able children for letter recognition. However, it is not clear as to the purpose of this activity

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

as children shout out together what letter they see, and there is no evidence as to how this activity is used to help children progress. Although most of the children can count and show a good awareness of size and quantity staff do not make good use of spontaneous opportunities to increase children's knowledge and introduce them to skills in early calculation. Children take responsibility for their personal care. They pour drinks independently and recognise and express their needs, for example they take themselves to the toilet and wash their hands as needed. They show concern for each other and offer support to those children that appear to be upset. Older children enjoy the responsibility of explaining daily routines and helping younger children. All children ably assist in tidying away and respond appropriately to staff's consistent guidelines to promote positive behaviour. Children behave very well and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

listen to and follow instructions appropriately. Children are extremely polite saying excuse me before interrupting conversations and use good manners appropriately when requesting and accepting help, drinks or food. Children have regular access to information and technology equipment and are acquiring knowledge of their environment and the wider world through practical activities such as celebrating festivals and tasting foods from other cultures. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff have an adequate understanding of how children learn and use a range of teaching methods appropriately. They work well to improve children's vocabulary providing them with excellent communication skills. Children are knowledgeable about the world in which they live and speak with confidence and fluency about themselves and what they are doing. The methods to monitor and evaluate teaching and learning are not used

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

effectively to identify ways to improve the learning outcomes for 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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are warmly welcomed into the group. Practitioners ensure that they value and respect all children and their families and encourage children to foster positive attitudes to each other by providing a good range of resources which represent the wider world. Children are also using sign language in activities such as singing which promotes inclusion and a sense of other children's needs. Positive images of the wider community enable all children to develop self-esteem and a sense of their own worth. Children behave well and are clear about the need to work together to ensure the group runs smoothly, for example, cooperating with practitioners and each other in helping to tidy away during the session. They are able to share and show consideration for others as practitioners provide good examples for the children to follow. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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Helping children make a positive contribution

development. A good partnership is in place with parents which contributes to children's well being and learning. Practitioners work closely with parents to build on their knowledge of their child's abilities and the use of a parent's rota ensures that parents are able to help children settle in to the group and contribute to their sense of assurance and belonging. Parents receive a comprehensive document about the Foundation Stage of learning which contains ideas about how they may continue to help and develop their child's learning at home. Parents also complete a baseline assessment of their child's abilities which allows practitioners to direct input at each child's individual level. Children with special needs are warmly welcomed into the nursery and systems are in place to ensure the needs of all children are met irrespective of race, culture, religion and disability. However, staff are not always aware of children's ethnic

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Helping children make a positive contribution

backgrounds which leads to some children's needs not always being met effectively. There are resources available to all age groups that promote a positive image to others, but are not used regularly for younger children, which hinders this age groups knowledge and understanding of the needs of others. Children learn about their local community as they visit local amenities and more able children enjoy bringing in materials that they have found such as leaves and twigs. Children are valued and respected as individuals and staff work closely with parents and carers of children to ensure that all children's needs are known and met. This ensures that children feel safe and secure with familiar routines. Children are very well behaved, and polite in response to the expectations of staff. They share and take turns and begin to show concern for others. They gain independence through helping themselves to drinks and taking themselves to the toilet. This positive

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Helping children make a positive contribution

approach fosters children's spiritual, social and cultural development. Partnership with parents is satisfactory. Extensive information is shared through the comprehensive nursery prospectus and parents information board. Effective communication is maintained through a monthly newsletter, open evenings and arranged and informal discussions. These work effectively to ensure children's individual care needs are met. However, parents are not fully aware of the breadth of the curriculum within the Foundation Stage and have insufficient involvement and information about their child's next steps in learning preventing the effectiveness of

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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 staff and parents working together to further develop children's progress. The setting fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's care is enhanced through effective recruitment and employment procedures. Induction training is provided for all individuals and covers all aspects of the settings comprehensive policies and procedures to keep children healthy and safeguard their welfare. However, some staff are not aware of certain procedures or roles at the setting and this leads to some children’s needs not being met as well as they should be. Staff training is provided which is linked to appraisals and professional development to support the ongoing improvement of the setting, although not all staff working with the funded children are fully trained in the foundation stage. This limits their ability to effectively evaluate what children already know, have learnt and how this can be used constructively to plan for their next steps in learning. Clear contingency plans ensure the required adult-child ratios are

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Organisation

maintained and staff are effectively deployed to support children's care, learning and play. Children are suitably grouped to ensure they receive good levels of care appropriate to their age and developmental stages. Play and learning activities are organised well to provide interesting and appealing opportunities for children which contribute to their enjoyment, achievement and ability to make a positive contribution. Overall, the needs of all the children who attend are met. The children feel at home and relaxed in the well organised environment that they freely access each day. All staff are qualified and on-going training supports opportunities for staff to improve their knowledge and understanding in all aspects of care and education for children. Leadership and management at the setting is satisfactory overall. The planning systems in place are assessed by the staff working in the room, the mentor teacher and management. However, management has not

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Organisation

ensured that challenges are set appropriately for all children which has led to inconsistencies in their learning. Recording systems are in place and staff are beginning to record useful information about children's achievements, however focused activities are not always evaluated and therefore it is not always possible to see where the improvement is.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The last care inspection recommended that the nursery should request written permission from parents for seeking emergency medical advice or treatment and to ensure that all accidents were recorded, in particular those that occur before the children arrived at the setting. The nursery has made significant improvements in both of these areas. All registration forms have been amended to ensure that all parents give their consent to the staff at the setting seeking emergency medical treatment and advice should the need arise. Thus ensuring that immediate and appropriate action can be taken if necessary for all children. The accident records have been altered to ensure that

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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 should children arrive at the setting with an existing injury then the staff record these and obtain parental confirmation. This ensures that all accidents that happen to any child whether at the setting or not, are recorded and known by staff working with children.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There has been one complaint. Concerns were raised about the behaviour of a member of staff in relation to handling children. This relates to national standards 1 (Suitable person), 11 (Behaviour) and 12 (Working in partnership with parents and carers). This was investigated by writing to the registered person and asking them to detail how this incident had been addressed. The response demonstrated no ongoing breaches of national standards. The registered person remains 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 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): • Develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the role of the senco and all relevant procedures linked to this area. • Ensure that a range of resources and activities are provided that reflect other cultures, lifestyles and disabilities and that staff's knowledge and understanding of children's individual backgrounds are known and incorporated into every day plans.

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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 systems to ensure that staff and parents exchange information and records of children's development. • Ensure that all children are challenged appropriately in all aspects of learning and that scope for differentiation is included in all activities.

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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 • Develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the stepping stones towards the foundation stage of learning, and ensure that observation and assessments are completed on a regular basis, activities are evaluated effectively and that this information is used to inform future planning and targets for individuals.

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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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