Serendipity Day Nursery Ltd

Serendipity Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Serendipity Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY266819 Inspection date 04 May 2005 Inspector Janet Butlin

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Serendipity Day Nursery

Setting Address Oakymead Park, Newton Road, Kingsteignton, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 3AN Telephone number 01626 369697

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E-mail

Registered person Serendipity Day Nursery 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?

Serendipity Day Nursery is privately owned and managed and opened in September 2003. It is situated in Kingsteignton, a large village on the outskirts of Newton Abbot in Devon. The day nursery is purpose-built and has use of three rooms which accommodate children across the age ranges being cared for. There is a kitchen and toilets off the main playroom. There is a large, enclosed outdoor area to the front of the building.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The nursery office is situated in the owner's own home adjacent to the nursery. The day nursery is registered to provide 30 places for children aged from birth to eight years. There are currently 43 children on roll, ten of whom are three and four-year-olds in receipt of funding. The nursery supports children who have special educational needs. There are no children attending who have English as an additional language. Children can attend for a variety of sessions or full sessions each week. The day nursery is open for 50 weeks of the year, Monday to Friday 08.00 to 18.00. Seven members of staff support the provision, five of whom are qualified to NVQ level three. Two members of staff are about to start qualifying training. The nursery receives the support of the Devon Early Years Development and

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Childcare Partnership and the Foundation Stage Advisory Teacher.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Across all age ranges children develop a taste for healthy food and enjoy well balanced and nutritious meals. Fresh produce is used and this is appropriately stored and prepared. Children are encouraged to discuss the tastes of the food, for example sampling a wide range of fresh fruit some of which they may not have tried before. This means that nutritious and healthy food is accepted and enjoyed. The children learn about personal hygiene and can easily reach paper towels & liquid soap, this enables them to be personally independent and understand about protecting themselves from infection. The staff also protect children from infection by observing good hygiene at nappy changing times and keeping surfaces clean. Appropriately challenging apparatus enables children to develop their climbing and balancing skills and they show a good awareness of space as they move around the setting. They

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Helping children to be healthy

develop their small muscles effectively using toys and they enjoy waving, clapping and moving their bodies in time to music.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children's safety is ensured by securely implemented procedures. These include good security regarding access to the premises, clear observation around the setting and well understood codes of conduct. The outdoor play areas are protected by a secure boundary. Children's safe enjoyment of this area is supported by the presence of shade giving trees and the thoughtful application of sun-cream and hats in fine weather. A suitable range of good quality resources, all in good condition, are easily accessible for all the children. Children are able, for the most part, to help themselves to toys and they do so confidently. For more inaccessible toys the children are secure

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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 in the process for obtaining them. For example, children ask for particular toys and swiftly receive them. Therefore children do not have to endanger themselves by climbing as they are confident an adult will promptly reach it for them. The environment is very well organised and is clean, light and airy. Children benefit from being able to use safe and appropriately sized furniture and equipment which are suitable for their purpose. Children's safety is supported by staff's sound understanding of the child protection procedure. Babies sleep safely as a result of staff's thoughtful attention to their needs and an effective system of monitoring them when they are asleep. Visitors to the setting are rigorously recorded and monitored and an accurate register is maintained.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

However, it does not show the exact times of arrival and departure of the children or staff and therefore this does not ensure that they are able to tell who is on the premises at a particular time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy here. They interact well, feel comfortable and enjoy stimulating activities. There is a warm and caring atmosphere where children are enabled to feel genuinely valued and part of a family-style group. Younger children play well with their older play-mates, enjoying appropriate activities. Suitable activities and resources enable all children to make connections, for example, a small child working out how an electronic game works, and to communicate these discoveries to playmates. Children enjoy role-play and are confident to speak up in groups and share their news. Babies are enabled to interact with adults and other children throughout their day, learning to communicate. They are also able to rest whenever they need to. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning are satisfactory. Staff have a generally sound understanding of the Foundation Stage but are aware

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

that they need to place more emphasis on using what they know about children to plan for their individual progression and learning. At present children's progress through the stepping stones, as promoted by the nursery, is satisfactory. The children enjoy their activities but there is no effective assessment system linked to the Foundation Stage and the planning does not yet fully take account of ensuring that a balanced curriculum is offered and what might be the next steps in individual children's learning. The need to protect the very young children from some resources such as paint and scissors, impacts on the older children's ability to access a broad enough range of opportunities to cover sufficient aspects of the areas of learning. They enjoy singing counting rhymes but are not consistently encouraged to think about number in their free play. They enjoy books but there is little exploration of the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

sounds within words or letters and opportunities for them to make marks and write in meaningful, interesting situations is limited. The opportunities provided are not frequent or challenging enough for the older more-able children to continue their progress. The nursery makes good use of the local environment to widen children's

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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 understanding of the world about them as they visit local parks and watch the progress of the excavators next door. Staff encourage them to think about what they can see and use good, clear methods of explanation to answer questions, for example, about the bread-making poster and how bread is made. Opportunities for older children to design and make from a sufficiently wide range of materials are not frequent enough.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Staff are positive, consistent and sensitive role-models who are enthusiastic and show genuine interest in the children. This results in equally enthusiastic and interested children who manage their own behaviour very well and respond to appropriate praise. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. All the children enter the setting very happily and settle quickly to play, chatting and communicating with their friends and with staff. They have very good relationships and are polite, saying please and thank-you and helping to tidy away resources when asked. Boys and girls play well together and there is no obviously stereotypical play. The children are developing a sound understanding of cultural and social diversity through resources and stories. They are able to concentrate and persevere for substantial amounts of time at their chosen activities. Children with special needs

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Helping children make a positive contribution

receive sensitive and thoughtful support but planning for their progress is, at present, informal and staff are awaiting training in how to co-ordinate this area of provision. The partnership with parents is satisfactory. Children benefit from the warm welcome that their parents receive and information is shared efficiently regarding children's day-to-day care, this means that their individual needs are known and respected. However, parents receive insufficient information regarding the Foundation Stage and how their children are progressing towards the early learning goals, this limits their opportunity to participate in their children's learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The nursery is meeting the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. Children's welfare and education is provided by staff who are suitable, well qualified and develop their practice by attending relevant training. The staff team work well together and there is a secure system of deputising which means that the children benefit from a secure and consistently managed environment. Leadership and management of the nursery education is good. The staff are supported in their professional development and work together to think of ways to improve the experiences of the children in their care. The owner seeks the support and guidance of appropriate agencies and has accurately identified areas for future improvement and these improvements are being implemented. This means that children learn and develop whilst being cared for by thoughtful and reflective practitioners.

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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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Improvements since the last inspection

The nursery have made steady progress with the recommendations from the last inspection and children's awareness of cultural diversity is now improved due to the way the staff use resources and offer activities. Satisfactory progress has been made with improving staff's knowledge and understanding of supporting children with special needs, as a result children are better supported. However, there have been staff changes and so the nursery continues to focus on developing staff's understanding. This is with particular regard to planning for children's individual progress across all age groups attending and liaising with supporting agencies.

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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): • record the times of arrival and departure of children and staff • improve staff's knowledge and understanding of supporting children with special needs (also applies to nursery education)

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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 information for parents regarding the Foundation Stage and how their children are progressing along the stepping stones • ensure planning and assessment gives appropriate emphasis to all the areas of learning and that children receive adequate support and challenge to help them progress

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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 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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