Tangent House Day Nursery

Tangent House Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Tangent House Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY267618 Inspection date 18 May 2005 Inspector Judith Chinnery

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Tangent House Day Nursery

Setting Address Tangent House, 640 Melton Road, Thurmaston, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE4 8BB Telephone number 0116 2640333 E-mail aditi@ababla.couk Registered person Roundhill Limited Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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Tangent House Day Nursery

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 satisfactory. 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Tangent House Day Nursery opened in 2003 and is one of two nurseries owned by Roundhill Limited. It operates from a purpose built building with three group rooms for children. It is situated in Thurmaston on the outskirts of Leicester. A maximum of 50 children may attend the nursery at any one time. It is open each week day, all year round from 07:30 until18:30.

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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 There are currently 79 children aged from birth to five years on roll. This includes 19 children who receive funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide catchment area as parents access work either locally or in the city. The setting currently supports children with special educational needs a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 16 members of staff to work with the children. Ten of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's good health and well being is promoted effectively through well planned menus, good hygiene practices and appropriate procedures for managing accidents and medication. Meals are planned well and include healthy choices such as organic fruit and vegetables as well as low salt and sugar alternatives enabling children to grow healthily. The risks of the spread of infection amongst babies and younger children are minimised by good cleaning and hand washing routines. Older children are aware of daily routines and readily wash their hands before meals. Good procedures for managing accidents, administering medication and caring for any child who becomes ill are effective in ensuring that children are well cared for and that their individual needs are met. Children have many opportunities to be active both in and outside, however, staff do not plan for this well nor is it well resourced so

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Helping children to be healthy

children are less well challenged to make progress in this area. While they have drinks regularly, drinking water is not always available should they be thirsty.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are well cared for and safe in this setting. The well designed building and safety precautions such as socket covers and safety gates prevent accidents to the children. Safe and appropriate equipment such as low chairs and tables enable children to sit and play safely. Resources are carefully chosen so that children can play without danger. Good security such as closed circuit television ensures that children are well protected and that unwanted visitors cannot gain access. Older children, in particular, are showing a growing awareness of safety and usually wait for an adult before going into different areas of the nursery. While staff have suitable knowledge about protecting children from abuse some of the nursery's procedures regarding child protection are not well known and understood.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is inadequate. The provision for enjoying and achieving is inadequate. Care and play 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 under three years is sound, but experiences for older children receiving nursery education are poor. Most children enjoy close relationships with their carers and readily seek comfort and contact with them, increasing their sense of well being. Effective discussions with parents ensure that young children experience and benefit from familiar home routines for eating and sleeping while at the nursery, enabling them to feel safe and secure. The provision of activities such as sand and water help young children explore and use their senses. Young babies have plenty of space to crawl and develop their physical skills in the ball pool and with other cause and effect type toys. Further play with natural tactile materials such as pasta and custard and some adult directed role play such as going to the seaside is helping the two to three year olds

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

develop in most areas satisfactorily. However, staff's knowledge of caring for young children is general and systems for planning activities and assessing children's progress are ineffective. This makes it difficult for staff to meet the individual needs of children and prevents them from making sufficient progress in their learning. The quality of teaching and learning is inadequate. Staff have a poor knowledge of the Foundation Stage. They do not understand how to record observations of children's learning nor do they know where the children have started or what progress they are making towards the early learning goals. Whilst plans indicate what activities are available under the six areas of learning, they are not built on children's interests and what they need to do next. This severely impedes any progress children are able to make in all the areas of learning. Most children are confident and keen to get involved in activities such as cooking.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They enjoy close relationships with staff and each other with some of the older children forming particular friendships amongst their peers. However, children's independence is not promoted effectively through snack and meal times. While children speak well and are keen to engage adults in conversation, staff do not know how to challenge children appropriately in most areas. Consequently, children are not developing their language for thinking or their ability to solve simple problems in maths. Many of the children draw well and use lines and circles to form recognisable images, but since most art activities are adult led children are unable to create their own art work spontaneously. Children enjoy and are familiar with a wide repertoire of rhymes and songs, but their limited experiences of different types of music, rhythms and sounds affects their progress in recognising, distinguishing and playing with

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

different letter sounds. Limited resources and staff's lack of knowledge impedes children's development in their knowledge and understanding of the world. While they know how to operate simple programmes on the computer with the mouse they are unaware of other forms of technology such as cogs and wheels and how things work. Few activities develop children's interest in the natural world such as looking at insects or growing things. Neither are they aware of the wider world around them. While staff use different methods to teach children such as large or small groups, their lack of understanding of how children learn means that these are often ineffective. Circle time is used to welcome children into the setting, but the repetition of names, colours and days of the week does not encourage children to think.

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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 Inadequate assessment and planning also makes it difficult for staff to offer activities which cater for the different stages and abilities of the children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is inadequate. The individual care needs of most children are met by staff using information from parents regarding diet and sleep routines. Staff's basic understanding of equal opportunities means that children are introduced to other cultures and beliefs through multicultural resources and the celebration of different festivals. However, older children's understanding of and respect for different cultures and beliefs is not promoted well by staff. Neither are children who speak English as an additional language well supported. Since the staff have started to work with other professionals children with special needs are now beginning to be included in the nursery's activities and their needs are being addressed. Most children behave appropriately in the nursery because staff use suitable methods to explain and deal with unacceptable behaviour. However, because behaviour management policies are not yet agreed and established consistently

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Helping children make a positive contribution

across the nursery, older children, in particular, continue to need support in sharing and turn taking and in developing a respect for each other. Staff's lack of knowledge of equal opportunities and limited understanding of good behaviour management techniques means that children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is not fostered. Sound relationships between staff and parents means that information regarding children's care needs is shared and used effectively. However, partnership with parents for nursery education is inadequate. Parents receive no information regarding the educational provision for their children, neither is information about their child's progress towards the early learning goals shared with them. Because of this they are unable to become involved in their child's learning and children's ability to make further progress is impeded.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The organisation of the provision is currently satisfactory. The recently appointed management team have made many immediate changes to practice to improve the care and well being of the children in their care. The identification of weaknesses and the development of an action plan is already in place to continue these improvements and ensure that the needs of the range of children attending the provision are met. Managers have developed sound aims and values for the provision and have a clear vision for continuing their improvements for children's care and education. They have begun to recruit experienced staff and to establish good training opportunities to ensure that children are well protected and cared for. Higher than usual staffing ratios are beginning to ensure that children's care, learning and play is supported more

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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 effectively. The comprehensive review of policies and procedures being undertaken will ensure that they are reflected in practice. Leadership and management for nursery education is satisfactory. The new management team is well aware of the weaknesses for children's education and what needs to be done to improve. A new staff appraisal system and training programme, whilst sound, are too newly implemented to have yet had an impact on improving children's nursery education. The monitoring and evaluating of children's learning has not been implemented. However, the significant changes to staffing do show the provision's commitment in promoting an inclusive environment where every child matters.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the setting was asked to improve their statement on Special Needs and ensure that it reflected current legislation. Since the last inspection a new management team has been appointed. They have made significant changes in the nursery very recently and much of the impact of this on the children is not yet known. However, the Special Needs Statement has been reviewed and now reflects current legislation. It makes clear to staff and parents what procedures are in place for supporting and including them so that their needs are met.

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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 satisfactory. 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve.

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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): • improve staff's knowledge and understanding of the needs of children under

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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 3, for example through the use of the Birth to Three Framework • improve the management of children's behaviour across the setting

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education, the registered person must take the following actions: • develop staff's knowledge of the Foundation Stage so that children are effectively challenged • develop systems for assessing children's progress towards the Early Learning Goals, which identify the needs and next steps for individual children • develop planning systems which are built on children's interests and what they need to do next and which cover all the areas of learning and their aspects evenly and regularly so that children achieve appropriately in all areas • ensure that parents are informed about the educational provision and their child's progress, that they are able to share what they know about them and are able to be involved in their learning These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice. The Department for Education and Skills and the local authority have been informed.

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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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