Abington High School

White Lodge Nursery and Playscheme Inspection report for early years provision

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120311 Unique Reference Number 04 June 2007 Inspection date Christine Stimson Inspector

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White Lodge, Holloway Hill, Lyne, Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 0AE Setting Address

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E-mail

White Lodge Nursery and Playscheme Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Out of School 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 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?

White Lodge Nursery was founded in the early 1960s and was registered under the Children Act in November 1998. It forms one element of the White Lodge Centre's wide range of services for disabled children. The group occupy a purpose built facility which has access to an outdoor area and hydrotherapy pool. A maximum of 30 children aged between two years and five years may attend the nursery at any one time; 15 children aged between five and eight years may attend the play scheme. The ratio of staff is based on one adult to three children.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery opens for 40 weeks a year operating from Monday to Friday between 09.30 and 15.30. The play scheme is held for five weeks during the school holidays. Children over eight are also cared for at a separate play scheme.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Lead staff are appropriately qualified and all nursery staff have a two week induction. This includes health and safety and in-house practices. There is a high level of input from specialist professionals relating to individual children's needs.

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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 They currently have 25 children on roll, all of whom are sponsored and 23 children receive early years educational funding. Provision is made for children who speak English as an additional language.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children have excellent opportunities for physical exercise both through planned activities such as horse riding and exercise sessions in the hydrotherapy pool. There is a well equipped outside area where children play in the fresh air and access especially designed swings and roundabouts. They also practice their physical skills on a wide selection of bikes, sit and ride cars and a wonderful fort style climbing frame. Opportunities to move to music are frequent with children using an extensive range of musical instruments to tap out beats. They also listen to CD tapes so they can dance and sway to the rhythms; a music therapist visits weekly to help develop children's musical awareness.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children gain an understanding of good hygiene practice as they follow daily routines of washing hands after using the toilet. Staff wash children's hands and faces before and after meal times with individual flannels and are vigilant about their own hand washing. They always sanitize their hands before playing with the children, which helps prevent cross infection. The risk of infection is further minimised as the centre's policy of not caring for children when they are unwell or have infectious illnesses is adhered to.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's health is protected as several staff hold first aid qualifications and some staff have had specialist training for their key children's physical and medical needs. A well equipped first aid box is kept accessible, but out of the reach of children. Information relating to children's medical needs are in individual books marked 'All about me'. This is completed by parents to inform staff of their children's personal needs and is very comprehensive.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children often need medication and the system in place requires parental consent in writing before this can happen. Staff record the details of the medication given and make sure medicine is stored appropriately. Parents are asked to acknowledge the medication record when they collect their children at the end of the day. When medicine is administered to children, it is always witnessed by another member of staff who signs the medication record book. This limits the margins for error and supports children's health and well being.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children learn about healthy eating as they enjoy a varied menu of nutritious balanced meals and snacks. They enjoy eating fresh fruit at snack time, which is beautifully presented, making it look very appetizing. Staff sit with children at snack and meal times to ensure they can manage and children are encouraged to feed themselves if they are able. Staff always ensure water is on hand to quench children's thirst.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment where staff are vigilant about their personal safety. Children are properly supervised at all times and the premises is very secure. For example, all door handles are at adult height and regular risk assessments are carried out on both the indoor and outdoor areas to make sure they are suitable for children to access.

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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 Detailed records are maintained for visitors to the site. They have to state their time of arrival and departure, the reason for their visit and give details of the vehicle they are driving. This supports children's safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The premises are clean, well maintained and spacious. Doors leading from the nursery to the outdoor area give children the opportunity to play outside in the superb grounds and enjoy fresh air on a daily basis. Children are transported to their horse riding and gym lessons in coaches. Staff make sure the transport used is suitable for its purpose, with qualified drivers and appropriate insurance in place.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Space is very well organised and planned to meet children's needs. An extensive selection of toys and equipment are available for children to play with and most are kept at child height giving them the opportunity to make choices. Thought has been given to how children can access the resources and large waist height trays holding play dough and imaginary play equipment are provided. These are designed so children can be manoeuvred in their wheelchairs up to the trays or be supported by braces whilst they are standing there. Low storage units enable children to select other equipment for themselves.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is well protected by the nursery as all staff have attended child protection training and there is a designated child protection officer on site. The local child protection guidance is accessible for consultation and all staff know how to proceed if they have a concern about a child in their care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children confidently separate from their parents and carers and greet staff with delight. They are excited and happy to settle into the activities laid out for them and are joined by their key workers and other staff to help extend their learning as they play. Warm and loving relationships between staff and the children are evident. Children relate well to staff who give regular cuddles and reassurance to them; this contributes to their emotional well being.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff use the Birth to three matters framework to plan stimulating activities for all young children. For example, listening to staff playing musical instruments and using props to re-enact rhymes. Staff ensure a suitable and attractive play environment is available to meet individual needs. They spend time discussing how each child's individual plans can be met, making sure resources are available to avoid disappointment. Children's independence is encouraged as much as possible with staff prompting children to help put things away and reach for things on their own.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The high child/staff ratio ensures children are always supported in their play and staff are skilled at knowing when to stand back and let children explore their own imaginations, aware that intervening could spoil the moment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a secure understanding of the Foundation Stage of learning and children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Effective systems of observation, recording and assessing children's achievements, ensure children's next step of development is always noted; staff strive to make sure children achieve these. Staff plan the curriculum based on each child's individual educational plans. These are

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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 devised with the help of the children's therapists and staff use their skills to plan activities to meet children's needs. A wonderful selection of resources help staff to present the activities attractively to children, who are keen to participate.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children participating in circle time show increasing independence and confidence in carrying out activities. They willingly come to the front of the group to perform tasks such as counting the beads on a big abacus or choosing their names from the board. Children explore the weather by going outside and feeling the wind, the sun and the rain for themselves. They come back and make up a weather chart using words and visual props to help them put things together. Children are confident in their use of numbers up to nine, both recognising them at random and counting them in order. Staff encourage the use of mathematical language such as big and small and many children are confident in recognising shapes such as a circle, a triangle and a square. Daily opportunities for children to take part in physical activities present themselves. They use the lovely outdoor area to access adapted climbing frames, swings and roundabouts.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Regular visits to the hydrotherapy pool and to a gym club ensure children develop their physical skills. Children's knowledge and understanding of the world is developed as staff take children out into the local community to ride on trains, visit airports and access local parks. They grow vegetables in the raised beds outside the nursery room, making sure they water and care for their crop. Children are confident in their knowledge of colours and this is helped by having weeks when a particular colour is explored. They have regular music sessions where they use musical instruments to tap out beats and move to music using their imaginations.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff make sure parents are kept informed of the progress their children are making by sharing their children's records during the six monthly meetings attended by the key worker and the manager. However, when children first start in the nursery parents are not informed about the six areas of learning within the Foundation Stage of learning that children will be covering in their activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are busy and enjoy themselves whilst they are at the nursery. They are mischievous, funny and generally well behaved; this results in a happy and relaxed atmosphere. Staff act as good role models to children, making sure they make eye contact before speaking to them and using good manners at all times. This helps children learn good social skills. Children are encouraged to help put things away if they are able and are praised for their efforts.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children learn about the cultures of others whilst they are in the nursery. Resources that depict people from around the world are to hand as part of children's everyday play. Children take part in the celebrations of Christian festivals and the festivals of other peoples cultures. The setting has a strong commitment to inclusion and promoting children's positive attitudes towards equality as part of their policy and practice. Children's needs are identified and met very well by all staff, with physical adaptations implemented to meet children's individual needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Relationships with parents are good with staff recognising that parents know their own children well. They request information from parents about their child's needs and have a communication book that is exchanged daily to reassure parents that those needs are being met in accordance with their wishes. When children first come to the nursery they have a settling in period where parents are invited to stay with their child and then leave them for short periods until they are happy to be cared for by staff. However, although parents who use the play scheme receive a copy of the settings policies and procedures, this is not extended to the parents of children in

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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 the nursery. As a result parents are not clearly informed of the formal arrangements for the care of their children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are fostered as children show wonder as they grow vegetables and plants in the outside area, share platters of fruit at snack time and are excited to see each other on arrival. They are generally well behaved and are learning about taking turns. Children are beginning to understand about their local community and the wider world through planned activities and outings.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education funding is good. They are welcomed into the setting and staff have developed professional and friendly relationships with them. Parents are made aware of who their child's key worker is and a daily communication book helps parents keep up to date of how their children's personal needs are met. Regular meetings are planned so children's progress can be discussed and monitored and any concerns can be raised and dealt with. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child's learning and many parents help out with swimming and riding activities. Currently parents are not informed about the Foundation Stage of Learning when their child is eligible for government funding. As a result many parents are not aware that their children are following a curriculum based on stepping stones which lead them towards achieving the six early learning goals.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Only the nursery was inspected on this occasion as the play scheme was not running.

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Organisation

Children are cared for by a consistent and experienced staff team who have knowledge of child development and Foundation Stage education. Children are well cared for with a high child/staff ratio maintained. The recruitment procedure that is in place is robust enough to ensure that all the staff employed to work with children are suitable. Space and time are well organised so children are kept occupied and stimulated giving them opportunities for quiet and active play.

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Organisation

There is a comprehensive range of polices and procedures to guide staff in their work with the children. However, systems to ensure parents are well informed about the care and education of their children are not sufficiently robust, as the provider does not share all relevant information with them. For example, details of the settings policies and procedures and information about the Foundation Stage of Learning. All the regulatory documentation required is maintained and this contributes to children's safety, health and well being.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. There is a strong commitment from the manager to continually improve the service offered. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities and work well together as a team. There are good opportunities for staff to attend training so they can keep up to date with new childcare practices. The manager works closely with the staff and the children each day and is respected by the staff team. The planning of activities is done as a team in consultation with each child's therapist. This ensures that children's individual needs are met. There is an effective system in place to evaluate the teaching and learning.

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Organisation

Overall the setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection one key issue was raised to improve the nursery education. Since then planning has been improved and staff indicate the key vocabulary that should used during

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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 focussed activities. This helps children to establish a broad vocabulary and staff are now skilled at asking children questions to prompt them into responding and communicating. A further two recommendations were raised to improve the care for children. Since then children's daily communication books have been established and areas of concern are raised with parents both verbally and in this book. Incidents are recorded on a form which is shared with parents at the end of the day and then filed in the main office. This supports children's health and safety. Policies and procedures are shared with parents of play scheme children when they first come to the setting to make them aware of how the organisation works when caring for their children. This is not currently extended to the parents of the nursery children and this remains an area

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Improvements since the last inspection

for improvement. Medication is now only administered to children if parents have given their written consent prior children starting at the nursery; this includes consent for non-prescribed medication.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since April 2004 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 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 all parents are given access to the settings policies and procedures

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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 parents are informed about the six areas of learning their children will be covering prior to them receiving funding

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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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