South Wonston Day NurseryOfsted inspection, 25 Apr 2007

South Wonston Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY243114 Unique Reference Number 25 April 2007 Inspection date Amanda Shedden Inspector

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Groves Close, South Wonston, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 3EP Setting Address

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01962 881180 Telephone number anita@swons.co.uk E-mail South Wonston Nursery School Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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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 outstanding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

South Wonston Nursery School opened in 2002 and operates from a single storey building in South Wonston.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 26 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08:00 until 18:00 for 50 weeks a year. All children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 32 children who receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the surrounding area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is able to support children with additional needs, including those who may speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs six members of staff. Five of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children enjoy a good range of energetic physical activities that contribute to their good health. Children enjoy all the challenges of the garden; they ride bikes, pedal cars and scoot around the path with the scooters. They challenge themselves on the monkey bars and swing bar. They clamber up the steps and 'whoosh' as they slide down, learning to take turns and keeping themselves safe by only sliding when there is no one on the bottom. Staff encourage children to be independent and try new challenges such as learning to use the swing themselves, children respond enthusiastically as they achieve their goal. Children handle tools and equipment well and have good eye to hand co-ordination as they complete puzzles, build the marble run or join together the train track.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children play in a clean environment where they learn to follow good hygiene practises. Children are aware that they need to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet to 'get rid of germs'. The older more able children are independent in their self care skills, younger children are supported through the positive interaction of the staff and the use of star charts. Staff implement good hygiene procedures to help prevent the possible spread of infection. Children are protected through staff taking appropriate action; they ensure that all areas used by the children are regularly cleaned and they use gloves when changing nappies. The majority of the staff have a relevant first aid qualification ensuring that a child is treated quickly and appropriately when they have an accident. However, parents are not consistently asked to sign to acknowledge their child has had an accident. Procedures and policies are in place whereby

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Helping children to be healthy

parents are informed and reminded that children who are unwell cannot attend the nursery, promoting the children's wellbeing.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from a healthy diet. They enjoy a cafeteria style snack where they help themselves to fruit and a drink of water or milk. Staff sit with the children talking to them about their day and discuss the benefits of a healthy diet. Lunch is home cooked with no processed foods. There is a four week menu which is on display for the parents to see, they are given information as to the amount their child has eaten. Children and staff sit together making it a social occasion. Staff have information about children's individual dietary needs to ensure they do not have access to foods they may be allergic to or those that parents do not wish them to have.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The nursery is clean and well maintained and provides a welcoming environment for the children. The walls have colourful displays of commercial posters and the children's own work giving them a sense of belonging. The good organisation of the well maintained toys and equipment means children can move around safely and freely to independently access resources from tables, trays and boxes at child height.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

All areas of the nursery are safe, strategies are in place to ensure that only people who should have access, do so. Strategies are in place to ensure that children can only go home with people known to the nursery. All visitors have to sign in and they are given information clearly explaining a range of safety information and confidentiality requirements. Staff undertake ongoing risk assessments ensuring that all areas inside and outside are safe before the children arrive.

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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 However, not all staff and children are aware of what to do if they needed to evacuate the building in an emergency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is promoted through staff's good understanding of what to do if they had a concern over a child. All documentation is in place and shared with the parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children arrive at the nursery eager to join in with the activities which they self select from the extensive and stimulating range the nursery offers. The organisation of the nursery and garden benefit the children as they freely choose an activity, encouraging their independence, building on their confidence and self esteem. Staff effectively support the children in their chosen activity; enthusiastically encouraging children to build upon their own knowledge and skills, for instance making the train tracks.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children of all ages mix freely, benefiting from observing and learning skills of their peer group. Two year olds are confident in the setting and in their relationships with each other and the staff. They play happily with each other and staff learning to take turns and respond to others as they join in with the activities, for instance in the role play area and in the garden.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Plans are made using the Birth to three framework to support and enhance the development of the children until they are ready to move onto the Foundation Stage. The committed team work well together ensuring that children are fully supervised and supported during the day.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Children are offered a wide range of worthwhile experiences. Staff are experienced in caring for children. They have an excellent understanding of how children learn and are skilled at interacting with children. The nursery has a child initiated continuous learning approach allowing the children to become independent in their learning and self care skills. Staff's clear understanding of the Foundation Stage enables them to incorporate all areas of learning within the child's chosen activity. The range of stimulating activities planned by the staff that are linked to stepping stones ensure that whichever activity the child chooses they have inspiring and worthwhile experiences.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are able to extend children's play and have high expectations of what children can achieve when challenged appropriately. Staff make regular observations of children's progress and use this information to complete their records of achievement and identify the next steps that individual children need to take. Planning includes targets for the children and evaluation focuses on what they learnt from the planned activity. They use the information to ensure that further activities are provided to support the children enabling them to progress. Staff make excellent use of open questioning to encourage children to think for themselves.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are extremely interested and motivated to learn. They enthusiastically participate in the activities they choose, they can concentrate and persevere until their interest wanes. The children are good communicators, using full sentences and intonation in their voices when they express themselves. They are constructing grammatically correct sentences and are able to use words clearly to identify what they want. Children understand how to engage in a conversation, taking it in turns to talk and listen. Staff are extremely skilled at encouraging the children to think and contribute to conversations. For instance after watching the excavator in the field

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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 next door children were encouraged to talk about what they had actually seen and what they thought it might be doing. Children are learning to link letters to sounds through continual interaction from the staff; for example, they need to listen to the sound of the first letter of their name to go and wash their hands before lunch and they play games to reinforce the children's understanding.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Many children can recognise letters and confidently write their names. Children have access to an environment that is rich in enabling the children to have many opportunities to practise their emergent writing skills. For example, they draw and write their names in the writing area, in their scrap books and on their own paintings and drawings.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are competent in using numbers and show a good awareness of shape and size. They discuss showing their understanding of mathematical language as they weigh resources collected in the garden. Staff consistently encourage making the most of all opportunities to enhance the children's knowledge.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn about the world around them through a range of inspiring activities. They were excited as they went on the bus to visit the local bus depot, and were fascinated when the dustman visited whilst they undertook a project on recycling; they take walks to the nearby fields regularly visiting the horses. The children regularly investigate nature as they plant flowers and vegetables throughout the year. They proudly talk about the flowers that have grown from the bulbs they planted, and they are enthusiastic as they plant vegetables which they know they will eat once the vegetables are fully grown. Children are skilled at planting and confidently talk about how to care for the plants.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's imagination is promoted through an extensive range of interesting resources. Children create situations, supported by the staff inside and outside. They make up road rules when playing in the garden on their bikes, they cook each other meals in the role play area and enjoy using a range of media from paint to gloop to express themselves. The staff work diligently to inspire, praise and encourage children to try things for themselves and continue to practise to develop their skills.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children are valued and respected as individuals, staff have a good understanding of their needs, and treat each child with equal concern. Children enjoy their time at the nursery gaining confidence and self esteem because staff praise and encourage their efforts. Children demonstrate a good sense of belonging as they respond to familiar adults and settle well into daily routine.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is exemplary. Staff have high expectations of their behaviour and they set consistent boundaries which help children learn to negotiate with others. Children are well practised in using the egg timer to ensure that they each get the same amount of time when taking turns with equipment such as the bikes and the computer.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with additional needs are extremely well supported. Staff have a clear understanding and work with parents and other agencies to ensure that children receive the care that they need. When needed, individual learning plans are created in conjunction with the other specialists involved in the child's life to support the child's learning and life skills. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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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 Relationships between staff and children are extremely positive. Children benefit from these relationships that are built between the parents and staff. These begin at the informative introductory visits before the children start at the nursery, ensuring parents are fully aware of the nursery's ethos. Parents value the nursery and the care their child receives. There is excellent communication between the parents and the staff; they are kept fully informed of their child's experiences and progress, verbally and through daily documentation.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers of children in receipt of nursery education is outstanding. Parents are kept fully informed of the Foundation Stage and the progress their child is making. They are able to access their child's Record of Achievements on a daily basis and are asked to contribute their knowledge of their child in the children's individual books. Their child's achievements are also recorded through photographs of their child undertaking an activity and it is linked to the stepping stones. In every topic area of the nursery there is information attractively displayed about the area of learning, for instance the role play and writing areas informing parents as to the purpose of the activity. Regular evenings are held, at times, with the reception class teacher to explain and discuss the six areas of learning. Parents are given first hand experiences of what it is like 'to learn through play'. Parents are asked to contribute

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Helping children make a positive contribution

to the planning of the next topic, promoting effective links between the nursery and home. Parents value the nursery and the staff praising their knowledge and creativeness of teaching capturing their child's imagination.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's care is greatly enhanced by the excellent quality of the organisation of the nursery. The nursery environment is well organised. Indoor and outdoor space is laid out to maximise play opportunities for the children. The children move freely from one activity to another, never having to wait around, this ensures they are fully occupied and stimulated throughout the day, which has a positive effect on behaviour. The ratios are maintained at all times and staff deployment is effective, enabling staff to provide high quality support and supervision for all of the children.

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Organisation

All legally required documentation which contributes to the children's wellbeing is in place and understood by all of the staff and is regularly reviewed. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is outstanding. Children benefit from the management teams commitment to continuous improvement and development. They regularly reflect, monitor and improve the care and education they offer the children. Training is considered an invaluable tool for the development of staff, increasing their skills and knowledge for the benefit of the children. They work hard at ensuring there are good links with the parents and the local schools to ensure that they are all working towards the same goal, staff work extremely effectively as a team ensuring that all children are given worthwhile experiences enabling the children to progress.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection for nursery education the group were required to allow children more opportunities to practice simple addition and subtraction. This is now in place and children are encouraged in routine and incidental activities to practise simple sums.

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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 At the last care inspection they were required to provide an area where children who need to relax or sleep can rest without disturbance, and to ensure that documentation linked to child protection was in place. If children want or need a rest they can now use low level camp beds that are placed in the book area to allow them to have a rest or sleep.

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Improvements since the last inspection

All documentation is in place to ensure a child's welfare is promoted ensuring staff are clear as to the procedures linked to the Area Child Protection Committee.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection. 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 outstanding.

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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 that parents are made fully aware if their child has had an accident • ensure that all staff and children are fully aware of what to do if the building needed evacuating.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.

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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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