Peter Pan Day Nursery

Peter Pan Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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200712 Unique Reference Number 22 November 2007 Inspection date Sally Elizabeth Lee Inspector

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Peter Hall Lane, COOMBE FIELDS, Walsgrave on Sowe, Coventry, West Midlands, CV2 2DR

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E-mail

Gillian Stocks & Denise Taylor Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day 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 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Peter Pan Day Nursery opened in 1993 and is situated approximately two miles from the village of Brinklow between Rugby and Coventry. The nursery is located in a converted stable block. The premises comprise: (ground floor) two play rooms used mainly for children aged under two years; (first floor) four play rooms used mainly for children aged two years to five years, toilet and changing area, small office and kitchen. The nursery has an enclosed outdoor play area which includes a large grassed area and a hard surface area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is open each weekday between 08:00 and 18:00. The setting is registered to provide care for a maximum of 28 children aged under five years and there are currently 25 children on roll. Of these, six are in receipt of funding for nursery education. The setting supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are seven staff who work with the children, and of these five hold an appropriate childcare qualification. The nursery receives support from an advisory teacher from the local authority.

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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 satisfactory. Children stay healthy and are protected from infection because staff follow sound hygiene practices. They clean their hands regularly and ensure surfaces are wiped with an antibacterial cleanser before children eat. Children learn about the importance of hygiene from the daily routine of hand washing before meals and after toileting. Signs and pictures in the toilet area encourage children to use the liquid soap and paper towels provided. Two members of staff are first aid trained and the first aid box is well maintained. There are satisfactory procedures in place to record accidents and medication administered to children which keeps parents informed of these matters. However, consent to emergency medical treatment has not been requested and this has the potential to put children at risk of harm.

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Helping children to be healthy

All food the children eat while they are at nursery is provided by parents, apart from a morning snack which consists of toast, a biscuit or fruit. Children are protected because food is stored and re-heated appropriately. Parents are encouraged to send nutritious foods and children learn to make good food choices because staff talk to them at meal times about healthy eating as well as during their topic work on food. Any special dietary needs are recorded before care begins and staff are careful to ensure these needs are met. However, although younger children are encouraged to drink regularly, drinking water is not made available to children at all times which does not make sure they are well hydrated and impacts on their general health.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have daily opportunities to play in the outdoor area and during the summer are able to take part in a wide range of physical play activities. They climb and balance and run about on the grassy area. However, in the winter physical play opportunities are limited mainly to wheeled toys in the hard area and this impacts on children's overall health and well-being.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in premises which are made welcoming to parents and children by the bright displays of the children's work, together with photographs of them involved in their daily activities. The premises are warm, well lit and ventilated and well maintained. All of the necessary facilities to support children's care, learning and play are provided and the easily accessible first floor toilet area encourages children's personal independence.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children benefit from a sound range of toys and play materials made easily accessible to them. The toys for babies are bright and attractive and encourage them to experiment and interact with their environment. There are plenty of travel cots for the children to sleep and each child has their individual bedding which is washed regularly. There are sufficient low-level tables and chairs to allow children to sit together to eat their meals and play in groups. However, there is no domestic style furniture in the baby unit which does not assist their mobility or help them to continue their normal life experiences. The range of toys and resources for older children is satisfactory and supports children's daily routines and play well. All of the equipment is checked regularly for safety and hygiene and baby toys are sterilised at least once a week, more often if necessary.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected because staff are vigilant and are able to assess and minimise risks effectively. All of the necessary policies and procedures are in place to ensure children stay

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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 safe. Older children learn how to keep themselves safe by practising the fire evacuation procedure regularly and talking about safety as they walk carefully to the outdoor play area, or are accompanied on the stairs. However, children are put at risk because staff do not update their safeguarding children training regularly to ensure they keep up to date with current procedures and practices. The child protection policy in place reflects this lack of current knowledge.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children settle well at the nursery. They relate well to the staff and other children. Care tasks, for example, nappy changing and feeding, are performed sensitively and staff talk to the children and play with them while they are involved in these daily activities. This helps the children to feel a sense of belonging as well to develop language skills. Children enjoy listening to stories and will eagerly bring books to a member of staff to read. Others gather around, sharing the experience. For example, a child brings a 'Fireman Sam' book to a member of staff who begins to read and soon there is a little crowd of children. One child wears a fireman hat and another goes to find a fire engine like the one in the book. Young children are developing a sense of role play and are keen to make meals in the kitchen and bring them to you, telling you that they are 'cooking lots'. They develop social skills as they share these activities and learn to take

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

turns in their games and with the resources.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Babies and very young children enjoy experimenting with paint and cornflour dough. They develop mobility as they push and balance on the activity toys, and quickly learn that pushing buttons and rolling balls creates different sounds and flashing lights. The children laugh as they try to catch the bubbles blown by a member of staff, and try to copy and blow their own. Staff teach the babies simple rhymes and songs, helping them to learn the actions to 'Wind the Bobbin Up' and 'Wheels on the Bus' and even very young children soon try to copy and show a sense of achievement as staff clap their efforts.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are happy, active learners. They come confidently into the nursery and are keen to take part in the activities. They develop personal independence as they take themselves to the toilet, or access the toys and resources. They contribute confidently at group times but are learning to listen when appropriate. They have made strong friendships and show concern for each other. For example, by including their friends in their dressing up games, ensuring everyone has a costume and can take part. Children develop a sense of community as they go out to local places of interest, for example, the country park and the fruit farm to pick strawberries.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children thoroughly enjoy books and stories and will listen eagerly in small and large groups, or just sit quietly on their own turning the pages and looking at the pictures. They make marks with a range of different media and in different situations, for example, in the role play area where they learn that print has meaning. Staff listen to their comments as they draw and paint and then carefully record children's remarks on the piece of work for parents and children to see. Children are learning to use positional language in their daily play and learn about volume in the sand, water and play dough. Daily activities are used well by staff to help children to learn to solve problems. For example, in the role play area they make a picnic and 'cut' the cake into pieces for each of the children, counting to six. Then working out that if one child has two pieces how many pieces will be left, and how many plates they will need.

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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 Children enjoy drawing and painting and are encouraged to paint freely as well as to draw the things that they see around them, for example, the mini beasts they dig up in the garden as they plant their seeds. They paint with great detail pictures of themselves and their families. They thoroughly enjoy role play and make elaborate games, creating scenarios and situations which have meaning to them.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing good skills with the computer and are confident to use the mouse, asking for help when appropriate. They build road and train tracks and make models with different types of building materials. They look at the world around them, noting change in the different seasons and wondering at the growing seeds they have planted. They learn about where food comes from and enjoy visits from the hens and ducks who lay their eggs and trips to the fruit farm to pick strawberries, gradually learning to make sense of the world around them.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have developed strong systems for planning a wide range of activities for the children which take them through the stepping stones to the early learning goals. Children's progress is carefully monitored and each child has individual learning targets. These are looked at in detail when staff plan the programme of activities to ensure the planning meets children's individual learning needs. Staff manage space and resources well to allow children to develop confidence to access resources independently and develop their play. However, the use of the outdoor area in the nursery is limited, especially in the winter months, to periods of physical play, mainly using wheeled toys. This limits children's learning as many children learn much better outdoors and restricts the opportunities for children to develop their physical skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are very positive with the children and reward them for being kind, sharing and tidying away. They encourage them to take pride in their achievements and are sensitive to their individual needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children settle very well at the nursery and quickly develop a sense of belonging which is fostered by the attractive displays of photographs and their own work. Children show a sense of pride, for example, a child comes into the nursery and is delighted to see the penguin she made the day before up on the display and calls to a member of staff, 'I can see my penguin jumping in the water'. She proudly points out her penguin and then points out the one her friend made. Staff treat children and their families with respect and this provides a good role model for the children who relate very well to each other and have made strong friendships. Children's individual needs are discussed before care begins and staff are careful to ensure these needs are met. Children learn about wider society from the sound range of resources available and festivals celebrated. Children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff have past experience of caring for children with a range of learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The high staff to child ratios ensure all children are well supported and are included in the daily activities and routines of the setting. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to enable them to meet children's specific needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave very well at the nursery. Staff are very positive with the children and praise them for being kind and caring to one another. Staff provide good role models and treat each other and the children with respect. They gently remind children to say 'please' and 'thank you'

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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 and encourage and reward them for sharing and taking turns. Children show a strong concern for each other, especially if one of the babies becomes upset, and they are learning very well to play co-operatively together.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Good clear initial written information ensures they are knowledgeable about the type of care provided. Parents are encouraged to visit the nursery before care begins and to bring written information about their child's daily routines and care. Regular newsletters let parents know of any special events as well as the forthcoming topics within the nursery education. Parents are encouraged to become involved in their child's learning through contributions they send in, for example, recent requests for photographs of family members and details of their child's family tree for the 'All About Me' topic. Parents are also encouraged to share any special skills or interests they may have such as playing the guitar or allowing the children to visit their horses. Parents value the friendly staff and informal atmosphere of the nursery and they feel confident and comfortable to approach staff should

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Helping children make a positive contribution

they have any concerns. Staff give daily verbal feedback to parents of older children. Babies and very young children have a daily diary to record details of their child's daily care and achievements. The twice yearly social events evenings are a time when parents are encouraged to come in to the nursery, look at their child's work and discuss their progress with the staff.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are protected by the sound recruitment and vetting procedure which is in place which ensures they are cared for by staff who have the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience to provide care for children. Practitioners have a high regard for the well-being of the children and work well together as a team, for example, part-time staff will provide cover if a member of staff is ill. Staff clearly enjoy the company of the children and have a good knowledge and understanding of each individual child's needs.

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Organisation

Staff to child ratios in the setting are high which enables each child to have a high level of individual support. There is a key worker system in place throughout the nursery. However, this is not organised to allow each child to be allocated to a member of staff within their key group who is their key person, mainly responsible for their well-being on a daily basis and ensures information is exchanged with the parent. This affects children's ability to make stable relationships.

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Organisation

Formal staff meetings are held every month when changes to policies and procedures are discussed and staff feedback from any training they have attended. All staff have annual appraisals and they are encouraged to attend regular training to maintain and improve their skills. Standards within the nursery education are monitored carefully because the manager works in the setting everyday and has a very 'hands on' approach. Children's learning is reviewed carefully which enables staff to ensure the programme for nursery education if effective and meets children's needs so that they are able to make progress along the stepping stones to the early learning goals. Management and staff are keen to take on new ideas and act on any advice given to them by the advisory teacher from the local authority. Leadership and management is good.

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Organisation

All the necessary documentation to ensure the smooth running of the nursery is maintained in an efficient and effective manner. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the children for whom it provides.

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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

At the last inspection the nursery was asked to improve the record of medication and parents are better informed and children well protected because this has been done. They were also asked to improve the organisation of the activities for babies. The planning and assessment systems for the baby unit have been completely changed since the last inspection and children in this area now benefit from a good range of activities and interaction with staff.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Further, the nursery was asked to provide evidence of the supervisor's Level 3 qualification. This member of staff no longer works as a manager in the nursery.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since 1 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.

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Complaints 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 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 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): • request written parental consent to the seeking of any necessary advice or treatment in the future • make fresh drinking water available to children at all times • provide some domestic style furniture in the baby unit • develop knowledge and understanding of current child protection practices and ensure the child protection statement reflects these • ensure every child is allocated to a key member of staff who is mainly responsible for his/her well-being on a daily basis and ensure that information about that child is exchanged with the parent.

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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 the outdoor area to ensure children experience a full range of activities outdoors

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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 • ensure children are offered challenge and variety in their physical play throughout the year.

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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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