Bright Horizons Wolfson Court Day Nursery and Preschool

Kids Unlimited - Wolsfon Court

Inspection report for early years provision

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Kids Unlimited - Wolsfon Court

Unique Reference Number EY301066 Inspection date 06 July 2005 Inspector Veronica Sharpe

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Kids Unlimited - Wolsfon Court

Setting Address Wolfson Court, Clarkson Road, Cambridge, CB3 0EH

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E-mail

Registered person Kidsunlimited Nurseries Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Kids Unlimited - Wolfson Court first opened in January 2005. It is a purpose built nursery sited close to the centre of Cambridge. The nursery caters for staff, fellows and students of Cambridge University, with some places available to the local community. The nursery is registered to provide care for a maximum of 76 children under 5 years of age. At present there are 52 children on roll, including 11 children who are aged 3 and 4-years-old who are eligible for nursery education funding.

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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 Several children who have English as an additional language attend. There are no children with special educational needs or disabilities currently on roll. The nursery is open from 07.30 until 18.00 Monday to Friday all year round. Children are grouped in units according to age over two floors. There is a secure garden with an all weather play area and some climbing equipment. There are 11 members of staff working with the children, at least 50% of whom have childcare qualifications equivalent to Level 3. Two members of staff are on training courses. Kids Unlimited is a national nursery chain with several other settings in the Cambridge area.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Older children learn the importance of personal hygiene through regular daily routines. Adults provide good role-models, washing their own hands and using disinfectant and wipes appropriately. However, younger children do not always benefit from good hygiene practices, particularly at meal times. Nappy changing routines are consistent and they ensure children are protected from cross-infection. Children's medical needs are met as parental consents for first aid or the administration of medication are obtained and sufficient staff hold current first aid certificates. Children's safety in the sun is considered, routines take into account hot weather and sun-lotion is administered in consultation with parents. Children learn about space and enjoy physical activity in the garden. Older children have challenging experiences on the climbing frame or use an obstacle course. Children have satisfactory routines that ensure they have times for sleeping or quiet

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Helping children to be healthy

activities, which means they are rested and content. Children in all areas of the nursery benefit from a healthy diet and are well nourished. Meals are prepared on site and are varied and plentiful. Children's special dietary needs are catered for, for example vegetarian children are offered a similar meal option, such as vegetarian sausages as an alternative to pork.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children enjoy the spacious and well maintained environment, all areas are clean and safe and staff supervise children carefully to minimise risks. Staff explain dangers to children so they understand, for example why it is unsafe to run inside. Children and adults practise the fire drill frequently so they are confident about the

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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 procedures, which helps to protect them in an emergency. Children benefit from a safe and stimulating range of age appropriate toys and equipment, which are stored in accessible shelving or containers so they can help themselves easily and safely. Children are stimulated and interested by toys and equipment that are laid out attractively, for example in the garden before children go out to play. The well-kept safety surface in the garden enables children to enjoy the challenging climbing frame with confidence. Accidents and incidents that affect children's safety are recorded as necessary and shared with parents. Children are protected from harm as staff are aware of the child protection procedures and have the necessary skills to identify signs and symptoms.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy positive relationships with staff and each other in all areas of the nursery. Most separate happily from their carers and settle into their activities quickly on arrival. Children play together harmoniously and confidently involve adults in their play, for example when playing with balls and hula-hoops in the garden. Children benefit from a range of practical activities that are stimulating and interesting both indoors and out, such as sand-play or action songs and rhymes. Younger children benefit from an appropriate range of practical activities that follow the Birth to Three Matters framework, such as messy play, story time, baby massage and music sessions. Most equipment and materials are accessible so children explore and experiment independently and therefore develop their individual skills and interests. Babies' well-being is enhanced by the level of communication between

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

key worker and parents, which ensures their individual needs are met, for example the flexible settling-in procedures that enable both parents and children to develop their confidence. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Practitioners are developing their understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and plan a satisfactory range of stimulating activities and experiences that cover the areas of learning. Children's achievements are linked to the stepping stones and some evidence is collected to show that children are making satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals. However, assessment records do not include information about children's starting points and do not yet take account of parents' contributions. This means that practitioners have an incomplete picture of some children's attainments, consequently some of the activities lack challenge for older and more able children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children take part in the free-play activities with enthusiasm and interest. They concentrate and persevere with tasks that interest them, for example experimenting with pouring in the water tray or running an obstacle course outside. Some of the adult led activities lack interest as they hinder children's opportunities to explore and experiment independently. Behaviour is generally good, children play together

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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 harmoniously and successfully negotiate the sharing of resources. Children have secure and confident relationships with adults and each other, they enjoy each other's company, sharing jokes, songs and funny stories together. Children share books with enthusiasm, choosing their favourites to read alone or share with an adult. They listen intently to a story about dinosaurs, pointing out the characters and joining in with words and actions. Some children practise their pre-writing skills, they use paint-brushes skilfully, creating colourful pictures, and make marks in fine sand. Children use their skills to represent their ideas, for example some children draw a map together and label the location of the "treasure". They count enthusiastically and use mathematical terms such as circles, smaller and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

larger to identify shape and size such as when playing with hoops and cones in the garden. Children find out how things grow and change. They plant sunflowers and take them home to record the changes and grow vegetables in the nursery garden, which they taste and smell. They learn about space as they play in the garden and develop co-ordination and control on the obstacle course. A wide range of construction toys helps them build and explore in two and three dimensions in the classroom. Children use creative materials such as paint, sand and play-dough freely and independently. When painting they experiment with mixing, creating new colours, which they compare, commenting excitedly on their preferences for green or purple. The provision fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children in all areas of the nursery have access to a range of suitable toys and activities that enable them to make choices and develop their independence. However, children from other cultures or with English as an additional language have limited access to resources that represent and value their own backgrounds and lifestyles. Although there are no children with special educational needs on roll at present, systems are in place to ensure children will be made welcome and supported appropriately. Children are well-behaved in all areas of the nursery, they have warm and affectionate relationships with staff and each other and play together harmoniously. Staff have suitable strategies in place to help children understand the rules for good behaviour so they know what is expected of them. Children's individual needs are met as the nursery collects information from parents

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Helping children make a positive contribution

that enables them to provide appropriate care and attention. Babies and younger children in particular benefit from flexible settling in procedures that enable children to develop their relationships with staff prior to admission, ensuring parents are confident their child will be well cared for. Parents receive good information about the nursery and have daily discussions with staff about their child's health and well-being. Open evenings and newsletters ensure parents are informed about changes, events and activities, which improves children's sense of belonging.

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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 partnership with parents and carers of children who receive nursery education is satisfactory. Parents receive some information about the Foundation Stage curriculum and have regular opportunities to look at their child's record of achievement. However, they have fewer opportunities to add what they know about their child to the assessment records, which means that children do not benefit fully from the sharing of information that contributes to planning their next steps.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are happy and content as practitioners in all areas of the nursery have developed warm and caring relationships with them. Children's safety and well-being are enhanced by induction procedures that ensure staff are well-informed. Sound recruitment procedures ensure staff are suitable and have appropriate skills to work with the children. Sufficient staff have appropriate child care qualifications and areas for professional development have been identified to further improve staff knowledge and understanding of the needs of the children. Most policies and procedures are well-established as part of the daily routines so children benefit from consistent care. All the required documentation is in place, which contributes to children's health, safety and well-being. Overall the setting meet the needs of the children who attend. The quality of leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory.

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Organisation

The managers are committed to further improvements and have identified some of the training needs of the staff. The newly established staff team is supported by the management and is developing necessary skills to improve the quality of children's experiences in the pre-school room. However, the practitioners do not yet take time to reflect on or monitor their own practice, which means they do not always effectively assess the impact of the teaching on the children's learning.

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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

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 quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • further improve the procedures that ensure good hygiene practices so that children learn by example and are protected from infection • ensure children have an appropriate range of activities and resources that promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice

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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): • further develop staff’s knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum guidance to improve the quality and consistency of teaching and children’s learning • further develop the children's assessment records so they provide clear information about children's progress and help them to move onto the next stage of their learning. Ensure parents have opportunities to contribute to this record in order to improve staff knowledge when planning children's next steps

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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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