Lynwood Day Nursery

Lynwood Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

313084 Unique Reference Number 06 June 2007 Inspection date Chris Scully Inspector

p.1

40 Sinclair Avenue, Prescot, Merseyside, L35 7LN Setting Address

p.1

E-mail

Gabrielle Clarke-Jones Registered person Childcare Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

p.1

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

p.1

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.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Lynwood Day Nursery opened in 1991. It is owned and managed by a private provider. The

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

nursery operates from three playrooms within a large house in the residential area of Prescot in Knowsley. A maximum of 12 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 17.30 all year round. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 19 children aged from birth to five years on roll. Children come from a wide catchment area, as some parents work close to the nursery. The setting is able to provide support for children with learning difficulties, disabilities or for whom English is an additional language.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs four staff, all of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification.

p.2

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

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is inadequate. Children are cared for in a generally clean environment. They are beginning to understand the need for good hygiene practices through discussions with staff. Older children are aware to wash their hands before meals and after going to the bathroom. However, some children who independently access the bathroom do not always wash their hands afterwards. Nappy changing procedures are in place, however, the children's dignity is not maintained due to the location of the changing area. Staff are aware to provide protection to children from the sun, as they regularly apply sun cream on the children and make sure that they wear hats when playing outdoors.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Staff are trained in first aid. However, staff have not sought permission from the parents for the seeking of any emergency medical advice or treatment for the children, which many hinder their ability to provide suitable care. Staff are aware of any specific medical needs or allergies the children may have and provide appropriate care and support to them. Children are able to sleep or rest after lunch, however, there is insufficient appropriate furniture for children to rest upon safely and in comfort. Children's physical development is developing appropriately. Staff are attentive to their individual needs and provide additional support where necessary in order to support children's development. Children are confident to use a range of wheeled resources and are able to manoeuvre them safely within the garden. They are keen to use the parachute and enjoy the opportunities to run underneath it, as it flies in the air.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Children are provided with a range of meals and snacks throughout the day. These are not always planned in advance, which means on some occasions children have a similar meal on consecutive days, such as pasta and macaroni cheese. All meals are prepared fresh each day, although some contain processed foods. Fresh fruit is available daily and some vegetables are provided with the children's main meals. Children sit together for meals and snacks and enjoy a relaxed social occasion. Although it is not appropriate for younger children to be seated with the older children if they are not eating, as they become distracted. Children are provided with a range of drinks at meal and snack times. However, they do not have independent access to drinks in order to keep themselves refreshed at other times during the day, especially when playing outdoors in warm weather.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. Children are cared for in a welcoming environment. Some areas are generally appropriately organised. However, the sleep room in not well organised as there are several domestic items in here, such as newspapers, catalogues, television remote controls and shoes. This does not encompass a nursery environment. There is an appropriate range of resources available to the children, however, due to the storage systems in place children are unable to access these independently. Having said that, they are very confident to ask staff for additional resources, such as asking for the sand pit to be brought into the garden. There is insufficient suitable and safe furniture for children to sleep or rest upon. The current practice of children sleeping in baby bouncers is not appropriate and hinders their ability to rest or sleep safely and in comfort.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are no formal risk assessments in place. This means a number of safety issues have not been identified and minimised, which means children's safety is compromised. These issues

p.3

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 include the garden gate being left unlocked, splintered wood on the benches, children's access to broken toys and open bags of compost within the garden. The washing machine door being left open and children are able to gain access to cleaning products situated on the top of the washing machine. Daily checklists are in place, but do not encompass all of the areas used by the children and do not identify specific areas of concern. Children are beginning to develop a understanding of keeping themselves safe. They provide reminders to younger children about the need to walk carefully up the steps in the garden. Children are usually appropriately supervised by the staff, but on some occasions they are not under their direct supervision.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have a sound understanding of child protection issues. The named person has attended child protection training and has shared this information with the other staff. Information from the Local Safeguarding Children Board is displayed around the setting, regarding the procedures to follow should staff be concerned about a child's welfare. Appropriate systems are in place for dealing with any allegations made against staff. This means children are generally protected from harm.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are happy and settled at the nursery. This is due to the positive relationships the staff build with the children. This means the staff know the children well and are able to promote conversations and activities that engage their interests. This in turn means children are confident to engage staff in conversations and generally enjoy their company. For example, children spend considerable amounts of time talking about their forthcoming holidays, how they are to get to their destination and what they think they may do whilst away from home. They have made firm friendships with the other children and will often call to them to join in the fun.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are keen to explore their favourite activities, such as the parachute. This is greeted with delight by the children, who giggle as they make the parachute rise and fall and participate in a range of fun activities. Children enjoy being outdoors and are becoming skilled at using a range of outdoor resources. Staff state that they plan the activities to meet the children's individual needs, however, on occasion when carrying out group activities some younger children wander away from the others. There are also some periods of time were children wait for the next activity to begin, and as a result become restless. Babies receive suitable support from the staff, who have devised some activities to help children make progress, for example, supporting their balancing and walking skills. Staff are in the process of implementing the 'Birth to three matters' framework and are undertaking observations of the children in order to provide an

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are skilled at asking open-ended questions, which enable children to think and solve simple problems. For example, staff ask the children to identify the various type of balls and their shape. Older children confidently put forward their suggestions and correctly identify that the rugby ball is oval.

p.4

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children's individual needs and circumstances are known, which means staff are able to provide suitable care. Appropriate information is sourced from parents to support the written information, such as changes in the children's dietary needs. Children learn about their local

p.4

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 community through discussions with the staff and have some opportunities to explore festivals throughout the year. There are limited resources available, which depict positive images of race, gender, culture and disability, which limits their ability to develop positive attitudes to others.

p.4

Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are generally well behaved and respond well to the staff's requests. They learn to take turns and to share resources with their friends through the positive examples provided by the staff. Children are polite to one another, they use manners well, such as saying please and thank you at appropriate times. There are no children currently attending the nursery with additional needs. The setting has a special educational needs coordinator and has suitable systems in place to provide support to children.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

The staff have a positive relationship with the parents. They converse with the parents on a daily basis, which means parents are informed about what activities their child has taken part in throughout the day. There are notice boards around the setting which provide parents with additional information, however, the plans of activities are not currently displayed. Parents spoken to state they are happy with the care their children receive and comment that on occasion they do not want to come home. This is further supported by the many thank you cards displayed within the setting.

p.5

Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. Children are cared for by qualified and experienced staff who work well together as a team. Staff files are in place, however, these do not contain information relating to their criminal records bureau check. Also, evidence of suitability cannot be provided for all persons living on the premises. Appraisal and induction systems are in place, although, they are very informal. Staff have opportunities to attend training courses and have recently attended training on 'Birth to three matters' and are in the process of implementing this throughout the nursery.

p.5

Organisation

Some policies and procedures are in place. However, there are a number of omissions. The provider has not created a complaints record to share with the parents and information relating to concerns were not readily accessible. They have not sought parental permission for the seeking of emergency medical advice or treatment for children. They have not secured consent for each time medication is administered. The medication record is not clear and parents have not always signed to acknowledge the entry. The accident record is not always clear as to what the accident entailed. The records relating to the provider's car are not available for inspection.

p.5

Organisation

Overall, the provision does not meet the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

p.5

Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection three recommendations were raised in relation to the registration system, the child protection policy and the risk assessments. The registration system has been revised and children's attendance is now accurately recorded. The recommendation relating to the risk assessment has not been completed and has been raised as an action at this inspection. The

p.5

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 child protection policy has been revised and information pertaining to allegations made against staff has been included within the policy. The policy has been made available to parents.

p.5

Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection 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.

p.6

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.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.6

The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care, the registered person must take the following actions: • conduct a risk assessment of the premises, which includes an action plan with timescales, that identifies the action to be taken to minimise identified risks and ensure children are appropriately supervised at all times • ensure all records, policies and documentation, which are required for the safe management of the provision and to promote the welfare and care of children are maintained and are available for inspection • provide appropriate furniture for children to sleep or rest upon and ensure that is suitable for their age and stage of development. These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice.

p.6

The quality and standards of the care

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

p.6

The quality and standards of the care

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

p.6