Sunshine Day Nursery (NGH)

Sunshine Day Nursery (NGH) Inspection report for early years provision

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503524 Unique Reference Number 20 June 2007 Inspection date Yvonne Victoria Facey Inspector

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Herries Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S5 7AU Setting Address

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E-mail

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Sunshine Day Nursery, at the Northern General Hospital, has been open for more than 30 years. It is located on two sites within the hospital grounds. The nursery provides childcare for staff of Sheffield Teaching Hospital's NHS Trust and other National Health Service staff. The nursery opens on Monday to Friday, with the exception of public holidays. Times of opening are from 06.30 to 19.00.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 160 children on roll. This includes 56 receiving nursery education funding. Children attend for a variety of sessions. A holiday play club operates in school holidays for children aged four to 11 years. The nursery supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are 35 staff members employed to work with the children. All are qualified apart from one staff member, who is working towards a relevant childcare qualification.

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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 are cared for in a clean and well maintained environment. There are appropriate policies and procedures in place which are followed by staff. There are qualified first aiders who have access to first aid kits that are adequately stocked. Details about accidents are recorded and shared with parents. However, clear procedures are not in place to advise staff of the reasons to administer non prescription medication. This means children's health needs are not fully met. Effective systems are in place for if a child becomes unwell at the setting. This is supported by the well written sick child policy. Parents are contacted if their child is unwell, which reduces the risk of cross-infection. Children are beginning to understand simple hygiene practices through regular daily routines, although these are not consistent throughout the nursery.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's healthy lifestyle is satisfactorily promoted within the nursery. They are learning about healthy eating through simple discussion and topic work. Information is sought from parents about children’s individual dietary needs, and staff are made fully aware of these, ensuring they are respected. Children enjoy a range of freshly prepared, healthy and nutritious meals at the nursery. Suitable activities are planned to ensure children experience a range of physical play and fresh air each day. Children enjoy running and climbing, and are able to negotiate space well, with increasing confidence and skill while riding wheeled toys.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a warm, welcoming and well maintained environment. They have sufficient space in which to move freely around the appropriately organised setting. This means they are able to play safely and in comfort. Resources are suitably organised, which enables the children to choose their toys and resources from low-level storage systems. Resources are of good quality, are safe and effectively meet the ages and stages of development of the children attending.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Risks have been identified and minimised by the staff to ensure children are kept safe. There is an appointed health and safety officer within the nursery and staff conduct appropriate risk assessments. Children are learning to keep themselves safe through suitable activities and everyday experiences, such as not running indoors and putting chairs under tables so they do not trip. Fire drills are conducted with the children, although not on a regular basis. Consequently all staff and children do not have the opportunity to practise the evacuation procedure.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected from harm because staff understand their role in child protection and are able to put appropriate procedures into practice if necessary. This is supported by the child protection policy which includes appropriate information regarding allegations against staff and information from the Local Safeguarding Children Board.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are happy and settled at the nursery. They enter eagerly and chat happily to their friends and staff. Staff have a sound understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework and adapt their planning to meet the needs of the children attending. This means children 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 engaged in a range of appropriate play and learning experiences. Younger children's progress is suitably recorded by the staff and is shared well with the parents. Each child receives an individual greeting from staff and the resources are set out attractively to encourage children to participate. Children who are upset when their parents leave are given appropriate levels of support to minimise their distress. The close and caring relationships increase children's sense of trust and the ability to build meaningful relationships.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and children's learning is satisfactory. Staff have an adequate knowledge of the Foundation Stage and of how children learn. This means that children are making steady progress towards the early learning goals and more able children are progressing well in some areas. Assessment records are completed and children's progress is linked to the stepping stones. However, this information is not used well in the planning for future activities as they do not fully identify children's individual learning needs. Children have the skills to progress but staff do not effectively know their starting points and their next steps in learning. As a result, some children are not sufficiently challenged. Children enjoy a satisfactory range of interesting topics that adequately link to the six areas of learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enter the nursery happily and are familiar in their surroundings. The children's communication skills are developing well. They are confident speakers both in small and large groups and are keen to express their ideas and feelings to the staff and their friends. More able children are confident to self-register on their arrival and are recognising a range of letter sounds such as letters in their names. Children have suitable opportunities to practice their mark making skills, for example, at the writing area and in the role play area. Some older children are able to write their own name on their work. Children's mathematical skills are developing well. Most children count to five and 10 confidently, with some children counting beyond 10. Older children are able to identify a range of shapes, such as a diamond and hexagon. Children are keen to use everyday technology and are confident with the computer. They have good

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

mouse control and concentrate well while playing computer games.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's creativity is developing appropriately. Although some planned activities do not give children sufficient choice and the opportunity to freely express themselves. For example, the messy play area is sometimes made inaccessible to them and staff limit the number of children who can play in the role play area. Children do enjoy these activities when they are able to access them. The children's physical development is encouraged through a range of planned activities and through regular access to the outdoor environment. Their fine manipulative skills are developing well as they use tools, such as scissors and threading, with growing ease. Children are confident and show appropriate independence. However, there are missed opportunities to extend children's independence skills such as pouring their own drinks and choosing what they want to eat.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. The children's individual needs, circumstances and preferences are known and are effectively met by the staff. Children learn about the wider world through topic work and discussions with the staff. They celebrate a range of festivals throughout the year. Children are also encouraged to talk about familiar events. Children are well behaved and most are able to cooperate and share. They are developing good strategies to negotiate, take turns and listen to each other, showing respect for the needs of others. They respond well to the staff's requests, for example,

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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 to help tidy away their resources. Children follow the example of staff in showing courtesy and consideration. For example, they say please and thank you, mostly without staff prompts. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. There are friendly and supportive arrangements in place for staff to get to know children and their families. Staff gather personal information regarding children's individual needs to ensure that staff follow home routines, and they share information about the children's day. Policies and procedures are clearly displayed and detailed documentation identifies children's individual care needs. Parents are satisfactorily informed about the Foundation Stage and they are invited to see their children's progress records.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Staff organise the setting and their time sufficiently well to ensure that children feel settled and are able to initiate their own play and learning. Registers evidence that adult to child ratios are maintained. Children are cared for by qualified and experienced staff members. They are well supported in the activities provided and have their individual needs suitably met. All staff have been through a vetting procedure with the setting, which includes a criminal records bureau check. Staff are fully informed of their roles and responsibilities through the induction systems and regular team meetings. Appropriate action is taken to ensure staff are aware of current legislation through continuous appraisal and opportunities to attend further training courses and workshops.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is satisfactory. Staff have access to training and development opportunities and there is an appraisal system in place to ensure staff access the appropriate training to improve and update their skills. Staff are adequately supported by the management team with suitable opportunities to meet together to plan activities and share their ideas. There are systems in place for monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and the progress children are making towards the early learning goals. However, this is not effective to ensure all children's stages of learning are fully promoted.

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Organisation

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

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Improvements since the last inspection

Following the last inspection three recommendations were raised in relation to policies and procedures. The child protection policy has been revised to include the action to take in the event of allegations against staff. Fire drills are conducted with the children and are recorded. However the frequency of the drills do not allow most staff to practise.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Recommendations were raised following the nursery education inspection in relation to the continued development of the planning systems. Staff continue to adapt and enhance the planning systems to meet the needs of the children attending.

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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

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 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 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): • review procedures for administering non prescribed medication

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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): • provide more opportunities within planned art and craft activities for children to express their creativity • develop the curriculum planning and observation records to clearly identify children's next steps in learning and their progress in the six areas of learning. • develop effective systems to evaluate and monitor the overall nursery education • extend children's independence skills in every day routines

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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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