Janet Genter Community Nursery

Janet Genter Community Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY307681 Unique Reference Number 11 December 2007 Inspection date Elaine Marie McDonnell Inspector

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Little Stars Childrens Centre, 95 Preston Road, HULL, HU9 3QB Setting Address

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E-mail

Child Dynamix Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Crèche 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 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Child Dynamix Nursery is privately owned and was registered in March 2004. It operates from a purpose built children's centre on Preston Road on the outskirts of Kingston upon Hull. The centre incorporates a nursery for children aged under five years, a crèche, family support and health services. The centre also offers training facilities and a medical room and serves both the local and wider community. Children cared for in the nursery have access to three main play rooms, the crèche room and an attractive, enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is registered to provide care for up to 51 children at any one time, there are currently 72 children on roll, of whom, 16 children are in receipt of funding for early education, most of these being three year olds. Nursery staff receive support from a teacher for the provision of nursery education. The nursery is open each weekday between the hours of 07.30 and 18.30, it operates all year round with the exception of public holidays and Christmas week.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery supports children with learning difficulties and children who speak English as an additional language. There are currently 13 members of staff employed to work directly with the children, including the nursery manager. Of these, 11 members of staff hold a relevant

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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 childcare qualification at Levels 2, 3 or 4. Additional staff are employed for cooking and domestic duties.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children stay healthy because staff follow good health and hygiene procedures to prevent the spread of infection. Children understand simple, personal hygiene practices, such as hand washing, and they do this independently throughout the daily routine. For example, when snack arrives the older children run to the bathroom to wash their hands before eating. Comprehensive accident and illness procedures are in place to protect children's overall health. Appropriate first aid boxes are available in each room and comprehensive medication and accident records are available, well kept and up to date.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are very well nourished. They receive varied and nutritious meals which are freshly prepared on the premises each day. They also receive healthy snacks throughout the day and drinking water is readily available. Children have their health and dietary needs met because staff work well with parents to obtain written information about individual requirements and family preferences, which all staff are made well aware of. Children participate in activities which help them learn about healthy living, for example, 'what we need to keep us healthy'.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have good opportunities to enjoy physical activity. They have regular access to a safe and very attractive outdoor play area, which contains planting areas, fixed equipment such as, a tunnel and hill and covered areas and pathways. They also have access to the crèche room within the building which contains a ball pool and soft play equipment. Babies have good access to equipment which promote standing, balancing skills and mobility. Children rest and sleep according to their needs and individual routines, which staff are well aware of.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Good steps are taken to ensure that children are cared for in a safe environment. For example, the premises is kept secure, a record of visitors is maintained and suitable risk assessments are conducted. A very comprehensive health and safety policy is also in place. Good steps are taken to ensure that children are kept safe when playing outdoors and when on outings. For example, the outdoor area is checked for safety before use, children are well supervised and a comprehensive 'trips and excursions' procedure is in place to promote safety on outings. Children are also beginning to learn about safety when involved in regular fire drills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The environment is warm and welcoming for the children with a good range of resources readily available for them. Examples of children's art work is attractively displayed and most equipment is in good condition. However, speakers for the computer in the pre-school room are currently broken, which reduces the overall experience of the activity for children. They have easy access to a good range of toys, equipment and furniture and staff ensure that resources remain safe and suitable for children's use with regular checking and cleaning routines.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are well protected because staff understand their role in relation to child protection issues and are able to put appropriate procedures into practice when necessary. Staff have

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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 access to ongoing training in relation to safeguarding children and comprehensive procedures are in place.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are involved in a good range of activities that cover all areas of development. For example, babies are involved in various sensory experiences and craft activities, such as playing with jelly, shredded paper, sand, paint and gluing. Toddlers are observed enjoying playing with water, sand, jigsaw puzzles and role play items. Pre-school children enjoy playing with sand and making Christmas cards. They also construct with building blocks and use the computer. All children in the nursery are observed enjoying outdoor physical play. Staff working with younger children demonstrate a sound understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework as a varied range of activities is well planned for the younger children. Their ability and progress is observed and recorded, however, information gained from assessments of children is not always used effectively to help move them onto the next stage in their learning. This also

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop confidence and self-esteem well when being praised and encouraged by staff for their efforts, for example, when finding correct letters of their name, when washing hands independently and attempting to put on their coats. Children show interest in what they do and enjoy the activities and resources available. They have good opportunities to be independent and use their initiative, such as when deciding what to play with, when pouring their own drinks and when helping themselves to fruit at snack time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children acquire new skills and knowledge with support from staff and are encouraged to answer questions to aid their learning and understanding. For example, older children learn about the sounds of different letters, toddlers learn about the weather when discussing the frost and warm clothing. Children respond to challenge and concentrate well when doing jigsaw puzzles, when throwing and catching soft balls and when using the computer. They have satisfactory opportunities to learn about wider society and begin to appreciate their own culture and the cultural traditions of others. They also have access to a varied range of resources which positively reflect images of wider society.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children separate from their main carer with confidence, they initiate interactions with other people and relate and make attachments to members of the group. They show increasing independence in selecting and carrying out activities. They handle books carefully, enjoy an increasing range of books and listen to stories with increasing attention and recall. Children have emerging self confidence to speak to others about wants and interests and tell staff that they would like the Christmas music on. They are good at distinguishing one sound from another and recognising different letters when making simple, familiar words with magnetic letters and boards, for example, their own name and staffs names. Children show an interest in numbers and counting and can recognise numerals up to nine. Some older children are beginning to count beyond 10. Activity plans show children have opportunities for calculation and measure

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and have made various graphs. They show an interest in shape and make arrangements with objects, such as wooden bricks and can select a particular named shape.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have access to a computer but limited access to software. Activity plans show that children have opportunities for designing and making things, such as 3-Dimensional models of transport vehicles. They can describe simple features of objects and events, for example, when discussing the cold, frosty weather outside. Children have had opportunities to learn

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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 about a sense of time, for example, they have investigated modern and Victorian modes of transport.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children respond to rhythm and music with body movement, for example, they dance spontaneously when Christmas music and musical instruments are played. They manage their bodies well to create intended movements when playing outdoors, for example, to manoeuvre bikes safely along narrow paths. They also adjust speed and change direction to avoid others when playing outdoors. Children show an awareness of their own needs in relation to eating, drinking and hygiene. They also ask for their hats and gloves on 'because it is cold outside'. They engage in many activities requiring hand and eye coordination, such as jigsaw puzzles, various craft activities and throwing and catching balls. Children engage well in role play and use available resources as props to support their imagination.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good and children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and of how young children learn. Activities are suited to the needs and interests of the children, for example, if children particularly enjoy planned activities, staff will repeat them the following week and extend them to support children's interest. Teaching of different areas of learning interests the children, helps them to become focused and persist for some time, for example, when involved in an activity of finding letters and saying the different sounds of these. The inclusion of all children is actively planned for and monitored, for example, activity plans include how it may need to be adapted for some children. Staff use time and resources well to enable the children to make as much progress as they can, activities

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

are not rushed and children are allowed time to do craft activities at their own pace.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Equal opportunities is well promoted within the setting, all children are included and involved, their individual needs are being met. The setting works closely with parents and other professionals to best support children with learning difficulties and who speak English as an additional language. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children enjoy being in the nursery and enjoy the activities available, they are settled and happy and make positive relationships with adults and peers. Children are well behaved. Behaviour is effectively managed by staff who offer appropriate explanations and promote a positive environment. Staff also support and advise some parents about effective behaviour management strategies.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents are kept well informed about children’s development, progress and achievements through regular discussions with staff and through written information. Parents receive good quality information about the provision and the educational programme. The setting actively seeks, values and acts upon parents’ views and comments. For example, parents are issued with questionnaires and are also encouraged to pass on their views about the provision at any time.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Teaching satisfactorily includes parents and carers in children’s learning. The nursery has an open door policy whereby parents can attend and be involved at any time. Staff also ensure that activity sheets are available for parents and carers to take away and do with their children at home. An observation room is available if parents wish to discreetly watch their child settle

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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 into nursery. Two parents interviewed at the time of the inspection expressed very positive comments about the provision and staff.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Recruitment, vetting, induction and employment procedures are extremely rigorous and robust and ensure that children are well protected and cared for by staff with relevant experience, knowledge and skills. Staff have high regard for the well-being of all children. Group size and deployment of staff contributes positively to children’s care, learning and play and as a result, children receive good adult support and attention. Observation and attendance records indicate that adult to child ratios are effectively maintained throughout the day. Sufficient staff have appropriate first aid qualifications to ensure that their is always at least one member of staff with the qualification on duty, or on outings at any one time.

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Organisation

All records and documents required for the safe and efficient management of the provision are available, well kept and up to date. Policies and procedures work in practice to promote children’s health, safety, enjoyment, achievement and ability to make a positive contribution. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the provision is good and contributes to children’s progress towards the early learning goals. The manager has a clear vision for nursery education with a strong focus on the personal development of children and staff. The leader sets clear actions for the continued improvements in the organisation of nursery education and the outcomes for children, which are regularly reviewed and have time scales for implementation and completion. The leader motivates staff and children well, acts as a good role model and builds committed teams who work well together. Extremely comprehensive induction procedures are in place for new staff. The professional development of all staff members is actively assessed and promoted and staff have good access to ongoing training and development courses.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous inspection the provider was asked to develop resources that reflect positive images of culture, ethnicity, disability and gender. Good progress has been made since the last inspection as the provider has ensured that children have access to more visual aids, such as posters and other resources, such as books, jigsaw puzzles and dolls, which positively reflect images of wider society.

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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.

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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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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

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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 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): • ensure that information gained from assessments of children is effectively used to plan the next stage in their learning. Also applies to nursery education.

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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): • ensure that children have appropriate opportunities to use more varied computer programmes and ensure that equipment is well maintained.

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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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