Growing Places @ Mill Hill

Community Childcare Centres

Inspection report for early years provision

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Community Childcare Centres

Unique Reference Number 160819 Inspection date 06 June 2005 Inspector Gill Moore

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Community Childcare Centres

Setting Address Waite End Day Nursery, Mill Road, Waterlooville, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO7 7DB Telephone number 023 92258557

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E-mail

Registered person Community Childcare Centres Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care, Out of School 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 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 outstanding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Waite End Day Nursery opened in 2000 and the out of school care has been operating since July 2003. Both provisions operate under the umbrella of The Community Childcare Centres and are managed by a board of trustees. The nursery is accommodated in a separate building within the premises of Waite End School in Waterlooville and serves the local area. The out of school care operates from Mill Hill Early years Centre, on the same site.

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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 There are currently 138 children from 6 months to 11 years on roll. This includes 25 funded 3-year-olds and 12 funded 4-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting welcomes children with special needs and those who speak English as an additional language. The nursery opens 51 weeks of the year. Opening times are from 08:00 until 18:00. The after school club operates term time only 15:15 - 18:00. Holiday play schemes operate all school holidays, with the exception of Christmas, and offer care from 08:00 - 17:45. A group manager is responsible for overseeing all community childcare centres. In addition a qualified manager and 14 staff, 12 of whom are qualified, work directly with the children attending the nursery. Four staff work with children attending the out of

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

school care, 2 of whom have a recognised early years qualification. The nursery receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. It has adopted the Reggio Emilia approach which values the children as individuals and the staff as enablers.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children recognise and value the importance of physical exercise, developing a positive attitude to keeping fit and looking after their bodies. They develop excellent climbing and balancing skills and show very good spatial awareness as they ride bicycles, throw and catch balls and jump over hurdles. Older children increase their understanding of keeping active and healthy as they engage in activities and games such as rounders and cricket. Practitioners working with young babies and toddlers encourage them to begin to take control of their bodies. Babies kick and play with rattles, find their feet as they explore their bodies and babble excitedly as they learn to crawl through the tunnel. Children thrive because all staff know and implement effective hygiene procedures and daily practice, for example through routine activities such as nappy changing, preparation of meals and snacks and recording of accidents. They gain an excellent

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Helping children to be healthy

understanding of hygiene and follow good personal routines developing high levels of independence. Babies’ physical needs are met effectively, for example in relation to sleeps and feeds as practitioners ensure consistency between home and nursery routines. Children confidently talk about why and how different foods help their bodies to grow and a strong emphasis is placed on healthy eating. All children in the nursery, including toddlers, play an active role in the preparation and serving of meals. They make healthy choices at snack time, including options from a selection of fruit and vegetables, and participate in a wide range of cooking activities re-enforcing healthy eating and the importance of hygiene. Children independently help themselves to drinking water recognising when their bodies are hot. Healthy options are introduced into the provision for out of school care, although children are not provided with

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 opportunities to cook or be involved in the preparation of snacks, helping to increase their understanding of healthy eating.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children’s safety is ensured as staff are vigilant and minimise risks and hazards through thorough risk assessments maintaining a safe and stimulating environment. Staff’s excellent understanding of how to achieve a balance between freedom and setting safe limits, enables children to move freely and safely around the learning environment, both inside and out. Children safely handle knives when preparing sandwiches, talk about the importance of wearing sun cream and discuss the need to shut gates behind them, increasing their understanding of how to keep safe. Younger children confidently discuss what would happen if there was a fire and know how to keep themselves safe, although this is not discussed regularly with children attending the out of school care. Children are well protected by staff that have a very good knowledge and understanding of child protection policies and procedures and give high priority to

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

children’s welfare. Regular communication with parents regarding arrangements for the collection of children, password system and effective monitoring of access to the provision contributes to children’s safety. Children use an excellent range of good quality safe equipment and resources and make independent choices as they self-select materials from open shelving units and low level furniture. Children’s work is valued as it is displayed throughout the provision at all levels contributing to an attractive and welcoming environment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children attending the out of school care talk confidently to staff and their peers about their day and enjoy opportunities to relax and make choices about their play at the end of the school day. They express their imagination, for example through creative activities and role-play and take turns to use the play station and computer available to them. Staff involve themselves in children’s games when invited, which helps secure positive and trusting relationships. Children are happy and enjoy their play, although do not play an active role in the planning of activities and outings, for example, children advise they would like to have opportunities to cook on a regular basis. Babies receive lots of cuddles and develop very strong relationships with their key worker. They babble together communicating with one another and play peek a boo through the tunnel. Excellent interaction is observed and practitioners’ secure

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

knowledge of child development and the importance of play improves children’s achievements. Babies and toddlers squeal with delight and participate enthusiastically in singing sessions increasing their communication skills. They

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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 explore their senses, for example through the use of treasure baskets and different media, helping them to become competent learners and represent their own ideas. Children play happily together using an excellent range of resources including puzzles and small world toys and develop high levels of independence, for example as they prepare their own sandwiches for tea. Practitioners know children well and use this knowledge and observations of children’s achievements to plan a stimulating learning environment. Nursery education The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Children play a dynamic role in their learning, which contributes to the rapid progress they make. Practitioners have a very secure knowledge of the curriculum and make exceptional use of all opportunities to fully extend children’s learning. Children relish their time in the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

exciting and stimulating environment and have an excellent attitude to learning. They display high levels of concentration and perseverance as they initiate their own activities and are purposefully engaged in all aspects of the session. Children develop very good independence and support one another, for example by helping to tie up painting aprons. They play confidently together listening to one another’s ideas and expressing excellent imagination as they act out their real and imagined experiences through play. Children develop excellent early reading and writing skills, talk about sounds, letters and rhyme and excitedly write invitations to one another in their imagined play. They compare the lengths of the train track as they build these around the towers they have made from bricks. Building on their own interests, children decide to follow this up by looking at and comparing different types of buildings in an information book.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This then leads to discussion about familiar buildings and children begin to recall their own experiences, such as visiting the Eiffel Tower, with their peers. They explore weight and measurement as they play with water making predictions about what will sink and float and practice calculating when exploring how to mix different coloured paint. Children’s curiosity and investigative skills are fully promoted as they explore mini-beasts, plant seeds and confidently operate a range of technology. They gather excitedly to observe tiny caterpillars that have arrived at nursery. Children use the story of the hungry caterpillar and non-fiction books to plan and talk about how they will care for the caterpillars until they turn into butterflies. They freely access an excellent range of tools and materials and use these with extreme confidence, for example knives, scissors and writing materials. Teaching is consistently inspiring and challenging for all children and activities and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

experiences provided are exceptionally well matched to children’s individual needs and interests. High priority is placed on evaluation and regular meetings and updating of children’s records helps to ensure children are continually making progress, thriving and responding to challenges in an exciting and vibrant learning environment. Children’s assessments are the focus for future planning and children direct their own

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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 learning experiences, which impacts on their motivation and helps sustain high levels of interest. Staff adapt questioning techniques and teaching methods applied to ensure effective support and sufficient challenge is provided to all children, including those with special educational needs, enabling children to achieve their full potential as young learners.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children’s individual needs and routines are well respected and fully met, with close liaison between parents and children’s key worker ensuring secure links are in place between home and the nursery. This ensures babies and children develop a sense of belonging and secure positive relationships. Children share and co-operate with one another and listen to and respect one another’s views and opinions, for example during group discussions. They display high levels of confidence and self-esteem and learn to value themselves and others. Practitioners very good use of activities and resources help children to understand similarities and differences between each other and gain a well developed respect for others and their beliefs, including those with special educational needs. This positive approach fosters children’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. Children’s behaviour is exceptional; they know what is expected of them and respond

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Helping children make a positive contribution

well to nursery and group rules. Children attending the nursery benefit from a very strong partnership with parents. Daily discussions, newsletters and the use of home-link books contribute to a highly effective partnership between parents and practitioners, ensuring a two way sharing of information between home and nursery. Relationships between parents and staff working with children out of school are friendly, although systems to share information, such as details of activities, trips and menus for snack are not fully developed. This limits opportunities for parents to be fully involved in the club and play an active role in their child’s development. The partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is outstanding. Parents learn about the foundation stage curriculum and how children learn through written information and presentation evenings. Children’s learning is well enhanced from parent’s involvement in planning, which helps to ensure this is

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Helping children make a positive contribution

centred around individual interests. Parents share information about what their child is able to do and practitioners and parents work together to record children’s ongoing achievements and agree next steps for their individual learning. This helps to ensure all children make excellent progress and achieve their full potential.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children’s care is significantly enhanced by the highly effective organisation of the nursery. Management and staff share the same vision and defined roles and

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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 responsibilities help to promote positive outcomes. Children benefit from qualified and experienced staff and excellent relationships are established. Highly effective systems to continually monitor and evaluate daily practice and staff performance ensure weaknesses are identified and addressed and improvements are made. Management have a clear understanding of the strengths and respond to weaknesses within the overall provision. For example, training for staff working in the out of school care provision has been identified and appraisals are soon to be implemented. Although children are happy and occupied, the lack of monitoring and evaluating of activities and sessions means they are not sufficiently challenged or involved in the club. Detailed policies and procedures are understood by all staff and

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Organisation

implemented across the provision to ensure children are secure, safe and their welfare promoted. Overall, the needs of the range of children who attend are met. Children’s rapid progress in their learning is enhanced by outstanding leadership and management of nursery education. Management have an excellent knowledge and understanding of the curriculum and play an active role in influencing practice. All staff are fully involved in the planning and evaluating of activities assessing the impact this has on children’s individual progress. Regular meetings and rigorous monitoring of children’s achievements helps ensure children are continually making progress, thriving and responding to challenges in an exciting and vibrant learning environment. Practitioners recognise and value the tremendous benefits of working together with parents to enhance the experiences offered to children and the progress they make.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last Children Act inspection, the nursery were asked to increase resources that promote diversity and provide increased opportunities for children to take part in role-play activities and enjoy books. Resources have been increased that promote diversity and reflect positive images of culture, ethnicity and gender and a role-play area and book area are now set up permanently for children. This enables children to recognise and values differences between themselves and others and to fully express their imagination through role-play and the use of books. The out of school care were asked to improve the recording of pre-existing injuries, accidents and times of children’s attendance. Injuries a child arrives with are now recorded, parents sign to confirm that they have been informed about an accident that has occurred in the group and times of children’s arrival and departure to and from the club are included in the record of attendance. These improvements help to

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Improvements since the last inspection

ensure children are safe and protected from harm and neglect. The previous nursery inspection recommended that the group review the system for sharing children's progress records with parents. Parents are now actively encouraged to make written observations relating to their child's progress, as well as discussing informally with staff, which increases opportunities for them to fully contribute to their child's learning.

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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

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there has been 1 complaint received by Ofsted relating to National Standard 6, Safety about the security of the premises. Ofsted requested that the setting carried out an internal investigation. As a result, no further action was taken and the provider continues to be registered.

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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 outstanding.

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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): • improve opportunities for children attending the out of school care to be involved in the planning of activities and develop the systems to monitor and evaluate this • develop the systems to share information with parents of children attending the out of school care relating to activities, trips and menus for snacks

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.

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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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