Highley Minors Childcare Centre

Highley Minors Childcare

Inspection report for early years provision

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Highley Minors Childcare

Unique Reference Number EY290170 Inspection date 14 June 2005 Inspector Juliette Jennings

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Highley Minors Childcare

Setting Address The Severn Centre, Main Road, Highley, Bridgnorth, Shropshire, WV16 6JG Telephone number 01746 862 669

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E-mail

Registered person Highley Minors Childcare Centre 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 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?

Highley Minors Childcare Centre is based within purpose built rooms in the Severn Centre in the centre of the village of Highley, near Bridgnorth. The setting serves the local area. There are currently 110 children from 3 months to 11 years on roll. This includes 50 funded 3 and 4 year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting has appropriate procedures in place to support children who have special educational

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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 needs or who speak English as an additional language. The setting is open 5 days a week for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are flexible between the hours of 08:00 and 18:00. There are 14 staff working with the children, of whom 11 hold suitable early years qualifications; the remaining 3 will be qualified in the near future. The setting receives support from a mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children have a good choice of healthy snacks and drinks, with staff being pro-active in ensuring that children can have a choice of fruit on a daily basis. Parents have the choice of providing their children with a packed lunch or utilising the hot meals facility, with the local school providing meals as required. Children develop an awareness of good hygiene procedures through routine activities such as hand-washing and being encouraged to find tissues when they need them. Other policies such as the no-shoe policy in the baby room and thorough hygiene practices in the kitchen ensure that children are cared for in a hygienic atmosphere. Good procedures are in place for ensuring that children's medication and accidents are recorded. Children's physical development is promoted well. They have plenty of access to fresh air and outdoor activity which supports their physical development. Children

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Helping children to be healthy

have good opportunities to climb, slide, run, walk, manoeuvre around and develop other skills such as hand and eye co-ordination. In addition they are developing a sense of space and an awareness of themselves.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children enjoy and benefit from a purpose built space which has low-level windows, thus creating a light and airy environment. The areas children use are bright, colourful, stimulating and interesting and they have access to an extensive range of resources and equipment which they access from mostly low-level storage. Children's safety is paramount and there are good procedures in place for ensuring that the areas children use are clean and safe. For example, staff carry out thorough daily and weekly checks on all rooms and equipment and resources are cleaned regularly. One safety issue was highlighted at inspection in relation to the accessibility of the kitchen. Though children were not observed going into the kitchen, it is not inaccessible at all times. Policies and procedures are in place which ensure that children's welfare is promoted and that staff are aware of what to do if

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

there is an accident, emergency or a concern about any of the children. There is an effective and secure entry system to ensure that children are safe within the setting and so that staff can monitor access at all times.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. All children benefit from a colourful, stimulating and interesting environment in which they are happy, content and secure. Younger children enjoy age-appropriate activities within specific base rooms, busily occupied with favourite activities that include role-play, dough, free-painting and sand play for toddlers and discovery and sensory play for babies. They enjoy good relationships with staff and other children and are developing their independence and confidence. They have very good support and encouragement from staff, who actively engage in their play and obviously enjoy being with them. Planning for this younger age group takes account of children's individual stages of development and is being improved on an ongoing basis, along with the assessment system, to incorporate the use of the Birth to Three Matters Framework. Nursery education. The quality of teaching and learning is good.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Children aged three and four years utilise an excellent range of resources and equipment which helps them to develop and extend their learning very well. They are extremely motivated to learn, interested in what is happening around them, excited to discover and investigate and are confident to ask questions and explore. They form very good relationships with staff and other children, appear happy, content and secure in their environment and obviously enjoy their time at the setting. Children are supported very well in their play by staff who engage appropriately with them, are good role models and who help children develop their play opportunities to extend their learning. Children benefit from the good staff to child ratios. This allows them to interact with staff as they choose within a routine which reflects a good balance of child-initiated play and structured activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are good at allowing children to make decisions and solve problems without interrupting unnecessarily. They make sure that children have access to the resources that they need and want in their free-play time. Children are interested in adult-led activities, which are well planned and aimed at particular stages in development. Children with special educational needs are supported very well. They are provided with appropriate equipment and activities are differentiated so that all children can take part at their own individual level. The planning and assessment system works efficiently and allows children's progress to be tracked through the stepping stones, towards the early learning goals. The partnership with parents is good. A relaxed, happy and helpful ethos ensures that parents are able to discuss issues informally. Daily verbal feedback ensures that parents know about what their children have been doing whilst attending and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

activities are encouraged which allow them to be involved in their child's learning. The setting should continue to develop the more formal ways of ensuring that parents of three and four year olds are informed of their child's development, as outlined in

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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 the action plan.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The partnership with parents is good. There are appropriate procedures in place to ensure that children are cared for consistently and in accordance with their parent's wishes. This is further enhanced by daily verbal feedback and written feedback for younger children to ensure that parents are informed about what their children have been doing whilst attending. Children's understanding of diversity is promoted well through themed activities, resources such as books, dolls and small world people and posters. Children's individual needs are suitably accommodated and supported within the daily routine of the setting. Children with special needs are supported very well. Close partnership with parents, ongoing assessments and the development of specific resources all enhance this aspect of the provision and ensure that children can develop at their own pace. Children are busy, occupied and keen and interested to learn, they motivate

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Helping children make a positive contribution

themselves and enjoy the wide range of activities which are accessed in free-play or are provided by staff. Behaviour is good, with children developing good relationships with other children and staff, who use appropriate techniques to foster positive behaviour. Children are constantly praised and their efforts are acknowledged, for example through discussion, photographs and displays of their work. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The leadership and management is good. The management team has a clear overview of the setting as a whole and have highlighted strengths and weaknesses within an action plan to improve. This helps to ensure that the care and education provided for the children is constantly under review, with an ethos of always being able to improve. Staff are supported very well, with regular meetings, ongoing training and good staff to child ratios. This in turn helps to maintain a steady and experienced staff group, thus ensuring consistency of care for children. Staff work very well together as a team and there is a supportive management structure in place. There are good procedures in place for ensuring that children are cared for by staff who are appropriately qualified and experienced and have gone through the process for checking that they are suitable to work with children. The space children access has

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Organisation

been purpose built, with the staff having an input into how the rooms were set out. This has meant that children have access to a light, airy, colourful and exciting space where they are obviously happy and comfortable. All documentation is in good order and in line with requirements. Paperwork is stored securely within an office which can be locked, ensuring children's information remains confidential. Children are cared for in line with parent's wishes, with appropriate consents and detailed information obtained from them prior to the

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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 children starting at the setting. Policies and procedures are in place and are reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that they continue to work in practice. Overall the needs of all of the children who attend are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous inspection the setting were asked to consider increasing the range of resources that promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice and to improve the range of opportunities for three and four year olds to climb, swing, slide and balance. The setting have increased the range of resources that promote diversity. These are now readily available to children and examples include dolls, dressing-up clothes, role-play resources, posters and books. Second, in relation to increased opportunities to climb, swing, slide and balance the setting is now much better equipped to plan these kinds of activities into daily activities as there is access to a good sized outdoor area and a large indoor space. In addition, there is a wider variety of equipment and resources available to children to encourage these skills.

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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): • make sure that the kitchen is inaccessible to children

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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):

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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 • continue to develop the formal procedures for parents of three and four year olds to be informed of their child's progress.

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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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