Humberstone Day Nursery

Humberstone Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Humberstone Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY293485 Inspection date 14 November 2005 Inspector Judith Chinnery

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Humberstone Day Nursery

Setting Address 11-13 St. Marys Avenue, Humberstone, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 1JA Telephone number 0116 220 2143 E-mail humberstone@btconnect.com Registered person Foster George Limited Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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Humberstone Day Nursery

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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Humberstone Day Nursery opened in September 2004 with new owners. It operates from two attached converted houses in the residential area of Humberstone. Children under two years are cared for downstairs and children over two are cared for upstairs. The nursery serves families from the surrounding area. There are currently 52 children from birth to five years on roll. This includes nine funded three-year-olds. The nursery supports 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 and who speak English as an additional language. The nursery opens five days a week all year round. Sessions are from 07:30 until 17:30.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are 13 members of staff working with the children, of which, two are part-time. There are seven staff who have early years' qualifications and two members of staff currently on training programmes.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's good health and well being is promoted effectively through well planned menus, good hygiene practices and appropriate procedures for managing accidents and medication. Meals are planned well and include fresh fruit and vegetables as well as vegetarian alternatives enabling children to grow healthily. There is a constant supply of juice and water throughout the day to ensure that children are unlikely to become thirsty. Good hygiene practices such as cleaning tables regularly between activities ensure that the spread of infection amongst young children and babies is minimised. Children know routines for hand washing and cleaning their teeth well enabling them to learn about good health and hygiene practices for themselves. The outdoor area is used daily to enable children to participate in a variety of physical activities and exercise including some climbing and balancing. Young children just

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Helping children to be healthy

learning to walk have many opportunities, both inside and out, to try out their new-found skills safely. However, older children are less well challenged to continue to develop their physical skills to reach their full potential. Provision for children to rest and sleep comfortably is good with appropriate beds and clean bedding.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The safety of the children is a priority in the nursery. Well placed gates keep children safe and ensure they do not have access to unsafe areas or stairs without supervision. Children use a wide range of safe, good quality and developmentally appropriate resources. They can access some resources themselves easily and safely from the low shelves around each room. Low tables and chairs and other suitable equipment ensures that children can eat, sit and play safely. Older children are beginning to take some responsibility for managing their own safety because staff explain how to use things such as the stairs safely. Security is good with external exits being kept locked. Effective systems such as agreed passwords are also agreed with parents

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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 should any unknown adult need to collect a child. This ensures that unwanted visitors cannot gain access to the nursery or present a risk to the children. Children are protected in the nursery. Staff are aware of child protection procedures and managers are clear in what they should do should any concerns arise.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The care, learning and play experiences for children in the nursery are varied and interesting. The staff are beginning to get to know and use the 'Birth to three matters' framework to provide a broad and balanced programme of activities for all children. Children of all ages are content and well settled enjoying warm and close relationships with their cares. Regular discussions with parents ensures that young children experience and benefit from familiar home routines for eating and sleeping helping them to feel safe and secure. Babies enjoy using natural materials and musical toys and are learning to explore their environment with their senses. Young toddlers persevere with trying new skills such as walking and show curiosity in playing with materials such as sand and water. Older two and three-year-olds continue to learn and develop persevering with puzzles and enjoying sticking

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

activities. Many of the young children can count to five and some recognise common colours. While staff provide worthwhile and stimulating activities for young children to enjoy and learn, they do not yet use information gleaned from the assessment of children's progress sufficiently well to ensure that activities are based on what children are interested in and need to do next. Teaching and learning for funded three-year-olds is satisfactory. Staff use their sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage to plan a broad range of activities for children. Records show that children are making steady progress towards the early learning goals in most areas of learning. Assessment and planning systems are developing. While staff know the children well and chart their progress this is not always based on sound observations. Targets for children's next steps are being identified with some attempt being made to add these to plans. However, a reliance on topic based

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

planning makes it difficult for staff to use assessment to ensure that activities are planned which are based on children's interests and what they need to do next. It also means that some aspects of the stepping stones are not covered consistently or regularly enough. This affects children's ability to make progress to their full potential. Children are confident and enjoy good relationships with staff and each other. Most children are aware of the expectations of staff and respond positively to their interventions in any squabbles which might arise. While staff use appropriate strategies to manage children's behaviour they do not always actively look for ways of promoting positive behaviour. Most children are able to take care of their own needs and enjoy opportunities to help set the table for lunch. Circle time is used effectively to greet each other and enable children to develop a sense of belonging.

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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 Children are developing confident language skills as they explain and make connections between experiences such as talking about what they buy at the shops and describing the contents of their parent's bags. They enjoy many opportunities to make marks using lines and circles, although many children are starting to draw recognisable images with features such as eyes and mouths. Some children love to play with sounds, which staff do not always promote, while others are developing a love for books, handling them appropriately and talking about the pictures. In mathematics children are developing sound counting skills and most can count to ten by rote. They are familiar with common shapes and use size language such as big and little in their play. However, children are not always challenged sufficiently to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

solve problems such as simple adding or taking away. Children become readily absorbed in joining and designing with construction such as making castles. Topics such as 'People Who Help Us' have given children a familiarity with people and the world around them. While children are developing an interest in how things such as the radio work they are much less familiar with the natural world. Children move well in different ways, running and jumping easily, but they are not always challenged to move on and develop their large body skills further. They handle scissors safely and can hold pencils appropriately. Children are developing an understanding of colour and are fascinated to see two colours making another. They are keen to use collage but because staff often lead these activities their ability to explore and experiment and create for themselves is hindered. While they know a wide repertoire of songs and rhymes children have limited opportunities

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The individual needs of most children are met by staff using information from parents regarding diet and sleep routines. Staff's sound understanding of equal opportunities means that children are introduced to other cultures and beliefs through multicultural resources and the celebration of different festivals. However, staff are less proactive in promoting an understanding about differences and a respect for others with older children. All children are included in activities that can be easily accessed. Children behave really well in the setting. Staff support young children well as they learn to share, distracting them and redirecting them to other activities appropriately. Older children are well aware of boundaries and accept the support of staff in resolving minor squabbles. However, the promotion of more positive aspects of acceptable behaviour is occasionally neglected. Children's spiritual, moral, social and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

cultural development is fostered. Good relationships between staff and parents means that information regarding children's care needs is shared and used effectively. A daily diary sheet keeps parents up to date with how their child has been during the day, contributing effectively to the care and well-being of their child. Partnership with parents and carers for nursery education is satisfactory. Parents are well informed about the educational curriculum in the setting through leaflets and notices. There is some

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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 limited opportunities for parents to be informed about their child's progress through the early learning goals. However, opportunities to share, contribute to and become involved in their child's learning are missed, so they are less able to support their child's learning and progress in meaningful ways.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The nursery is well managed. The staff team are appropriately qualified and experienced and led by an able manager which ensures that children are well cared for and protected. Staff are able to continually update their child care skills as they access regular and relevant training. An effective appraisal system is beginning to assist managers in identifying the nursery's main strengths and weaknesses in child care. The high staff to child ratios positively support children's care learning and play. Staff are placed effectively in each room according to their skills and qualifications, ensuring that children are able to develop and take an active part in the nursery. Policies and procedures support practice well to promote children's health, safety, enjoyment and ability to make a positive contribution. The provision meets the needs of the children for whom it provides. Leadership and management for nursery education is satisfactory. Managers are

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Organisation

working closely with staff to develop a clear vision and focus for the nursery to continue improving the personal development and achievements for all funded children. Since the focus for training in the nursery has been on essential requirements some training needs for nursery education have been neglected. Staff evaluate some of their daily activities but managers do not monitor and evaluate the educational provision as a whole. The reliance on inspections and the mentor teacher means that strengths for nursery education are not easily identified and weaknesses in children's progress are sometimes missed.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted 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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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND 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 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 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): • develop staff's knowledge and understanding of 'Birth to three matters' to ensure that the assessment of children's progress is linked to the planning of activities to ensure they are built on children's interests and what they need to do next.

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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): • develop the systems for assessing children's progress towards the early learning goals to ensure that children's progress is observed and links clearly to plans so that activities are based on children's interests and what they need to do next so they are fully challenged to make progress to their full potential • ensure that information about children's progress is shared with parents and that they become meaningfully involved in their children's learning so that children's progress towards the early learning goals is supported • develop systems to evaluate and monitor the educational provision to ensure there is a clear focus for future development so that children continue to make progress towards the early learning goals.

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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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