Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Sunningdale

Miss Polly's Kindergarten

Inspection report for early years provision

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Miss Polly's Kindergarten

Unique Reference Number 110018 Inspection date 27 September 2005 Inspector Melissa Cox

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Miss Polly's Kindergarten

Setting Address Brimpton Road, Baughurst, Tadley, Hampshire, RG26 5NL

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Miss Polly's Kindergarten

Telephone number 01189 814129 E-mail jacki@hurstcentre.com Registered person Jacki Cassidy Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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Miss Polly's Kindergarten

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?

Miss Polly's Kindergarten opened in 1990. It is based in the Hurst Community College and operates as a self-funding day nursery. The kindergarten is situated in a purpose-built unit, and is located in the rural area of Baughurst in Hampshire. Miss Polly's Kindergarten is registered to provide day care for a maximum of 74 children, aged from birth to five years.

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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 The kindergarten opens between 08:00 and 18:00 Monday To Friday over 51 weeks in the year. The kindergarten supports children with identified special needs and those who speak English as an additional language. The accommodation offers 3 rooms, which cater for children of different ages. Busy Bees room is dedicated to the children aged from birth to 2 years , the Caterpillar room is used for children from 18 months to 3 years and the Ladybirds for children 2 years 6 months to 5 years. The outdoor area provides opportunities to access large play equipment and to explore the environment. There are 25 members of staff who support children's learning. Appropriate qualifications in childcare and education are held by the majority of staff. There are 3 members of staff who hold National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 3

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

qualifications and 4 hold the level 2 NVQ.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children's good health is promoted effectively by staff who demonstrate an excellent knowledge of the robust procedures for promoting health and hygiene. Children have a clear awareness of their own needs and are developing independence in their personal care. Suitable hand washing facilities and displays of positive images aid the children's development in their personal care and independence skills. They actively contribute to the development of the health and care routines such as tidying up and preparing themselves and the rooms for snack times. Excellent procedures such as, staff consistently wearing disposable gloves and aprons for nappy changing sustain high levels of hygiene and help prevent the spread of infection. Children's healthy growth and development are fostered well as staff show an excellent understanding of their individual dietary requirements. They confidently

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Helping children to be healthy

prepare, and choose from a variety of drinks and healthy snacks and are aware drinking water is available to them at all times. Children and babies enjoy the varied and well presented, nutritious healthy meals. These comply with individual children's dietary requirements to ensure children remain healthy. Babies and young children enjoy the one to one adult contact at meal times and are given time to enjoy and finish their food in a relaxed and calm environment. Children are adept in their physical skills. They move confidently between areas both in and out of doors. They have good co-ordination and an awareness of others, particularly when riding bikes and wheeled toys outside. Children take part in a range of activities in all areas of learning, which help to develop both their fine and gross motor skills. They are able to control pencils, scissors and paintbrushes with a good range of activities to develop their manipulative skills. Children move with confidence,

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Helping children to be healthy

they jump off small steps; play ball games with staff and climb with courage. Children receive excellent opportunities to explore the different areas within the grounds including making a den in the woods and gathering leaves for an art project.

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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 Staff use the Birth to three matters guidance well to provide an excellent and varied range of physical play experiences for babies and children under three. They are constantly evaluating and improving this system and will continue to access training to improve on this area.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children use a good range of safe, good quality, developmentally appropriate resources. These are well organised in child height furniture to encourage independent access. Indoors, children play in a welcoming, suitable play area which meets their needs. They can decide to rest in the comfy book area or engage in a wide variety of activities. In all areas of the nursery, the children’s artwork is on display thus ensuring the children know that their efforts are valued. Children feel confident and secure in their environment through the good deployment of staff who work directly with them. Staff's awareness of children's developing abilities helps to ensure appropriate safety measures are in place to avoid dangerous situations and minimise risks. Robust policies and procedures are individual to the setting. They promote the children's safety and wellbeing supporting all to develop

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

their full potential. Regular communication with parents contributes to children’s safety. Children are very well protected by staff who have a clear understanding of child protection policies and procedures and give high priority to the children’s welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Children are confident in their environment, arrive happily and eager to take part in all activities. The staff have excellent relationships with parents and cooperate well to meet each child's individual needs. Children play an active part in the setting. They show immense enthusiasm as they make independent choices and select their own activities from good well-presented play equipment and self-selection areas. Staff work directly with the children. They show an excellent understanding of the individual development needs of the children, helping them to focus on activities such as counting and building and develop good concentration skills. Children throughout the setting are motivated and become engrossed in a wide range of developmentally appropriate activities, indoor and outdoor, which provide good levels of challenge. Children respond well to the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

routine changes in the session, they follow clear guidelines and are aware of the expectations such as, helping tidy activities away, sweeping leaves in the playground. Children's needs are met effectively through staff's sensitive and appropriate interactions that promote their self-esteem. Very good positive relationships are evident between staff and children. They know the children well nurturing their

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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 self-esteem. Children develop a good awareness of their own needs and a mature respect for the needs of others as they negotiate turn taking with books in the under threes. Children in the nursery build and construct with various materials, have good opportunities to make informed choices in activities such as games and share and work together cooperatively. They show an excellent understanding and willingness to keep themselves safe and healthy through routines such as hand washing and caring for their environment. Children's behaviour is exemplary. They know right from wrong and show confidence in their negotiating skills. Children are sensitive to the needs of others, readily share toys and resources and co-operate with each other. All children are happy, settled, and thoroughly enjoy their time in the setting. They

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

are very confident, interested and able to work on their own in activities such as drawing, sticking, imaginary play and looking at books. They have extensive opportunities to explore their senses through music, activities and 'stretch and grow' classes. They enjoy their activities and make rapid strides in their learning. This is due to the staff demonstrating a good knowledge of the individual needs and abilities of the children. Children receive praise in their work and play helping build their self-esteem and confidence. They show a well-developed self-respect for others in the setting. They explore different beliefs, traditions and cultures and talk about special events in their lives at circle time. Children experience varied opportunities to develop their physical skills through well-planned and spontaneous activities both indoors and out. As a result, they develop an excellent understanding of the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

importance of a healthy lifestyle. Nursery Education Children are making outstanding progress towards the early learning goals. By the time they go to school they are ready, well prepared and confident to accept the transition to their new environment. Children respond to new activities and challenge with enthusiasm. They increase their thinking skills with practical first hand experiences to explore and investigate such as watching ice melt in the water tray or observing changes to their play area when the seasons change. They show high levels of curiosity as they explore the extensive outdoor area, grow their own bulbs and watch how flowers change colour when placed in food colouring. Children are skilful communicators. They interact with confidence, speak clearly and listen well to each others' and staff's conversations. Children listen attentively to stories and recall parts of the story from memory. Children's imaginary play is varied

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and interesting as they draw on their experiences pretending to be in a boat. They confidently extend their play as they decide to adapt the water play and develop this into a floating and sinking activity. Children concentrate well at varied planned and spontaneous activities such as counting and comparing objects on a tray, learning to use numbers in everyday situations and talking about time. Teaching is inspiring and challenging for all age groups of children. Staff demonstrate a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage. They provide a purposeful learning environment for the children to learn and develop as individuals. Staff develop and use varied teaching methods to engage the children's interests and develop their progress. Relationships are excellent with a happy buzz of children engaged in varied activities within the setting and including staff in their play. Staff use good

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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 consolidation techniques through repetition, questions and revisiting topics and activities to support the children's learning. Assessments of the children are rigorous. Staff demonstrate an excellent knowledge of tracking the children’s progress and use the information effectively to guide planning. Staff promote an open door partnership with parents and carers and provide numerous ways to enable them to be become involved in their child's learning. The activities and experiences for all children are rich and varied meeting their individual needs very well. All staff are skilled and sensitive to the management of the children and their behaviour. They develop their conversation skills particularly well, chatting freely to each other during activities or often with staff, who extend their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

vocabularies. They learn to listen, being attentive at story time and following instructions and clear explanations. Children concentrate well because they enjoy what they do. Staff use the accommodation and resources effectively to support the children's learning which reflects their backgrounds and the wider community. The staff are skilful and work well as a team guided by a confident and well informed team of senior staff. There is a strong commitment to improvement through regular meetings, training and development of the staff. Staff are rigorous in their monitoring procedures enabling all staff to maintain the high standards of teaching.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Partnership with parents is outstanding. Children feel valued in the setting. Relationships are excellent. The play and education provision is organised and monitored well to ensure children have access to the full range of activities. Children arrive at the setting happy and confident. Younger children benefit from the positive partnership staff have developed with parents. Babies settle well because staff work closely with parents to ensure they follow their individual routine. The older children are welcomed as they arrive by both staff and their peers and they eagerly look forward to the day's activities. Children's individual pegs and labelled drawers provide them with a sense of belonging as they store their pictures and personal possessions. Parents and carers are well informed by staff. They share relevant background information, play activities and discuss children's specific needs. A clear and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

informative notice board with relevant up-to-date information is accessible to all parents. Children benefit from the open door policy and two-way sharing of information, with opportunities for parents to speak to staff to enhance their development and learning. Parents receive very good opportunities to contribute to the assessments made on their child and to be involved in their learning. As a result, parents and carers have a very good understanding of their child's progress. Staff are proactive in ensuring the needs of all children are being met. They demonstrate an excellent knowledge of the individual needs of the children in their care. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) demonstrates sound knowledge of the fundamental principles of the code of practice. As a result, staff

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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 work together with parents, carers and other professional bodies to organise the environment and plan appropriate activities to ensure the children take part at a level appropriate to their needs. Children develop a positive attitude to others through varied positive images displayed around the setting. They visit the local community and develop a secure knowledge of the wider world. This positive approach fosters children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Children benefit exceptionally well from staff who adopt a consistent and positive approach to the management of their behaviour. As a result children's behaviour is exemplary. They become aware of the routines and procedures and know what to expect in response to the routine changes in the session. Children know right from

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Helping children make a positive contribution

wrong, they are sensitive to the needs of others, readily share toys and resources and co-operate with each other.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The provision for the quality of leadership and management is outstanding. Children's care is significantly enhanced by the setting’s effective and efficient organisation. Staff working with the children are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and consistently promote the children's wellbeing in line with the comprehensive and robust polices and procedures. They demonstrate a very good knowledge and understanding of the Standards for Full Day Care and the Foundation Stage to help children achieve well. Overall, the needs of the range of children who attend are met. Staff observe children's development and learning and keep detailed systematic records that help them to meet their needs. They are aware of Birth to three matters and have effectively identified that this is an area to be improved on. Children's records are openly shared with parents and their contributions valued to help them

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Organisation

develop their full potential. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities with relevant induction procedures and good opportunities to receive further training. This is used to help develop their skills in organising provision that meets the children's needs, keep them healthy and safeguarding their welfare. The manager is dynamic, enthusiastic, and well informed about Early Years. The senior management team monitor and evaluate the provision through regular meetings, training and promoting the personal development of herself and all the staff. This results in a happy and focussed team who work effectively meeting the personal development and achievements of all the children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Following their last care inspection, the nursery was set several recommendations which included maintenance of the first aid box, to review procedures for completing the accident and medication records and attendance registers and to improve on child protection procedures.

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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 Following their last educational inspection, the nursery was set several recommendations. These were to develop activities that encourage children's understanding of books and how text is read from left to right and top to bottom in the English language; provide opportunities for children to practise emerging writing for a variety of purposes; review planning that integrates all key worker groups to give a coherent overall plan of the children's activities. The nursery completed a detailed action plan detailing how they addressed these issues. This has been effectively implemented and the nursery has undertaken many effective strategies to improve on children's understanding of books and text. Children are now provided with a wide range of appropriately challenging activities to

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Improvements since the last inspection

support their emerging writing and this is evident throughout all the activities on offer. Staff have reviewed their planning and now include all key worker groups.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since April 2004 Ofsted has received two complaints relating to Standard 1: Suitability relating to the conduct of staff and their supervision of children. We asked the provider to investigate and report back to Ofsted within 10 working days. A reply was received and Ofsted is satisfied that the provider appropriately addressed the issues. The provider remains qualified for registration. 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 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): • implement a system for observing and recording what children aged from birth to three do and use these observations to plan the next steps for the children's play learning and development

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The quality and standards of the care

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 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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