Chalfont St Peter Infant School

Bright Sparks Nursery School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Bright Sparks Nursery School

Unique Reference Number 110269 Inspection date 19 July 2005 Inspector Tracy Bartholomew

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Bright Sparks Nursery School

Setting Address East Woodhay Village Hall, Heath End, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 0AP Telephone number 01722 716144

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E-mail

Registered person Cherida Felicity Daniel 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?

Bright Sparks Nursery School opened in 1996. The nursery school meets in East Woodhay Village Hall, in a rural village to the south of Newbury. It operates from the main hall with the annexe used for sessions for older children. There are currently 56 children on roll aged from two years to five years. This includes 43 children in receipt of nursery education. The group supports children with special needs attending.

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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 nursery school operates five days per week during school terms and offers children a variety of sessions. Opening times are 9:00 to 15:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and 9:00 to 12:15 on Tuesdays and Fridays. A staff team of ten, including the owner work with the children. Of these five staff members have appropriate early years qualifications; in addition they have specialist music and French teachers.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children have good opportunities to learn about food and healthy eating. They undertake a variety of well planned cooking and healthy eating activities. Children with specific dietary needs are well cared for as staff are all clearly aware of each child's individual needs. Children are encouraged to understand their own dietary needs and learn about what they can and cannot eat. Over half the staff hold current first aid certificates and are therefore aware of the appropriate ways to deal with minor accidents. Children take part in an appropriate and varied selection of activities to encourage their physical development. They make good use of the large outdoor and indoor play areas during both well-planned sessions and free play. Due to this, they are learning how to negotiate space successfully and move confidently and freely around the environment, with an awareness of others. There are plenty of good opportunities

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Helping children to be healthy

for children to access art and craft materials, which help to develop their fine and gross motor skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children have use of a large hall and an additional smaller room for the older more able children. Both areas are well set out by the staff and careful consideration has been given to the layout to promote all areas of the children's development. Children feel welcome at the nursery as each child has their own uniform tabards with their name on. These allow them to move freely between activities such as painting, as the tabards act as an apron. Children have good access to additional resources due to the large amount of low-level storage. They are learning to treat the resources with respect and are encouraged to tidy items away once they have finished playing with them. Children are able to safely explore their environment as regular visual risk assessments are conducted of areas which are used by the children. Children’s safety is given a high priority and staff have a clear understanding of their role in child

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

protection issues. Staff are fully aware of when to put appropriate procedures into practice.

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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. Children are learning about the world through well-planned and appropriate practical experiences. They undertake a wide range of activities, both in and out of doors, which enable them to learn through first hand experiences. Children are confident when exploring, investigating and asking questions. When undertaking a water activity the children confidently debated which items would sink and which would float. They clearly discuss their answers and opinions. All children have worksheets to complete to back up practical activities. Older children appeared to understand why they were completing these and had an understanding of the letters and numbers. Younger children however, did not seem to comprehend why they were doing the task. These children lost interest in this activity very quickly. Children participate in a number of music and movement sessions. They thoroughly enjoy these and can extend the activities with their own ideas. Children are

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

developing an understanding of their own culture and are learning about others. They are given plenty of opportunities to explore and experiment using a variety of different textures and media in their art and play activities. There are good opportunities for children to select their own materials, resources and tools when taking part in craft activities. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children have access to a varied selection of resources to support their learning. Staff use these resources appropriately during well planned sessions to ensure children gain as much as possible from them. Children have time to consolidate their learning as the staff question them about what they are doing. Children’s learning is fully supported as the staff work well as a team with clearly defined roles. Observations are not dated therefore it is difficult to tell when completed in order to monitor the pace of children's

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

progress. The staff have good knowledge of the stepping stones and use this to plan a varied selection of appropriate activities. They could however, include more details in their written planning documents to show how they are covering all six areas of learning to ensure there is no repetition.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Play and education is organised well to ensure that the children have equal access to the range of activities offered. The children arrive happy and confident at the nursery; they have individual labelled drawers to provide them with a sense of belonging. The children learn what behaviour is acceptable as the staff act as appropriate role models. Children have clear guidelines and know their routine well, as they respond well to changes. Children with special educational needs receive appropriate support in all areas of their learning. Children's social and moral development is fostered as all children feel welcomed

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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 and valued within the setting. Partnership with parents is good. The nursery ensures that the parents are aware of their child's individual progress and achievements. Parents can discuss concerns and issues relating to their children on a one to one basis and during parents' evenings. Parents' opinion is that they are all happy with nursery school and their children's level of achievement.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The provision meets the needs of the range of children attending. Staff organise the inside and outdoor areas well through effective plans and staff deployment, to ensure they maximise the play opportunities for all children. There are effective induction and appraisal systems in place to encourage and promote good working practices. All the required policies and procedures are in place including systems for reviewing these, to ensure the well being of the children. Leadership and management is good. The children receive high levels of guidance and support during planned and non planned activities. Staff are actively involved in all areas of planning, however they have little involvement in the evaluation of activities. Staff have equal roles within the nursery and are well supported by the management team.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The nursery has carried out all of the recommendations set at the last inspection, by implementing documentation to maintain confidentiality in regards to accidents, ensuring that the registers are fully completed each day and displaying resources for the children to be able to self select. The parents are fully able to be involved in their children's learning through effective parents evenings and social gatherings.

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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 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

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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 work sheets undertaken with children are suitable for their age and development stage

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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 children's observations clearly detail when each child achieves each developmental stage and that planning shows how they are covering all six areas of learning. • consider ways to ensure all staff are involved in recording of evaluation of activities.

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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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