The Dove Nursery

The Dove Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY338977 Unique Reference Number 10 May 2007 Inspection date Bridget Richardson Inspector

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The Cricket Pavilion, Henfield Common, Henfield, West Sussex, BN5 9RP

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E-mail

Vivian Ruffett Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of 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

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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 satisfactory. 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?

The Dove Nursery opened in 2006 and operates from the Cricket Pavilion in Henfield, West Sussex. A maximum of 20 children may attend at any one time. The nursery is open Tuesday to Thursday from 09:00 to 15:00 and Friday from 09:00 to 12:00 term time only. All children share access to an outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 19 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these 10 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local and surrounding areas. The setting currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs four staff. Of these, the manager holds an appropriate early year's qualification and two staff members are working towards a qualification.

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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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Clear daily routines and explanation help children understand that washing hands after visiting the toilet reduces the risk of passing on germs. Staff act as positive role models encouraging and reminding children throughout the day and by ensuring that children can access the toilets easily to wash their hands. The staff ensure the environment is maintained in a suitable condition for children through implementing appropriate cleaning procedures during the day and by checking all areas before children arrive.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children who are infectious do not attend which helps prevent the spread of contagious diseases. Parents give prior written consent to administer medication that ensures children receive the correct dosage according to their needs. A staff member that holds a current first aid certificate is not in place everyday. This means that they may not be able to give appropriate care if there is an accident.

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Helping children to be healthy

Fresh drinking water is available at all times and children confidently help themselves. This encourages children to think about their personal needs. There are suitable storage procedures for the food provided by parents to prevent from spoiling. Children enjoy healthy snacks and know that fruit is good for them. Staff gather all relevant information regarding diet and medical history prior to children attending to help ensure individual needs are met. However, clear procedures are not in place at lunch time to prevent children from having access to other children's food. Children regularly enjoy a range of physical activities that contribute to their health and develop their physical skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Staff organise the indoor space suitable, allowing children to move around freely and independently. However, access to a suitable range of resources is limited, resulting in children becoming bored and restless at times. Regular visual checks of toys and resources ensure there are no broken parts that could harm a child.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff deployment is not always sufficient to meet the needs of the children attending as staff are deployed completing other activities. There are regular risk assessments both indoors and out that enable staff to identify and address any potential hazards. There are clear procedures for the safe arrival and departure of children. The premises are secure and suitable procedures are in place to prevent unwanted visitors gaining entry. Children and staff practise the emergency evacuation procedures on a regular basis. This helps children become familiar with the routine in the event of an emergency. Staff supervise children closely when playing outdoors and ensure all areas are safe before children go out to play.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have an understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and know what action to take if they have concerns about a child in their care. This helps to ensure staff quickly recognise when a child is in danger and act in the child's best interest.

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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 satisfactory. At story time children sit and enjoy listening to stories. They have their favourite books which they ask to be read to them and are given opportunities to talk about what is happening in the story and predict what they think will happen next. The staff member talked with the children about the lighthouse in the story and followed their interest in houses as they talked about their homes and whether they had stairs in them. She encouraged the children to listen to each other and actively listened to what children had to say, helping to promote their confidence and self-worth.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoying music session. They sing along to songs, joining in with actions and are encouraged by adults to choose their favourite songs including, 'ba ba black sheep', 'hop little bunny', 'these are a few of my favourite things' and 'away in a manager'.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's opportunities to enjoy and learn from a range of activities that allow them to explore and investigate indoors are sometimes limited due to their organisation. This means children are not always able to make decisions about what they do, when they do it and how. This limits their development as confident and independent learners. They relate well to staff and some to each other. Children are generally confident to approach staff indicating good trusting relationships are being built.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff make regular observations and record achievements in children's profiles. This helps the staff plan for each child to ensure their learning and development needs are met. They have an understanding of how children learn and provide a suitable range of practical activities. However, the planning of the indoor environment is not always sufficiently challenging and staff are not always effectively deployed to make the most of learning opportunities to ensure children are interested and want to play with the resources accessible to them. Staff interact well with children and extend their knowledge through open questions and by following their interests. They know the children well and work closely with parents to ensure continuity of care. They make suitable use of daily routines, activities free play and incidental opportunities to extend children's learning. Staff

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

use appropriate behaviour management strategies and children generally respond well. Staff make expectations of behaviour clear and give reasons for requests helping to ensure children understand why certain behaviour is not acceptable.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have some opportunities to be independent. They see to their personal needs such as visiting the toilet and deciding when to have a drink. They are developing suitable relationships and generally get on well with their peers and adults. Generally they understand the need to share and take turns when playing together. Children enjoy books and handle carefully. They spend time 'reading' and sharing books with friends and adults and can relate well-known stories by looking at the pictures. Some children can write their own names. However, opportunities to encourage children to use emergent writing in a range of situations are limited. Children count confidently in both English and French and recognise numbers that are important to them. However, opportunities are missed to extend children's interest in number puzzles in everyday situations. For example, at snack time children recognise that they have different

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

colour cups and discuss. Adults do not extend the children's natural curiosity by extending the activity with children. Children use a range of tools and equipment to explore their surroundings. For example, children exploring their environment with magnets, finding out what the magnets

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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 will attach to. Adult follows the children's interest in the activity and extends to the outdoor environment discussing with them why they think the magnets will attach to some items and not others. Children learn about their cultures and beliefs, and those of other people, through planned activities. Children thoroughly enjoy participating in singing sessions and have a wide repertoire of songs and action rhymes. They are able to sing simple songs from memory and enjoy singing songs at different speeds, requesting them to be sung faster and faster as they squeal with glee. Children enjoy exploring sounds that they can make in song and rhyme and are thoroughly immersed in the activity.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Staff have a positive attitude towards diversity. Children become aware of their own and other cultures through a range of resources, planned activities and as they celebrate a variety of festivals. Children enjoy respectful relationships with adults and generally with each other. They are beginning to develop confidence and self-esteem. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. There are systems in place to support children who have special needs. Close liaison with parents and outside agencies help to ensure all children's needs are well planned for and met. However, the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) has not accessed training on the Code of Practice to date to help ensure she is able to fully support children's individual needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff are consistent in their approach to behaviour management and use appropriate strategies. This helps children to learn right from wrong. They work closely with parents to help ensure consistency of care for the children attending. Children generally behave well and show concern for each other. However, staff deployment is not always sufficient to meet the needs of the children attending as staff are deployed completing other activities, resulting in some unwanted behaviour occurring.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is satisfactory. There are some formal and informal systems in place for staff and parents to share information about children's individual progress and development. This helps to ensure children receive individual care and attention.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Leadership and management is satisfactory. Staff understand their role and responsibilities. They have the opportunity for professional development, which is encouraged by the provider. The provider has a relevant qualification for the role as manager and a high ratio of staff are undertaking relevant training to enhance the setting's practice. However, no formal appraisal system have been introduced to date which may mean opportunities for ensuring professional development in appropriate areas are not being encouraged. There are recruitment procedures in place. However, these need some updating in line with current legislation to ensure staff employed are suitable for their role. Induction training ensures staff understand the policies and procedures so that they can contribute to the safety and welfare of the children. Suitable contingency plans are in place to cover for absences to ensure children always have suitable

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Organisation

The premises layout is appropriately organised and children are able to play outside several times during the day. Generally, all documentation required for the safe and effective management of the nursery is in place. This helps to contribute to children's welfare. However

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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 there are weaknesses in the nurseries practice which impacts on children's well-being. Clear procedures are not in place at lunch time to prevent children accessing other children's food; staff are not always effectively deployed to meet children's needs; children do not have access to a wide range of resources and a staff member that holds a current first aid certificate is not in place everyday. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for who it provides.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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Complaints 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

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 satisfactory. 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): • ensure suitable provision is in place so that children only have access to food from their own lunch box • ensure at least one member of staff is present at all times that holds a relevant first aid qualification that includes training in infants and young children • develop areas used by children to ensure they have access to a wider range of resources and that staff are deployed effectively at all times to meet the needs of the children • develop an understanding of the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice to ensure that appropriate action can be taken when such a child is identified or admitted to the provision • continue to develop recruitment and induction procedures and introduce an appraisal systems for staff.

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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 • develop opportunities that encourage activities in which children experiment with writing • develop opportunities for children to show an interest in number problems.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) 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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