Gorefield Primary School

Tigers Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Tigers Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number 110634 Inspection date 22 June 2005 Inspector Caroline Hearn

p.1

Tigers Day Nursery

Setting Address Henwick Court, Turnpike Road, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG18 3QY Telephone number 01635 528857 E-mail alison@tigersII.fsnet.co.uk Registered person Alison Joy Blunt Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

p.1

Tigers 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

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Tigers Day Nursery is one of two nurseries owned by Alison Blunt and it was established in 1994. The children are cared for in separate areas of the nursery. The youngest children are accommodated in two adjoining rooms downstairs and children from the age of about two years upwards use the two adjoining rooms upstairs. It is situated in a rural location between Newbury and Thatcham. A maximum of 57 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday

p.2

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 from 08:00 and 18:00 with the exception of Bank Holidays and a week around the Christmas holiday. All children have access to outdoor play. The garden solely for the use of the younger children is immediately outside their room, with the play area for the older children to the side of the nursery building and accessed via a secure walkway. There are currently 90 children aged from birth to under five years on roll. Of these 27 children, receive funding for nursery education. Children attending come not only from the local area but also from farther afield, as it is easily accessible from the A4. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs, and supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. There are fifteen members of staff working directly with the children. Of these nine

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

have a qualification equivalent to NVQ lll or above; two are working towards NVQ lll and two are working towards attaining level ll. Other staff members are the manager, who is supernumerary, the cook and peripatetic French and dance teachers.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children have good opportunities to go on visits to learn first hand about food and healthy eating. They visit the neighbouring farm to pick fruit they then bring these back for tea, such as strawberries and cream. Children and their parents also have opportunities to be actively involved in the menu planning which help children to make healthy choices. Babies established routines and feed times are followed. This helps them settle quickly into the care of the nursery and retain a feeling of continuity between home and nursery. Children have many opportunities to undertake vigorous outdoor activities and explore the nursery’s rural location, such as walks, visits to the local farms and garden centre. Children learn good hygiene practises and clearly understand why they have to wash their hands after spending time in the garden or before snacks. Over half the staff hold current first aid certificates and are therefore

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

aware of the appropriate ways to deal with minor accidents. Babies established routines and feed times are followed. This helps them settle quickly into the care of the nursery and retain a feeling of continuity between home and nursery.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. In all areas, the children have a wide and appropriately challenging selection of resources, which promote their development. Low-level storage in all areas, with the exception of the 2-3 years room, allows them to develop their independence skills by selecting what they want to play with. Within the 2-3 years room the children’s ability to select is limited due to lack of low-level open access storage. In all areas of the nursery, the children’s artwork is on display thus ensuring the children know that their

p.3

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 efforts are valued. Children’s safety is carefully considered both within the nursery and while on outings. Staff undertake full risk assessments of all areas and implement appropriate health and safety policies/procedures. Due to this, the children have the freedom to safely explore their environment.

p.3

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children have developed close relationships with their peers and adults present. They actively enjoy attending their sessions at the nursery and see this as a very social time. They gain a great deal from the activities on offer due to the careful planning undertaken by the staff. Children undertake a wide range exciting and appropriate activities both inside and out. Babies and toddlers make good use of the local facilities and undertake trips to the nearby outdoor nature discovery centre. Children in the two to three years room had different experiences of play depending on which staff are on duty. Some staff are highly motivated while others will benefit from completing their professional training and learning how to engage the children in meaningful activities. Nursery education. The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Children are highly confident enthusiastic learners. They are encouraged to select and use resources or develop

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

their own ideas, negotiate effectively, and respect each other and share appropriately. They understand the rules of the group and respond well to praise from staff. Children concentrate well and have good opportunities to feel a valued member of the group, through having their own tray and seeing their work displayed. Children are confident and engage easily in conversations with each other, staff and visitors. They listen well and respond with clear enjoyment to stories. Children are learning about the world through extremely well planned and appropriate practical experiences. Such as trips to the local farm to pick produce for their tea. They take part in an extensive range of activities, both in and out of doors, which enable them to learn through unique first hand experiences. Children are confident when exploring, investigating and asking questions. They have a good understanding of their own culture and are learning about others. They are able to confidently use a

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

varied selection of programmable toys and equipment such as computers. They are given extensive opportunities to explore and experiment using a wide 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. Children with special educational needs receive a high level of appropriate additional support. On going staff training and development results in staff having the appropriate knowledge and skills to support children's learning well. They maintain detailed records of each child’s achievements and fully evaluate these to ensure each child is achieving their full potential.

p.4

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

p.4

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The play and education is organised well, to ensure the children have equal access to the full range of activities offered. The children arrive happy and confident at the nursery, they have individual pegs and labelled draws to provide them with a sense of belonging. Children learn about what behaviour is acceptable and are involved in drawing up the general rules of the group. Children are given clear guidelines, know the routines well and are sensitive to the needs of others, readily sharing toys and resources. Children with special educational needs are well supported in all areas and due to this they are able to achieve their full potential. Children's spiritual, moral, social and emotional development is fostered as all children feel welcomed and valued within the setting. The partnership with parents and carers is good. The nursery ensures parents are aware of their child's individual progress and achievements. Parent’s can discuss any

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

concerns during parent’s evenings or as and when they feel they need to chat to the staff. Some parents felt that it would be helpful to have further information regarding the areas of learning to enable them to support their children’s development.

p.5

Organisation

The organisation is good. The provision meets the needs of the range of children attending. The premises are well organised. Indoor and outdoor space is generally laid out to maximise play opportunities for children. Effective induction and appraisal systems are in place to maintain good working practices. All staff have good access to an on going training programme to ensure they are able to maintain their existing high standards of care. All the required policies and procedure are present and systems for reviewing these are in place to help maintain children's well being. The child protection procedure could be clearer to ensure staff are fully aware of the correct process to be followed. Leadership and management are outstanding. Children’s care is greatly enhanced by the exceptional quality of organisation and the outstanding leadership and management of the nursery education.

p.5

Improvements since the last inspection

Since their last inspection, the manager has employed additional staff to cover the lunch periods to ensure they are able to meet the needs of the children. They have implemented documentation to ensure that the temperatures are regularly checked and that during very cold or very hot periods that the children do not become too hot or too cold. The manager has reviewed the documentation to ensure this now contains, a written record, signed by parents, of medicines given to children and a written statement that provides details of the procedure to be followed if they have a complaint, which includes the address and telephone number of Ofsted. The child

p.5

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 protection policy complies with local Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC) procedures and includes the procedure to follow if an allegation is made against a member of staff. During this inspection it was highlighted that this policy could contain further details of their own procedures to be followed to ensure it is clear to staff. Areas noted under the last nursery education inspection, Parent's contributions to their child’s, record keeping. They include parents in their children's developmental progress and records kept regarding this. However, more information needs to be available for parents regarding the six areas of learning. The planning now incorporates the daily use of the outside area. To ensure the children are able to take part in structured outside activities as well as free play.

p.5

Improvements since the last inspection

Children regularly and confidently use information technology such as computers. The staff are very aware of the needs of all children and each child’s developmental needs are considered in the planning.

p.6

Complaints since the last inspection

Concerns relating to National Standard 12 Working in partnership with parents in that the provision failed to work with parent following incidents when a child was bitten. We investigated these concerns by conducting an unannounced visit on the 6th January 2005. Ofsted is satisfied that the provider appropriately addressed the issues. The provider remains qualified for registration.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.6

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.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.6

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): • increase opportunities for children to freely access toys and equipment in the two to three years room. • continue to develop the child protection procedure to ensure this contains clear information regarding procedures to be followed.

p.6

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

p.6

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): • consider ways to further increase parents involvement in their children's learning.

p.7

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

p.7

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

p.7