Quince Tree Day Nursery LTD

Quince Tree Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY339858 Unique Reference Number 11 May 2007 Inspection date Samantha Smith Inspector

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Quince Tree Day Nursery, Quince Tree Close, South Ockendon, Essex, RM15 6NL

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Setting Address

07866 558095 Telephone number thedanns@aol.com E-mail Quince Tree Day Nursery Ltd Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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Setting Address

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 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?

Quince Tree Day Nursery is privately owned. It opened in 2006 and operates from a converted single storey building in South Ockendon, Essex. A maximum of 30 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.30 to 19.30 all year round. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. Children come from the local area. The nursery employs seven staff. Six, including both managers, hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a clean environment where excellent hygiene practices are maintained. Their health is very well promoted as they learn to manage their own personal needs through well-established routines such as washing their hands after using the toilet before eating,

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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 washing their faces and brushing their teeth after lunch. This is further supported through colourful displays in the bathroom.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's health and well-being continues to be promoted through the effective procedures followed by staff, for example staff use aprons when serving food and changing nappies and staff in the baby room do not wear outdoor shoes. All staff are qualified in emergency first aid, enabling them to care for children appropriately in an emergency situation.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are very well nourished and their dietary needs are well met though the excellent provision of snacks and lunch. They enjoy a wide range of foods including fresh fruit and vegetables and drinks are freely available. Information about children's individual dietary needs is recorded to ensure these are met and parental wishes respected. At mealtimes children are developing some personal independence as they are encouraged to pour their own drinks, however opportunities to develop this further are missed. For example, at mealtimes older children are not able to serve themselves or make choices about what they would like to eat.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are developing skills in managing their own bodies and enjoy lots of opportunities to practise these. They demonstrate good control and co-ordination during group activities such as the parachute games and musical movement sessions. Children have access to a good range of outdoor physical equipment. This includes a ball pool, soft play equipment, balls, bikes and other large wheeled toys. All children are encouraged to rest or be active according to their individual needs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The organisation of the play space along with daily risk assessments ensures the setting remains safe for children. Resources are checked and cleaned regularly in order that they remain in good condition. Toys and resources are stored at child level, allowing them to independently select what they would like to play with. This is further supported as they are encouraged to tidy away after playing. This enables them to be involved in keeping their play space free from potential risks such as tripping hazards.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is promoted and safeguarded through the excellent security practices that are in place. For example, all external entrances are kept locked, visitors are permitted entry by staff and are required to sign in and out, ensuring an accurate record of people on the premises. There are effective procedures in place for the safe collection of children, ensuring only persons authorised to do so may collect children from the setting. Staff practise the fire evacuation procedure with children, helping them to understand what to do in an emergency. Babies and young children are safely strapped into suitable chairs at mealtimes and closely monitored when they sleep.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are further protected from harm as staff have a good understanding of child protection issues. There is a designated staff member responsible for co-ordinating child protection and staff follow written policies and procedures that are in line with government legislation.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and confident in the setting. They show a clear sense of belonging as they hang their coats on pegs with their photographs on and use personalised placemats. Staff use

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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 lots of praise and encouragement which contributes to children developing positive self-esteem. They have formed warm, caring relationships with the children and they listen to them and value what they have to say.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have a sound knowledge of child development, which assists them in supporting children to achieve and make steady progress. Children have access to a range of activities such as role play, construction and messy play. They are encouraged to develop and express their creativity, including cutting and sticking and cooking activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Babies and young children access a variety of sensory toys and equipment. They play with different activity centres that provide visual, tactile and auditory stimulation. Staff sit on the floor with young children helping them to explore various toys. Children are developing good hand-eye co-ordination and small motor skills as they learn to fit shapes into the corresponding hole in posting boxes. Story times provide opportunities for young children to look at pictures in books.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Activities are planned and staff use observation to assess how children are progressing. Individual development reports have been devised for staff to record the children's progress, using the components of the 'Birth to three matters' framework.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children benefit from an environment where staff are enthusiastic and use a variety of methods of teaching and questioning techniques to extend children's thinking and learning, for example, through the use of positive interaction and open-ended questions. Staff have a good knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum and as a result activities provided support children's learning needs. Plans show clear learning objectives, demonstrating how all children will be included and their individual needs met. Activities are adapted to suit the needs of children who learn at different rates or who have particular needs. Processes for monitoring and evaluating children's progress and achievements are robust and very effective. Staff observe children at play and record their progress through the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. Information gathered is used effectively to plan the next steps of learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have access to a good range of resources to support their learning and they display good levels of confidence and eagerness as they participate in new activities and acquire new skills. Children are encouraged to develop some personal levels of independence, although opportunities for older children are not always fully exploited. Children are confident communicators, initiating conversations with adults and peers. They talk about things that are important to them as they share past experiences with each other. They are beginning to recognise their own names as they find their names displayed on the walls. There is a good level of visual stimulus with regard to the written word and numbers throughout the setting. Mark-making opportunities in daily activities provide opportunities for children to develop their understanding of writing for a purpose.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children receive opportunities to recreate patterns through practical activities, as they successfully take part in a matching game. They learn to recognise written numerals from displays of numbers. During sand and water play children learn about volume, filling big and little containers and they experiment with objects to see what will float and what will sink.

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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 an understanding of the natural world as they take part in planting activities and experiment with ice. However, the Information Communication Technology (ICT) area still needs developing and this is currently in progress. Children use their imagination during role play activities to re-enact familiar scenarios. They have opportunities to develop their creativity through music and craft activities using a variety of materials. Children join in cooking activities and they sometimes make their own meals for lunch. On the whole, children are making sound progress towards the early learning goals.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are valued as individuals and are warmly welcomed into the setting. They benefit from the excellent procedures in place to support them as they settle at the nursery and separate from their parents and carers. They receive good individual care because their needs and circumstances are well known to the staff. They are fully included in the life of the nursery and feel a great sense of belonging. They are encouraged to respect themselves and others as they learn about their local community and the wider world through a range of books and resources which reflect positive images of diversity. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Strategies to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are effective. The systems in place ensure children are always fully included, able to participate and feel a sense of belonging. The setting promotes the importance of ensuring inclusion consequently, all children's needs are met in a variety of ways. Staff have undertaken appropriate training to ensure that their practice remains relevant and up to date to support both children and their family. Children behave well and staff use lots of positive praise and encouragement to acknowledge their achievements. As a result, this boosts confidence and promotes children's self-esteem. The setting has a clear behaviour management policy in place, which is implemented in practice.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

All children benefit from the close working partnership between their parents and staff. Consequently, this contributes towards maintaining their well-being, development and progress. Information from parents regarding their child's likes, dislikes and routine provides a good starting point in identifying individual needs. Parents receive useful information about the setting and the successful key worker system ensures information is continually exchanged and shared. Children's developmental records are always available for parents to view upon request outside of the programmed parents' evening and there is a good two-way exchange of information on a daily basis. Notice boards provide information regarding activities, topics, some policies and the setting's certificate of registration is displayed. New parents of babies are provided with written information which includes information regarding the setting’s policies

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children who are in receipt of funded nursery education is good. In addition to the notice board, parents and carers receive information about the Foundation Stage curriculum through informal discussions, which provide opportunities for parents and carers to discuss their child's progress, what their child is learning and what the next steps in their development will be. Parents can view the weekly plans which are on display and they receive regular progress reports which they also contribute towards. Meetings are arranged with their child's key worker to discuss achievements and progress.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The registered provider gives high priority to the care and welfare of children. Robust systems exist for the recruitment, vetting and induction of all staff. The staff team work well together, creating a caring environment for children in all areas of the nursery. They are effectively deployed throughout and appropriate cover is available if needed. Training is organised to meet individual needs as well as the needs of the group and to maintain and improve the provision. Qualified and experienced staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of children's developmental needs. All staff working with funded children are using the Curriculum Guidance and staff working with the younger children are using the 'Birth to three matters' framework when planning for the needs of children.

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Organisation

Regulatory documentation is in place and written policies and procedures are implemented effectively to promote positive outcomes for children.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of funded children is good.

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Organisation

The setting is very well-organised and the management style is effective. All staff share the aims of the provision and demonstrate a commitment to providing good levels of care as they evaluate the provision effectively and take part in regular reviews.

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Organisation

Staff have a very good understanding of their roles and responsibilities, which are implemented effectively. Staff attend regular team meetings and there are appraisal systems in place. There is a strong focus on personal development and achievement and all staff attend regular training.

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Organisation

The manager and staff work closely together to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the nursery. There is a commitment to improving the outcomes for children through a monitoring system which ensures the effective implementation of the Foundation Stage curriculum. The setting works co-operatively with other professional organisations and the local authority to develop the quality of nursery education.

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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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Complaints 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

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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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • further promote and develop children's self-help skills.

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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): • continue to develop the ICT area.

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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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