Brambly Hedge Private Day Nursery

Brambly Hedge Private Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Brambly Hedge Private Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number 322070 Inspection date 04 July 2005 Inspector Janet Skippins

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Brambly Hedge Private Day Nursery

Setting Address Three Lane Ends Business Centre, Methley Road, Castleford, WF10 1PN Telephone number 01977 604603

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E-mail

Registered person Susan Wakelin 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?

Brambly Hedge Private Day Nursery opened in 1995. It operates from four rooms in a single storey building, situated on the outskirts of Castleford. A maximum of 68 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07:30 to 18:00 for 51 weeks of the year. All children have access to secure enclosed outdoor play areas. There are currently 123 children aged from birth to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 23

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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 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local catchment area where most parents work. The nursery employs 23 staff, 19 of which, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications. One staff member is working towards a qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children stay healthy because the nursery has good procedures in place and there is a high awareness of cleanliness within the work place. For example, all surfaces are regularly treated with anti-bacterial sprays and there are effective sickness policies and procedures in place to help stop the spread of infection between children. Children learn about the importance of good personal hygiene through consistent daily routines. For example, they wash their hands after using the toilet and before meal and snack times. However, whilst the key worker system works very well generally, the babies would benefit from their key worker being responsible for their personal hygiene. Children are well nourished and thrive because they are provided with a varied and nutritious diet which includes fresh fruit, vegetables, pasta, and meat. They help themselves to regular drinks of water throughout the day. The nursery plans

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Helping children to be healthy

interesting activities to help the children learn about healthy eating, for example, visitors from the local bread factory come to talk to the children and make bread with them. Staff work in partnership with parents to ensure children's health and dietary needs are met. Children develop their physical skills well as they take part in activities outside in the extensive play area using a variety of small equipment such as balls, hoops and skipping ropes. They learn to balance and climb using large equipment and negotiate wheeled toys around. They also enjoy regular music and movement sessions indoors. Young babies have access to their own outdoor area where they develop their walking skills. Inside the environment is set up with soft play resources to encourage them to develop their curiosity and explore their surroundings. Sleep and rest is planned into young children's daily activities and there is a routine

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Helping children to be healthy

for those under 3 years of age to have a quiet period early in the afternoon. Young babies rest and sleep in accordance with their own needs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Risk of accidental injury to children is minimised because the provider has good

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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 policies and procedures, including risk assessments, in place. Children understand about fire safety through visits from the Fire Officer and practising regular fire drills. Children use high quality equipment that is purchased from reputable sources. This can be safely and easily accessed as it is set up in an organised manner at child height. Children are encouraged to tidy up after themselves and not leave toys on the floor where they may trip up on them. Children are well protected because most staff are trained in First Aid and they have a good understanding of child protection procedures, giving high priority to children's welfare. Management has a clear understanding of vetting procedures and employ staff who have relevant experience, knowledge and skills in caring for children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Babies receive cuddles and are confident with their carers. They begin to play happily together with adults. They acquire new skills and knowledge through self selecting activities and singing familiar nursery rhymes. Staff encourage them to use their senses as they introduce them to many tactile experiences such as playing with jelly, dough and paint. Younger 2 and 3 year old children enjoy activities that are relevant to their age, and stage and development of their learning. For example, they practise reading skills when identifying their place mat at lunch time, at their own pace with support from carers if needed. They receive positive praise and encouragement which makes them feel proud of their achievements and fosters their self-esteem. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Older children make generally good progress because staff have a good knowledge of the Curriculum guidance for the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Foundation Stage. Detailed plans cover all areas of learning and children's achievements are clearly identified. Assessments include written evaluation of the activities to inform future planning of the next steps for children's learning. Consequently children are well challenged. Children communicate confidently. They particularly enjoy snack time and lunchtime when they sit and talk to each other and the staff with ease, negotiating, swapping stories and experiences. Children recognise their first names and can write these correctly with well-formed letters. Some children can write sentences and are proud to point out their work which is on display. Children have many opportunities for writing for different purposes in practical everyday experiences. They enjoy listening to stories and respond well to open ended questions and requests to “find” different objects in the pictures. Children have easy access to specific book areas and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

consequently have opportunities to look at books independently for pleasure or reference. Most children confidently count up to 10 and beyond independently. They have

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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 knowledge of position, size and shape. They all take part in singing songs and rhymes that develop their knowledge of adding and taking away such as "five specked frogs". They are encouraged to use and develop their knowledge and understanding of number by participating as they watch a video which challenges their understanding of number. Children's physical development is encouraged through playing outdoors with a variety of appropriate equipment. They have plenty of space to run about freely, climb, balance and negotiate wheeled toys. They have good hand-eye co-ordination. For example, they use tools such as pencils, brushes and scissors competently. Children develop a very good awareness of time and place and have a strong sense of belonging. They are able to talk confidently about past and future events in their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

lives, for example going on holiday and the prospect of going to school in the future. They gain a good level of knowledge of their own environment and the world around them through looking for worms, talking about the weather and meeting guests who come to the nursery. They develop their knowledge of the wider world through taking part in the topic work on different countries. For example, they have covered India and tasted different types of food and looked closely at the dress and customs of the people. Their IT skills are developed well as they have free access to the computer. They learn about the concepts of building and joining materials together as they construct junk models. Children benefit from musical activities and respond enthusiastically to favourite songs and music, often accompanying themselves with instruments. They enjoy collage and painting for specific topics and have continuous opportunities to explore

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and express their own individuality in art, design and box-craft.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are made to feel very welcome to the nursery where they are very happy and secure and make a positive contribution. For example, older children proudly work with staff to enhance the nursery environment by creating attractive displays of their own work. Children's behaviour is very good and they respond well to positive praise and encouragement, sharing and taking turns. They are aware of the rules and regulations set within the nursery, help to tidy up and show concern for others. The older children participate enthusiastically in regular French lessons. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The partnership with parents and carers is good. Trusting relationships are established between parents and carers ensuring that children are settled and make good progress. Parents are welcomed at the nursery, they can see their children's

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Helping children make a positive contribution

assessment records at any time and keenly participate in parents' evenings; sports days and outings.

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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. Children’s care is enhanced by efficient and effective organisation. Knowledgeable, well-qualified practitioners fully understand and follow the setting’s comprehensive policies and procedures to protect children, promote their well-being and support all children to develop their potential. Staff constantly interact with children giving effective support and encouragement which helps children feel secure and confident in the well organised environment. The owner of the nursery provides good leadership and management. Good systems are in place to monitor the process of teaching and learning, ensuring that children reach the early learning goals before leaving the nursery to move on to school. The provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection there was a recommendation to improve safety precautions to prevent cross contamination from flies and airborne insects when ventilating the kitchen. Action has been taken to prevent this, therefore children are protected from infection. Also it was recommended that 3 and 4-year-old children should have increased opportunities for physical development to enable them to balance, build, climb and construct with large pieces of equipment and resources. The nursery has purchased more outdoor equipment so that children develop and refine their skills by climbing and balancing on the wooden frame and bars in the outdoor area. Resources have been supplemented indoors, so that children extend their design and making skills by building and constructing using a wider variety of objects including blocks and boxes of different sizes.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since April 2004 Ofsted has received one complaint relating to National Standard 6 Safety, regarding the safety of a low chair, (height 17 cm).The provider submitted a full investigation report to Ofsted and Ofsted determined that no action was found to be necessary. The provider continues to meet standards in terms of keeping children safe.

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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): • consider how arrangements for staffing minimise the number of carers for the individual child regarding nappy changing.

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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

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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