Christopher Robin Day Nursery

Christopher Robin Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Christopher Robin Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY259953 Inspection date 21 June 2005 Inspector Louise, Caroline Bonney

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Christopher Robin Day Nursery

Setting Address 63 Wood Street Green, Wood Street Village, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 3DX Telephone number 01483 236332

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E-mail

Registered person Christopher Robin Day Nursery 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Christopher Robin Day Nursery (Wood Street Village) opened in 2003, and is part of a privately owned group of 5 nurseries. It operates from 2 group rooms within single storey premises, each room having access to its own secure outdoor area. It is situated in a rural location on the village green in Wood Street Village, near Guildford in Surrey. The nursery serves a wide geographical area. The nursery is registered to provide care for a maximum of 36 children between 3

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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 months and 5 years of age at any one time. It does not provide overnight care. There are currently 32 children on the role; of these, 4 children receive nursery funding. The nursery opens 5 days a week all year round, excluding Bank Holidays. Sessions are from 08:00 until 18:00. Six staff work with the children. Of these, three have appropriate early years qualifications to level two or three, and two are attending training to achieve a qualification. The setting receives support from the Early Years and Childcare Service. The philosophy of the nursery is Montessori based.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Staff maintain excellent procedures which keep children healthy. Staff consistently wear gloves and aprons when changing babies nappies, and they promptly implement sickness procedures to minimise cross infection. Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene through well-planned routines. They know, for example, that they need to wash their hands after the toilet and before eating. Children learn about healthy eating through the excellent menu, and lunchtime is a sociable occasion. They enjoy fresh fruit at snack times, and have frequent drinks. Staff maintain children’s home routines well, ensuring they have appropriate rests. Children have daily opportunities for exercise as they play outside in the garden on climbing equipment, with hoops and balls, trikes and sit-and-rides. Currently, the lack of shade restricts outdoor play on hot days. Staff use Birth to three matters guidance

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Helping children to be healthy

well to provide a good range of physical play experiences for babies and toddlers.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children’s risk of accidental injury is minimised in the well-designed setting. There are good safety and security precautions in place, such as the double door-bell entry system, and the safety surface on outdoor play areas. Staff help keep the children safe through their vigilance, while allowing older children to be more adventurous and develop their own awareness of how to be safe as they find new ways to climb the play castle. Children use a sufficient range of good quality and mostly age-appropriate equipment. Staff organise resources well, so that children can safely access them from low storage shelves. Children learn how to safely use equipment, and handle the glass jugs they use for sorting and pouring with care. However, staff insufficiently risk-assess young children’s use of equipment such as marbles. They learn to be safe in the sun as staff encourage them to wear sun-hats and apply sun-cream, or to

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

sit in the shade. Children are well protected through the staff’s good understanding of child protection

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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 procedures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. There are differences between the quality of experiences offered to children under three and those provided for children receiving education funding. Babies and toddlers settle very well, and receive excellent support and interaction from staff. Staff effectively use the Birth to Three Matters framework to plan and deliver activities, and provide a stimulating range of activities, which contribute well to their development. Children pull themselves up on sturdy furniture, play peep-a-boo with staff through small openings, and explore their reflection in the mirror. They delight in playing simple instruments to music tapes. Staff reflect children’s expressions and sounds to encourage further communication, and children are able to make choices during their activities. They develop independence well as they freely select their resources from safe storage shelves. Children benefit from routines

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

that are consistent with their experiences at home, such as methods for settling to sleep. Children are confident in their relationships with staff. They play happily alongside each other and with adults. They receive cuddles and develop strong bonds with each other and the staff. Staff sensitively prepare children for moving up to the next room, with plenty of introductory visits and occasional mixing of the groups, such as when having birthday tea together, and children transfer well. Nursery Education Teaching and learning for children receiving nursery education funding is satisfactory. Children participate in a wide variety of activities, which support sufficient development in all areas of the Foundation Stage curriculum. They become increasingly independent as they choose their own resources from easily accessible storage, and take responsibility for their personal care. Children show a strong sense of belonging as they greet each other, and approach

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

staff confidently. They busily pursue their chosen activities, selecting resources independently from the low storage shelves, and participate well during group activities. They are friendly towards each other, and show care and concern for each other. Children know the rules, such as sharing and taking turns, and develop a strong sense of what is right and wrong. Children recognise and match colours as they play games with hoops and beanbags, experiment with weight and volume as they play with water and a tray of bark, and count up to five confidently as they play What’s the Time, Mr Wolf. However, staff do not extend their understanding sufficiently during everyday activities through the modelling of mathematical language or problem solving. Children enjoy books and listen carefully to stories, asking questions and thinking about what is happening. They use language for thinking as they then re-call stories and re-enact going to the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

moon, planning what they will take with them. Writing materials are always available

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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 and there are good opportunities for children to mark-make as they paint and draw. They do not use writing for a purpose during daily activities, such as role-play. Children develop an interest in the world around them. They plant seeds and watch them grow, and closely examine frogs found in the garden. They have good opportunities to use the computer, and develop good dexterity as they control the computer mouse, manipulate playdough, and sort tiny objects into cups. They enjoy physical activities, moving in different ways during games and action rhymes, or climbing and sliding, although opportunities to exercise outside are limited in hot weather due to the lack of shade. Staff use the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage to provide a broad range of activities. They develop clear monthly plans, which show how children are to work

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

towards specific stepping stones within the six areas of learning. Daily planning lacks detail, and leads to adequate but unimaginative resourcing of activities. Staff provide a good balance between adult led and child initiated play. They interact adequately with the children during their play, but are often unsure of how to promote their learning through the range of activities available. Staff record the children’s progress towards the early learning goals, but do not identify their next steps for learning. This leads to a general lack of challenge, and impacts on how children achieve.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children benefit from the positive partnership staff develop with parents. Young children settle well because staff share information with parents so that they can follow their home routines. They provide all parents with information about the children's care and learning each day. Staff display planning for parents to see, showing how they are using the Birth to Three Matters guidance. Partnership with parents and carers of funded children is satisfactory. Parents meet with staff twice a year to formally discuss their children's progress and share examples of their work, as well as having daily informal discussions at handover. Staff make colourful displays of children's work, and of photographs of them participating in activities. They display monthly plans to show how funded children are to work towards the Foundation Stage early learning goals. Staff have begun to record funded children's progress against the Foundation Stage stepping stones.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

These are not in place for all funded children, and staff do not use them to identify children’s next steps in learning to share with parents. Practitioners warmly welcome children from various ethnic backgrounds. Children develop a positive attitude towards others through the use of resources that positively represent social diversity, and from the staff’s positive attitude. Children develop an understanding of their own culture as they celebrate birthdays and festivals such as Christmas. Children’s individual needs are known to staff who work closely with parents, and carefully observe and monitor the development of the younger children. This helps staff to quickly identify any developing special needs, when they liaise with parents and outside agencies to ensure these needs are met. Children behave very well, and learn to share and take turns, and to show care and concern for others.

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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 This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The provision enhances children's overall welfare and safety through the nursery’s good organisation, and through the effective implementation of comprehensive policies and procedures. Children are well protected and cared for by staff who have been subject to suitable recruitment and vetting procedures, and who have received sufficient induction training. Children benefit from a bright, cheerful and welcoming environment, with good use of colour, fabrics and displays at the children’s height. Staff organise the rooms, routines and access to resources well to support children’s care and learning. They effectively group children and carefully maintain appropriate ratios. Younger children's learning and development is particularly good, and benefits from the effective introduction of Birth to 3 Matters. The leadership and management are satisfactory. They have an enthusiastic staff

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Organisation

team, who are keen to continually improve the provision, and who work collaboratively. They show commitment to the professional development of their staff by providing opportunities for in-house and external training. Managers monitor the delivery of the Foundation Stage curriculum, and are aware of some areas requiring development, such as planning, for which they seek external support. However, monitoring of improvements to planning, and of the quality of teaching and assessment of children, lacks rigour. This leads to weaknesses in these areas continuing, which impacts on how effectively children learn. Overall, the provision meets the needs of all the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The last Children Act inspection recommended that the nursery should improve the resources available to reflect positive images of children with disabilities, and to provide shade in the outside play areas. The nursery has made some improvements. Children now have access to a wider range of resources which reflect positive images of children with disabilities, such as posters, play people and puzzles. Children's use of outdoor areas remains restricted in hot weather, while the provider researches the best way to provide shade.

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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 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 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): • make provision for providing shade in the outside play areas when necessary • risk assess the range of equipment available to two year olds

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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): • introduce a more rigorous system to monitor the quality of teaching, planning and assessment so that areas for improvement are identified and quickly addressed • develop further staff's knowledge and understanding of the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage to improve the quality of teaching and children's learning.

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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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