London Road Nursery

London Road Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY296305 Unique Reference Number 07 September 2007 Inspection date Jennifer Devine Inspector

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Patidar House, 22 London Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 7EX Setting Address

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E-mail

Federation of Patidar Associations 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 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?

London Road Nursery is owned by the Federation of Patidar Associations. It opened in 1995 and operates from the basement of a community centre in Wembley in the London Borough of Brent . A maximum of 59 children may attend at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08:00 to 18:00, all year round; except for bank holidays. All children share access to a small enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 31 children from birth to under 5 years on roll. Of these 18 children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery currently supports children with learning difficulties and /or disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 13 staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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 good. Children are developing an understanding of good personal hygiene through well organised routines. Older children have a good awareness of how and why they wash their hands regularly. Effective health and hygiene procedures are in place which minimises the risk of cross infection, such as staff wearing disposable gloves for nappy changing and children not attending nursery if they are unwell.

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Helping children to be healthy

A suitable level of staff hold first aid certificates and this ensures children's welfare in the event of an emergency occurring. Staff are well informed about children's health issues and all relevant accident and medication records are in place.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are offered a varied, nutritious diet. Meals are prepared by the college next door to the nursery on a daily basis. Children can help themselves to fresh fruit and drinking water throughout the morning. Staff are fully aware of individual children's dietary requirements.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy daily opportunities for outdoor play in a small covered area. However, physical play is not planned for on the curriculum and these sessions are mainly an opportunity for children to run around and release energy. They move with confidence and skill as they ride tricycles or steer push along cars. As the outdoor space is limited staff organise frequent trips around the local environment and this ensures children have a variety of outdoor experiences.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a generally well organised environment that is comfortably furnished and equipped, enabling children to make good use of the available space. The arrangement of the resources and equipment means that the children's independence is promoted as they are able to access resources from low level storage units as they wish.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's attendance is recorded in the daily registers. However, these records are inconsistently maintained and inaccurate at times. This compromises children's safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff are aware of safety issues within the nursery and conduct daily risk assessments to ensure the areas used remain safe. There are good security precautions in place, the main entrance is kept locked and parents or visitors gain access by ringing the bell to alert staff. Children practise fire drills regularly which helps them gain an awareness of fire safety issues.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have a good understanding of the possible signs and symptoms of child abuse and understand the procedures to follow if they were concerned. This promotes and safeguards children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and confident and generally settle well into the nursery routine. New children are learning to separate from their parents and staff are sensitive to their individual needs during these early days. Children under three years are engaged throughout their time at nursery. They play happily together learning to take turns and share. Staff are aware of the

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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 Birth to three matters framework and have a good understanding of developing early skills and provide lots of opportunities for them to explore and investigate. For example, children delight at ripping up paper and then using the glue spreaders to stick down the shredded paper. Staff plan activities based on the Birth to three matters framework but this is focussed more for the toddler age. Babies are provided with appropriate stimulating toys and resources but limited planning is in place for individual learning and achievements for this young age group.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of learning and teaching is good. Planning is effective and the children benefit from the staff's good knowledge of the Foundation stage curriculum. The nursery is set up to encourage children to be independent and get involved in various activities. The staff are well deployed and spend time with groups of children, extending their language and thinking. Children's attitudes to learning is positive, they are engaged and motivated throughout the day. They have good relationships with each other and familiar adults. They are learning to share and take turns as they play together and show care and kindness towards each other. Story times are organised into small groups and children are given the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings during this time. An older group of children listen intently to a story about 'being angry' and relate to their own emotions and experiences. Children enjoy

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

using various writing materials and are beginning to write for a purpose. For example, before going out to the local shops children are encouraged to make shopping lists. Children have good opportunities to begin to understand numbers, counting and develop problem solving skills as there are a varied range of activities. For example, children build railway tracks, fitting together each piece and begin to estimate how much more they will need to join up the tracks.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children explore and find about their local environment as they regularly go out for walks to places of interest, such as visiting the new Wembley stadium. Children's creativity is developing as they can access a range of paints, glues and materials. They enjoy finding out about how to make different textures with paint by adding sand and compare the differences of rough and smooth.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Assessments of children's development is good. Staff regularly observe children's development and record their findings in individual portfolios. However, there is limited information recorded on the next steps for learning for individual children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Staff are aware of individual children's needs which promotes children's happiness and security within the setting. Children's confidence grows through having the opportunity to make choices and through the respect and care shown to them by staff. Staff are sensitive to the needs of new children settling, giving them time to observe the environment and not pressuring them to join in straight away.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children have access to a meaningful range of resources and activities to promote a positive view of the wider world and increase their knowledge of customs and cultures. They take part in various celebrations and festivals throughout the year. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children have a generally good understanding of the boundaries within the nursery and respond to staff in a positive manner. Their behaviour is generally good and appropriate for their ages.

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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 Staff provide good support for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The special needs coordinator has attended relevant training and liaises with other agencies involved with individual children to support them effectively.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good. Staff welcome parents into the setting and make themselves available to exchange any information. Parents with children under two years receive daily written reports on their child's day and this ensures continuity of care. All other children have weekly feedback forms completed. The nursery holds workshops for parents on the Foundation stage curriculum which is well attended and ensures parents are aware of their child's learning at nursery. Children's portfolios and records of achievement are shared with parents when they leave to go to school.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The leadership and management of the setting is good. There is robust recruitment procedures in place to ensure all staff working with children are suitable to do so. All staff hold relevant childcare qualifications and many staff continue with further training to obtain National Vocational Qualification level three. The manager supports staff to attend further training and to develop their knowledge of the Foundation stage and Birth to three matters framework. Staff work well together as a team and consequently this is reflected in the good practice, which results in children being happy and content.

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Organisation

A key worker system is in place but it is not used effectively in the baby room. Young babies have too many carers attending to their needs which compromises the development of a close bond between one adult.

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Organisation

Documentation relating to the safety, welfare and health of children is mostly in place, however the register of attendance is not always correct.

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Organisation

The setting meets the needs of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection the nursery has made improvements in the care and education it provides. The kitchen area is kept clean and babies bottles are appropriately labelled. This ensures good hygiene is maintained to prevent cross infection and babies feeds are not mixed up. The security in the main playroom has been improved and all doors now have an additional handle higher up. This ensures children's safety.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Story times have improved as children are split into smaller groups and a welcoming book corner is now available. Planning and assessment methods have improved and staff plan the Foundation stage curriculum alongside the Birth to three matters framework. Opportunities for physical development has improved and children enjoy activities to develop their coordination and large motor skills. However, physical play activities are currently not included on the curriculum planning.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection 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. The provider is

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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 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 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): • ensure an accurate record of children's arrival and departure is recorded • develop planning for children under three years to ensure it meets the individual ages and stages of development • ensure the arrangements for staff minimises the amount of carers for babies under 1 year

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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 assessment methods to include the next steps of learning for children • ensure opportunities for physical play is included in the curriculum on a daily basis

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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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