Trentham Academy

Twinkle Stars Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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144558 Unique Reference Number 22 August 2007 Inspection date Moreen Johnson Inspector

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416 Seven Sisters Road, London, N4 2LX Setting Address

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E-mail

Caribbean Community Centre 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Twinkle Stars Day Nursery was registered in 1998. It operates from the Caribbean Community Centre in the London borough of Hackney. It is situated in the basement of the community centre and operates from three rooms. The nursery is open each weekday from 09.00 to 18.00 all year round.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently eight children aged from one year to four years on roll, of these, two children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery currently supports a small number of children with learning difficulties.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs three members of staff, two of whom, including the manager, hold early years qualifications. One staff member is currently undertaking NVQ ( National Vocational Qualification) level 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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is inadequate. Children are at risk in the event of an emergency because the group has not requested parents' consent to seek medical treatment. There is no system in place for recording medication. However, parents give prior written consent to administer medication that ensures children receive the correct dosage according to their needs. Accident procedures are implemented well. Children receive appropriate treatment when they have accidents because most staff members are trained in first aid.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are encouraged to develop an understanding of personal hygiene. They are encouraged to wash their hands before eating. Staff adhere to good hygiene practices. For example, they are keeping the premises clean and following suitable nappy changing procedures and wipe the dining table before serving lunch. Children are developing an understanding about the harmful effects of germs. For example, staff explain that coughing over the food causes germs to spread.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are protected from infection. Children who are infectious do not attend thus preventing the spread of contagious ailments. Staff are aware that they must notify Ofsted and other relevant agencies about infectious and communicable diseases.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from a healthy diet. Staff promote healthy eating well by offering children a varied, healthy balanced diet. Children are encouraged to develop an understanding of the effect that eating a healthy diet has on their bodies. For example, the practitioner explains to the children that eating vegetables will make them grow big and strong. Children are given water throughout the day. Special dietary requirements are complied with and this ensures children remain healthy.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have opportunities to develop their whole body movement. They enjoy participating in the music and movement session. They move about energetically, jumping, raising their hands up and down and moving fast and slow. Children use the garden and the local park on a regular basis and have access to a range of equipment such as bikes and climbing frames.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. Children's wellbeing is compromised because the register is not accurate. Children are protected from harm as staff have a good understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and know what action to take if they have concerns about a child in their care. This ensures that staff recognise concerns and can act in the children’s best interest when necessary.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are cared for in a clean environment. They have easy access to a range of resources that are safe and well maintained. There are good arrangements made for children to rest. They sleep comfortably on mats and are supervised by staff.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are cared for in a safe environment. There is an appropriate security system in place for the safe arrival and departure of children and to protect children from intruders. Children are kept safe whilst moving around the nursery because staff are well deployed and provide children with good supervision. There are suitable procedures for carrying out risk assessments to protect children from potential hazards. Children are developing an understanding of fire

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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 safety because they have opportunities to practise fire evacuation. However, there is no evidence that fire drills are carried out regularly.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is inadequate. Children under three years are not encouraged to progress due to practitioners' limited understanding of how to plan appropriate activities. Although staff are aware of the Birth to three matters framework it is not used effectively to encourage children's development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children benefit from positive relationships with staff. For example, children are given reassurance when their disputes are resolved. They feel good about themselves and smile when their presence is acknowledged. Children are encouraged to develop their independence as they freely choose from a range of activities, such as story time, play dough, music and movement session and role playing. They confidently serve themselves at the lunch table.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is inadequate. Staff have a limited knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and are not clear how to support children to progress through the stepping stones. There is little evidence that planning is done on a regular basis. The few activity plans available lack detail and do not give sufficient information about how individual children are encouraged to achieve in the six areas of learning. The systems for carrying out observations and assessments is poor; observations are infrequent and assessments are not done. Staff do not always encourage children to extend their play or to challenge their thinking. Staff manage behaviour reasonably well. However, when they intervene to resolve disputes they do not give children explanations about why their behaviour is unacceptable.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy listening to stories and are encouraged to participate by touching the pages to identify different textures such as soft and frizzy. Children choose books independently and hold them carefully. The books area is not organised well as many book are stored in a deep box and are not easily accessible to children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing their language skills. They confidently talk about what they are doing and ask questions. For example, some children ask why a child is not present. Staff gives children a good explanation about why the child is not present stating that he is having an injection. However, staff do not take the opportunity to extend children's vocabulary by explaining the meaning of the word injection.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have opportunities to be creative. They enjoy singing a range of familiar songs and stomp their feet excitedly as they sing 'zoom zoom'. They are encouraged to appreciate a range of different music as they listen to an audio tape. Children enjoy playing the keyboard but staff do no actively encourage the children's interest. Children engage in role playing, some children pretend to cook whilst others cover themselves with blankets. They are not encouraged to link these activities to their every day experiences.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are learning how to count. For example whilst playing with animals they are encouraged to count up to four. They are developing an understanding of size by comparing two objects. However, children are given insufficient opportunities to develop an understanding of big and small.

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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 enjoy each others company. They enjoy dancing and laughing together as they take part in the music and movement session. Whilst in the book area they sit and listen to each other's stories. They behave generally well and respond positively when staff intervene to resolve disputes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is inadequate. Children's individual needs are not met well because they receive insufficient support to help them to progress in their learning. However, children are settled and are developing trustful relationships with staff. Children are encouraged to develop a positive attitude about others differences by having access to a range of resources that reflect diversity. Children with learning difficulties receive satisfactory support as a result of the close liaison between parents, staff and the local authority's inclusion team.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's self esteem is promoted generally well because they are encouraged to be independent. They are comfortable in each others company. They are developing a sense of right and wrong. This means that children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents for nursery education is inadequate. There are no formal systems in place to provide parents with information about children's progress in the six areas of learning. Parents are given verbal information about their children's care and they are invited to attend meetings to discuss the running of the nursery. There is no system in place to keep a log of complaints, which is a breach of regulation.

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Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. The setting does not keep accurate records of children's attendance. The following policies, records and procedures are not in place; a record complaints, system for recording medication and an uncollected children policy. These omissions are breaches of regulation.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is inadequate. The quality of the nursery education is poor and the provider lacks the knowledge and understanding of how to support staff to make the necessary improvements. However, the setting is committed to improve practice and has requested support from the local authority. The setting is also committed to improving staff knowledge through training. The setting does not meet the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The setting has made little improvement since the last inspection. They have complied with some of the actions made at the last inspection and now ensure that the visitors log is maintained, that staff have undergone vetting so that children are not placed at risk. The setting also ensures that there is appropriate staff cover during the manager's absence and that documents are available for inspection. However, the setting does not effectively evaluate the effectiveness of the nursery education. Staff have not developed their understanding of the Birth to three matter framework and the Foundation Stage curriculum. This means that children are not supported to progress in their learning.

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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

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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.

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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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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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care, the registered person must take the following actions: • develop staff knowledge and understanding of Birth to three matters and how to plan activities that will meet the needs of under three's • maintain up to date written documentation of the children's attendance, complaints, medication and uncollected children records. Also ensure that parents consent to seek emergency treatment is requested These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education, the registered person must take the following actions: • develop staff knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and how to implement a rigorous systems for planning, observation and assessments. • devise and implement a robust system which effectively evaluates the nursery education programme These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice. The Department for Education and Skills and the local authority have been informed.

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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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