Lincewood Primary School

St Anne's Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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134022 Unique Reference Number 17 September 2007 Inspection date Jan Leo Inspector

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48 Woodstock Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 6HT Setting Address

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E-mail

St Anne's Day Nursery Registered person Childcare 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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

St Anne's College Day Nursery was established over 30 years ago. It provides care only and it primarily serves staff at the university. It is a private nursery, managed by a committee of staff and representatives from St Anne's College.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting is situated in premises within the college grounds and the group have use of two open-plan play areas, kitchen and toilet facilities. There is access to an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The nursery opens on weekdays, during term time, from 08.45 to 17.15 and the children attend for a variety of sessions.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is registered to accept a maximum of 13 children under the age of eight years at any one time. There are currently 16 children on roll between the ages of six months and three and a half years. The setting provides support for a small number of children for whom English is an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are four members of staff working with the children on a full and part time basis, three of whom are qualified to level 3 or above and one is studying for a nationally recognised qualification.

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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 satisfactory. Children receive a high degree of attention in order to settle well and feel welcome at the nursery. They benefit from regular fresh air and exercise because they have free access to the garden area and frequently choose to play outdoors. The staff ensure children dress sensibly whatever the weather, donning dressing up outfits over warm clothing on chilly days, and wearing hats and sunscreen to protect their skin when the sun shines. Children learn good practice regarding hygiene from an early age, washing their hands and blowing noses frequently to avoid the spread of germs. Some staff have first aid certificates to equip them with the skills to treat children's injuries. Accident records are clear but staff do not record all injuries and incidents where no wound is visible, and they are not confidential because there are several entries on each page. The staff generally obtain a signature from parents or carers as evidence

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Helping children to be healthy

of prior consent to give medication but parents fail to sign at times and some records are not clear. Children sit sociably together for nutritious meals and snacks. They bring their own packed lunch from home, and the staff advise adults of suitable foods to include in lunchboxes. All children have refreshments at the same time, with some sitting at low tables and younger children in high chairs. An older, sensible child helps to give out drinks, saying the children's names as they do so to help everyone become friends. They all eat heartily before independently washing their hands and preparing for rest during the middle of the day. The children sleep according to their needs in prams outdoors, cots inside, or on occasional beds if they are older. Each child knows the routine, is very relaxed and emotionally secure.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children spend their day in a clean, light and well-maintained building with ample space to move around freely. They use a wide variety of toys and equipment that is suitable for their age and ability. Staff check all resources as children play, in order to remove dangerous or broken items. The staff complete informal risk assessments of the environment and initiate prompt repairs to keep all areas safe. All personnel learn about fire drills and the children practise emergency evacuation regularly. There is no record of which staff are present at fire drills to ensure all put the theory into practice to become fully conversant with the procedure. The staff supervise children closely at all times to ensure they play safely. This is a small nursery where staff have a clear view of all visitors. However, there is no record of visitors, compromising safe evacuation in emergencies. The staff have a sound understanding of their responsibility

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

to safeguard children from harm and they cover the setting's child protection policy as part of their induction. There is no formal system in place for reviewing procedures to ensure staff remain up to date and confident about making a referral. The reference material, on file to help speed the referral process, is out of date and does not reflect recent changes regarding the Safeguarding Children Board.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children begin to play as soon as they arrive. All separate easily from their carers and link with adult and other children at their chosen activity. The staff prepare the nursery before children arrive to ensure it provides a balanced, stimulating range of activities each day to help children

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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 develop and learn. The staff join in play asking 'can you press the duck noise, where is the duck?' to discover what babies know and praising their success to boost their confidence. They show others how to activate a ball to send coloured stars whirling around. The children learn by watching the staff, and they repeatedly copy what adults do to demonstrate their enthusiasm for learning and show off new skills. The staff remain alert at all times, so that they can, for example, develop conversations initiated by the children and turn pushchairs around when toddlers come up against a wall. The staff work tirelessly throughout the day, dedicating all their time to the children to encourage independence within the safety of the nursery. The size of the nursery, along with the dedication of the staff, help create a family feel where children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

gain confidence and are eager to try everything on offer. All thoroughly enjoy their day.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. All children develop independence from an early age and consistently receive praise from the staff, to raise their confidence and self-esteem. Staff treat all as individuals to enable them to develop at their own rate, but they follow a routine to ensure children know what to expect and feel they belong. Staff work with parents and carers to approve specialist help if children need it, in order to overcome difficulties and reach their full potential. All children behave well because the staff are very good role models for them to follow. The staff show genuine affection for the children and work extremely effectively together to build a sociable, close-knit group. Some families have been using the setting for many years and build friendly relationships with the staff. They benefit from daily conversations about their children and individual care arrangements, but receive poor quality written information about how the setting operates.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

For example, whilst a policy folder is available on request, many documents are out of date, incomplete or inaccurate. As a result, parents and carers do not have the necessary information in order to contact Ofsted if they wish to pass on their comments about the setting, or make a child protection referral if they have Safeguarding concerns. In addition, the complaints procedure does not reflect recent changes in Regulation and specify how a complaint is investigated and the regulatory timescales.

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Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. The setting does not meet the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. The children enjoy attending and, in practice, their care is good. However, the staff work all day without a break from the children and have no scheduled administration time to maintain the paperwork to the required standard. In addition, they receive very little support from the management committee, who only react to specific requests rather than taking a pro-active role in monitoring and overseeing the nursery. As a result, there are several breaches in Regulation making the setting inadequate and many of the policies are out of date. The staff enjoy their work and support each other well to make the day run smoothly and ensure children feel secure. They keep the setting clean and safe but do not have effective formal procedures for recording visitors, and ensuring accident and medication records are consistent. Most staff have a

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Organisation

qualification and experience to ensure children's comfort and developmental needs are met effectively, but the lax standard of administration seriously compromises safety. For example, committee changes are not notified to Ofsted in order for the checking process to be completed and the daily attendance register does not contain arrival and departure times as an accurate record of who is on site if evacuation is necessary. In addition, the date of birth is unknown for some children, jeopardising any emergency treatment if they have an accident. There are no

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 formal procedures for supervising and appraising staff to identify training needs and no systems in place to monitor and review practice to make sure the setting operates effectively.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There was one recommendation set at the last inspection, requiring the staff to record children's progress regularly to help plan their future development and learning through play. The staff now follow Birth to three matters and the Oxfordshire profiles to assess what children do and they record children's progress after regular observations. The staff use the information to identify areas to focus on and ensure planning includes new skills and challenges for each child.

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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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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

To improve the quality and standards of care, the registered person must take the following actions: • routinely notify Ofsted of changes to the registered provider (the committee) • ensure the committee effectively supports the staff in the day to day running of the setting in order to comply with National standards and Regulations • ensure an accurate attendance register is maintained for both staff and children, showing arrival and departure times throughout the day • keep a record of the date of birth for each child • update policies and practice documents to reflect recent changes in Regulation, and ensure they contain accurate details and contact information. 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 care

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 care

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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