Harefield School

Pippins Day Nursery & Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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135004 Unique Reference Number 11 January 2008 Inspection date Susan Victoria May Inspector

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Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Old Road, Headington, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 7LD

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Setting Address

01865 227872 Telephone number bramleys@fsbdial.co.uk E-mail Bramleys Nurseries Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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Setting Address

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?

Pippins Day Nursery is one of six nurseries run by Bramleys Nurseries. It opened in 2000 and operates in a two-storey building refurbished as an NHS workplace nursery at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington. Most children attending have parents working on the hospital site.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is registered to care for up to 49 children under eight years old and is open every week day from 07:15 to 18:30, except Bank Holidays. There are currently 60 children on roll, including 20 children receiving nursery education funding. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting is able to support children with disabilities/learning difficulties and those for whom English is an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are 11 members of staff working with the children, of whom over half hold a recognised childcare qualification. The provision also employs a cleaner and a cook.

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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. Bright, clean and fresh rooms provide the children with a pleasant environment for their play. A high standard of hygiene is promoted throughout the setting. Children are encouraged to use the bathroom independently and bathroom procedures are good, with child-sized toilets and sinks and easily accessible soap and paper towels. Nappy change areas are hygienic and all equipment is easily accessible, such as anti-bacterial spray to clean changing mats between nappy changes. However, not all staff follow nappy changing procedures stringently to help prevent cross infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

A clear sickness policy indicates a commitment to ensure the children are fit for nursery. Information gathered and shared enables staff to be aware of any dietary or health requirements of each child in their care. Several staff have first aid qualifications ensuring that accidents can be dealt with quickly and efficiently.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy healthy nutritious snacks of fruit as they sit in high chairs or at a table with their friends. Snack time is a warm friendly occasion where the children sit in small groups; older children have access to drinks throughout the day and pour their own drinks at mealtimes. An adult is at hand to help the children who are not so confident. Children are developing an awareness of the benefits of healthy eating because staff talk to them at snack and mealtimes about what they are eating and drinking. Babies and younger children have appropriately prepared meals and staff encourage them to use cutlery and beakers to develop their independence. Older children enjoy a lovely relaxed social occasion as they select their own cutlery, express preferences about the quantity of food they want and serve their own vegetables. Children wait until all are served before they start eating. This promotes

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Helping children to be healthy

independence and encourages good manners.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children experience good opportunities to develop their physical skills both indoors and out. Babies have their own enclosed area for fresh air and exercise and older children use the outdoor area daily to provide opportunities to develop their large body movements as they balance on planks, climb on and through fixed equipment and negotiate an obstacle course. Indoors they use puzzles, tools and construction toys to develop their finer movements.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Staff greet children and parents as they arrive and this enables children to enter happily and settle quickly into the nursery routine. The building is naturally light, spotlessly clean and welcoming with child related pictures and posters on display. Staff undertake regular safety checks within the nursery to ensure the safety of children; for example, radiators in each of the areas have been fitted with covers to ensure if they get hot children cannot touch them and burn themselves. Daily safety checks in the garden ensure the safety of children when they play outside. Children develop an awareness of keeping themselves safe, for example, they know what they need to do when practising evacuation procedures. There are good procedures in place to record visitors and students on the premises and all staff are aware of supervising such persons at all times.

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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 Children access a good variety of toys and activities within their daily routines and confidently select from the range set up. Staff rotate these to ensure children receive a wide variety each day. Staff ensure toys and resources are in good repair and suitable for the age and stage of the children, by sorting, washing and replacing them as required.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Senior staff have a clear understanding of safeguarding children procedures and the signs and symptoms of child abuse. Newer staff are unsure of procedures to follow, however they are aware that they would need to discuss concerns with senior staff within the rooms they work. Local Safeguarding children Board procedures and contact numbers are in place and parents are informed of policies and procedures when their children start at the nursery.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Staff relate well to the children; provide bright, welcoming surroundings and set out the rooms attractively to encourage the children to engage with activities. Children quickly settle, are comfortable and become happy in the provision as staff chat to them and encourage them to join in with the games and play. Children gain confidence and self-esteem as staff listen to their ideas and views and praise and encourage their achievements and efforts. The babies access self-rewarding, bright and suitable age appropriate equipment, which staff effectively encourage them to use. For example, babies crawl in and out of the play tent playing peek-a-boo, enjoy pressing the buttons on a toy to make sounds and roll cars to staff along the floor. Children in Koalas play happily in the soft play and explore materials such as 'gloop' and water play, while older children may select from a wide variety of activities available to them

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

throughout each session. Staff have a good knowledge of the early childhood curriculum such as Birth to three matters and the Foundation Stage to support children in their play and learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have their learning needs met well. Staff demonstrate they have a very good knowledge of the children’s likes, dislikes, preferred activities, interests and routines. Staff assess each child’s individual development needs and use this information in their weekly planning to help move them forward to achieve their full potential. Children make positive relationships and relate very well with the staff and other children. They enjoy social occasions, such as circle time and meal times, and play alongside one another harmoniously. Children often go to staff for support, comfort and guidance and frequently invite and welcome them into their play. Older children are beginning to form relationships with their peers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of Teaching and learning is good. The children have ample opportunities to take part in a range of fun learning activities during the nursery sessions. The educational programme identifies, through good planning, the six areas of learning, effectively taking into account the stepping stones along which children progress. Activities and resources are entirely age appropriate, for example, the computer and software is completely suitable for the level of understanding of the children. The room coordinator has developed the system for monitoring the children's achievements accurately and she uses the clear and detailed information this provides to effectively plan for the next steps in learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are making good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. They clearly enjoy and show interest in the activities and are beginning to develop independence as they put on their coats and shoes for outdoor play. The children follow the good role models the staff provide and strategies such as the ‘star’ reward system help motivate the children to

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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 behave well and show respect and care towards each other. Most children can recognise their own names and older children are beginning to identify the names of other children. The excellent use of labelling provides further opportunities for children to see the written word in every day use. Children have the opportunity to mark make relevant to their play, however, while planning indicates some phonic sessions there are few regular opportunities to increase children's awareness of letter shapes and sounds. The range of attractively displayed books to which the children have access is good and they choose to sit and look at them independently or together on large comfortable cushions in a quiet area. Books and posters are used successfully to support topic work, to extend knowledge of the children's own community and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the wider world and as an aid to creative development. For example, The ‘How Christmas is celebrated around the world’ display gives children an insight from a base with which they are familiar into the similarities and differences of other cultures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff ask questions which encourage the children to think and to introduce them to new words such as 'full' and 'empty' as they pour sand into different containers. Planned and everyday activities help children develop mathematical and problem solving skills; for example, as they match pairs of shoes in the shoe shop, measure their feet and record the sizes, decide how much the shoes cost and ‘pay’ for their purchases. Children are beginning to use numbers confidently; they recognise the date on the calendar and count out the spots on the dice, making the correct number of moves as they play a board game. Children enjoy a range of media to explore their creativity, use tools with increasing skill and participate eagerly in a range of songs from a growing repertoire. The outdoor curriculum is given consideration and children develop and reinforce thinking and physical skills as they park cars in numbered spaces

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and work out an obstacle course using planks, tyres and fixed equipment. The well organised indoor and outdoor area ensures children have exciting opportunities and good access to a range of meaningful resources to develop their own ideas and activities across the six areas of learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are highly valued as individuals and staff ensure they have good background information about them to effectively meet their needs. All children are welcomed warmly into the setting. Children receive praise and encouragement, and this helps them learn what is right and wrong. A reward system is in place and shared with parents, that recognises positive behaviour and achievements, such as helping tidy away. As a result children behave well, take turns and share resources with each other. Staff demonstrate a willingness to work with outside agencies to meet the individual requirements of children with learning difficulties/disabilities or for whom English is an additional language. Children develop positive attitudes to others through stimulating activities and an environment that reflects the lives of those who attend, and the wider community. Children begin to appreciate the diversity of the wider world through planned

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Helping children make a positive contribution

topics and the range of resources, particularly in the Polar Bears room, that reflect positive images available to them. Children demonstrate an increasing understanding of living things around them, for example, near the water tray a display clearly completed by the children, reflects waters many uses and why we need it. The children begin to learn about concepts such as kindness and care as they help each other in their play, pass and share toys and resources and show respect as they listen to each other and adults. Overall, children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered well.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Staff communicate well with parents at the beginning and end of the sessions, providing each other with relevant daily information about

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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 the children. Relationships are relaxed and informal. Parents are becoming increasingly involved in the care and learning of their children, for example, through sharing children's records, general information available to them of the daily routines and curriculum, and more specific information such as how to help children’s word recognition. This information is well received by parents and children benefit from this two way flow of information.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Staff make good use of the available space in the nursery. Children are confident and move with ease around all areas of the nursery identified for their use. The nursery is well maintained, clean, welcoming and warm for children and parents. Children's times and days of attendance are accurately recorded and there are effective procedures in place to record and monitor visitors to the setting. All of the required documentation is in place and staff follow effective procedures when completing paperwork, for example, ensuring parents see and countersign all accident reports. Comprehensive and thorough recruitment and induction procedures are in place; these ensure children are cared for by staff who are appropriately vetted. Children receive good support through effective staff deployment and staff are aware of most policies and procedures to promote the wellbeing of the children. The setting meets the needs of the

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Organisation

Leadership and management are good. Staff show a good awareness of early year’s guidance including the Foundation Stage and the Birth to three Matters framework. Most staff are involved in the planning process and children receive an interesting, fun and varied curriculum. Staff attend regular meetings and use these to discuss planning, daily routines and individual children. Effective procedures are followed to record children's progress and identify their next steps in learning. Staff evaluate activities and use this to inform future planning. To identify staffs individual strengths and weaknesses and to evaluate the future needs of the setting there are annual appraisals and evaluation processes in place. Staff have regular opportunities to attend training sessions to update their individual knowledge and skills.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, the provision had two recommendations for the Care inspection and three points for consideration for the Nursery Education inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

To develop staff's knowledge and understanding of child protection issues, procedures have been reviewed and some staff have completed Safeguarding Children’s training. However, while new staff are aware to discuss possible concerns with senior staff they appear unsure of Local Safeguarding Children’s Board procedures. To protect the safety and welfare of the children this remains an area for further consideration.

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Improvements since the last inspection

A written statement on special needs which is consistent with current legislation and guidance is in place and a designated person has been assigned who has had further training. This is shared with staff to increase knowledge and understanding.

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Improvements since the last inspection

To increase opportunities for children to count in everyday activities staff offer a range of games and resources for children to experiment with in their play. Adult led conversations,

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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 songs and games help children identify and use numbers in familiar activities. For example, children confidently count out the spots on dice during a board game.

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Improvements since the last inspection

To provide more opportunities for children to use space and large equipment to develop physical control and coordination, the outdoor area is considered when planning and activities offered include, for example, an obstacle course where children balance on planks and competently ride wheeled toys negotiating a path of their choice.

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Improvements since the last inspection

To extend the system of written plans to ensure that staff are aware of their role in achieving the intended learning outcomes for children of different ages and abilities. To achieve this staff regularly meet together to discuss their key worker children and to forward plan, taking into account the age and stage of development of 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 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): • improve staffs knowledge of procedures to ensure all staff have regard to appropriate nappy changing practices • continue to develop staff's knowledge and understanding of child protection issues

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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): • provide regular opportunities for children to link sounds to letters, naming and sounding the letters of the alpahabet

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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 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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