Cygnets (Whelnetham)

Cygnets (Whelnetham)

Inspection report for early years provision

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Cygnets (Whelnetham)

Unique Reference Number EY298384 Inspection date 22 September 2005 Inspector Gill Thornton / Susan Smith

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Cygnets (Whelnetham)

Setting Address The Old School Hall, Stanningfield Road, Great Whelnetham, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP30 0UA Telephone number 01284 386203

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E-mail

Registered person Cygnets (Whelnetham) Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care, Out of School 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Cygnets Childcare is managed by a voluntary management committee made up of members of the local community, school governors and parents of children at the nursery. It opened in 2005 and operates from two rooms within the old school hall at the primary school in the village of Great Whelnetham, near Bury St Edmunds. A maximum of 26 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open

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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 in term time only from 09.15 to 11.45 and 12.45 to 15.15, with a lunchtime club in between. They also provide out of school care from 08.10 to 8.55 and 15.30 to 17.30 for children aged 3 - 14 years. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 42 children aged from 3 years to under 8 years on roll. Of these 16 children receive funding for nursery education. Children attend from the local community. The nursery employs two staff, who both hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene through well-organised routines and activities. They know to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet, and do so independently. Children's well-being is promoted because staff are well informed about children's health care matters and all the required documentation and consents are in place to support this. However, the form for recording medication administered is unnecessarily complicated and open to misinterpretation. Both members of staff have current first aid certificates, however they have not attended a 12 hour course as prescribed by the local authority. Children benefit from a healthy diet. Snacks are usually fruit or toast which children choose when to have, to help them learn about meeting their own dietary needs. Children staying for lunch can have school dinners or bring a packed lunch, which

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Helping children to be healthy

they eat in the school dinning hall so giving them a good introduction to school routines. Children are beginning to learn the importance of a healthy diet, through explanations from staff that cakes and biscuits are only for special occasions because the sugar in them is bad for their teeth. Children have free access to drinking water to ensure they are not thirsty. For the children attending the after school club, snack time is a social occasion when they sit together to share news about their day. Children enjoy a good range of physical activities which contribute to a healthy lifestyle. They take part in weekly physical activity sessions in the school hall and play on the equipment on the school field. They enjoy activities which help them develop control of their bodies, for example, confidently using ride-on toys or playing parachute games. Children have many opportunities to develop their small physical

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Helping children to be healthy

skills, for example, while cutting string or competently sprinkling flour onto playdough.

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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 clean and safe environment which has just undergone complete refurbishment to provide two well-organised rooms, where children can

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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 move around independently and in safety. The premises are secure and staff carefully monitor children's times of arrival and departure to keep them safe. At set times during the session children freely access the safe and secure outdoor area. All toys and equipment are appropriate and of high quality and organised to create an accessible and stimulating environment. Children's welfare is promoted because staff keep a written record of any existing injuries and are aware of the procedures to follow if they have a concern. Their child protection statement is shared with parents via the notice board. However, the child protection policy does not include procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff. Children's safety is promoted because the group identifies possible risks to children

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

and steps to be taken. For example, they are having an extra gate fitted at the front of the premises to keep children safe from the road. Children are kept safe on outings because separate comprehensive risk assessments are carried out, which are shared with parents. Children learn about safety during discussions with staff during everyday activities and they understand the rules, for example, they remind each other to hold hands as they walk across to the school.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children relish their time at the setting. They are eager and enthusiastic about the activities and resources available. All children are actively involved in purposeful play throughout the day. Their development is promoted by the thoughtfully laid out rooms and stimulating range of high quality toys and resources which give extensive opportunities for children explore their own ideas. Children's independence is fostered because they can freely select resources from the well-organised child accessible storage around the rooms. Children attending the breakfast club and after school club have free choice of the activities and resources they wish to play with from within the provision and other games are available for the older children. If the weather is fine they play on the school field. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. They have an

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

excellent attitude to learning and are motivated and engaged in a broad range of developmentally appropriate activities across the six areas of learning. Children display good levels of confidence as they independently access resources and equipment to follow their own interests. Children's self-esteem is nurtured and valued by staff who provide meaningful opportunities for children to initiate their own play, which staff extend through the skilful use of open-ended questioning. Children play together cooperatively and remind each other of the expected rules of

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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 behaviour. Most children are confident communicators, initiating conversations with their peers and adults and excitedly talking about things that are important to them. Children are able to recognise their own names and know that print carries meaning. They enjoy listening and responding to stories and understand how books work. Children are encouraged to name their own work and have opportunities for writing for a purpose. They count confidently to 10 and beyond and demonstrate an understanding of problem solving, for example, when taking part in number rhymes using resources in the 'maths sacks'. Children recognise shapes and use positional language and explore volume while playing with sand and water. Children have opportunities to learn about change and growth, for example, growing

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

bulbs. They talk about events in their lives and explore the local environment through walks round the village. Children show good levels of curiosity and use all their senses to investigate and explore various materials and resources, for example when bubble painting. They can operate everyday technology, and have good opportunities to design and construct using a range of tools and equipment. Children enjoy using their imagination in various planned and spontaneous role play situations. They express their creativity as they explore colour, texture and shape and develop their own ideas freely at the craft table using a range of media. Teaching provides realistic challenge for all children. Staff have a secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage and use this to provide a broad range of stimulating activities and experiences to motivate and extend children's learning. Planning is linked to appropriate stepping stones and identifies clear learning intentions. Staff are

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

beginning to adapt adult focused activities to offer challenge for more able children, however these activities are not always evaluated. A robust system is in place to record children's progress through the stepping stones using observations which identify children's next step in learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are highly valued as individuals and are able to make positive choices and decisions during their time in the setting. There are effective arrangements in place to care for children with special needs and the Special Educational Needs Coordinator works in partnership with other professionals to provide additional support. Children behave well and understand responsible behaviour. Staff use clear and consistent positive statements which help children learn what is expected of them. Children are learning to share and take turns and staff are skilled in intervening at the right time to encourage children to solve disputes for themselves. Children are beginning to develop a positive attitude to others and gain an understanding of the wider world through learning about festivals such as Chinese New Year and taking part in the Harvest Festival in the church. However, details of

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Helping children make a positive contribution

children's religion and ethnicity are not requested on their enrolment forms. Children enjoy taking 'Holiday Ted' on holiday with them, enabling them to share their

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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 experiences of the wider world with their peers. Children develop a sense of belonging because staff are interested in what they do and say and display enjoyment in children's achievements. The partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. Children benefit from the friendly relationships between parents and staff who share information verbally on arrival and collection. Parents receive termly newsletters to keep them up to date with the provision, however, they are given limited information on the Foundation Stage. Some parents know they can ask to see their children's records of progress but there are currently no formal channels in place for sharing these records with parents. The setting fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Operational procedures and policies work in practice to support the successful running of the provision to promote children's health, welfare and development. All the required written consents and documents are maintained to ensure staff follow parents' wishes regarding the children's care. The well-organised environment and effective staff deployment enhances children's enjoyment and achievement and ability to take an active part in their learning. Suitable recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure children are cared for by staff with a sound knowledge and understanding of how children learn. Leadership and Management is good. The management committee and staff have a clear vision of providing high quality nursery education with a strong focus on nurturing children's personal development. Staff have a clear understanding of their own roles and responsibilities and work

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Organisation

closely together to promote children's learning. Effective systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating the provision and future areas for development have been identified, for example, enhancing the use of the outdoor area to provide children with free access during the day. The needs of all the children who attend the provision are met.

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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

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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 staff have attended appropriate first aid training that meets local guidance and that medication records clearly show time to be administered • ensure child protection policy includes procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff.

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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): • develop opportunities for parents to become further involved in their child's learning and provide additional information to improve parents' knowledge of the Foundation Stage • ensure planned activities are evaluated against learning outcomes.

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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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