Cherubs Day Nursery

Cherubs Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY347048 Unique Reference Number 05 July 2007 Inspection date Catherine Hill Inspector

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118 Cove Road, FARNBOROUGH, Hampshire, GU14 0HG Setting Address

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01252 517026 Telephone number cherubs@ntlworld.com E-mail Cherubs Kindergartens Ltd Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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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?

Cherubs Day Nursery is privately owned by Cherubs Kindergartens Limited. It was re-registered in 2007, but has been in operation since 2001. It operates from self-contained premises off a main road in Cove, Farnborough. Children are accommodated on two floors, comprising of a base room for older children, educational room, messy play area, quiet room, separate baby room upstairs and sleep rooms. There is a secure outdoor play area. The nursery serves the needs of families in the area and the local business community. The setting is registered to care for a maximum of 38 children aged under eight years. There are currently 40 children on roll with 15 of these in receipt of nursery education funding. The nursery supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. The nursery operates each weekday from 08.00 to 18.00, excluding Christmas and

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Bank Holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions or stay all day. There are two part-time members of staff and six full-time staff currently working with the children; six staff hold a recognised early years qualification and professional development is ongoing for all staff. The nursery also have an on-site cook. The setting receives support through a teacher mentor from the local school and the Local Authority.

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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 stay healthy and are protected from illness and infection because staff follow good health and hygiene policies and procedures. They wear aprons when serving meals and clean tables with anti-bacterial spray before children sit to eat. Children play in a clean environment and understand when they need to wash their hands. For example, they go without prompting to wash their hands after messy play and staff ensure all children have clean hands before eating. The majority of staff are first aid trained and children receive appropriate care if they have accidents. Detailed, confidential accident records are maintained alongside medication records, although parents do not generally sign to acknowledge when medication has been administered. Children rest and sleep according to their needs. Staff meet children's needs well as they share information on children's diet and routines with parents. Children have good

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Helping children to be healthy

appetites and independently feed themselves, as appropriate to their age and stage of development. Parents provide fresh fruit daily for children's snack time and the nursery also provide children with opportunities to try different fruit, for example, they recently tried star fruit. Children develop healthy bodies as they are provided with a varied, balanced diet at the nursery and have daily opportunities for physical activity.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children thoroughly enjoy play outside in the fresh air where they skilfully manoeuvre wheeled toys around. They eagerly take turns to use the climbing frame and younger children develop in confidence as staff sensitively support them to climb up and get down. All children move freely around their nursery rooms and use a range of age appropriate resources to develop their fine motor skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are familiar with the layout of the nursery and are totally at ease as they play and learn. They are greeted warmly on arrival and immediately settle to play with a range of activities. They have their own named coat pegs which gives them a sense of ownership of their environment and their artwork is displayed throughout the nursery providing a stimulating environment for them. Staff set out a range of resources and activities for children ready for their arrival. Children show interest in what is set out and actively engage themselves in exploring resources. Resources are well labelled and rotated throughout the day to provide children with a wide variety of activities to promote learning in all skill areas.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children keep safe within the nursery and their welfare is safeguarded as staff understand their role and responsibilities with regard to child protection. The premises are kept secure and all visitors are welcomed by staff who ensure written records are kept of those in the nursery. Staff undertake daily safety checks to ensure all areas are safe for children and internally hazards have been minimized, for example, socket covers are in place and safety gates used, as appropriate. Fire safety equipment is in place and staff are familiar with the procedures for emergency evacuation of the building. However, the nursery's written fire procedure is not displayed and the last fire drill was carried out in February which means children have not had the opportunity to reinforce their understanding of how to keep themselves safe in the event of an emergency. This is contrary to the nursery's written safety procedure which states that

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

fire drills will be held at least twice a term. Staff are vigilant regarding sleeping children and regular recorded checks are carried out. Outside, staff position themselves strategically to

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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 ensure children remain safely within the play area and also so that they play safely on the climbing frame.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children play happily at the nursery where they are supported by kind, caring staff. They develop in independence as they freely choose activities and age appropriate toys to play with. Young children, for example, beam with delight as they listen to the sounds they make banging a drum while others jiggle happily as they activate the music on interactive toys. Older children play cooperatively with a train set and develop their motor skills as they draw round different shape templates. Staff get down to play with babies and younger children at their level and provide cuddles and lots of smiles to reinforce children's sense of well-being. Staff are sensitive to children's individual needs and allow children time for independent exploration. They listen to children and take a continual interest in what they are saying and doing. Children have daily opportunities to develop in all skill areas and dated records are kept showing individual children's

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

achievements. Staff working with those under three have some understanding of how learning links to the Birth to three matters framework. However, planning and assessment records, which the nursery are in the process of revising together with their planning for older children, do not currently show links to the framework.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff use questions effectively throughout sessions to make children think. They maintain a calm, relaxed atmosphere in which children absorb themselves in play and learning. Children have daily opportunities to access activities which promote learning in all skill areas. Daily plans show how activities link to the early learning goals of the Foundation Stage but do not show the intended learning outcome of activities or how activities will be differentiated to meet individual children's learning needs. Records are maintained of children's progress through the stepping stones and annotated work books contain examples of children's achievements in the different learning areas.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. They immediately involve themselves in activities as soon as they arrive at the nursery thereby demonstrating a strong motivation to learn. They concentrate well, for example, when practising letter formation, and develop their problem solving skills as they negotiate with each other over role play resources to be shared fairly. They behave well as they are actively occupied and well supported and show consideration for others as, for example, one child passes a specific coloured pen to a waiting child when they have finished using it. Children have a good understanding of letter/sound links as staff use opportunities well to reinforce and further develop children's knowledge. Children recognise written letters which are in their name and are proud of their achievements. They are eager to learn, listen attentively to stories and are able to answer questions about the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

pictures in story books. Their mathematical development is good. They are confident with numbers and counting and staff support children to reinforce and consolidate their number skills by encouraging them to repeatedly count from one how many ladybirds are left as they decrease from 10 down to one. Children enjoy this activity and ask to do it again. They have fun sorting and matching buttons and show an understanding of size as they correctly hold up a big button compared to the others.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have excellent opportunities to learn about the natural world. Staff make good use of the outdoor area to support children in planting and growing flowers, herbs and vegetables.

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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 help water and weed the garden area and all are able to smell and feel the grown produce. For example, children notice the smell of mint and giggle and laugh as they watch the movement of fennel. They are able to use the computer to support their learning and develop their knowledge of the wider world through local walks and by listening to planned visitors to the setting, for example, the police. Children have great fun outside developing their physical skills as they skilfully manoeuvre wheeled toys around the pathway. They use the climbing frame with confidence and indoors they reinforce their fine motor skills using a variety of small scale equipment and tools. They have a good understanding of the different parts of the body and correctly point to each part named by staff. They enjoy creative activities and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

use their imagination well as they pretend to talk on the telephone during self-initiated role play. They absorb themselves in free painting, easily recognise different colours and join in readily with songs and action rhymes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children behave very well in the nursery where they receive good support from staff who act as positive role models with regard to manners. Children have good relationships with staff and each other and they are quick to notice a change of tone in a member of staff's voice and regulate their behaviour accordingly. All children are treated with equal concern and all have equal opportunity of access to all age appropriate activities. They are sociable, chatty and have good self-esteem as a result of the praise and encouragement they receive from staff. Staff work with parents to meet the needs of all children including those with any learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is appropriately fostered by staff.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents are positive in their praise of the nursery and staff who they find to be 'very caring and nurturing'. Parents of children in receipt of nursery education funding are given an end of term written report about their child's progress and all parents have daily verbal opportunities to exchange information about their child with staff. Parents also receive daily written information with details of their child's day. Regular newsletters and information displayed keep parents informed about nursery practice, although information displayed does not include details of planned activities throughout the nursery and how they link to the different learning areas.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Staff are generally well organised throughout the nursery to provide children with a friendly, homely atmosphere in which to play and learn. Staff work together as a team to ensure that children's needs are met and that they have a happy time. Children are relaxed, content and enjoy their time in the nursery where they laugh and play cooperatively together. Documentation is in place to support all areas of practice, although detail is missing from some daily registration and medication records and emergency escape procedures have not been displayed, nor have regular fire drills been carried out or recorded. The leadership and management of nursery education is good. Practice is regularly reviewed and monitored and areas for improvement identified. For example, planning and assessment records have been identified throughout the nursery as an area for improvement and the nursery are currently working in liaison with an

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Organisation

early years development officer to ensure these records are positively developed with improved detail on learning outcomes and curriculum links. Professional development is supported for

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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 staff to ensure their skills and knowledge are furthered and continually updated. Overall, the nursery meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration 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 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 safety by clearly displaying emergency evacuation procedures on both floors of the nursery and by ensuring fire drills are regularly carried out with written records maintained • improve planning and assessment records to clearly show how the Birth to three matters framework is being used to support children's development • ensure all daily attendance records clearly show arrival and departure times for all children and improve medication records by obtaining written parental acknowledgement of medication given

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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): • improve planning records to clearly show the stepping stone learning focus of activities and differentiation within activities and develop children's assessment records to clearly show their future short term learning targets • further improve partnership with parents by providing them with information on planned daily activities for children showing how these activities link to learning within the Foundation Stage curriculum.

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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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