Nightingales Day Nursery

Nightingales Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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302013 Unique Reference Number 20 November 2007 Inspection date Dawn Bonica Brown Inspector

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Airedale General Hospital, Skipton Road, Steeton, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6TD

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Setting Address

01535 294092 Telephone number valerie.hogg@anhst.nhs.uk E-mail Airedale NHS Trust 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?

Nightingales Day Nursery was registered in 1969. It operates from a single storey building in the grounds of Airedale General Hospital and serves employees of the National Health Service and Social Services. A maximum of 82 children aged under five years may attend the nursery at any time. The nursery is open each day of the week from 07.00 until 19.00 for 52 weeks of the year. All children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 108 children aged from 10 weeks to five years on roll. Of these, 21 children receive funding for early education. The nursery currently supports children with disabilities and learning difficulties and also supports children with English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 28 members of staff, of whom all hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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 have a good awareness of healthy hygiene routines and are well supported to become independent through good use of resources. For example, children learn hygiene routines by following child-friendly diagrams in the toilet and use paper towels from a child height, wall mounted dispenser.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children remain healthy because staff practice is good. Hygiene routines are followed consistently to prevent the spread of infection. Children are well protected from cross infection through up-to-date staff knowledge of the correct procedures. Parents are fully aware of how to prevent cross contamination in the setting through good communication with staff. Children's health is promoted through good maintenance of the required documentation, such as obtaining prior written consent from parents to seek emergency medical attention. Well-written procedures for children who are sick prevent the spread of contagious ailments. For example, children who are contagious do not attend. This acts in the best interests of children to protect all those being cared for.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's welfare and well-being are closely protected because a significant number of staff hold current and relevant first aid certificates. This means that they are able to administer first aid promptly in the event of an accident.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are well nourished. They eat a balanced and varied diet that is nutritious and caters for a range of needs, including religious and dietary preferences. Children help themselves to snacks and drinks of milk or water when they are hungry or thirsty. They develop a positive attitude to mealtimes through eating their meals as a social activity at tables laid with tablecloths.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children engage in regular outdoor activities in well planned outdoor areas to meet the needs of the range of children. For example, younger children enjoy using a purpose built, separate outdoor play area with a covered porch and wear all-in-one waterproof overalls to protect them from the rain. All children enjoy a wide range of outdoor activities using high quality equipment so that they run, jump, climb and practise balancing and manoeuvring round objects every day.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children enjoy a wide range of stimulating activities in a well-organised, safe environment. The premises are clean and well-maintained with good facilities to support children's independence. For example, space is used effectively to help children access resources through child height shelving from which they select a range of toys and resources easily.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young children and babies play with high quality resources and enjoy stimulating play using a well equipped home corner. Toddlers select books easily from a wall mounted, front facing book rack and babies enjoy themselves in a stimulating environment where they learn to crawl, pull themselves up and practise walking safely. Pre-school children engage in cooperative play in the home corner where they dress up and enjoy pretend play using a wide range of facilities that inspire their play.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children benefit from good risk assessments by staff who are vigilant and follow safety procedures rigorously. For example, all children benefit from use of soft landing surfaces in

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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 their outdoor play and certain areas provide good shelter from the elements. They have a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe and talk knowledgeably about what happens in an emergency evacuation. Their awareness of road safety is promoted through child-centred activities, such as visits from road safety personnel and through practising road awareness in their outdoor play, using road markings.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are well protected from abuse because all staff are trained in child protection awareness and understand the procedures they should follow. They are knowledgeable about potential signs and symptoms that would cause concern and retain the correct contact numbers for reporting. This means that they can act quickly in the child's best interest to safeguard their welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are well stimulated through good play opportunities and activities. For example, babies enjoy a very wide range of activities that involve messy play, treasure baskets and lots of individual attention from staff with whom they have formed secure attachments. Young children have their own outdoor space with a porch so that they enjoy outdoor play in all weather. Toddlers are carefully protected so that they can enjoy stimulating play outdoors in light rain wearing all-in-one waterproof overalls with hoods.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young children's development is promoted well through the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework. They are allowed time to explore and re-visit activities so that they assimilate what they are learning throughout the session. Children moving up to the pre-school room enjoy short sessions on visits to familiarise themselves with the new environment at a pace which suits them individually. All children are busy and highly involved in the activities provided. They are happy and settled as they have made friends and relate well with each other. Children are friendly and curious and interested in what is going on around them. They demonstrate a high level of confidence as they exercise their free choice of activities and experiences.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff demonstrate a very good understanding of the early learning goals and how to promote children's learning. Children benefit from well planned coverage of the curriculum so that they make good progress in the Foundation Stage. Staff adapt activities well to ensure that children receive sufficient challenge according to their stage of development. Children learn through first hand experiences, which has a positive impact on their behaviour. Staff manage children's behaviour in a relaxed non-confrontational way, which helps children to learn right from wrong effectively.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children with disabilities or learning difficulties benefit from inclusive provision. Staff communicate with parents and specialists sensitively to identify children's starting points and produce effective plans for their progress. Children with disabilities or learning difficulties gain in skill and confidence through good use of resources, effective adult support and stimulating activities which benefit all children in the setting. Children with English as an additional language benefit from the setting's pro-active approach. These include, the use of a language translation facility.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn to be independent by practising every-day routines, such as putting on their own coats. They learn to take responsibility for others by caring for plants and animals, such

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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 as snails. Children develop positive attitudes to sharing as they negotiate with each other in group games to achieve common goals. Their experience of the wider community is fostered through resources which help them to understand how other families live and the various beliefs of other cultures. Kindness and courtesy is noticed and praised within the setting and younger children learn how to behave through varied strategies. For example, a special sitting doll helps to show them how to sit at circle time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn to recognise their own names through routine activities. For example, at snack time they select and post their name cards when they have eaten. Their listening skills are fostered well through interactive group games teaching them how to discriminate sounds to help with phonics. Children speak clearly and this is promoted well through speech and language activities, developed for children with speech difficulties, such as 'Ginger Bear', who helps children to learn about society. They listen attentively at story time and look at books independently and with pleasure. Children are interested in the printed word and practise writing in their spontaneous play, such as sending letters to each other.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's progress in mathematics is promoted well through the skilful use of two computers. They help children to recognise numbers and follow sequences through stimulating number games, which keep them enthralled for long periods. The outdoor space is used very well to promote number recognition, with numbered parking spaces for wheeled toys and corresponding numbered wheeled toys. Children are excited by and highly involved in action songs that include the use of puppets and other objects. They learn about weight and capacity through stimulating water play with a wide range of interesting implements.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn about the local environment on nature walks, when they collect cones, leaves and conkers for the nature table and hunt for mini beasts. Their sense of time is promoted through the use of interesting resources, such as the 'travelling teddy'. In learning about 'people who help us' children are thrilled by a visit from the police as they look at the van, wear police helmets and coats and look at police equipment, such as radios, blue lights and sirens. Children take advantage of good opportunities to use computers. For example, a child is engrossed in a self chosen task at the computer using the mouse to select colours and filling the screen with a range of vivid colours.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children demonstrate good spatial awareness and move well to negotiate space efficiently indoors and outdoors. They use wheeled toys to manoeuvre round objects and run and stop under control. Children understand their physical needs and help themselves to snacks and drinks when they want to and visit the toilet when they need to. They benefit from first hand experiences which help them to understand their own needs, such as putting on their own coats to go outdoors and basic hygiene principles, such as washing their hands before preparing food.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's imagination is fostered through movement to music. They use their senses to explore the environment through a range of media. For example, they learn to recognise the smell of herbs in the sensory garden, listen to wind chimes and a variety of sounds through musical instruments. Children are creative and explore media and materials through mixing colours and through a wide range of other craft activities. They express their emotions in role play throughout the setting using a range of materials, including various sizes of cardboard boxes. They create dens in the garden and produce a wide range of original artwork, make bird cake and encourage birds into their garden with a nesting box and bird feeder. Children enjoy cooking and baking activities, especially bread making, and make fruit kebabs as part of their healthy eating theme.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Good manners are fostered well in the setting and children are encouraged to say please and thank you to each other, so that it comes naturally to them and they do this in their spontaneous play. Children are treated with respect so that they learn to be polite and their good manners are noticed immediately and praised. Children’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are allowed to take responsibility for their own actions because they are given plenty of choices in almost all areas. They learn how their actions affect others through gentle discussions which are not confrontational and help them to understand the feelings of others. Challenging behaviour is managed calmly and successfully so that children can see other points of view and begin to learn self control.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good. The setting has strong relationships with parents and they are very happy with the provision. Parents find the staff approachable and friendly. They appreciate advice from staff, who offer support in varied and sensitive ways. These include relevant cuttings from professional publications and useful resources to help with parental concerns, such as potty training. Parents understand how the setting works and know which topics their children have covered, what trips children have undertaken and interesting visitors to the group.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are valued and included because the staff listen to them, give them plenty of opportunities to choose their own learning agendas and encourage a sense of belonging. This is promoted well by giving children their own storage spaces within the setting so that they can keep their personal belongings safe. Children benefit from an effective key worker system as staff know the children well and liaise with parents to ensure that they provide good continuity of care.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with disabilities or learning difficulties are effectively included in activities through a range of methods. These include good individual learning plans, strong relationships with parents and effective working with specialists to develop high quality resources and activities, which help all children in the setting.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with English as an additional language benefit from the setting's links with a translation facility. This supports staff in developing resources to help children understand routines and how to take full advantage of the play opportunities available.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from activities and resources which help them to value diversity and to learn about other cultures. For example, the celebration of festivals from around the world.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children learn to value the differences in society through a wide range of resources reflecting positive images of cultural diversity throughout the setting. This is reflected in children's role play, books, posters and jigsaws. However, the range of books reflecting positive images of disability is not readily available to children.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children benefit from care by well qualified staff who consistently review their practises in order to improve. Resources are organised efficiently so that children initiate their own learning

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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 and gain confidence. Children play in a stimulating environment that is child-orientated and welcoming.

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Organisation

Children's welfare is promoted through good management of documentation. This ensures that the records, policies and procedures which are required to promote their welfare are processed efficiently. Overall, the setting meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is good. There is a clear sense of purpose and commitment, demonstrated through effective procedures to promote staff development. Monitoring and evaluation of the setting is effective, which helps the setting to assess its own strengths and weaknesses. The setting demonstrates a strong commitment to the improvement of care and education for all children. This is evident in improvements since the last inspection and the effective implementation of staff skill and training, which enhances children's enjoyment of the setting.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection for care the provider was recommended to obtain prior written permission from parents before administering non-prescribed medication to children. Children's welfare has improved through appropriate record keeping which obtains the correct prior consent from parents.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The point for consideration arising from the last inspection for nursery education recommended that planning should be evaluated. Children's welfare has improved through evaluation of their learning programmes.

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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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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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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): • continue to create more opportunities for children to access a wider range of resources reflecting positive images of disabilities (also applies to nursery education).

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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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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): • make improvements as indicated in the care section above.

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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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