Al - Noor Nursery

Al - Noor Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

311540 Unique Reference Number 01 November 2007 Inspection date Helen Blackburn Inspector

p.1

Batley Carr Playgroup, Batley Carr Comm. Centre, Hyrstland Road, Batley Carr, Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 7JT

p.1

E-mail

Safira Pandor Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional care Type of care

p.1

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

p.1

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.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Al-Noor Playgroup is one of two settings managed by an individual owner. The playgroup registered in 2000 and operates from rooms within a local authority community centre situated in the Batley Carr area of Dewsbury. A maximum of 26 children may attend the group at any one time. The group is open each weekday from 09.15 to 11.45 and 12.30 to 15.00, term time only. The children have access to a public park and sports court to the rear of the building.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 52 children on roll. All children receive funding for early education. Children attend from a wide catchment area. The nursery currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties, disabilities and with English as an additional language.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group employs six members of staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is working towards a further qualification. The group employs two part-time staff with appropriate qualifications to teach Islamic studies, which is an integral part of the playgroup curriculum. The group is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

p.2

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

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The environment for children is clean and staff maintain this through carrying out good hygiene practices. For example, they adopt regular cleaning routines for the environment, equipment and resources to minimise the risk of infection to children. Through practical routines, the children have a good understanding of the importance of personal hygiene. The children know to wash their hands at appropriate times and that by doing so they are protecting themselves from germs and illness. In addition, themes and topics linked to the education programme include activities about health and hygiene.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

The good management of illness protects children’s health and minimises the risk of cross-infection. The group policy clearly outlines that ill children should remain at home to protect the health of others. There are good procedures in place regarding the administration of medicines to children, although the need to do this is rare as the children only attend short sessions.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

The children have good opportunities to be active and to exercise, which helps them lead a healthy lifestyle. The children access a wide range of resources both indoors and outdoors to support their physical development. They enjoy riding bikes, playing chase games, climbing slides, balancing on beams, throwing and catching balls. The planning of physical play is an integral part of the curriculum programme. This ensures children also access a range of resources to support their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, such as mark making, cutting, construction and painting.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

The group understand the importance of promoting healthy eating to support children’s healthy growth and development. They provide a varied and nutritious range of snacks to support this, such as toast, fresh fruit and chopped vegetables. All snacks provided comply with children’s individual needs and cultural requirements. Through fun activities, the children are developing a good understanding of the benefits of eating healthily. For example, they discuss how foods help them grow and enjoy making healthy foods, such as fresh fruit kebabs. The children enjoy eating their snack together and use the time to socialise and interact with their peers.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The children are cared for in an environment that is safe and secure. There are a number of good safety precautions in place to contribute to this. For example, detailed risk assessments cover all aspects of the provision and staff vigilantly supervise children. The children are developing a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They take part in regular fire evacuations and through play, they know how to behave in safe way. For example, they know running indoors could cause accidents and staff talk to them about how they can use equipment safely, such as slides and scissors.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children access a wide range of resources that are safe and maintained in good condition. The use of low storage units is developing well to provide more opportunities for children to access resources in a safe way and independently. The space within the group is organised and utilised well to promote the welfare and safety of children. The room is set up in areas, which allows children to move freely between activities that support all aspects of their development.

p.3

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 The staff have a sound understanding of child protection issues to protect children from harm. They are aware of their responsibilities and follow appropriate procedures if they have concerns. For example, they know how to report and monitor concerns. The group know about the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. However, they await up to date documentation relating to this and, therefore, their policy contains some out of date information. There are good procedures in place to ensure staff are suitable to care for children, such as clear recruitment and vetting procedures.

p.3

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The staff are friendly and this contributes to providing a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere for children. This results in children being very happy and settled. The recent refurbishment of the premises means it is maintained in good condition and contributes to the welcoming feel created. There is a selection of children’s work displayed, which promotes a sense of belonging for children.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children have good relationships with the staff and other children. The staff know the children well. They effectively interact with children and involve themselves in their play. The children respond well to this and enjoy spending time with staff. For example, children invite staff to join in their game and offer to make them food out of the clay. By involving themselves in children’s play, they effectively support and challenge children’s development.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The staff have a good understanding of child development and how young children learn. This supports them in planning a challenging and stimulating range of play opportunities for children. This results in the children enjoying their time at the group, keeps them busy and results in the children being interested and motivated learners. For example, the children happily engage in painting, they laugh excitedly as they make bubbles in the water and enthusiastically join in the biscuit decorating activities. This demonstrates well their positive approach to learning. The children attending the group are all over three years so staff use the ‘Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage’ to help them plan children’s play. In addition, Islamic studies are an integral part of the nursery curriculum. Qualified Islamic teachers plan fun activities to help children learn about important aspects of the children’s customs and religion. For example,

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

skills that will help them in future life as they start to attend the mosque.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. The staff have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage. They effectively use the guidance to plan the curriculum for children across all areas of learning. This includes providing a good range of continuous play provision, supported by planned focus activities. These take into account children’s individual development and ensure staff challenge and support children according to their own needs. The staff ask children a good range of open-ended questions, which encourages children to use their initiative and develop their own ideas.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Through observations, monitoring and recording children’s development, staff successfully identify and plan for children’s next steps in learning. Through evaluating their practice and working with the advisory teacher, the staff are in the process of changing some aspects of the planning and recording systems to refine what they do and to enhance opportunities for children.

p.4

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 a result of the good teaching methods and stimulating curriculum, the children make good progress through the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. The children are happy, interested and motivated learners. They are developing good independence skills as they make their own choices in play and do things for themselves, such as putting on their own coats. Along with the good relationships they have with others, this supports their personal, social and emotional development.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's communication, language, literacy and mathematical skills are developing exceptionally well. The planning of activities in these areas is highly regarded by staff. The children are confident speakers and engage easily in conversations with others, both in English and their home language. The children thoroughly enjoy mark-making activities and this helps the children to develop good early writing skills. Many of the children are able to write their name and some children can write simple words by the time they leave the group. The children enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. This supports their early reading skills and develops children’s concentration. Most children recognise their name and some more able children write and read some simple words. Islamic studies also help the children to learn about the Arabic alphabet with confidence.

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children take part in a wide and challenging range of practical and fun activities to support their mathematical development. The children are using a good range of mathematical language during play. For example, children talk about how tall they are and the big clothes. The children count confidently and play games that involve number to help them learn about simple number concepts. The older children are confident in solving simple problems, such as one more or one less. The children name many shapes, both two and three dimensional, such as prism and sphere.

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are curious and inquisitive learners. They eagerly ask questions, explore their environment and take an interest in what they see. For example, children take part in activities that help them learn about living things, seasons, the weather and colours in the natural world. The children access some programmable toys to help them learn how things work and technology. These activities support children’s development in a knowledge and understanding of the world.

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children make good progress in their creative development. They use their imaginations well to express themselves and to share their ideas and thoughts. For example, children dress up and engage in role play activities, such as making tea for their friends. The children explore a good range of media, texture, musical instruments and art activities to develop their creativity. For example, children make three-dimensional food out of clay, paint pictures and create imaginative patterns in the mark-making area.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The staff have a positive approach to managing children’s behaviour. They regularly reward and praise how children behave and what children do well. There are clear and consistent guidelines so that children know what staff expect of them. These positive strategies result in the children behaving really well. The children play well together, they know about sharing and taking turns. For example, a group of children play cooperatively in the water and others patiently wait their turn to paint at the easel. Staff deal with minor disagreements well by clearly explaining why the behaviour is unacceptable. This helps children learn about right and wrong. In addition, the group has a written policy that supports the good practices in place.

p.5

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 have a sense of belonging within the group; for example, their work is valued and displayed around the group. The staff express their pleasure in children’s achievements, which gives the children a sense of pride in what they are doing. The activity planning is beginning to build on children’s interests and likes. The children are developing a good awareness of their own culture and the beliefs of others through activities, discussions and resources that positively promote diversity. In addition, through Islamic studies, which is an integral part of the group’s curriculum, the children learn about their own culture, their heritage and customs in a fun way. The children go on walks in the local community and welcome visitors to the setting so that they learn about others and the world in which they live. This ensures children have a positive

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

self-image, good self-esteem and a respect for others.

p.6

Helping children make a positive contribution

There is good support for children with learning difficulties or disabilities. The staff work closely with the local authority and have good regard to the code of practice to ensure they are proactive in meeting children’s individual needs. There is excellent support for children with English as an additional language. Most of the children start the group with very limited English. Through staff’s dual language skills and the high regard given to the planning of activities to support children’s language and communication skills, the children’s English skills develop very quickly.

p.6

Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good and there are strong relationships between the staff and parents. They work successfully together to meet children’s needs by regularly sharing and exchanging information. Through discussions, notice boards, policies, procedures and newsletters the parents know what service is provided for children. However, due to the recent renovation work, the entrance area displaying this information is currently being set back up. In addition, there is good information available on the education funding process and education programme, through leaflets and curriculum planning.

p.6

Helping children make a positive contribution

There are some good opportunities for parents to contribute to their child’s learning, development and progress. The children take home little tasks so that parents can support their child’s learning at home. Alongside parents, the staff complete a number of assessments on the children as they start at the group. This contributes to staff learning about children’s development, skills and knowledge. However, this tends to focus on children’s communication, language, literacy and mathematical skills and is more limited in other areas of development. This means staff are not fully informed about children's development and progress or their interests, to enable them to build on children’s knowledge when planning for their individual progress. In addition, due to lack of confidential storage, parents’ ready access to their child’s development and progress record is restricted. The parents spoke extremely positively about

p.6

Helping children make a positive contribution

the group, especially in regard to the attitude of staff, the wide range of activities the children are involved in, the work sent home to enable them to support their child’s learning and the exceptional progress their children make by the time they start school. This means children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

p.6

Organisation

The organisation is good. The staff work successfully together, they are organised and make good use of their time to effectively promote children’s well-being and meet their needs. For example, they deploy themselves well to ensure they meet adult to child ratios and to supervise children. The staff work hard to work within the constraints of the building, for example, the building is accessed by other community groups so all equipment must be cleared away daily. The staff work well together to overcome this as they organise their time to set up activities and clear away without affecting children’s play. The staff know the children well and use this to identify their needs

p.6

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 provide continuity and security for children. For example, staff recognise when new children become unsettled and provide comfort and reassurance for them.

p.6

Organisation

There are a number of documents in place that meet regulation requirements and contribute to the safe management of the setting. For example, policies and procedures provide sufficient detail to outline the service provided for children. However, some contain out of date information regarding the regulator or current legalisation, such as the complaints and child protection procedures. In addition, visiting children are occasionally not recorded in the attendance register. There is good information recorded on the children to ensure staff promote children’s welfare. This information is concise and up to date and includes information, such as emergency contact details and children’s individual dietary requirements.

p.7

Organisation

The leadership and management of the group is good. Management and staff are open to ideas and suggestions to enhance the service for children. They demonstrate their commitment to develop and enhance opportunities for children through accessing training and working with the local authority. They are also considering embarking on a quality assurance scheme to help them evaluate and reflect on their practice.

p.7

Organisation

The staff use training to help gain new skills and knowledge and evaluate what they offer children. They understand the benefits of monitoring and evaluating their personal development and appraisal systems are developing to help them with this, however, they are not yet effectively implemented in practice. The staff currently monitor their development through less formal systems, such as discussions and supervisions.

p.7

Organisation

Through training, questionnaires, evaluating plans and regular staff meetings the staff monitor and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the setting. For example, they regularly review a different area of learning and explore ways to enhance the provision. This includes purchasing new resources to challenge children’s development. Through clear induction programmes, the staff know what is expected of them and this ensures they successfully care for children. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

p.7

Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, the provider agreed to develop some documentation. The manager amended the incident record to ensure parents acknowledge any entries. This means that parents are aware of their child’s day and promotes continuity of care for children. The child protection policy includes procedures to be followed if any allegations are made against staff. This promotes and safeguards children’s welfare and protects them from harm.

p.7

Improvements since the last inspection

In regard to the nursery education, the provider agreed to improve physical play, develop systems to identify the children's next stage of development and explore ways to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the setting and staff. Physical development is well planned for in the curriculum programme and children now have regular access to a fully enclosed outdoor area. This supports children’s physical development and encourages children to be active and healthy. Through monitoring and recording children’s progress, staff identify children’s next steps in learning and use this to plan appropriate activities for individual children. This effectively supports children’s development and ensures they are challenged according to their own needs. Through adopting various ways of working, such as accessing training, holding meetings and working with the local authority, the staff are successful in monitoring the strengths and

p.7

Improvements since the last inspection

weaknesses of the setting. In addition, supervisions and discussions contribute to the monitoring of staff development.

p.7

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

p.7

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.8

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.

p.8

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.8

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 all documentation is kept up to date, relates to update information regarding the regulator and reflects current legislation.

p.8

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 and implement the systems for monitoring and supporting staff development (also applies to care) • extend the information parents share about their child's development and improve their access to their child's development and progress record (also applies to care).

p.8

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

p.8

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

p.8