The Old Bridge Nursery

The Old Bridge Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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314188 Unique Reference Number 11 December 2007 Inspection date Julie Morrison Inspector

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1 Jubilee Place, High Street North, Shincliffe, Durham, County Durham, DH1 2NJ

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E-mail

Mr H & Mrs C Walmsley Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of 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

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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 satisfactory. 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?

The Old Bridge Nursery is a privately owned day care facility, registered by its proprietors in 1996. It operates from self-contained premises in the village of Shincliffe outside the city of Durham. The nursery serves the city and a wide surrounding area. The nursery is registered to care for 27 children, aged from birth up to five years. There are currently 26 children on the roll, of whom, 11 three-year-olds and six four-year-olds are in receipt of nursery education funding. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are eight permanent members of staff, all of whom hold an appropriate qualification. The setting is open from 08.00 to 18.00, Monday to Friday, all year round, except bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. The nursery receives support from 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 satisfactory. Suitable standards of hygiene and cleanliness are maintained throughout the nursery to promote children's health. For example, children wash hands after using the toilet and staff adhere to appropriate nappy changing procedures. Older children are developing independence as they confidently use the toilet and wash their hands themselves, explaining it 'stops germs'. However, the use of shared towels, which are not changed on a regular basis, does not effectively promote children's health and reduce the risk of cross-infection. Clear records are kept in respect of accidents and medication and these are shared with parents.

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Helping children to be healthy

Physical activity at the nursery is appropriately supported, with opportunities for children to play outdoors with a variety of push-a-long and ride-on toys. Indoors, some children take part in 'Musical Minis' where they are able to move around, playing with musical instruments and joining in with action rhymes. Babies are able to move around, crawl and explore their environment. Such activities help to support children's physical development. Children are active or restful through choice and babies sleep in line with their individual needs and parents' wishes.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have suitable opportunities to learn about healthy eating, as they receive regular snacks of fresh fruit and take part in planned activities to promote their understanding. For example, trying new flavours such as radishes. Lunches are provided by parents, who staff consult with, to ensure that they are aware of any individual dietary needs. However, children's individual information is not clearly displayed; this means that not all staff may be aware of routines or specific dietary needs. Children have regular access to beakers of water to ensure that they remain adequately hydrated.

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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 welcoming and friendly environment where most of the risks have been identified and minimised. For example, stair gates and socket covers are in place. Daily checklists are in place for each room, however, these are not consistently completed to promote children's safety. The outside area is checked prior to children going out to play and external doors are kept locked at all times. The rooms are well laid out to enable children to move around freely, safely and independently to explore their environment. Child sized storage and shelves means that children are able to make independent choices from a good range of appropriate resources.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are kept safe on outings as the staff have suitable procedures in place. For example, young children are strapped into pushchairs and older children wear wrist straps or hold hands. Staff carry emergency contact telephone numbers and appropriate consents are in place from parents. However, written risk assessments have not been completed to further safeguard children on outings or whilst playing on the village green. Children are beginning to learn to keep themselves safe as they take part in planned activities, such as safety week, when they have good opportunities to learn about road safety, safety indoors and taking part in regular fire drills.

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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 Staff have a sound understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to child protection. They have a clear written child protection policy in place, including procedures to follow in the event of an allegation against a member of staff. This means the welfare of children is protected.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settled at the nursery and developing warm relationships with the staff and each other. Children's work and photographs are clearly displayed all around the setting, contributing to a sense of belonging for the children, and promoting confidence and self-esteem. Children participate eagerly in a good range of child-centred and adult-led activities and enjoy experiences which promote all areas of development. For example, they explore the texture of dried cereal and sand, enjoy dressing up and have great fun making telescopes and trumpets out of cardboard tubes. The children join in confidently with familiar nursery rhymes which encourage number recognition and even the youngest of children confidently take books to staff and sit on their knee to read them. Staff interact well with the children; they sit on the floor and good use of questioning further develops children's learning. For example, they play

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

with coloured beads and staff ask them, 'what colour are they, are they the same?'

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Clear plans are in place for all the rooms in the nursery and show a balance of activities. Observations of the children are made and recorded in the children's individual files. However, a lack of understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework means that plans and observations are not linked to the framework to fully promote children's learning and development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage and the stepping stones. Clear and effective plans are in place, covering all areas of learning and showing suitable differentiation for children's abilities. Staff have good procedures in place to record observations during free play and planned activities, and children benefit from individual files showing development towards the early learning goals. However, there is no clear written procedure in place to link assessments to future planning to ensure that children's individual needs are met.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have a positive attitude towards the activities and are eager to join in. They play well together and show care and concern for one another, for example, offering their seat to another child and helping each other to tidy away. Children show independence, they know the routines well and are developing self-care skills as some successfully put on their own coats.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Communication skills are developing well, children show good speaking and listening skills during story time. They join in enthusiastically with the story as the staff encourage them to talk about what they can see; good use of questioning promotes their interest in the story. For example, staff ask, 'why do you think she is wearing a scarf, what would she need to keep her head warm?' Children have good opportunities to recognise their name as it is clearly displayed on their beakers, pegs and chairs. They practise early writing skills as they make Christmas cards asking, 'am I holding the pencil the right way?'

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Good use of questioning helps children to show an interest in counting and numbers. They develop fine motor skills as they thread beads onto a string, and staff encourage them to count how many they have. The children confidently identify the shapes and colours of the beads.

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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 Staff constantly interact with the children without stifling their independence. For example, they ask, 'can I help?' and stand back and wait; this allows children to attempt activities while knowing support is there if they need it.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have good opportunities to develop knowledge and understanding of the world. For example, they explore with magnifying glasses and magnets, and make mazes in the sand. They are developing confidence using technology as they successfully use the mouse to play simple matching games on the computer. The children use their imagination well, for example, dressing up and filling train carriages with sand for trains to pull around the track. They have good opportunities to develop their fine motor skills as they use scissors, glue and pencils.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children at the nursery are treated equally and individually. For example, the staff know their individual preferences well and displays celebrate the children's birthdays. The children benefit from good opportunities to learn about their local community through a variety of planned activities. For example, they go for walks to the local garden centre and have received visits from local police and fire fighters. The children have written a letter recently to the Queen and proudly explain, 'she is called Elizabeth and she lives in a palace'. Older children gain an awareness of other cultures as they participate in a range of celebrations, including Diwali, and learn the days of the week in French. Children have good opportunities to learn about their own culture as they practise songs for their Christmas carol concert and visit the local church where they will be holding it. The setting benefits from a special educational needs coordinator,

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Helping children make a positive contribution

who demonstrates a commitment to working with external agencies to ensure that the individual needs of the children are met.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff interact positively and calmly with the children, who confidently go to them for cuddles, with questions and to play. As a result, children are happy and settled at the nursery. Good behaviour is reinforced through praise and positive age appropriate techniques. Staff act as good role models, encouraging children to be polite and encouraging them to share. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is satisfactory. Parents receive an informative handbook about the setting which includes relevant policies and procedures. A notice board displays general nursery information along with information about the Foundation Stage and parents receive a termly newsletter which informs them of the current topic. Parents are kept informed of their children's development through a termly written report, however, there is no written procedure in place to inform parents about their child's care on a daily basis. A complaints procedure is in place and a log book is clearly displayed for parents to see.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Suitable recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure that children are protected and cared for by staff with relevant skills and experience. Appropriate induction procedures ensure that staff are aware of and implement procedures. Staff benefit from training to further develop knowledge and skills, for example, first aid training. All required documentation is in place, stored securely for easy access and to ensure confidentiality. Good use is made of the available space and children are able to move around freely and independently. Staff to child ratios are maintained and supply staff are available to cover staff absences.

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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 Leadership and management is good. The manager is committed to the setting, its development and the care and education of the children who attend. She works hard to develop good practice through liaison with external agencies, such as advisory teachers, and takes advice to develop the setting and benefit the care and education of the children. The manager has a good understanding of the Foundation Stage through previous experience and, as a result, clear and effective plans are in place. The setting benefits from a committed staff team who attend regular team meetings and individual reviews; this ensures that staff are able to discuss issues and promotes professional development. The manager values the staff and makes good use of their strengths and experiences to benefit the setting. The setting's certificate of registration

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Organisation

is clearly displayed in line with regulations.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous inspection, recommendations were raised: to improve confidentiality with children's records; to develop a procedure for uncollected children; and to develop the child protection policy to include allegations against members of staff. The setting has addressed all of these issues and procedures and policies are now in place. They were also asked: to develop planning to include all children; to link children's progress to the stepping stones; and to develop opportunities for communication skills and mathematical development. Plans now show clear differentiation for all children and children's progress is clearly linked to the stepping stones. Children have good opportunities to develop communication skills and mathematical development through play and planned activities.

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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. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaint 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 satisfactory. 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): • implement effective hand drying procedures for staff and children to reduce the risk of cross-infection • develop procedures to ensure that all staff are aware of children's dietary needs and babies routines

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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 • develop written risk assessments for outdoor activities, including playing on the village green • develop staff's knowledge of the 'Birth to three matters' framework and incorporate this into planning and assessment

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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 written procedures to ensure that assessments are used to inform future planning • develop written procedures to ensure that parents remain informed about their child's daily care and development.

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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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