Eastfield Day Nursery

Eastfield Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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322376 Unique Reference Number 18 March 2008 Inspection date Michele Anne Villiers Inspector

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7 Eastfield Drive, Aigburth, Liverpool, Merseyside, L17 4LH Setting Address

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E-mail

Eileen Marie Kinsella 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?

Eastfield Day Nursery opened in 1980. It operates from five playrooms on two levels of a large terraced house in Aigburth, Liverpool. A maximum of 32 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 17.45 all year round. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 18 children, from three to five years, on roll. Of these, 16 receive funding for nursery education. The nursery supports children with learning difficulties or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs four staff, all of whom 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 satisfactory. Staff have a suitable awareness of health care issues and take satisfactory steps to help protect children from the spread of infection. Protective clothing is worn when changing nappies, and written health and safety procedures are followed. Children develop an understanding of simple personal hygiene during routines, such as hand washing, after using the toilet and before handling food. Accidents are recorded, and parental consent obtained for the administration of medication. However, it is not clearly stated if and when parents last administered medication, in order to help ensure an overdose does not occur. Staff have been trained in first aid, but they have not renewed their training after the given three year period, and their certificates have expired. This has resulted in the provision being in breach of regulations as there are no staff currently on duty with first aid in order to deal with minor accidents. The manager has

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Helping children to be healthy

acted promptly and secured staff placements on the next available first aid training session, which takes place in the very near future. In the interim period, staff from the provider's second nursery, situated nearby, may be called upon.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from a balanced, nutritional diet. They tuck into home-made meals, such as lamb casserole with vegetables, and sliced fresh fruit. Children make their own sandwiches for afternoon snack, buttering their bread and choosing different fillings, such as ham or cheese. They independently help themselves to drinks of water throughout the day, and milk is offered at mealtimes.

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Helping children to be healthy

Regular daily exercise is promoted to foster the children's health, growth and development. Indoors, staff provide robust physical activities. For example, they create different assault courses for children using large plastic shapes and cubes. Children excitedly climb over the shapes, and attempt to walk on them, developing good balance and coordination. They also access a suitable range of wheeled toys and small climbing apparatus in the small outdoor play area.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. The premises are suitably secure helping to keep children safe. Children are well supervised, and visitors closely monitored to ensure unknown persons do not enter the nursery. The environment is welcoming, with children's art work, posters, photographs and information displayed throughout. Children independently access a sufficient range of safe and suitable toys and resources appropriate to their age and ability.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children learn about safety throughout the daily routine. Staff remind them to be careful during play and when running around. They practise the emergency evacuation procedure, and have fun dressing up as 'people who help us', such as police, fire fighters, doctors and nurses. On outings children learn about road safety. This is further reinforced with planned activities using toy zebra crossings.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have a satisfactory awareness of safeguarding children. The manager is the designated coordinator for child protection, and staff have attended training sessions on how to safeguard children and deal with any concerns. There is a written safeguarding children policy that is shared with parents.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy a wide range of interesting play opportunities, helping them to make progress in their emotional, physical, social and intellectual development. Most children who attend the nursery are aged three years and upwards and receive educational funding. Children are very happy and eagerly enter the provision. They independently make choices about their play, choosing from the range of activities staff make available. Staff support the children well, sitting with them to motivate their learning and talking and listening to them.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning of the nursery education is good. Staff have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage and use the six areas of learning to plan and provide challenging activities. There is a good balance between adult led and child directed play with the children's interests being taken into account. Staff use planning to provide topical activities, such as 'New Life', incorporating spring, baby animals and plant life.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children demonstrates very good levels of independence appropriate to their maturity. For example, children toilet themselves, tidy away, pour their own drinks, help to set the table for lunch, and make their own sandwiches at tea time. During play they concentrate well and persist to achieve outcomes, such as completing puzzles and construction. Children initiate interaction with adults and their peers, building good relationships. They become confident communicators and show a keen interest in books. Staff respond by reading a story on a one to one basis, encouraging the child to discuss the pictures and look at the words.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

During play children develop some awareness of mathematical concepts and number recognition. For example, during role play they count how many pieces of pizza they have, and how many building blocks they have used. Children enjoy number songs, such as '10 little fingers', and use their fingers to represent the number. Written numerals are displayed around the room. However, counting and calculation are not incorporated into practical situations, such as social activities and mealtimes. Staff do not count how many plates, chairs and cups are needed, or slices of fruit required, in order for children to imitate and begin to understand the reasons and purpose for counting.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children become aware of their environment and living things. They discuss the weather, and rush to the window to watch puddles forming as rain lashes down. They examine plants and seasons, growing daffodils from bulbs. During discussion time they talk about the days of the week, the month and season. Children become aware of technology and have fun singing into a microphone, and listening to music using earphones. They also play simple games on the computer and become competent at moving the mouse and recognising key symbols.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children's imagination is fostered well. They enjoy role play activities, and art and craft. Staff encourage children to respond to their senses. For example, when they hear someone singing outside staff say, "What else can you hear?". Children comment on the traffic, the birds singing, and the washing machines in the laundry room. At snack time children explore taste. They choose different fillings, such as cheese, jam or honey for their sandwiches and discuss taste and texture. Staff use observation to monitor the children's development and identify individual needs. Progress reports are completed on each child as they develop through the stepping stones and these are used for future planning.

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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. Children confidently enter the nursery and develop a sense of belonging. The effective key worker system enables staff to become familiar with the children's individual needs. Children learn about their culture and the culture of others through celebrating birthdays and different festivals. Toys and resources reflect positive images and help children to become aware of the world in which they live. Staff organise activities that encourage children to help others. For example, they grow daffodils to help raise money for charities and participate in fundraising events.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff act as good role models, encouraging children to be polite and considerate towards each other. Children are well behaved and co-operative. Their achievements are rewarded with praise, claps and cheers in order to reinforce good behaviour. The children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered well.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is good. Children benefit from the close relationship staff have with parents. Parents are welcomed into the nursery at any time and staff share information through informal daily discussion. Parents receive written newsletters, keeping them up to date on new issues. There is also a notice board with displayed information about the Foundation Stage and the 'Birth to three matters' framework. Parents speak positively about the care provided, and each year staff organise a 'Graduation Day' for those children leaving. Parents may access their child's records and progress reports at any time. However, some parents are unaware that staff record their child's development as there is no formalised system in place for sharing this information.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are settled and well cared for by qualified staff who use their skills and knowledge to support the children and provide a stimulating environment. There are effective procedures in place for the recruitment of staff, and ensuring staffing ratios are maintained at all times, to help protect and safeguard children. Regular team meetings help to identify any staff training needs and specific staff have roles of responsibility. However, the manager has failed to ensure sufficient staff have retained their first aid certificates in order to cover an emergency situation.

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Organisation

The play environment is suitably organised and children are grouped according to age and ability. All regulatory documentation is in place, with written policies and procedures that staff follow. The quality of leadership and management of the nursery education is good. The manager uses observation to monitor the provision and support staff. She meets with staff to evaluate teaching methods and provides an advisory support teacher. 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

The previous care inspection recommended that the nursery: devise a key worker system; update the child protection policy, and obtain parent signatures on recorded accidents and for the administration of medication. The key worker system is now in place in order to provide continuity of care for the children. Parental consent is obtained for the administration of medication, and parent signatures are in place on accident records. The child protection policy

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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 has been updated. It makes reference to safeguarding children and the procedure to follow should an allegation of abuse be made whilst the child is in their care.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The previous nursery education inspection recommended that the nursery: develop opportunities for parents to receive information about their child's progress; organise the environment so that children may become more self-sufficient, and develop the children's language skills. Staff verbally inform the parents about their child's progress and development report. Low level storage boxes and shelving units enable children to independently access toys and resources. Staff constantly talk to children and provide opportunities for children to express themselves through language during story time and at group discussion.

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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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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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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): • include, in the administration of medication documents, the time and dosage of medication that parents last administered • make sure a sufficient number of staff are suitably trained in first aid, in line with the legislation, to ensure there is at least one staff member with first aid on duty at all times.

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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): • incorporate counting and calculation into practical activities to further reinforce the children's understanding of number and the purpose of counting • ensure all parents are kept fully informed about their children's progress and development records.

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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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