Nursery Rhymes

Nursery Rhymes Inspection report for early years provision

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957307 Unique Reference Number 10 September 2007 Inspection date Melissa Louise Patel Inspector

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2 Bolton Road, Addingham, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, LS29 0NR Setting Address

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01943 839000 Telephone number nurseryrhymes@addingham.co.uk E-mail Nursery Rhymes LLP Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Nursery Rhymes is a privately owned nursery. It opened in May 2001. The nursery operates from an end-terrace property in the centre of the village in Addingham. The nursery operates on two floors. The children under two years of age are accommodated on the ground floor and the children over two years of age are accommodated on the first floor. There is access to an enclosed outside play area to the rear of the premises.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery serves the local area and the wider community. There are currently 58 children from birth to four years on the register. This includes 17 children who are receiving nursery education funding. There are currently no children aged four years receiving nursery education funding. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery opens five days a week all the year round. The sessions are from 07.30 until 18.30. There are 15 members of staff employed at the setting of whom twelve work with the children on a full- and part-time basis.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are 10 staff that hold relevant early years qualifications two working towards relevant qualifications. The provision is working towards the quality assurance scheme 'Quality Counts'.

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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. The children eat nutritious snacks and meals and they receive good quantities of food, which are attractively presented. This encourages children to enjoy their foods and to eat healthily. They eat meals which are prepared freshly on the premises every day. The children enjoy hot meals. For example, they eat pasta with cheese, ham and carrots. The menu provided for parents depicts a range of healthy options available for the children, such as Moroccan chicken and lots of vegetables and fruit, which children enjoy at lunchtime. They eat snacks, such as apples and sultanas. The children can access regular drinks, such as water. They also have opportunities to drink diluted fruit juices and to drink milk. The children's dietary needs are met well through discussion with the parents. In addition, the babies' eating patterns are followed according to their individual needs. For example, they eat their food puréed or with lumps depending on

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Helping children to be healthy

There are clear hygiene routines in place that promote the children's good health, such as thorough written cleaning routines, which are followed through daily. For example, the tables are wiped down regularly and bathroom areas are hygienic. In addition, there are clear accident, medication and sickness procedures in place to ensure that the children's welfare is maintained.

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Helping children to be healthy

The children's gross physical skills are developing well. For example, the children and babies can move around independently. The younger children receive encouragement to stand and walk as appropriate to their age and stage of development. The children use a range of large and small apparatus to help them develop their physical skills, such as the use of small and large climbing equipment and the use of large building and balancing blocks. Children are starting to learn how exercise keeps them healthy and the importance of fresh air, through discussion and practice. This means that they are starting to understand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The children are cared for in a safe environment, which is maintained to a good standard. The environment is also very welcoming to children and parents. For example, there are lots of bright displays and useful information for the parents. The children are supervised effectively and they are kept secure indoors and outdoors.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children are learning the importance of fire safety awareness. For example, there are clear fire procedures in place, which are practised with the children. The children learn well about their own safety and the safety of others as they move around the room. For example, they learn why it is not safe to run around the room. The children learn to climb the balancing beams safely. They are also learning to co-operate with the other children as they do so.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children select a varied range of resources that are in good condition and stored effectively. The children's safety is appropriately protected and promoted as the staff have a suitable understanding of how to protect children, and whom to contact if concerned about a child. However, not all the staff are fully clear on the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures, in order to fully promote these procedures for them.

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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 are cared for in an environment which promotes the children's interest. For example, the children and babies all enjoy a good range of activities to meet their age and stage of development. All children and the babies that are old enough to choose have spontaneous choice. This means that they are developing their independence and their learning. For example, they can choose from a varied selection of resources which are easily accessible and stored in labelled containers as well as the activities already set out.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The babies enjoy a good variety of messy play activities, such as bubble painting, sand play and sticking activities. They are supervised well as they explore these resources. The older children also experience a good range of messy play material, such as water play, painting and box modelling to help develop their skills. There is good use of the 'Birth to three matters' document. This supports the children's care and learning. For example, the children's communication skills develop through eye to eye contact and language from the staff. In addition, there are clear records kept of how the children progress. However, these records do not always say what is planned next, in order to confirm the children's individual learning plans, although the staff inform parents verbally.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy dressing up and playing the sand. They are learning words, such as 'full' and 'empty'. The babies and younger children enjoy baking. The babies all help to stir the mixture. The older children help with weighing the ingredients and start to learn about simple weights and measure. The children's care needs are met. For example, they eat and drink at appropriate times. In addition, their nappies are changed at regular intervals.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. The staff involved have a good knowledge of the Foundation Stage and they work well together, in order to plan for children's learning effectively. The plans are clear and there is a system in place to ensure that the children experience all the learning areas. The teaching methods are effective in helping children to progress in their learning as the staff are aware that the children learn at different rates. Therefore, the children's learning is often carried out in similar ability groups and activities are planned to be adapted for less or more able children. This helps children progress well.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

There are clear records kept on how individual children progress. However, these records do not always state what is planned next, in order to confirm the children's individual learning plans. The organisation of the premises is good. For example, it enables the children to use a wide range of resources, which are laid out accessibly and are interesting to the children. In addition, the staff interact with the children well. For example, they join in with the children in the home corner and introduce new props to keep the play interesting and fun for the children and to aid their learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children demonstrate curiosity and an interest in the activities. For example, they show delight as they listen to a familiar story on the computer. They are able to control the mouse competently. This demonstrates that children are enjoying stories, developing listening skills and learning how to operate simple equipment. Children often demonstrate their independence and self-care skills. For example, they select their own choice of activities, know when to wash their hands and help serve the food at lunchtime. The children control their behaviour well.

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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 They help other children with simple tasks, such as operating equipment. The children respond to requests from adults appropriately, such as by helping tidy up.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are learning good reading and writing skills. For example, they take a positive interest in books and enjoy looking at them. They are learning to recognise words from the wealth of print around the room, which they sometimes point to. They use language in imaginary situations and become excited as they enjoy the activity. This demonstrates that they are enjoying themselves whilst they are learning. Children frequently spontaneously make marks and recognisable shapes using a variety of tools. Children are developing their early writing skills further as they make lists as a means of recording through role play in the home corner. The more-able children can think of words beginning with certain letters. They learn to recognise their own name and that words have a purpose as they find their name at circle time and at lunchtime. Children are developing their fine motor skills and hand and eye co-ordination

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

effectively as they use a range of resources, such as pens, crayons, paintbrushes and scissors and by controlling tools in the play dough. They start to understand tools have a purpose as they explore.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children show a positive interest in numbers at circle time and to numbers they see around the room. Children can count in structured activities, such as whilst playing number games and at circle time. However, the use of children's counting skills in everyday routines, for example, at mealtimes whilst giving out cutlery and outdoors, is less evident to further support the children's counting skills. Children are progressing well with their knowledge of shapes. More-able children can confidently name shapes, such as a circle, a square and a triangle. Children are starting to learn well about simple calculation. For example, they can compare groups of objects and recognise that they have the same number. They are learning simple adding and subtraction through a variety of fun games using pictures of monkeys and puppets. The children are effectively challenged during these activities. Children are starting to understand

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

weights and measures as they weigh ingredients in a baking activity. They use words, such as 'more' and 'less'.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children confidently explore construction materials. They balance blocks and build a house from building bricks. This means they are using their thinking skills and developing their mathematical and physical skills well. They learn about the environment through a topic about under the sea. Children have lots of experiences to develop their creativity through using a variety of different media, such as sand, paints, play dough and collage materials. They use their imagination as they dress up and use available resources to create props to support their role play, such as making up hospital beds. They listen and move to music and explore musical instruments. Children are learning about different cultures through discussion and everyday activities and planned events, such as celebrating the Muslim festival of Eid. In addition, the children are connecting their different life experiences as they talk about what they did at

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing their gross physical skills well. For example, they can climb small and larger equipment competently. They are effectively challenged as they balance on the balancing beams and experiment in different ways. They concentrate hard as they walk on the box stilts, which is quite challenging for some children. The children can also run, jump and dig in the sand. In addition, the children show a good awareness of their own needs with regard to eating and hygiene.

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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. The children's behaviour is good. They benefit from positive behaviour management promoted effectively by the staff. The staff are consistent with the children. For example, they explain different situations to them and praise the children for helping and completing tasks. The children use a good range of resources which are varied regularly. This supports the children's interest and therefore their behaviour.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are learning well about diversity. For example, the children are developing knowledge about differences in society through enjoying a range of good resources to reflect positive views of diversity in society today. For example, there are pictures, dolls, posters, jigsaws and dressing up costumes and materials. In addition, the children learn about diversity from books and stories. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. In addition, the children's individual needs are met well. For example, the staff observe the children at play and they work with the parents in order to respond to their needs effectively.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Children's security, stability and learning are promoted well by the staff's good working relationships with the parents. For example, there is a broad range of supporting written information available for parents, such as relevant policies, procedures and information on the 'Birth to three matters' framework and the Foundation Stage in learning. The parents are also provided with information on the daily routines in the nursery through the displays and information that is sent home. In addition, the parents are able to view their child's observation files and reports and discuss their children's learning and development. The parents also receive daily verbal information on their child's day.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. There are clear and thorough operational procedures, which are available to staff and parents that clearly define the policies, procedures and the plan to promote children's care and learning effectively. The good deployment of staff promotes children's health, safety and education. For example, the children benefit from the key worker system which is in place to support them. In addition, the staff clearly know their roles and responsibilities, in order to support children well. Good organisation of the environment ensures that the children can move around independently. They can select safe and varied resources whilst exploring indoors and outdoors. Children's care and learning is enhanced by the staff working well together as a team. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

The leadership and management for the nursery education is good. The staff are supported well through regular meetings. The regular meetings ensure that staff work hard to ensure children's learning is planned and put in to operation, in order for them to work towards meeting the early learning goals effectively. The procedures ensure that the staff know their roles well. The staff are motivated and work closely together in order to promote children's care and learning well.

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Organisation

Children benefit as the staff are provided with relevant information on the curriculum, in order for them to deliver the Foundation Stage effectively for the children. The provider and her manager are clear on the provision's own strengths and weaknesses, and demonstrate a willingness to look at different ways of working. In addition, the provision is effective in monitoring and evaluating the nursery education for children. For example, they have currently

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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 been developing a new planning sheet to enhance the plan for children's learning. The provision regularly use a self-assessment system in order to identify improvements and work on them to enhance the children's education.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the provider was asked to: improve positive images throughout the nursery to promote equal opportunities; update the staff register to ensure continuity at all times; and update the staff's knowledge on the government booklet 'What to do if you're worried a child is being abused – summary'.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The provider has ensured that all staff have been updated on the procedure relating to the government booklet stated above. The provider has done this by ensuring the staff have read the document and by discussing the information at meetings. The staff register has been updated by using a daily signing-in board and daily time sheets are used to keep a clear record of staff's attendance. The provider has also ensured that there are further positive images about diversity throughout the nursery through displaying more pictures and posters throughout the rooms. This means that the provider has improved resources in order to promote diversity and improved the procedures to promote the children's welfare.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection the provider was asked to extend the challenge to older and more-able children so that they learn about simple addition and subtraction and consolidate their counting skills. The provision was also asked to regularly motivate and excite the children's interest in daily activities, including opportunities to explore their imagination particularly in role play. In addition, they were also asked to ensure daily routines include opportunities to access technology, music and movement.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The children now experience various activities to challenge them with their adding and subtraction through simple and fun games, using props, such as puppets to ensure children have fun with their learning. They count regularly in structured activities to help consolidate their counting skills. However, the children's counting skills are less evident in everyday routines, in order to further enhance the children's counting skills, and a further recommendation has been raised.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Children are motivated and often show excitement in their play. For example, they thoroughly enjoy activities in the home corner as they use props for role play supported well by the staff. This keeps the children interested and helps to further their learning. In addition, the children often have opportunities to access technology through the use of computers and toys. They are quite competent at using the mouse and are learning a variety of skills as they access different programs. Children frequently listen to music, sing and use musical instruments in daily routines to enhance their learning. This means the provision has made good progress in developing the children's ability to learn in the areas highlighted.

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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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Complaints 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

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve the staff's knowledge on the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures.

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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): • continue to extend the children's developmental files by stating what is planned next to further their individual development (this also applies to care) • further develop the children's counting skills in everyday situations.

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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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