Childsplay Nursery

Childsplay Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Childsplay Nursery

Unique Reference Number 305023 Inspection date 26 July 2005 Inspector Ron Goldsmith

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Childsplay Nursery

Setting Address 1d Seymour Drive, Overpool, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH66 1LZ Telephone number 0151 357 1841

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E-mail

Registered person Janet Ann Holland Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day 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 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Childsplay Day Nursery has been registered since 1993. The nursery is accommodated in a single storey building in Seymour Drive in Overpool near Ellesmere Port. The main area is divided into defined play areas for babies, toddlers and pre-school children. There are changing areas in the main bathroom and the baby room. There is a kitchen, laundry, office, staff room and staff toilet. An enclosed outside play area is available to the rear of the property.

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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 The nursery is registered to provide 34 places for children aged between birth and 5 years. There are currently 41 children on roll including 12 funded children and 2 children with special educational needs. The nursery operates on week days throughout the year, excluding statutory bank holidays. The opening hours are from 07:30 to 18:00. The nursery employs nine child care staff, a cook and an administrator. Three staff have the NNEB or NVQ level 3 in Child Care and Education and three others have a level two NVQ or it's equivalent. In addition, three members of staff are currently undertaking relevant child care qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy a nutritious and healthy diet as they eat regular, freshly prepared meals and snacks. Their special dietary needs are met well through a regular exchange of information between parents, childcare and catering staff. Between meals children cannot access additional drinks because water is not freely available. Children's health and hygiene is generally promoted well by staff who implement satisfactory procedures to reduce the risk of cross infection, for example, they wear aprons and gloves when preparing food or when changing nappies. A number of staff have food hygiene certificates and first aid certificates. Children wash their hands before meals and younger children are assisted in doing this. Children thoroughly enjoy the opportunities they have for vigorous outdoor play and they run, jump and play with energy and excitement outdoors, getting regular exercise and fresh air, although the babies are taken out less frequently. The older

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Helping children to be healthy

children are developing good control and skill in manoeuvring wheeled toys safely and confidently, catching, throwing and developing an awareness of how activity affects their bodies. However, the outdoor play resources lack sufficient challenge for older or more able children to develop climbing and balancing skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children play, eat and rest in a safe but unattractive environment, however plans are in hand for all areas to be redesigned. Children choose from a variety of resources, all of which are clean and in good condition and which promote their development in most areas, but they are restricted to those resources which staff put out for them. Children learn to manage their own safety, as staff teach them about potential hazards, such as falling if they climb on chairs. They are kept safe in the event of a fire or emergency, due to effective procedures for evacuation and they are secure in the nursery, as doors are locked and staff monitor visitors closely. Children are well protected by the staff's good knowledge and understanding of child protection issues

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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 and the implementation of satisfactory procedures. However there is no procedure to record visitors to the provision and there is no risk assessment in place for the premises.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Young children in the nursery enjoy a varied range of activities including singing, stories, building, role play, sand and dough. They have opportunities for sensory and creative play, such as using pasta. Themed activities such as spending time at the seaside enable them to develop and extend their imaginative play. They develop their physical skills by running outdoors, climbing on small slides or playing with balls and hoops. They listen to stories and look at books and sometimes recite numbers in songs or when playing. Children make sound progress in all areas of development, due to the staff's lively and effective interactions with them, as they talk and play, or as staff respond encouragingly to the communications of babies and toddlers. The progress of the youngest children is well supported by planning which meets their individual needs and gives them sufficiently varied experiences over time. Staff's knowledge of the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

'Birth to three' framework extends the range and quality of young children's opportunities for development by increasing their interaction with each other and with staff and through exploration of the world around them. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children make steady progress towards the early learning goals, as staff use their sound understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum to plan themed activities for each month. Staff address aspects of most areas of learning and provide appropriate resources for most of these aspects. Children enjoy participating in a range of activities both indoors and outdoors and staff sometimes use questioning effectively to extend their learning, for example, encouraging counting skills, engaging them in conversation and developing their vocabulary. However, children are not always confident in accessing resources independently as they are not attractively presented or organised sufficiently well to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

encourage children to access them freely. Planned activities offer children opportunities to explore and investigate different features of the environment, for example, in the theme about the seaside they talk about what they would find in a rock pool and what they had seen in a visit to the aquarium. However, the plans lack sufficient detail to ensure that staff are clear about the learning intentions and opportunities are missed to extend children's learning. For example, a creative activity was successful in extending children's skills in using tools and materials but did not offer opportunities for them to express themselves imaginatively. Staff are beginning to make assessments of children's achievements, but these do not yet show clearly how they make progress towards each of the early learning goals and the information is not used to plan the next steps in children's learning.

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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 Children enjoy listening to stories and are beginning to recognise their own names. However, they have few opportunities to practise mark-making for different purposes, such as labelling their work or extending their role play. They are beginning to count confidently and there are some opportunities to develop their problem-solving skills through practical experience, such as counting the number of children sitting down at the table for snack. They enjoy building models using commercially produced construction materials and also like to experiment with paint, sand and water. However, they are not encouraged to freely access a wide range of resources to develop their designing and building skills or to express their thoughts and ideas using different materials. Children's behaviour is very good and they have positive

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

relationships with each other and with the staff, helping them to be confident and express their needs and feelings in appropriate ways.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are welcomed into the nursery, settle well and are developing good relationships with each other and staff. Settling-in procedures help them develop a sense of community within their own group and the whole nursery. They develop a positive attitude to others and gain a good understanding of the wider world and the community through celebrating and participating in festivals. Their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered appropriately. Children with special needs learn and develop in the nursery because they are very well supported through effective liaison between staff, parents and external agencies. They are able to participate in activities with their peer group as staff ensure that there are appropriate resources and equipment to support this. Their progress is supported well by staff's clear understanding of their individual play plans and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

developing skills in communicating effectively. Children's behaviour is very good and they are developing an awareness of the need to respect rules. For example, older children are able to negotiate sharing. Children respond well to staff's calm management of their behaviour, which is consistent in dealing with unacceptable behaviour. Older children are becoming more increasingly independent, dressing themselves and using the toilet independently. Children are able to concentrate quite well, for example, when listening to stories and when completing whole group activity such as drawing. There is a good partnership with parents. Children settle well as staff liaise closely with parents to gain individual information such as likes and dislikes, or familiar home routines, particularly for young babies. Children's care is supported by the good opportunities which are in place for informal and formal exchanges of information,

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Helping children make a positive contribution

ensuring that children are cared for in accordance with their parents wishes. Daily diaries for babies, newsletters, nursery to home work packs and open evenings all support the partnership with parents. This includes information about the Foundation Stage curriculum and the educational progress of children.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Overall, the nursery meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides care and nursery education. Children receive good adult attention due to the appropriate staff ratios. Children's daily routines are well established as staff generally implement the nursery's policies and procedures well. Regulatory checks are up to date for all staff. The leadership and management of the nursery is satisfactory. Children benefit from the staff's strong commitment to improvement and development. Management are able to evaluate the nursery provision overall. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the delivery of the nursery education curriculum is less successful. The provision work closely with external agencies to further develop effective delivery of their service. A staff appraisal system and regular staff meetings ensures that staff regularly attend appropriate training and make use of their newly acquired knowledge to improve their

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Organisation

practice. For example, the younger children are accessing more activities following staff's attendance of Birth to three matters training.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous inspection the provider agreed to action on a number of points including: reviewing the use of the key worker system and developmental recording to ensure they meet the needs of children and parents; reviewing the arrangements for storage; reviewing the risk assessment; ensuring that fire doors are not obstructed; reviewing the equal opportunities policy and ensuring that child protection concerns are shared and recorded in accordance with Area Child Protection Committee procedure. In response to this the provider now maintains observations of all children's development; is in the process of a vigorous reorganisation of nursery space, which includes the development of a new baby unit and creating additional space in the main nursery building. The risk assessment is not yet sufficiently well developed and is brought forward as an action outstanding in this report, but the fire doors have

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Improvements since the last inspection

been replaced by new doors and they are unobstructed. The equal opportunities policy requires further work to ensure that it is relevant to the children attending the nursery. The nursery have obtained additional information in relation to child protection and this is shared with parents and understood by all staff. Additionally, the provider agreed that it's nursery education should allow older children opportunities to extend their ability to write simple sentences with appropriately formed letters and to clarify information to parents about the Foundation Stage. Both of these areas have been sufficiently addressed.

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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 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 satisfactory.

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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): • complete a risk assessment of the premises together with an action plan with timescales which identifies action to be taken to minimise identified risks • ensure all policies and procedures are available and comply with the National Standards including a record of visitors to the premises, a statement of the procedure to be followed in the event of a parent failing to collect a child, and an equal opportunities policy demonstrating how the setting will ensure all children are included

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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): • ensure that assessment and planning are closely linked so that staff are clear about the learning intentions of each activity, ensuring that they can plan for the next steps in children's learning

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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