Gillitots Day Nursery

Gillitots Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY348871 Unique Reference Number 06 August 2007 Inspection date Deborah Unsworth Inspector

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2 Warburton Lane, Partington, MANCHESTER, M31 4NR Setting Address

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E-mail

Gillian Andrea Campbell Registered person Childcare 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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Gillitots Day Nursery was registered in 2007 and is privately owned. It operates from three playrooms in a modern self-contained building in Partington. There is an enclosed area for outdoor play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery opens Monday to Friday 08.00 until 18.00 all year round, except for public holidays and one week at Christmas. The nursery may care for a maximum of 20 children at any one time. There are currently nine children on roll.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are seven staff who work with the children. Of these, four hold an appropriate early years qualification. The setting receives support and training from Sure Start in Trafford.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. The premises and equipment are maintained to a good state of cleanliness, which helps to promote children's good health. Staff have clearly established routines for cleaning rooms,

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 surfaces, toys, equipment and when preparing meals and snacks. Children are beginning to understand the importance of personal hygiene and staying healthy through daily routines. They are encouraged to brush their teeth after lunch and wash their hands before they eat and after using the toilet. The sterilising of children's dummies helps to protect children's health. Suitable procedures for recording accidents, administering medication and sick children are understood by staff and are effective. Consequently, children are protected.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy regular meals and drinks, which include breakfast, lunch and tea. These meals are balanced, nutritious and generally made with fresh produce. As a result, children's growth and development is promoted. They receive adequate amounts to satisfy their appetites and are provided with cutlery to meet their development needs. Babies' individual eating needs and habits are met and their feeding routines followed. For example, their lunch is either liquidised, mashed or chopped and bottles are given according to need. Mealtime is a relaxed, social occasion where staff sit with the children and talk. Children and babies eat at their own pace. Babies are held comfortably by staff when bottle feeding, giving lots of eye contact and encouragement. Staff consult with parents about children's dietary requirements and make sure all staff are aware of their needs, which ensures children remain healthy.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from fresh air and exercise as they have regular access to an outdoor play area. A satisfactory range of outdoor equipment is available to develop children's physical skills. For example, they enjoy throwing and kicking the balls and playing on the wheeled toys which help to develop their strength and coordination. Babies receive good opportunities to sleep in accordance to their individual needs and parents' wishes. They are active, benefiting from the suitable use of space indoors as they crawl to explore their toys and environment. Staff encourage younger babies to crawl by getting down at their level and showing them how it is done.

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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 warm and homely environment. They are warmly greeted by staff as they arrive each morning and have their own space for their coats and personal belongings. This helps them to have a sense of belonging within the nursery. A parents' notice board, photographs of the children playing and children's work displayed creates a welcoming atmosphere. The playrooms are arranged suitably to provide different areas for rest, play and meals. Non-mobile babies play in their own comfortable room. They relax on the colourful cushions, listen to soft music, look at themselves in the low level mirror and enjoy looking up at the mobiles hanging from the ceiling.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children benefit from a sufficient range of resources which are suitable for all ages and abilities, are clean and safe. They are developing independence as they are beginning to select resources which are generally well organised for easy access. Babies and children develop their senses as they are provided with a range of natural as well as plastic materials.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Generally good attention is given to safety to ensure that the risk of accidental injury to children is minimised. Regular risk assessments are conducted, recorded and action taken when needed. The staff supervise the children well and follow the safety procedures to keep children safe. Children are beginning to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe as they help to tidy up toys so they do not trip over them and are reminded to keep their sun hats on when playing outside in hot weather.

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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 The protection of children is maintained as staff have a sound understanding about safeguarding children. They are aware of the possible signs and symptoms and there are clear procedures to follow if they have concerns. The nursery has a written statement which is shared with parents, so they are aware of the nursery's responsibility with regard to safeguarding children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are happy and settled in the nursery. They separate well from their parents and wave them goodbye. Children are occupied and engaged in a variety of activities which promote their overall development. For example, they show good levels of involvement when they play with the dough, rolling it, stretching it and using tools to make different shapes. They have opportunities to be creative as they make ice creams out of cotton wool and make butterflies using the paints. Children benefit from the good relationships and attention from the supportive staff team which helps them enjoy their time in the setting.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff listen and value what children say. They encourage conversation in everyday activities, asking questions to make children think and make connections, such as 'Pass me the yellow ball please' and 'How many bricks have we got?'. Babies develop communication skills as staff respond to their gestures and babbling and consistently talk to them as they play. Babies and children benefit from sound opportunities to play and explore using their senses. For example, when playing with gloop, sand, dipping strawberries into melted chocolate, practising writing their names in melted chocolate and experimenting with paints.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have recently begun to use the 'Birth to three matters' framework and are developing confidence in planning activities and recording children's development. This has a positive impact on the quality of the young children's learning. For example, the babies enjoy taking part in the planned 'treasure basket' activity. They use all their senses to explore as they touch, smell and taste the interesting objects in the basket. Staff make good observations of the children which they use to plan for their next steps. However, planning and recording systems have not yet been developed for the older children which means staff are unable to monitor that children are consistently challenged and are making progress in all areas of their development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Individual children are treated with respect. Their individual needs are known because staff discuss and record information about each child's needs on entry to the setting. Staff find out about their likes, dislikes and family members. Children bring their comforters from home, which helps them to feel secure and settled. Staff ensure daily rest and eating routines for babies are influenced by those already established at home. Children begin to learn about differences as they play with a satisfactory range of toys and books which have positive images of race, culture, gender and disability.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The setting has a written statement about special needs which states that children with learning difficulties and disabilities will be supported and included within the setting. However, staff have a limited understanding about the Code of Practice for the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs and there are no recording systems set up to support children who have learning difficulties and disabilities.

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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 Children are well behaved and develop a positive self-esteem as staff give them plenty of praise for their efforts and achievements. Staff are sensitive and calm, they act as good role models, showing respect and consideration for children and each other. Clear boundaries and simple rules are consistently applied. As a result, children begin to understand responsible behaviour, such as tidying up, sharing, taking turns and helping each other.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The staff work well in partnership with parents and carers in order to support the children within the nursery. Information is shared about their day through a diary system and daily discussions, ensuring they are well informed. Positive feedback was received from parents and grandparents within the setting as they find staff friendly, caring and approachable. Staff share information with parents about how their children are progressing through daily discussion, photographs and the sharing of children's work. However, information about the 'Birth to three matters' framework is limited and the new system for assessing children's progress for children under three has not yet been shared with parents. As a result, parents are not always aware of the children's progress and achievements and are not fully involved in their learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a positive and supportive environment. They benefit from the homely atmosphere which staff create. Suitable recruitment and vetting procedures and a sufficient induction for new staff help to ensure that children are safe and well cared for. Staff work well together as a team. They are aware of their roles and responsibilities and are deployed effectively to ensure that children receive a good level of attention and support.

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Organisation

The management team are committed to developing staff through training and informal meetings. However, there are no formal monitoring and evaluation systems in place to support this. The management team demonstrate a good attitude to continual improvement to further raise the quality of care as they access training and implement advice and support received from Sure Start. They are mostly aware of their strengths and areas for development and act on their, and other's evaluations to make improvements.

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Organisation

All relevant documentation is kept as required. There are effective policies and procedures in place to promote children's health, safety and welfare. These are reviewed regularly and understood by staff. Written policies and procedures are made available to parents which means that children benefit from their parents' knowledge of how the setting works. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration 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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • implement a system for planning activities and recording development for children from three years • implement effective arrangements for sharing children's development records with parents • develop staff's understanding of the Code of Practice for the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs and set up recording systems to support children with learning difficulties and disabilities • formalise the systems for monitoring and evaluating staff development.

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The quality and standards of the care

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 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

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