Partou Scotts Wood Day Nursery & Pre-School

Scotts Wood Private Day Nursery Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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253428 Unique Reference Number 29 October 2007 Inspection date Ann Keen Inspector

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1 Selby Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG2 7BP Setting Address

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E-mail

Scotts Wood Private Day Nursery Ltd 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 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?

Scotts Wood Private Day Nursery opened in 1997. It operates from five rooms in a converted house in West Bridgford. It has access to a kitchen, toilets and an enclosed outdoor play area. Children attend mainly from the local area, plus some surrounding villages.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 85 children on roll. This includes 36 children who are in receipt of nursery funding. They support children who have been identified with special educational needs and all children speak English as their first language. The nursery receives regular support from the teacher advisor at the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Opening hours are 08.00 to 18.00, Monday to Friday, and the nursery is open all year round with the exception of bank holidays.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 20 members of staff, of these 18 have completed an early years qualification and 13 staff have achieved a level 3 qualification. The provision is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association and has achieved the Pre-School Learning Alliance quality assurance scheme, Aiming for Quality.

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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. Children’s health is assured because their dietary needs are met well. Due consideration is given to religious requirements and eating preferences. Children learn about healthy eating because staff help them to eat nourishing meals like pasta, sweet and sour chicken and snacks, such as bread sticks and raisons. The nursery provides sufficient drinks so children do not go thirsty. Those responsible for the preparation and handling of food adhere to regulations and comply well to environmental health recommendations. Children have good opportunities for fresh air and exercise as staff take children outside everyday to enjoy the many toys and resources in the play area. Children have a good range of equipment to support their physical development, for example, they play on wheeled toys and the rocker. In addition, using apparatus such as the climbing frame helps to develop their muscles.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are cared for in a clean environment, for example, the sandpit is protected from contamination and the sand kept clean. Children are encouraged to learn about personal hygiene well through the daily routines of washing their hands. Babies are well cared for during nappy changing routines and well protected because staff use individual gloves and aprons to avoid the spread of infection. Children’s welfare is promoted well because staff respond to accidents appropriately and they record them carefully. Suitable procedures are followed with regard to children’s medication and illness so children are well cared for.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a secure, spacious environment enabling them to have sufficient room to move in safety. Babies are safe as all exits are gated keeping them secure. The premises are generally well maintained and kept at an appropriate temperature to ensure children’s safety and comfort. Visitors have to ring the bell to gain entry so children are safe from intruders. Children are well protected from harm due to adequate levels of supervision and staffing ratios. However, when all the children use the outside play space at the same, it does not necessarily support the safety and well-being of the youngest children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Robust systems to help prevent accidental fires are in place and fire inspections are carried out regularly which checks fire extinguishers and fire blankets. Suitable procedures to evacuate the premises are in place. Regular risk assessments and visual checks are undertaken to ensure that equipment is safe for the children to use so the risk of injury is reduced. Staff have a good knowledge of the potential risks to children and generally ensure that hazards are reduced.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children’s safety is further assured as staff have a good knowledge of child protection procedures. Children’s welfare is safeguarded as staff have a suitable awareness of child protection procedures. Staff receive training ensuring they are able to recognise the signs of abuse and they understand what to do if they have concerns. This knowledge is underpinned by useful policies and procedures to support them to take appropriate action should the need arise.

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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 their time at the nursery and younger children are making good progress in their leisure and personal development. Children are involved and have a good variety of activities such as creating textured pictures. Babies can practice walking with push-pull toys and walkers. Staff are caring and attentive to children’s needs recognising when they are tired and need comfort, support and reassurance. Children show a keen interest in visitors such as the fire services, enthusing vocally about the arrival of the ‘bee bah’. They feel safe and valued in the nursery due to staff’s warm relationships with them. Staff are friendly, approachable and know the children in their care well, supporting their well-being effectively. They form secure bonds with staff and demonstrate a sense of belonging through regular routines. This helps to develop children’s confidence to explore and investigate. Children's care and play is enhanced through

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

a variety of play opportunities and creative experiences such as leaf printing.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff use their knowledge of the Foundation Stage and how children learn to help them progress. A good balance between adult led and child initiated activities enables children to achieve in all areas of learning. The levels of challenge are sufficient to interest children and good quality resources are used to support learning. Planning is organised around the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage so children receive a balanced programme of activities. Children’s interest is held through providing them with a variety of different activities which are changed according to systematic planning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff undertake observations and record children’s learning. They relate their findings to the stepping stones to record children’s attainment. Staff assess the children’s learning and they identify children’s achievements in planning future activities. However, they have yet to develop an effective system to track children’s progress along the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. Staff use suitable methods to help children learn. In using playdough staff draw children’s attention to shapes and sizes, for example by saying, ‘I’ve got a big, flat piece of playdough’. Children benefit from the suitable opportunities to explore, experiment and play. Staff are clear in their expectations for good behaviour. They provide consistent support to help children understand boundaries and expectations, for example, they expect children to sit down at snack times.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident and self-assured. They have positive self images and are happy to discuss their life experiences, developing their confidence and language skills well. The social aspect of children’s learning is strong. This results in an atmosphere which impacts positively on children’s learning. Children enthusiastically play on the ‘moon buggy’ and enjoy role play scenarios, successfully supporting their creative development. They have good opportunities to mark-make and write as materials are always available to them. Some children are particularly good at writing recognisable letters and their names. Children show an interest in the computer by typing letters to friends and then sending them. Well planned activities help to foster children's mathematical skills. Children carefully count the number of children present and decide whether they have enough cups, for example. Staff encourage children to think about

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

numbers, deciding which racing car has number three on. Thorough planning ensures children compare length and height, use mathematical language in their descriptions and look at shapes in the environment. A range of topics and activities are introduced to help children learn about their world so children’s knowledge and understanding of their immediate world is good. The nursery organises trips to broaden children’s experiences, for example, children thoroughly

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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 enjoyed their trip to the castle and extended their learning by creating models when they returned. Children learn to use equipment to develop co-ordination and control successfully. They are supported well by adults to handle tools and materials so their manipulative skills are suitably developed.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The development of appropriate behaviour is given high priority through positive encouragement and praise so children successfully learn the difference between right and wrong. Consequently children are well behaved. Children learn to celebrate different cultures and beliefs by participating in a variety of cultural festivals. They try a variety of foods and participate in themes such as, ‘Festivals of Light’. This gives children an appropriate understanding that people have different life styles other than their own. The staff are aware that some children have learning difficulties and /or disabilities and take appropriate action. They use support from outside agencies and liaise well with parents to promote equality of opportunity. Children’s spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents fill in entry forms noting children’s allergies, religious requirements and information that staff need to know to make the children’s stay safe and enjoyable. There is a good exchange of information to support the children's care well. Parents can discuss their children with their keyworker, ensuring parents are involved in their children’s care. Babies and younger children take home a daily diary informing parents of their child’s day, for example, what they have eaten and their physical well-being.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents receive information about nursery education and the Foundation Stage. Parents are well informed about their children’s achievement and staff are open to discussions and approachable. Parents are welcome to stay and to be involved in their children’s learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's health, well-being and enjoyment is promoted by good organisation. The environment and facilities are well planned so children are able to play freely and access resources for themselves. Children are safeguarded against child protection issues as the staff are aware of their role in noting signs of abuse and suitable procedures are in place if they have concerns. The staff adhere to legal requirements and ensure that they conform to the necessary procedures so that children are well cared for, for example, by keeping records of accidents. Children’s welfare is promoted as the staff ensure that they have children’s contact details in order to respond appropriately to emergencies. Overall children's needs are met. Documentation is generally good and reflects the practice well. Although policies and procedures are reviewed, in practice, robust systems to ensure they are accurate and kept up-to-date are not sufficient.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of nursery education is good. This ensures that good progress has been made since the last inspection. A suitable development plan is in place supporting the effective running of the nursery ensuring children’s learning is well promoted. At present staff are monitored on an informal basis. However, the nursery is aware of the need to set up an effective system for staff appraisal and although this has been trialled it is yet to be put into practice.

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last combined inspection the nursery was required to provide more opportunities for children to develop their awareness of music. Children are now able to access musical instruments themselves and have suitable and varied musical experiences to develop their learning. They were also required to develop the use of practical activities and daily routines to promote children's knowledge and understanding of addition and subtraction. Using daily experiences such as snack time when children count out cups for the group and activities such as singing songs, children are able to learn sufficiently that numbers increase and decrease.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The nursery was also asked to develop procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff or volunteer. This is now in place and staff refer to their policies and procedures for guidance, ensuring children are safeguarded. Lastly they were asked to ensure parents sign the medicine record book to provide continuity of care for the children. This procedure is now in place ensuring parents and nursery staff are aware of dosages given to safeguarding children's health.

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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 by 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 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): • ensure younger children can play outside safely at all times • ensure policies and procedures are maintained accurately.

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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 children's progress along the stepping stones towards the early learning goals is tracked • ensure effective systems are in place to monitor staff's work.

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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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