Chec Mates Day Care

Chec Mates Day Care Inspection report for early years provision

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208180 Unique Reference Number 24 October 2007 Inspection date Lesley Jane Bott Inspector

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Chec, 31/32 High Street, Madeley, Telford, Shropshire, TF7 5AR Setting Address

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01952 586499 Telephone number childcare.sos@chec-info.org.uk E-mail Childcare Support on Site 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?

Chec Mates Day Care registered in 2005. It operates from the CHEC centre in Madeley, which is a suburb of Telford. The nursery serves the local community. There is an enclosed play area so the children can access outdoor play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 08.00 to 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year. There are currently 42 children from three months to five years on roll. This includes 11 children receiving nursery education. The setting is able to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are eight members of staff who work with the children, all of whom hold an early years qualification. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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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. There are good hygiene procedures in place to protect children from cross-infection. Children wash their hands before lunch time and before eating snacks and table cloths are used and wiped down with anti-bacterial spray before food is served. There are good procedures in place for nappy changing and staff wear disposable aprons and gloves to prevent the spread of infection. Arrangements for sick children are effective to ensure that the best interests of all children are met if they are unwell. Accurate medication records are kept, but not fully completed. The records are signed by parents, giving consent for medication to be given but they do not sign the record at the end of the day to confirm they have been informed.

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Helping children to be healthy

There are good arrangements in place to promote healthy eating. Fresh fruit and vegetables are offered at snack time to help children make healthy choices about what they eat. Weekly menus are available to parents and carers based on a four-week rota. Children have access to fresh drinking water at all times as individual bottles with their names on encourages them to access it regularly throughout the day.

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Helping children to be healthy

There are good arrangements to promote physical play. Children have opportunity to be outdoors every day. This includes playing outdoors in the enclosed rear garden, the outdoor equipment is on a two-week rota to ensure that children benefit from all the resources. Children are able to sleep and rest according to their own individual needs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The physical environment of the purpose built nursery is inviting to parents, carers and children and has a welcoming atmosphere. The setting provides an attractive environment in which children are helped to develop confidence, self-esteem and a sense of belonging. Children's work is displayed well and posters are displayed at child height to ensure that they are accessible. The effective storage of toys helps children to develop independence in the environment as they are able to select, use and return toys independently. Toys are stored in low-level units in clear plastic boxes which are labelled with words and pictures to enable children to know the contents of each box. Toys are clean, safe and suitable for their purpose.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have a good awareness of the importance of keeping children safe when they attend the setting and take all necessary precautions to limit hazards, such as keeping electrical sockets covered when not in use. Daily risk assessments take place at the beginning of the day to ensure that all hazards are minimized. Appropriate procedures are in place for the emergency evacuation of the premises. Staff know the procedure that they need to take to ensure that the children are kept safe. Security of the premises is good to ensure that unauthorised persons do not have access to the building and that children are not able to leave the premises unsupervised.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures are good. Staff have a thorough awareness of the signs and symptoms of abuse to enable them to recognise when children may be at risk. They are confident to report concerns in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures to ensure that children's welfare is well protected.

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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. A consistent routine is followed by all staff and displayed within the classroom to ensure that parents are kept well informed. Good routines help children to develop a sense of belonging. They know what happens next throughout the day, for example, children in the nursery know that when the egg timer is started it is five minutes to tidy-up time and to wash hands before snack and lunch. All children move confidently around the room used and are able to work independently at activities of their own choosing. Children are happy and settled. They enjoy their time in the setting and have very good relationships with staff and each other. They enjoy taking part in a varied and interesting range of activities that promote all areas of learning. Activities include opportunities for rest and relaxation as well as active physical play. Staff have a sound understanding of how children develop and use the 'Birth to three matters' framework

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

effectively to ensure good developmental outcomes for children under the age of three years. They plan a varied range of activities which includes outdoor activities as well.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff have a sound understanding of the Foundation Stage of learning and plan a varied and interesting range of activities that promote a balanced curriculum. All areas of learning are addressed to ensure that all-round development is promoted. Adult-led activities are planned effectively and relate directly to the stepping stones to ensure that staff are aware of the learning intentions of the activity. However, staff do not evaluate activities effectively to identify whether children are sufficiently challenged or whether the activity is too difficult. Staff observe and record children's developmental progress and are beginning to implement a new system for recording the findings of observations.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have a good relationship with the children and are actively involved in their play and learning. Staff sit with the children and encourage them to persist in activities of their own choosing. These include choosing the computer games or playing with the cars and buses on the carpet. Children enjoy engaging with adults and the inspector in conversation and as a result their vocabulary skills are developing well and most children speak confidently. They are beginning to recognise that print carries meaning and most children recognise their own name, or can identify a letter on the computer that their name starts with. The book area is inviting to children and incorporates comfy cushions that encourage children to want to use it.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children demonstrate a good awareness of number and readily count in routine and everyday play situations. They are able to know and understand the day and date and count how many boys and girls sitting at the table through calculation. Children have a good awareness of shape. In addition to basic two dimensional shapes, some children can recognise shapes, such as oval and hexagon. Children use a range of tools and techniques safely, such as pointing the camera and taking pictures of friends in the nursery. They particularly enjoyed doing the leaf printing with leaves they have collected themselves from outside.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Staff have an adequate knowledge and understanding of equal opportunities issues to help children learn about the world around them and develop positive attitudes to others. Children learn about their own customs and festivals, such as Christmas and Halloween and other cultures

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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 such as Divali and Chinese New Year. There are appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are able to be fully included in the life of the setting and are able to participate in all activities. Staff find out about individual needs through discussion with parents and carers and through observing children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff manage children's behaviour well to help them learn right from wrong and play harmoniously together. Children respond well to staff's high expectations. They play well together and are encouraged to take turns and share resources. The egg timer is used to help children know when it is tidy-up time. Strategies to manage unwanted behaviour are appropriate to the age and level of understanding of the children. Good behaviour is encouraged and praised. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents and carers and have good relationships with them that are friendly and trusting. Parents and carers are encouraged to share what they know about their child and this helps staff to be able to meet children's individual needs. Written policies and procedures are available to parents and carers and kept in the reception area where they can have free access to them. Information is shared verbally each day for older children and a daily diary in place for the under two year olds. This ensures that parents are kept informed about their child's day.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers of children receiving nursery education is good. There are adequate arrangements in place to share information about the Foundation Stage of learning through weekly display boards within the reception area. However, staff need to devise systems to encourage parents and carers to be actively involved in the children's learning, for example, through being kept more informed on the themed planning for the month. There are formal arrangements to keep parents and carers informed about their children's developmental progress, profile books are available on request and two parents evenings per year are in place.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. All necessary policies and procedures are in place to enable the safe and efficient management of the setting. All required documentation is maintained. Parents and carers have access to written policies and procedures to help them develop an awareness of the provision and make informed choices about their children's care. Daily registers of attendance of staff and children are kept although these are not always accurately maintained to ensure that staff know which children are present at any one time. This has the potential to compromise children's safety in the event of needing to evacuate the premises in an emergency. Records relating to children and staff are stored securely to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.

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Organisation

Staff are enthusiastic about their professional development and regularly attend relevant training courses to further develop their childcare skills and knowledge. A record of attendance at training courses in the form of attendance certificates, is maintained. Children are cared for by staff who know them well. Ratios are maintained to ensure that children have sufficient adult support to be settled, secure and confident. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the setting is good. There are sound systems in place to monitor the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery education. Staff bring their own items to staff meetings which take place on a regular basis. Annual appraisals are carried out by the

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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 manager on staff to ensure that they contribute to children's progress towards the early learning goals.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the setting was required to improve the access to resources for all children and review policies and procedures. As a result the setting purchased new equipment, clear plastic boxes which allow the children to choose equipment independently. Policies and procedures are amended on a regular basis and now included in the operational plan.

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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 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 that parents sign medication records as a record of the medicine given • ensure that daily register is accurately maintained

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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 develop the assessment and evaluation of children's progress to identify next steps in their learning and to inform future planning • improve the information about the foundation stage for parents to become involved in their child's learning.

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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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