Richard Taunton Sixth Form College

Pepperpot Nursery Ltd

Inspection report for early years provision

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Pepperpot Nursery Ltd

Unique Reference Number 130707 Inspection date 14 July 2005 Inspector Christine McInally

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Pepperpot Nursery Ltd

Setting Address St Wilfrid's Church Hall, Whippingham Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 3PF Telephone number 01273 709 595 E-mail ppotnursery@aol.com Registered person Pepper Pot Nursery Ltd Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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Pepperpot Nursery Ltd

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 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?

Pepperpot Nursery is privately owned by joint owners and was established in 1995. The nursery occupies the lower hall of St Wilfrid's Church Hall in Brighton, the nursery has sole use of this part of the building. The nursery is open 08.15 to 18.00 Monday to Friday for 51 weeks. There is approximately 86 children on roll, of these 37 receive funded nursery education. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language. While

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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 joint owners have overall responsibility for the nursery they employ a management team to oversee the day-to-day running. The three managers all hold suitable qualifications and the nursery also employs three teachers, one of whom is qualified in early years, to work with the funded children. The nursery employs a further eight members of staff the majority of whom hold recognised qualifications in child care. The children attending are representative of the local community. There is a small outdoor area which is used daily, weather permitting.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children enjoy a worthwhile range of activities, which help to promote their good health. They learn about the importance of good personal hygiene and understand why they need to wash their hands after visiting the toilet and before eating food. Children know to drink more water when the weather is hot and they are aware of sun safety issues because staff give simple explanations about hats and sun cream. Children enjoy regular physical play both in and out of doors. A stimulating variety of activities helps children gain increasing control of their bodies for example, as they pour water from container to container or as they play on the climbing frame. Staff have an understanding of Birth to three matters; they are beginning to use the guidance to provide a range of physical play experiences for young children. All children are able to rest and be active according to their needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

Meal and snack times are sociable; children sit at the table with their friends and staff. Children experience a range of healthy snacks including breadsticks and fruit encouraging them to develop healthy eating practices. Parents provide packed lunches for the children and there is effective storage for perishable food to prevent spoiling. Children's health is safeguarded because staff maintain their first aid training and records meet the standard.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children enjoy their play in a safe environment where staff use risk assessments extremely well to reduce potential hazards. A daily visual check ensures the speedy removal of any broken toys so they do not harm a child. Children enjoy a variety of learning environments within the nursery. They move safely around from area to area, however the movement is on occasions disruptive to other children. Children have easy and safe access to a wide range of good quality toys and resources appropriate to their age and stage of development. Children begin to learn to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe as they practise fire evacuation procedures. They learn about safety through staff's clear and simple explanations as to why a rule is in place, for example they know not to run inside the nursery as they

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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 might fall and hurt themselves and the need to put toys away to prevent others from tripping. Children are well protected by staff that have a clear understanding of child protection policies and procedures. All of these measures contribute to the safety and welfare of the children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy, confident and relaxed; they readily approach staff for support indicating good trusting relationships. Children arrive happy and eager to participate, enjoying their time at the nursery. Children achieve well because staff are skilled and use their understanding of early years guidance, such as Birth to three matters and the Curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage, to provide good quality care and education. Children show considerable independence and make choices about the toys and resources they want to play with. A wide range of appropriate resources and activities effectively promotes children’s development. Children are interested in the activities available and spend time concentrating on self-chosen activities. Staff encourage children to play together and share. Lots of praise and encouragement develops children's self-esteem. All children enjoy plenty

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

of opportunities to develop their social skills. For example, they sit together and chat at meal times, negotiate and co-operate during role-play. Children enjoy their play outside, however, opportunities are missed to use the learning potential of this area to the full. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. A worthwhile range of relevant activities related to their needs motivates children. They access a wide range of well-chosen resources, which support their progress across all areas of learning. Children are developing an awareness of others' needs and have good self-esteem because staff listen to them and value their ideas and contributions. Children develop a healthy interest in books, they enjoy sharing stories with adults and peers and delight in predictable endings. They are confident speakers, and understand they can use writing for a variety of purposes and are beginning to write for themselves. Children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

skilfully use and recognise numbers in everyday activities; they count confidently and know numbers that are important to them. They choose number activities during free play and enjoy number rhymes and songs. Topic work and practical activities arouses children's natural curiosity and develops their exploration and investigation skills. Children are confident in using information and communication technology. They demonstrate good mouse control when playing games on the computer and use the telephone confidently during role-play. Children use a range of small tools when playing with the play dough; they use pens and pencils effectively and hold them correctly. Children move confidently showing a good awareness of space and others in both the indoor and outdoor space. Children express themselves creatively using all of their senses to actively explore a

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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 stimulating range of new experiences. As children begin in the nursery staff find out about their skills, interests and needs and build on this information to help them achieve and progress. Children flourish as the balance between adult and child-led activities allows them to learn at their own pace. Staff observe the children during free and focussed activities and use their notes to assess children’s achievements. This helps to identify children’s stage of learning and allows staff to plan the next steps in each child’s learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are highly valued as individuals; their needs are effectively met using the information gathered from the parents, and children themselves, when they first start at the nursery. Children are developing an awareness of their own and other cultures through a range of resources, planned activities and as they celebrate a variety of festivals. Children are treated with respect helping them to feel good about themselves. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Children learn about themselves and their own capabilities. Staff set consistent boundaries for older children which helps them learn to negotiate with others and take responsibility for their own behaviour. Very good displays of children's work adorn the walls helping to develop their self-esteem. Children gain confidence as staff acknowledge them as important individuals. Children behave well, they are

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Helping children make a positive contribution

enthusiastic and well motivated; they benefit from the consistent praise and encouragement offered. Staff support younger children in sharing and turn-taking. There are good systems in place to support children who have special needs. Close liaison with parents and outside agencies ensures all children's needs are well planned for and met. A good partnership with parents contributes considerably to children's wellbeing while at the nursery. There are both formal and informal systems in place for staff and parents to share information about children’s achievements. Staff are friendly and approachable, they ensure that all parents know how their children are progressing and developing. Children’s learning is enhanced from this sharing of information between staff and parents.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children feel at home and are at ease in the nursery. All children receive good support from a staff group that enjoy their company and know them well, helping them feel secure and confident. The management team work well together. They have established a good routine although transitions between one activity session and another, for example, moving

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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 to outdoor play or preparing for lunch can be disruptive. This means children can lose interest and become restless. All aspects of the children's care and learning are discussed with the parents, who are kept well informed of their child's achievements. This means the setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. Leadership and management are satisfactory. Staff work well as a team and clear communication and guidance allows them to provide a stimulating well-balanced programme. Policies and procedures are used effectively to promote the welfare, care and learning of children. However, Ofsted are not consistently informed of staff changes within the nursery.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the previous inspection, the variety of snacks has been increased and now includes fresh fruit, dried fruit, crackers and breadsticks. Snacks are offered to the children who help themselves from the plate. This allows children to make choices for themselves and helps develop healthy eating habits. The child protection policy now includes procedures to follow if an allegation is made against a member of staff. This helps to promote and safeguard children’s welfare within the setting.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There has been one complaint, relating to National Standard 2, received by Ofsted since the last inspection. Concerns were raised that a staff member is alleged to have pulled a child by his arm to sit him in his chair, that staff were using mobile phones to take pictures of each other and a nappy was not changed during a half hour settling-in session. The provider was asked to investigate and report to Ofsted within 10 working days. The provider reported back confirming their supervision of the children and having interviewed the staff none had witnessed any staff handling children in the manner described. Their policy regarding mobile phones is that they are not allowed within the nursery. The provider confirmed that they did not change the child’s nappy as requested by the parent, however this was an unusual request on a half hour settling-in session and they would have changed the nappy had the

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Complaints since the last inspection

child soiled or wet itself. The provider remains qualified for registration.

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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 MUST BE DONE TO SECURE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT?

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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that Ofsted is informed of all staff changes. • review the movement of children around the nursery to ensure transitional periods are less disruptive. • develop the outside area to support children’s development in all areas of learning (also applies to nursery education).

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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): • make improvements as indicated in the care section above.

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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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