The Coton Green Church Pre-School

The Coton Centre Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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218258 Unique Reference Number 12 July 2007 Inspection date Janice Rizvi Inspector

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The Coton Centre, Coton Green Church, Comberford Road, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 9AA

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Setting Address

01827 60789 Telephone number additional no 01827 62633 E-mail THE COTON CENTRE NURSERY SCHOOL COMMITTEE Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional care Type of care

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Setting Address

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?

The Coton Centre was registered in 1993 and is run by a committee. It operates from three rooms on the first floor of the Coton Church Centre, situated on the outskirts of Tamworth town centre, Staffordshire. The nursery serves the local community and families from surrounding towns and villages. A maximum of 30 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 09.30 to 12.00, term time only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 29 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these, 20 children receive funding for early education. The nursery currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs four members of staff. All of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications and 10 are working towards a qualification.

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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 satisfactory. Children benefit from a clean and well organised environment. Adults take steps to help children understand the importance of personal hygiene. During the planned activity of hand washing children tell adults why they need to wash their hands, 'because they have germs on them'. They act as helpers at snack time carefully wiping the tables to clean off the dirt. However, currently on occasions, children share communal hand washing bowls prior to snack time. This carries a potential risk of cross-infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Healthy eating is promoted within the setting and all dietary needs are fully discussed with parents. At snack time children are encouraged to drink milk or water and they are able to help themselves to water throughout the session. Children enjoy selecting their own choice of fruit and raisins and pouring their own drinks from small jugs. This time is seen as a social occasion for children to talk about their experiences and learning. Children sit in their key worker groups. While they are finishing their snack, adults show them a box of objects and children can guess the name and shape. Adults develop children's understanding of what foods are healthy as they talk about the fruit and learn how it helps them grow. This helps children develop a positive approach to healthy eating.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy good opportunities for physical exercise and have opportunities to play inside a large room set aside for physical play. They have fun as they make loud engine noises and pretend their wheeled toys are jet skis and the floor is water. During an organised planned activity, an inflatable boat acts as a lifeboat and children pretend to rescue each other and adults from the water. They pull and push and haul each other up with pretend ropes. After more vigorous games they lie down, pretend to sleep and feel their heart beating faster. They crawl, stand and stretch. This helps children to develop their physical skills and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for by adults who ensure that safety is a priority in all areas of children's care. Access to the nursery school is closely monitored and all visitors are requested to produce identification before entering the building. Effective risk assessments ensure that toys and equipment are in good condition and safe for children's use. In addition, if any aspect of the building or areas in which children play are identified as posing a risk, swift action is taken to rectify the situation and ensure that children's safety is not compromised. Alarms are fitted to the exit doors to the corridor. Adults demonstrate a sound understanding of child protection and their responsibility to report any concerns to the relevant agencies. They are familiar with procedures where an allegation is made against a member of staff. This means children are well protected from harm.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There is good space within the setting to enable children to have room to play freely and comfortably with the toys and equipment. The room is made welcoming with children's pictures displayed on boards and photographs for children to look at. There is a good range of resources available and a varied selection is set out each session to allow children to make their own choices. Further toys are stored imaginatively in different leaning areas that relate to the six areas of learning.

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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 Children benefit from the clear safety boundaries set by staff. At the beginning of each session adults discuss safety rules within the setting. Children take part in fire drills and learn to respond to the alarm and line up to go downstairs to the assembly point in the car park. This enables children to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enter with excitement and confidence demonstrating they are very familiar with the routine and eager to learn. New children are reassured and supported by staff. Once they become familiar with the setting they become interested in the wide range of activities provided to support their learning. The environment is thoughtfully prepared and set out by staff to be fully inclusive for children of all abilities. Children fully participate in all the activities and particularly enjoy registration time, freely selecting their name cards and sitting attentively as staff calls the register. They are encouraged to recall their experiences and share their feelings and emotions. Children’s self-confidence is increased by having a sense of belonging. Staff know the children well which is reinforced through key worker groups, where children have the opportunity to contribute their ideas, be aware of their own needs and show concern for others.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They listen to adult instructions and behave appropriately. Children under three benefit from staff using the 'Birth to three matters' framework for planning their activities and assessing their progress. All children's independence and confidence is promoted through everyday routines.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how children learn and progress. They use effective methods to maintain children's interest as they take part in activities, sitting with them, asking questions and extending their play. There is a robust system for recording children's progress through regular and detailed observations. This information is then linked to the stepping stones and staff record children's knowledge of the six areas of learning. Key workers have regular meetings and discussions with parents to plan for children’s next steps, which are clearly identified. Planning of activities ensures most aspects within the areas of learning are covered and it is adapted for the differing abilities of children. All children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Young children are respected and receive appropriate emotional support. They are developing trust and a positive

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

self-image. Consequently they are forming good relationships with their peers and adults, leading to their growth in self-assurance and a sense of belonging.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

All children are making very good progress in communication, language and literacy. They are confident speakers. They have many opportunities to express their ideas and thinking during play and circle time. They enter the nursery eagerly telling adults about what they have brought from home. Adults listen patiently to children, and give extra time to those children who struggle to express themselves. Children have developed good attention and listening skills and sit with rapped attention at story time and silently wait to hear the baby owl hoot. They are developing their emergent writing skills as they pretend to be waiters and make lists. During registration time they identify and link sounds to letters using phonic sounds. Some more able children read out the days of the week and identify the letters on the name labels.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children benefit from many learning opportunities, they learn to use a range of tools safely, encounter creatures, plants and objects. They undertake a range of experiments and design their own models working with a range of materials. They learn about their own culture and

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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 begin to understand differences and learn how other people live. Activities are based on first-hand experiences which encourage exploration, observation, and problem solving. They play with vacuum cleaners and fix the hose to the nozzle. They use the mouse on the computer to choose items to decorate their cake on the screen. Children are competent at building with construction kits making train tracks and have regular opportunities to construct with recycled materials.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Adults are using the indoor environment to help children discover their mathematical potential. For example, children discover things about shape, numbers, and recognise number labels. They learn new ideas, concepts and language during planned activities. They enjoy making a machine and learning how the cog action turns the wheels. Younger children begin to learn to count through nursery rhymes and games. Children have fun making patterns and shapes, drawing their fingers through the sand and foam mixture. They begin to learn to follow a sequence when they arrive, by picking out their name, putting it into the treasure box and then putting a peg into the board to count later at registration time. While this is good, there are fewer opportunities for children to learn to work out strategies to compare groups of objects during daily routines and play. This limits children's learning to calculate.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children’s creativity emerges as they become absorbed in their actions and own ideas, expressing them through movement, making and transforming things using media and materials such as crayons, paints, scissors, musical instruments and imaginative role play activities. Children are confident in naming a range of colours and some are able to distinguish, patterns and shades of colour as they play the game of ‘Can we cross your golden river’. Children's imagination is well developed and they have lots of fun as they pretend to be lifeboat and fire rescue people, and turn their bikes into jet skis. They choose their musical instruments and beat in tune to ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star’.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are welcomed into the nursery. They learn about diversity and the wider community from planned activities and making good use of the wide range of resources available to them. For example, large, colourful and attractive photographs illustrating their town, shops and restaurants and points of interest. Children learn to respect each other. Adults provide good role models and give prompts to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Children are valued and their self-esteem is promoted. Practitioners listen to children, respect their ideas and often support and extend their thinking during role play and other activities. Children's individual needs are discussed with parents in detail. Any special requirements or information are discussed and consistent communication and information exchange takes place. Exceptional needs of children are recognised and met sensitively. A comprehensive policy is in place regarding children with

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Helping children make a positive contribution

learning difficulties and disabilities which details how the service will be provided to children. The very good levels of support ensure that all children are included and receive a great deal of individual attention so that their needs are effectively met.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is good. This is influenced by the staff's calm approach and constant praise and encouragement. Any issues that do arise are dealt with quietly and without humiliation to the children. Children are taught the consequences of their actions on others, which helps them in learning to play together and share.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of funded children is good. The nursery obtains good information from parents to enable appropriate care to be given. Parents are provided with an

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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 informative prospectus that contains clear guidance on the six areas of learning, activities and routines. At the start of the placement they are informed of the funded education. Newsletters inform parents of the activities taking place so they can share in children’s learning. Parents speak very highly of the provision and regularly attend meetings. Adults ask parents to bring in photographs from home for certain themes and topics. Written observations on individual children’s progress are produced and discussed with parents. Parents feel confident to raise any queries they may have. This good relationship encourages a two-way flow of information and assists in helping children feel secure. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. All mandatory records are in place. Policies and procedures are reviewed regularly and made available to parents and staff. This underpins the efficient running of the service. Good recruitment procedures and ongoing suitability checks for staff are in place, with new staff undergoing an induction programme. This helps to ensure children's safety. Each term, managers undertake assessments of the nursery’s working practices in relation to the National Standards and make any necessary adjustments in order to improve standards. The adult to child ratios are maintained and at times exceed the minimum staffing ratios. This good practice benefits the care and welfare of children.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of funded children is good. Adults have a professional approach to their work. They are a well established team. The manager ensures adults feel valued and regularly consults with them during staff meetings. All adults have a good understanding of individual children's needs and make adjustments in the planning to cater for these. The management continually observe and evaluate their practices in order to ensure children receive a good standard of education. All this provides an environment for children that is conducive to their learning and play. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspections of care and nursery education the provision was asked to: review their equal opportunities policy, ensure this is shared with parents and staff and develop children's awareness of other cultures and beliefs.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The nursery school is a Christian based nursery. One of their aims is to welcome all children no matter what their ethnic, cultural or religious backgrounds are. Children are informed and made aware of other faiths and religions, usually, at the time when Christian festivals are being celebrated. A wide range of materials have been obtained to support the planned activities to help children broaden their experiences and learn how other people live. Children are encouraged to show appreciation of other cultures and beliefs. For example, there are many photographs on display of children investigating different food and drinks, looking at books and handling a range of cultural items. Children have a lot of fun building igloos with blocks of ice and learning about the Inuit people. A 'Persona' doll is used in discussions about the doll going to the Hindu temple. During Chinese New Year, children made lanterns and learned the 'Dragon

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Improvements since the last inspection

dance'. The equal opportunities policy, together with all the other policies has been thoroughly reviewed and is kept on display in the reception area. These measures have had a positive impact on the quality of nursery education and care.

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Improvements 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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Complaints since the last inspection

Since 1 April 2004 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): • continue to develop the good health of children by taking steps to prevent the spread of infection and reviewing the procedures for children's hand washing.

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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): • create further opportunities in mathematics, for children to separate objects into unequal groups as well as equal groups during activities, day to day routines and snack time.

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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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