The Fun Factory

The Fun Factory Inspection report for early years provision

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EY349517 Unique Reference Number 16 October 2007 Inspection date Catherine Greenwood Inspector

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104 London Road, CAMBERLEY, Surrey, GU15 3TJ Setting Address

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E-mail

Donna Ann Rogers 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Fun Factory is a full day care provision which is located within a large residential house in Camberley in Surrey. The premises is within walking distance of local shops and transport facilities. The nursery is registered to care for maximum of 27 children aged one year to under five years at any one time, and there are currently 26 children on roll. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, 08.00 to 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Children currently have access to the ground floor rooms only which include three playrooms, one of which is used for creative play, two toilets, separate staff toilet, nappy changing area, kitchen, utility room, and off street parking for bringing and collecting children. There is an enclosed secure garden available for outside play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs four staff all of whom have an appropriate 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. Children have healthy home cooked food, which includes vegetables and no red meat. Most children eat well and ask for second helpings. Parents wishes are respected in relation to children's individual diets. Children develop good self help skills as they select apple, melon, oranges, sultanas and bread sticks at snack time. In addition, they wash and dry their hands before eating, and pour drinks of fresh orange juice or water, from jugs on the table. However, at lunchtime, older children do not serve themselves and food is not presented in a way that encourages independence and choice.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are protected from the risk of cross infection because the nursery has a sick child policy in place, and the manager is pro-active in informing parents when siblings of children attending the nursery have infectious diseases. Two of the staff hold first aid certificates and there are comprehensive systems in place for recording details of accidents and medication administration.

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Helping children to be healthy

Pre-school children develop good hand and eye co-ordination, for example, they use fishing nets to transfer leaves, stones and plastic fish into containers, and thread conkers onto lengths of string. Younger children develop co-ordination and control of their bodies as they crawl through play tunnels and use an indoor soft play area, which includes a small ball pool. Some more able toddlers are confident with using the small garden slide independently, and enjoy filling and emptying trucks as they play in the large low level sand tray. Children learn to steer and manoeuvre as they use the bikes and wheeled toys in the nursery garden. Although there are two small climbing frames and slides, the large equipment does not present sufficient challenge for older and more able children to improve their gross motor skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are kept safe on the premises because comprehensive risk assessments are completed. Staff complete a separate risk assessment of the garden each morning, and additional checks are carried out to ensure all the plants that come up in the new premises are safe. Staff are vigilant about the steps within the premises, for example, when accessing the outdoor area and the creative play room and toilets. The premises are secure which means children are not able to leave unsupervised.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Parents are advised about safety procedures in the information pack and newsletters, for example, in relation to driving into the premises and the car park. This reduces the risk to children's safety when they arrive and depart from the nursery. Play equipment is of high quality and is suitable for the age of the children. Consequently, children make very good use of the toys and are motivated within their play. Children know what to do in the event of a fire, because evacuation procedures are practised every two months, and more frequently when there are new staff and children. Children's welfare is fully safeguarded because staff have a good knowledge of child protection procedures and there are systems in place to record any concerns. Current documentation is available.

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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. Younger children show great interest in the play equipment and enjoy activities such as washing dolls, making tracks with cars in the sand, and playdough. They make excellent use of the dressing up clothes and often choose to enter into imaginative play in the home corner and when using the resources. Children develop their senses as they choose to handle and explore exciting real life objects such as tins, real fruit, rubber gloves, fir cones and loofers in different ways. For example, they use the metal pots and pans and whisks to make ' music' and dance to. Staff add to children's enjoyment by consistently sitting on the floor and joining in their play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Displays, planning and photographs in children's developmental records show they have regular opportunities to take part in a good range of experiences. For example, painting on large pieces of paper in the garden using sink plungers, making gingerbread men, threading slices of lemons and oranges, whisking mashed potatoes, playing with shaving foam and flour, and foot painting. All children enjoy playing in the nursery garden. However, children are not currently taken on any outings, which means they do not have opportunities to explore and learn about the local community and the wider world.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff help children develop their vocabulary and communication. As a result, children have good self confidence and form positive friendships with other children and staff. Younger children's progress is clearly recorded and planning is completed using the Birth to three matters guidance. However, aims and objectives for children's learning and the evaluation of activities have not been kept up to date, and planning is not consistently adapted in relation to children's individual interests.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum. However, due to recent staff changes within the nursery, planning is currently being evaluated and adapted and new staff are developing their knowledge of each child's progress. Although the next step for each child's learning is clearly identified, observations are not completed frequently enough in some areas of the curriculum. This means that opportunities to extend children's learning are sometimes missed. Staff talk to children, give them lots of information, and use what they say to ask further questions and engage in conversations. However, some teaching does not always provide children with the opportunity to focus on activities of their own choosing.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show great interest in everything on offer and most concentrate well during adult led activities. Use of a 'weekend teddy bear' encourages children to communicate with others in a group. This includes a book which parents use for comments and photographs. Children who find it difficult to concentrate are asked to listen to each other, and to remember that others listen to them. Some show great excitement and jump up and down when they achieve a task, such as successfully completing puzzles by themselves.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children recall and talk about past events in their own lives such as their uncles birthday and the trampoline they have at home. Staff support this learning by encouraging children to bring photographs of themselves and members of their family, holidays, and pets which are used for conversation. Consequently, children talk about their own experiences and develop their language skills. At register time, children recognise and find their own name which they stick

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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 onto the wall. However, there are insufficient opportunities for them to learn the sounds of letters and use writing for different purposes within all activities. Children enjoy listening to stories. For example, whist sitting and hiding under a large sleeping bag in the tent, they join in with elements of repetitive stories, such as ' we're going on a bear hunt'. However, most children do not show interest in looking at books independently.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are beginning to develop their knowledge of number, capacity and colour. This is well supported by staff who consistently introduce this area of learning within all practical activities. For example, they count the number of leaves they have collected from the garden, and are encouraged to talk about weight as they fill and empty fishing nets. Some more able children can name different shapes, however, there are insufficient opportunities for children to recognise and learn about pattern within their environment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn about the features of living things, for example, when they find a large slug in the garden, they show great interest in looking at the trails left by the slug under a tree branch. Children learn about the seasons and talk about the colour and texture of leaves they have collected. They talk about the caterpillars they have found in the woods and brought to the nursery, and some children know that they will turn into butterflies. However, children are not currently taken on outings, and therefore do not have the opportunity to recognise and learn about features within their local environment. Children learn about other countries and languages. For example, as they make and taste a traditional pudding from Denmark, and through using books and listening to music in other languages. Children show interest in using the computer, although they are not always fully supported with learning how to operate simple

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy imaginative play during free play times. Planning shows they move creatively to music, for example, as they pretend to sway like leaves in the wind. Children use leaves and paint to create their own pictures of Autumn, and are confident with using the tools for rolling and cutting playdough.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are very happy and settled. This is because staff are very responsive to their individual needs. Key workers who look after younger children have a good knowledge of their development and objectives to help them make progress, for example with eating independently. Staff use resources to help children improve their language through asking parents to bring in books from home in different languages such as French. These capture younger children's attention and as a result, those who have English as an additional language are beginning to join in and listening during large group story times.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children and staff form close and affectionate relationships. This is evident as babies often run to staff for a hug and sit on their laps during story times. New children are helped to settle gradually and through the use of additional information on the registration sheet in relation to their individual routines and needs. Children are well behaved. Some younger children are good at sharing, for example, they give their friends books without being asked. On these occasions staff praise children and give them a sticker. Staff sit with the children and encourage them to share. Children are given lots of explanation about how their actions affect others. Consequently children are very kind and caring towards each other.

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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 dress up and listen to different cultural music. Plans include the creation of family books with photographs that show culture within the home and family. Although staff know about parents religions and beliefs, they have not fully discussed how they want this to be implemented within the nursery. There are no children currently attending with learning difficulties and/ or disability, however, there are clear systems in place to support children where there are concerns about their progress.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is satisfactory. Parents receive newsletters once a term and are consulted about changes and asked to share their ideas. They are informed about activities and are encouraged to contribute to topics. However, parents are not currently given ideas of things they can do at home to support children's learning. Parent questionnaire's include positive comments such as 'friendly, professional, and caring staff with great facilities'. Parents are invited to formal progress meetings to talk with key workers each term and share assessment records. They are welcomed into the setting and there is a notice board which has general information, as well as the number and letter of the week, and requests for children to bring in things from home for the interest table. Parents are given a pack which includes all policies and procedures and updated versions are available in the entrance area. The manager talks to

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Helping children make a positive contribution

parents about the Foundation Stage curriculum, although they do not receive any written information to support this. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The environment is very welcoming and attractive to the children and is enhanced by the continual improvements to the premises. Low level mobiles, netting, fairy lights, cushions and mats are used effectively to create areas of play, for example, a sensory corner, book area, and home corner. Wood floors allow children to take part in a wide variety of creative activities which staff display from hoops suspended from the ceiling. This means that children's art work is valued and children feel proud of their efforts and achievements. Low level mobiles in the toddler room include photographs, CD's and books suspended from umbrellas. A low level wall mirror enables children to develop a sense of identity as they look at themselves throughout the day.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is satisfactory. The pre-school room is currently undergoing staff changes and has recently recruited a new experienced member of staff. Children continue to be provided with satisfactory education provision because the manager is currently working alongside staff until further staff are recruited and takes a very active role in making ongoing improvements by self assessment and through staff development. This means that children are provided with continuity of care and education. Effective recruitment procedures ensure staff are appropriately vetted and qualified and procedures and record keeping systems are well organised and used effectively to promote the children's safety and well-being. Staff work very well together to promote the children's enjoyment, achievement and positive contribution and the owner/ manager provides a positive role model for staff and children. The setting meets

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Organisation

the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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

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. 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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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 satisfactory.

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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): • review and improve planning so that it incorporates children's individual interests • provide regular opportunities for children to go on outings in the local community • ensure parents are fully consulted about their religious beliefs

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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): • provide parents with written information about the Foundation Stage curriculum • ensure assessments of children's progress are kept up to date and are consistently used to inform future planning • improve the opportunities for children to learn the sounds of letters and develop an interest in looking at books independantly • plan opportunities for children to use writing for different purposes within practical activities

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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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