Islamia School for Girls'

Chipmunks Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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101575 Unique Reference Number 11 January 2008 Inspection date Bridgette Williams Inspector

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The Old Primary School, Churchfield Road, Upton St Leonards,, Gloucester, Glos, GL4 8AE

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E-mail

Claire Elizabeth Baker 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 satisfactory. 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?

Chipmunks Day Nursery is registered to offer full day care to 50 children aged under eight years. It is open all year round with the exception of Bank Holidays and the Christmas week. The hours of opening are 08.00 hours to 17.45 hours. Children may also attend on a sessional basis. The morning session is from 08.00 hours to 12.45 hours and the afternoon session is from 13.00 hours to 17.45 hours.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is privately owned and operates from the old village school in the village of Upton-St-Leonards, on the outskirts of Gloucester. It has been operating since 1997. The entire property is devoted to the nursery. Children are cared for in age-related groups; each with their own base play room and shared use of a hall area, quiet room, sleep room, craft area, toilets and outside play area. The nursery provides meals and snacks prepared on the premises.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 102 children attending the nursery. Most of these families live within the village or neighbouring areas, such as Abbeydale and Abbeymead. There are 53 children currently receiving funding for Nursery Education. The Nursery support children with English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and disabilities.

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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 A team of 15 childcare staff are employed as well as a cook, office manager and maintenance staff. The owner is a qualified early years teacher and the manager holds a level three qualification relevant to the role, as do many of the child care staff and others are working towards level two or three qualifications. A high percentage of staff are also trained in first aid, child protection and food hygiene.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A gym class and a creative movement class are also offered, by external instructors.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy regular exercise both indoors and outdoors that provides opportunities to develop a healthy life style. Indoors, some children enjoy weekly visits from an outside instructor who develops the children's awareness of how to keep themselves healthy, they enjoy working co-operatively together to make a large parachute wave and squeal with delight as they try to keep all the eels safely on the parachute. Outside in the nursery's garden the children enjoy developing their large motor skills through pedalling bikes, balancing on beams and climbing on the climbing frames. Children benefit from regular fresh air, they enjoy being involved in a variety of activities in the garden such as, exploring different sounds old saucepans make which are hung on the garden fence and painting the fence with water then watching the water disappear in the sun. They enjoy digging and caring for seeds they have planted and are very

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Helping children to be healthy

proud when they pick their produce from the nursery's allotment.

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Helping children to be healthy

A high percentage of the staff hold a current first aid certificate which, coupled with well stocked first aid boxes, means staff are able to give appropriate care in the event of an injury. The accident books are well maintained and records are shared with parents to contribute towards continuity of care. However, the setting did not notify Ofsted of a communicable disease at the setting which is a breach of regulation. Effective procedures are in place to record medications administered, parents provide prior written consent and state when senior members of staff are to give the medication.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff gather all relevant information regarding children's dietary needs, this ensures that their individual requirements are met which contributes towards their continuity of care. They benefit from nutritious meals that are cooked on the premises and enjoy healthy snacks such as, fruit, toast and baked beans, therefore children are being encouraged to develop healthy eating habits from a young age.

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Helping children to be healthy

Babies sleep according to their needs, they are monitored while sleeping through a listening devise and with regular checks by staff which are recorded. Children in the toddler room sleep after their lunch and a member of staff stays in the room to ensure they sleep safely.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. The nursery school has two entrances, one is used by the toddlers and the babies families and the second entrance area is used by the pre school children. The children and families generally receive a warm welcome, the entrance areas have informative notice boards for parents. Children have easy and safe access to toys and resources that are stimulating and suitable for the

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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's age and stage of development, however, the toys in the pre school room are not presented in an interesting manner to encourage all children to play during their free time.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

A range of effective safety measures are in place to contribute towards the children's safety, for example, socket and radiator covers, regular fire drill practises and a secure outdoor play area. The premises are secure and there are effective procedures in place to prevent unwanted visitors from gaining access. There are procedures in place for the recording of the arrival and departure times of children. However, there are inconsistencies in recording children's names on the registers, consequently the actual number of children attending does not always correspond with the register total, this is a breach of regulation.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have a very sound knowledge of child protection issues. They understand the signs and systems of abuse and know what action to take if they have concerns about a child in their care. These effective procedures contribute towards promoting and safe guarding children's welfare within the nursery.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Babies are developing warm relationships with staff who are caring for them. They confidently express their feelings and needs both verbally and non-verbally. For example, by gurgling happily as they move and sing in response to the musical instruments they are playing with. Children in the toddler group are warmly welcomed and most children part from their carers with confidence. Children enjoy playing with the activities set out on the tables, their creative and imaginative development is encouraged through activities such as, art and craft, painting, listening to and playing music, role play and dressing up. Children at the nursery are generally progressing well, however, staff do not always maximise opportunities to extend children's learning, while they are playing, with appropriate questioning techniques to develop and extend children's spoken language.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children benefit from staff having a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage, stepping stones and the early learning goals. Written plans cover all six areas of the curriculum and staff make regular observations which are recorded in children's individual observation books, these observations are then used to plan future activities. Children's work is attractively displayed, the room is organised to provide children with the opportunity to choose their activities independently, there are designated areas where the children can be involved in role play, writing, reading, construction toys, craft activities, computing, water and sand play. Some children are able to confidently choose their own activities to be involved in during their free play time, for example, a group of children happily act out their own scenarios in the role play corner. However, staff do not always offer sufficient guidance

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

to help the children to develop the skills of becoming an independent learner, consequently some children find it difficult to become actively involved in activities during this time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy looking at and exploring books. They enjoy re-telling stories to their peers and listening to stories read to them in the book corner. Children play with magnetic letters in the writing corner and explore how different pens and pencils work while they are involved in mark making. Children learn about their own cultures and beliefs, and those of other people, through planned activities. They gain an understanding of the local environment as they regularly visit the local church to celebrate festivals such as, Christmas and Easter. They enjoy exploring how

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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 construction toys work and are very proud of their models which are displayed on the modelling table, helping to develop their self esteem. Children are confident in using information technology. For example, two children demonstrate their skills on the computer moving the mouse around effectively each taking turns and successfully completing the game. Children enjoy exploring sounds both outdoors on old saucepans and indoors using a range of musical instruments.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Staff provide written daily information for the babies and toddlers providing parents with information about their child, their daily activities, food intake and sleep. This ensures continuity of care. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Staff encourage children to develop their self care skills, children can access their coats independently which allows the children to develop the skills of dressing and undressing. Their pegs and draws have a picture of themselves, children enjoy looking at the photographs on the pegs and happily talk about their friends to each other and adults which provides children with a sense of belonging. In the pre school room there are dinner time helpers who help to give out the cutlery, which contributes to developing their positive self esteem. Children mostly behave well and staff provide gentle reminders to remember to be polite. Children learn about diversity through

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Helping children make a positive contribution

celebrations from different cultures and access to resources which reflect positive images. Girls and boys have equal opportunities in their play.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There are effective systems in place to support children with learning difficulties. Close liaison with parents and outside agencies ensures children's needs are well planned for. Parents report that staff are approachable offering helpful and supportive guidance.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There is a complaints procedure in place, a complaints log is kept and available on request and contact details of the regulator are clearly displayed.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The quality of the partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. Parents are provided with information about the Foundation Stage explaining how the curriculum will be delivered. There are formal and informal systems in place for staff and parents to share information about children's individual progress and development. However, parents are not informed about forthcoming topics or plans and therefore unable to take an active part in consolidating children's understanding and knowledge.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Minimum ratios of adults to children are maintained, the setting employ a cook and have an office manager which allows staff employed to work directly with the children. During lunch time staff are covered by the manager and when necessary the office manager. All records are accessible in secure storage with due regard for confidentiality. Most legally required documentation is in place, however, the inconsistencies in the registers means that the children's welfare is not always being met.

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Organisation

Staff are committed to seeking advice and guidance from outside agencies to develop and improve the care they provide at the nursery for the children. The provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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 The quality of leadership and management of the nursery are satisfactory. The owner and manager support and encourage staff to participate in self appraisals. They support staff on training requirements to develop their knowledge in childcare further to improve the learning experiences for the children. The setting work with the Foundation Stage consultant seeking advise and guidance to develop and improve the delivery of the Foundation Stage.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous inspection the setting agreed to: monitor planning to ensure all six areas of learning were promoted and create greater opportunities for children to explore and investigate the natural environment; further develop the use of assessments to inform future planning and provide a means of sharing progress with parents; enable children to see and handle numerals and to create freely combining different media using their own ideas; improve hygiene practices with regard to washing hands before snack time and to deploy staff appropriately to ensure that staff are able to meet the needs of all children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

In response the setting have implemented planning sheets that cover all six areas of the curriculum where they record what areas are to be covered each week. To compliment the planning sheets the room is organised to ensure that all six areas of learning are covered with designated areas to complete activities. Assessments are used to inform their planning and on request parents are able to view the children's individual observation books, the setting have a parents' evening where they can meet with their child's key worker to discuss their child's progress. The setting have created their own allotment where the children enjoy gardening and planting and caring for seeds. Children have access to variety of number resources, in the quiet room they have large money cushions, an abacus and counting blocks which they enjoy working with. Staff encourage children at snack time to count how many children are at the

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Improvements since the last inspection

table and to collect the corresponding number of cups and plates. Staff ensure that children wash their hands before eating their food and after going to the toilet. The setting have created a craft trolley with a variety of resources and different materials to allow the children the opportunity to independently access when choosing to participate in a craft activity. To monitor the deployment of staff the setting record the numbers of children due to come into each session on a weekly basis. The management team then ensure that sufficient staff are employed for the following week to meet the needs of the individual children.

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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 satisfactory. 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 AND 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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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 Ofsted are notified of communicable diseases • develop staff awareness of how and when to intervene in children's play to maximise children's learning, and to use effective questioning to promote the development of the children's spoken language • ensure that the registers are correctly 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): • ensure that all children are well supported during free time activities to allow children to develop as confident independent learners • ensure that parents are informed of forthcoming topics and 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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