Cambridge Day Nursery Ltd

Cambridge Day Nursery Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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EY346992 Unique Reference Number 13 September 2007 Inspection date Deborah Ann Benn Inspector

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38 Cambridge Road, ILFORD, Essex, IG3 8LU Setting Address

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E-mail

Cambridge Day Nursery Ltd 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?

Cambridge Day Nursery is a privately run provision. It opened in 2007 and operates from a converted house in a residential area. It is situated in Seven Kings in the London borough of Redbridge. A maximum of 36 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.30 to 18.30 for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 38 children aged from nine months to under five years on roll. Of these, 13 receive funding for early education. Children come from a wide catchment area but the nursery mainly provides for children locally. The nursery currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs nine members of staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is 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 good. Children's health and well-being is effectively promoted. A high standard of hygiene and cleanliness is evident throughout the setting. Staff are confident with the expectations of the setting and follow appropriate routines in a natural manner. For example staff wear new disposable aprons and gloves for each child when changing nappies and ensure the changing mat is cleaned with anti-bacterial spray. Staff are very aware of the risk of cross infection and take their responsibility seriously. Clean flannels are used to wash each baby's face and hands after eating and immediately put out to be washed. Children's beds are wiped over daily and bedding changed and washed after every use. Children learn about the importance of keeping themselves clean and how this affects their health. Children know to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating and speak about 'getting rid of germs'. Good systems and

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Helping children to be healthy

records effectively support children's care. Staff are aware of children's individual health needs, parents give signed permission guidance regarding the administration of medication which is clearly recorded and countersigned by staff. Any accidents and injuries occurring are clearly noted and the information regularly audited. This is used effectively to highlight areas of risk, to limit hazards and improve practice.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are able to make healthy choices from the nutritious and substantial meals provided. They enjoy helping themselves and opportunity is taken by staff to talk about the benefits of eating healthily. Staff eat with the children providing good role models for mealtimes and encouraging happy and inclusive conversation. Children enjoy a variety of fresh fruit daily for snacks and are help themselves to fresh water throughout the day. Babies are beginning to recognise their own cups and indicate their desire to have a drink, they are provided with pureed and mashed dinners as appropriate.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's physical development is well supported. Babies are provided with ample room and resources to roll, crawl and pull themselves to standing. Staff ensure that they are able to practise sitting safely by placing cushions around them or staff providing their bodies to support and give confidence.

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Helping children to be healthy

Older children are challenged to extend their physical skills, for example staff patiently help a child to learn how to move the pedals on a tricycle. Children make very good use of the well resourced outdoor area, they climb confidently and run freely during regular outdoor play times. Very good alternative provision is made when the weather is not suitable for outdoor play. Children join in exercises to music enthusiastically. Children's fine motor skills are also being supported as they confidently and accurately use a variety of tools such as pencils, scissors and variously sized paintbrushes.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Good consideration is given to making the best use of the space available. Staff regularly review and assess how the playrooms are used and adapt the areas to best meet the needs of the children attending. Older children are able to move freely between the two play rooms on the ground floor. This ensures they have access to a wide range of play resources and are able to

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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 find space to play quietly if they prefer. Children play happily and enthusiastically in the well laid out outside play area. The thoughtful use of decking making a circuit around the edge of the garden, means that children are very aware of the limits of where the tricycles and ride-on toys may be used. They are kept away from the climbing apparatus and slide and naturally assume a safe route. Thoughtful planning in the baby room provides a bright and interesting playroom with different floor coverings helping to identify the type of play in clearly designated areas. Soft carpet provides a safe space for very young children to crawl and explore a wide range of toys and books whilst the laminate floored area is used for messy activities, sand play and meal times. The sleep area is effectively partitioned off using light fabrics. This enables

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

babies to sleep in peace whilst still being in sight and sound of staff.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are able to safely make choices from the wide range of play equipment available. Toys and play resources are of good quality and age appropriate to the children in each playroom. Low level storage systems in the ground floor playrooms mean that children are able to access resources readily and add to their games and activities. Secure safety gates are used to good effect to prevent children being away from direct supervision or leaving the premises and adults are vigilant about ensuring these are kept closed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Good systems are in place to underpin children's safety both in and out of the setting. Detailed risk assessments are carried out before outings take place and clear guidance is adhered to. Very high adult:child ratios are maintained on outings and children all wear a badge stating which nursery they are from. Fire alarms are tested weekly and the fire drill is clearly displayed throughout the building. However, the fire drill log shows that drills are practised infrequently. This means there is a risk that staff and children are unfamiliar with the system in practice leading to a delay in exiting the premises in an emergency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's well-being is appropriately safeguarded. Senior staff are very aware of their responsibilities regarding child protection and confident in their ability to make a referral swiftly if there are concerns about a child's welfare. Appropriate procedures and contact numbers are readily accessible. Staff receive child protection information sharing as part of their induction and are clear on signs and symptoms of abuse and their responsibility to pass on concerns to senior staff. All staff members are very aware of the importance of appropriate confidentiality.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy their time at nursery. They enthusiastically take part in a wide range of activities and confidently move around their environment engaging readily with both adults and other children. All children have frequent opportunity to express themselves through creative and messy play activities. Very young children laugh and squeal with delight as they use their bare feet to play with brightly coloured cooked pasta. Staff support them well, joining in readily and giving them confidence. Children excitedly try out the new chalk boards in the garden and laugh as they clap their hands together and watch the coloured chalk dust in the sunlight. Children communicate readily, they talk about their experiences and express their thoughts, ideas and feelings. Children's verbal development is well supported by staff throughout the nursery who interpret their sounds and repeat their words.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children use mathematical language freely and are well supported to make comparisons in weight and volume. They recognise shapes 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 colours within their environment and enjoy playing with games which help them to understand numbers and shapes. Children have frequent opportunity to learn about their local environment and the wider world. Children's creativity is well supported, they enjoy using a variety of art mediums to express their thoughts and ideas and respond readily to a wide range of music. However, children are not consistently supported to learn about the many purposes of writing and the printed word. Although most staff have a good grasp of the Foundation Stage curriculum, cover staff sometimes use capital letters to write children's names which adds confusion. Although sounds are used sometimes with flashcards as a separate activity, there is limited use of phonics generally within activities to support children learning to read and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

write and opportunities are missed to help children to link sounds and letters. Signs and labels are not used consistently to help children learn about the purpose of the written word. However, children enjoy looking at books and are learning to recognise their names on their place mat.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered. Children's behaviour is very good, they are aware of the nursery routines and expectations and respond readily to them. Staff are excellent role models, they speak to children and each other with concern and respect at all times. Children's efforts are acknowledged and they are praised and thanked for saying please and thank you, taking turns and being considerate to others. Children have developed positive relationships with staff and each other, they express pleasure when they meet and are inclusive in their play. Children are very good at taking turns, they do not get upset when they have to wait, recognising that it will be their turn soon and share well. Staff provide explanations and also respond swiftly to children's requests, providing opportunity for children to learn to negotiate reflecting their security. For example there are too few wooden

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Helping children make a positive contribution

implements available to dig in the sand tray outside for the number of children who want to play. A child accepts that she needs to share and hands over her spoon to another child after her turn. However she then asks a member of staff if she could find some more spoons so that more people could dig, reminding her that there may be some with the indoor sand tray. The staff member acknowledges the child's request, thanks her for thinking of the solution and gets some more spoons.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's home languages are valued and respected. Staff and children come from a wide variety of backgrounds and staff make every effort to support parents and children who are learning English as an additional language. A number of staff are bi-lingual and readily move between languages to help children to understand and to offer support and comfort. Children's cultures and faiths are positively acknowledged and children actively learn to celebrate their own and respect others cultures through taking part in world festivals. Staff recognise festivities as an opportunity to involve parents fully and the whole nursery join in. For example for Eid and Divali parents bring in home made food, children make divas, music is played and all adults dress in Asian clothes. At Christmas children learn the Christmas story by taking part in a nativity play. Parents help to explain customs, children receive lucky money envelopes and food is

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Appropriate systems are in place to support children with learning difficulties/disabilities. The setting has developed a positive working relationship with the local authority and provide an additional support worker who is able to give individual support.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The nursery makes real effort to work closely with parents recognising this as vital to the well-being and happiness of each child. Home visits are carried out by staff before each child

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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 starts the nursery, whatever age they take up their placement. Staff and parents work together to establish children's developmental base line in order to assess how they progress in all areas. However, this is not revisited in detail when children are commencing the Foundation Stage and therefore it is not always clear how children are progressing toward the early learning goals. Regular questionnaires for parents are used by the nursery to help improve the service provided. Parents input is valued, they are made very welcome in the setting and a number help on outings or when celebrating faith festivals. Parents are extremely happy with the care provided and spontaneously provide the nursery with testimonials extolling their satisfaction with the care provided. Parents receive good quality information about the setting when the children first

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Helping children make a positive contribution

start at the nursery and receive daily reports from staff about their child's day.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is satisfactory. Parents are given helpful information about the Foundation Stage of learning before their child commences their funded place. Regular parents evenings provide opportunity for parents to speak with their child's key worker and look with them at their child's progress. However, this is general and not clearly linked to the stepping stones toward the early learning goals. Individual learning plans are developed to reflect what the child has achieved and identify 'next steps' and parents are given ideas as to how they could extend their child's learning at home and link in with nursery topics.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. All required paperwork is in place, well organised and stored with an awareness of confidentiality. Good systems are in place to ensure that all staff are appropriately vetted and suitably qualified. A clear and well organised induction programme ensures that staff are well prepared and equipped for their role. Staff complete this before having unsupervised responsibility for children, during this time they are closely monitored and supported. As well as ongoing meetings with senior staff, a questionnaire at the end of their induction is used to help assess staff understanding, this is then used to help identify future training needs. Staff are made fully aware of their responsibilities and sign confirmation of their agreement to work within the policies and procedures. Regular staff supervision and observations are carried out by the manager to ensure that good care practices are maintained. Staff are enthusiastic and reflect

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Organisation

their passion about their work, they feel valued and are actively encouraged and supported to attend a wide range of training.

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Organisation

Good deployment of staff ensures that children are well supervised at all times. Adult:child ratios are maintained at all times and often exceeded. The manager is supernumerary and therefore available to cover staff lunch breaks.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of nursery education is satisfactory. Regular planning meetings are held to ensure consistency and to highlight how individual children's development needs can be incorporated into general activity planning. However, although staff care practices are effectively monitored, there is currently no structure to monitor the delivery of the Foundation Stage. Also the system recording children's progress does not clearly link to the stepping stones toward the early learning goals.

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Organisation

The setting 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

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration 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. 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 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): • practise the fire drill at regular and appropriately frequent intervals

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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): • improve opportunities for children to link sounds and letters, practise their emerging writing skills and learn about the purpose of the written word within their play • further develop systems to monitor the delivery of the Foundation Stage curriculum • better evaluate observations and improve recording to show clearly how children are progressing along the stepping stones toward the early learning goals

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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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