Leapfrog Day Nursery

Leapfrog Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY349182 Unique Reference Number 12 September 2007 Inspection date Christine Stimson Inspector

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Leapfrog Day Nursery, 2-4 Martin Way, Morden, Surrey, SM4 5AH Setting Address

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E-mail

Nord Anglia Nurseries 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Leapfrog Day Nursery opened in 1995 and was re-registered in February 2007. It operates from five group rooms and a baby unit, plus it has a kitchen and toilet facilities. There are two enclosed outdoor play spaces at the back and front of the building, which is in a two storied converted house in Morden. It serves the local area and is close to transport links. There are currently 55 children aged from three months to under five years on role. This includes 10 funded children. The setting currently supports children with learning difficulties and those who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery opens five days a week all year round, apart from the Christmas break and bank holidays. Sessions are from 07.30 to 18:00hrs and children may attend for a variety of full or part time sessions. Currently 13 members of staff work with the children. The manager and 10 members of staff hold recognised childcare qualifications and there are two members of staff who are unqualified. The nursery employs a cook and a cleaner and there are Early Years students on placement. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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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 are learning about how to keep themselves healthy as they have daily opportunities for physical exercise where they climb, run, learn ball skills and ride on bikes in the outside play areas. The food provided for the children helps them to develop healthy eating habits as it is all freshly prepared on site and offers a good nutritional balance. For example, today children have fresh fruit for morning snack and tomato, lentil and vegetable bake for lunch. This is followed by lemon drizzle cake. For their tea they have potato wedges with cheese and ham followed by yoghurt. All snacks and meals are accompanied by water with staff vigilant in filling up young children's beakers, making sure they do not become thirsty. Older children help themselves to water from a dispenser within their room.

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Helping children to be healthy

Positive steps are taken to promote children's health in the setting. Staff ensure tables are hygienically cleaned before snack time and children have their hands washed before and after eating food, after messy play and after using the toilet. This helps them to develop good hygiene practice.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's minor accidents are dealt with effectively, as four staff hold first aid qualifications and the first aid boxes are readily accessible and regularly checked. All accidents are recorded and parents are informed on the day. Risk assessments are conducted of areas where accidents occur to make sure there are no potential hazards. The nursery has written consent from parents to allow them to take children to hospital in an emergency and this further supports children's health and well being. Other documentation which supports the health of children is maintained, such as ill health reports and medication records.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. The nursery has systems in place to ensure the safety of children as they arrive and depart. Secure fencing, locked gates, an entry phone system and vigilant staff ensure children cannot leave the premises unsupervised. In the back garden of the premises there is a window sill where the paint is very flaky, exposing rough wood; there is also a nail sticking out of the protective cover of the air conditioning unit. Theses hazards pose a risk to children's safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are escorted to and from the toilet areas and the premises are maintained at a comfortable temperature with electrical and gas appliances checked regularly. Children play in well organised rooms where they can make free choices about their play. They sit at small sturdy tables to eat their snacks, read stories and develop their fine motor skills. Carpet and soft mat areas give them sufficient space to explore comfortably on a larger scale. Resources within rooms are well maintained and suitable for the children's age and stage of development. However, some of the programmable toys such as activity centres and talking books lack batteries. This means children are disappointed when choosing these items to play with.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff take positive steps to ensure potential risks to children are minimized whilst they play indoors. They check rooms daily for hazards and restrict children having access to the kitchen. The nursery have regular fire drills and through these children learn to leave the building quickly and safely. However, a plan of the evacuation procedure is not displayed in rooms and some of the fire fighting equipment has not been checked since May 2006.

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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 welfare is guarded by staff who are clear about their responsibilities regarding child protection. Some staff have attended child protection training and have a good understanding of how to recognise the possible signs of abuse and how to proceed with their concerns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children and their parents are greeted personally as they enter the nursery. Most children separate readily from their parents, and staff are well deployed to offer additional security and cuddles for less confident children. This contributes to children's well-being. Children readily approach staff for support, with many asking them to join in their play such as 'come and have your dinner now' as staff are offered plates of pretend food. Staff question children effectively and show interest in their responses. This promotes children's self-esteem.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff are using the Birth to three matters framework to plan activities for all young children. This ensures a suitable play environment is available to meet individual needs. For example, children in the under 18 month room sit at the activity table to do painting. Aprons are put on the children and they are excited, anticipating what is coming. Several paint pots and brushes are provided for children together, with white paper. They dip their brushes into the pots and smear the paint onto the paper. Some children use their hands and staff praise their efforts.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy singing rhymes with staff who use props to engage their interest. A happy relaxed atmosphere exists in the baby and toddler rooms and children's independence is encouraged. For example, many children over 18 months feed themselves and younger children hold a spoon as they are being fed. Children are happy at the setting and know the staff well; this contributes to their well being.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have an understanding of the Foundation stage, even though they have had little training in this area. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals, with activities planned to engage their interest. There is a system in place to observe, record and assess children's development and progress, but it is not being used effectively to record children's next step of development. Children are able to choose resources independently to initiate their own play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are beginning to form relationships with their peer group. They are eager to learn and link up together for activities. Children are confident to ask questions and engage staff in their play, but few opportunities are given for them to become independent at snack and meal times. For example, staff serve them their food and snacks and pour their drinks out for them. Children are progressing well with their communication, language and literacy programme, as staff plan interesting activities to promote children's learning in this area. For example, laminated pictures are left on the desks and children are encouraged to make up stories about the pictures. Staff write down what children say and put their stories on a notice board for parents to read. Some stories show children have very vivid imaginations.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are becoming confident in using mathematical language as they weigh items and decide whether one side weighs more or less than the other. Regular sessions of singing number rhymes, such as five currant buns in a bakers shop, help children to count down as well as up and introduces them to subtraction. Children enjoy turning on the CD player and adjusting the volume as they listen to music and express themselves in dance. There are good opportunities

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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 for children to use re-cycled materials to build three dimensional models, which they join together using sellotape and glue. Children's language skills are extended as staff plan activities making sure new words are introduced. For example, during one activity children learnt the meaning of the word illustrator. Later in the day a child told a member of staff he was an illustrator as he drew his picture.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children demonstrate they are developing their fine motor skills as they use paintbrushes, pens and threading toys in their everyday activities. They show good listening skills and concentration during story time and are allowed to choose stories, with their favourites being read again and again. This means children often anticipate what is coming next and express this to the teacher. Regular trips to the library ensure children are able to enjoy an increasing range of books.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have daily opportunities to play in the garden where they practise their balls skills and make use of climbing frames, tunnels and slides. Children ride on bikes, scooters, tricycles and cars around the playground, manoeuvring their vehicles in and out of obstacles on the ground like tyres, tunnels, plant pots and staff. They demonstrate an awareness of space for themselves and others, an ability to move with control and co-ordination and an ability to move safely.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's individual needs are known to staff as parents complete forms indicating any special requirements their children may have. For example, babies sleeping and eating routines are adhered to in the baby room to ensure continuity of care, and children settling in have familiar comforters to hand to reassure them. This helps them feel secure and settled. A clear settling in procedure helps children to gain confidence gradually. Children with learning or physical difficulties are settled by a special needs co-ordinator who discusses with parents how the nursery can help their child to develop. This occasionally involves contacting the local inclusion officer or other professionals and, with parents permission, they all work together to meet the child's needs. Children learn about diversity whilst they are at the nursery as they take part in activities that celebrate the festivals of others. Children play with resources that depict people

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Helping children make a positive contribution

with disabilities and those from different cultures as an integral part of their everyday play.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff are quick to use praise with children and this helps them to develop a positive self image, knowing their achievements are valued. As a consequence children are well behaved with older children getting stickers as rewards for helping staff or being kind to one another. Certificates are issued when 10 stickers have been achieved and children are proud to take these home to show their parents.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Relationships with parents are good. Information is shared verbally for older children and in written format for younger children on a daily basis. Clear and comprehensive information about the Birth to three matters curriculum is provided for parents and each child is allocated a key worker who is responsible for recording children's progress. Parents are invited to formal and informal meetings at the nursery and the parents notice board has lots of information to keep parents up to date, with the latest events both in the nursery and around the area.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Examples of this are how children show wonder as they look at insects through magnifying glasses and enjoy regular music sessions, where they freely express themselves in dance. Children link up together to play and enjoy eating their meals together, making it a social occasion. They are well behaved,

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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 respectful of staff and each other and are beginning to understand and respect diversity within our society.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents whose children receive nursery education is good. Parents receive good quality information about the planned curriculum, so that they can continue children's learning at home. Staff are available to talk to parents every day and regular evening meetings are held where more formal discussions about children's progress is shared.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Leadership and management are good and there is a strong commitment to continually improve the services offered. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities and work well together as a team. The manager encourages staff to embrace training opportunities, so they can be up to date in the latest childcare practices. She leads by example and makes sure staff are involved in all aspects of planning the curriculum for children. There is an effective system in place to monitor and evaluate the teaching and learning, but the manager has failed to ensure children's next step of development is recorded and taken forward into the future planning of activities.

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Organisation

Children are cared for by an experienced, qualified staff team who have a secure knowledge of child development. They are willing to continue to improve their practice by attending training courses that they feel will benefit the children. For example, courses relating to the Birth to three matters framework.

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Organisation

The nursery ensures thorough checks are undertaken on staff to ensure they are suitable to work with children and children are never left in the sole care of staff, who have not completed the vetting process. Space and time are well organised so children are kept occupied and stimulated, with time for both quiet and active play. However, attention to making sure programmable toys are kept in working order has been overlooked.

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Organisation

There is a comprehensive range of policies and procedures to guide staff in their work with children and these are made available to parents. All the required documentation which contributes to the children's safety, health and well-being is in place. The nursery is a generally safe place for children to play, but minor hazards in the garden area need to be addressed.

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Organisation

Overall the setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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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Complaints 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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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): • make sure the fire fighting equipment is maintained in working order and a fire evacuation plan is devised and displayed • ensure children cannot harm themselves on the window sill and the air conditioning unit cover in the garden • maintain programmable toys in working order.

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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): • encourage children's independence at snack and meal times • ensure observations on children's progress are meaningful and identify children's next step of development; use these observations to plan their future 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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