Good as Gold Child Care Centre

Good as Gold Child Care Centre Inspection report for early years provision

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309630 Unique Reference Number 12 February 2008 Inspection date Anne Lakin Inspector

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Gaghills House, Gaghills Road, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 9BB Setting Address

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E-mail

Good as Gold Child Care Centre 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Good as Gold Childcare Centre is run by a partnership. It opened in 1996 and operates from six rooms in a converted hotel building. It is situated in Waterfoot, Rossendale. A maximum of 49 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.30 to 18.00 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 59 children aged from 0 to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 25 children receive funding for early education. Children come from a local catchment area. There are currently no children with learning difficulties and disabilities and no children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 13 members of childcare staff and 2 support staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications and 2 are working towards further qualifications. 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's good health and hygiene is promoted well because staff follow the effective hygiene practices outlined in the written policy and the hand hygiene instructions displayed in the bathrooms. They make good use of the wipes and hand towels placed in dispensers around the nursery and use antibacterial hand lotion carried on their belts. Children's bedding is kept separate and washed each week and staff wipe babies faces with individual face cloths after meals. This contributes effectively to minimising the risk of infection to children. Through practical routines, children understand that they are protecting themselves from germs and illness when they wash their hands, wipe their noses and clean their teeth after meals.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are well protected from cross-infection and illness. The written sickness policy clearly outlines that ill children should remain at home to protect the health of others. The policy also includes information on infectious diseases and incubation periods so that parents are well informed. There are effective procedures in place regarding medication and the manager is responsible for administering medication so that children are protected.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff fully understand the importance of promoting healthy eating to support children's healthy growth and development. The menus are a balance of good nutritious meals and snacks, such as home-cooked pasta, meat dishes, curry, vegetables and fresh and dried fruit. The meals are varied to incorporate foods from around the world and children's individual dietary needs. The nursery has achieved an award for healthy and safe cooking from the local authority. This demonstrates the nursery's commitment to maintaining hygienic food preparation practices and promoting healthy choices for children. Through activities, the children are developing a good awareness of healthy foods. For example, children name fruit as they complete jigsaws and participate in activities linked to foods from around the world. Mealtimes are a relaxing, calm and social experience for children. They sit in groups and interact with staff and each

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Helping children to be healthy

other. They develop independence skills as they learn to feed themselves and use cutlery.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are offered good opportunities to help them lead a healthy lifestyle. For example, babies and younger children have the space and freedom to crawl and roll. Toddlers can push wheeled toys, ride on rockers and slide down the slide inside. The outdoor area supports older children's physical development well as they can run and jump on the grass and play chasing games, climb on the climbing frame and slide down the slide. Physical activity is an integral part of the curriculum programme. Children learn to catch the ball and to ride bicycles with control and co-ordination and are able to negotiate obstacles safely. Older children also develop their fine motor skills through a wide range of equipment and resources, such as chalks, crayons, scissors and interlocking bricks; a summer house is used for children to listen to stories outside and children move to music and dance with ribbons inside. All children enjoy walks to the

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Helping children to be healthy

tropical fish shop and local park, take part in sports days and enjoy playing outside in the rain wearing wellingtons.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. The children are cared for in an environment that is safe, secure and maintained in an appropriate condition. There are adequate precautions in place to minimise accidents for children. For example, staff supervise children as they move from room to room, securing stair gates behind

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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 them. They ensure that electrical sockets are covered and check indoor and outdoor areas daily so that children can play safely. There is an internal telephone system which means that staff can communicate with each other quickly if necessary. Children play in rooms that benefit from plenty of natural light and there are room thermometers on the walls so staff can check that an adequate temperature is maintained.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children are beginning to understand how to keep themselves safe. They take part in regular evacuation practices to develop their understanding of what to do in an emergency. They learn about road safety from visitors, such as the police and crossing patrol officer. Staff reinforce children's understanding of safe play, such as asking children to sit down on the slide to minimise accidents. There are adequate systems in place to record accidents if they occur.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children access a varied range of play resources that support their developmental needs. Resources are maintained in an appropriate condition, cleaned regularly and are safe for children to use. Rooms are organised so that children can explore their environment and access toys and equipment safely. For example, babies can reach rattles and have space to use the slide. Older children select rolling pins and cutters from a low level storage unit for play with the dough and choose dressing up clothes from the low hanging rail.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have a sound knowledge of child protection issues which means that children are adequately protected from harm. For example, they have a sufficient understanding of what to do if they have a concern about a child. They know to keep records and to liaise with the child protection co-ordinator in the nursery. However, management have insufficient understanding of the changes regarding the Local Safeguarding Children Board requirements and the written policy does not reflect these changes. There are appropriate procedures in place to ensure that staff are suitable to care for children, such as recruitment and vetting procedures. The written procedure for the safe collection of children is shared with parents so that children are protected from harm from strangers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Staff are very friendly and approachable. Children are welcomed into a calm atmosphere where photographs and displays of children's work contribute to children settling well and feeling confident and happy. They are eager to attend and thoroughly enjoy their time in the nursery. For example, they are keen to talk about their favourite activities and special events, such as their birthdays. New children settle quickly because there are good procedures in place to introduce children as they move up in the nursery and effective liaison with parents to establish the individual needs of new children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children relate well to staff and staff know them well. The system for organising children into key groups means that children's individual needs are closely monitored. Children have good relationships with each other and interact positively. For example, older children play purposefully together in the home corner, organising a meal and feeding the 'baby'. Babies feel secure and approach staff for comfort and reassurance. Staff use their time to interact with the children and show enjoyment and involvement in children's play. For example, children are offered a writing pad as they take orders from 'customers' in the 'café' and staff join in a spontaneous chasing game with children outside.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have a good knowledge of child development and this enables them to plan imaginative play opportunities for children which they enjoy. Children access a wide range of activities,

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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 such as beach days outside, baking activities, music and dance with ribbons. Older children can make independent choices from activities which are set out for them each day. Babies and toddlers enjoy icing biscuits and choose from play, such as sliding down the slide, building with stacking beakers and playing with rattles or musical toys. Staff have a good understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework. They use it well to record and support the progress and development of younger children and to identify their next steps in learning. Children are linked with a key person who is responsible for monitoring their development and learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. The staff have a detailed understanding of the 'Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage' and use this to plan a wide variety of interesting activities across all areas of learning. There is a comprehensive range of continuous play provision which is sometimes enhanced to stimulate and motivate children, such as adding glitter to the water. Focussed activities with specific learning intentions challenge and stimulate children and staff observe children's progress to plan for their next steps in learning. The manager has introduced a new system of individualised learning plans for children, linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, no method has been developed to demonstrate how all children's progress across the areas of learning will be monitored. Children can access resources freely and independently indoors and staff are beginning to introduce free flow outdoor play to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

enhance children's learning and experience.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children behave very well because staff act as role models, showing respect and good manners to each other and to the children. They manage children's behaviour consistently and in line with the written positive behaviour policy. This means that children understand the boundaries and imitate staff. For example, children understand why they receive stickers for 'being good' and use 'please' and 'thank you' at meal times. The staff are involved in children's play and use a range of methods to support and challenge their learning. For example, they ask children open questions to encourage children to develop ideas and express their thoughts. They use opportunities, such as a rainy day for children to experience the weather outdoors while fully protected in coats and wellingtons. Assessment is based on children's starting points. Planned and spontaneous observations, examples of children's work, photographs and tracking sheets

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

using the curriculum framework show that children make good progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children are well occupied throughout the day and have a good attitude to learning. Their personal, social and emotional development is good. They are eager to play in the water tray and laugh as they practise pouring water from the jugs. Children concentrate well during a mathematical activity. They share and take turns within their capabilities and are supported well by staff. Children develop their independence as they put on their own coats for outdoor play and change into dressing up clothes. The good relationships between the staff and children contribute to children's sense of self-esteem and confidence.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's mathematical, communication, language and literacy skills are developing well within their capabilities. For example, older children count to 7, calculate how many more, compare using 'same' and 'different' and understand 'fewer' and 'least' in a mathematical activity using a bag of groceries; younger children point and count 5 packets of crisps. They use a good range of mathematical vocabulary during play and routine activities. For example, children compare full and empty jugs of water when playing in the water tray and talk about being bigger and smaller than each other as they socialise at the dinner table. They recognise number symbols and practise counting as they use the computer. Children are confident speakers. They engage easily in conversation with each other and with staff and visitors. They participate in a good range of activities that support their early writing skills. This includes making marks with chalks,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

crayons and paint. Three years olds draw faces and recognise the first letters of their names

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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 and four year olds can write and sound out the letters of their names in the correct order. Children are developing their early reading skills as they share books with staff and choose from the menu in the café.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy finding out about every day technology as they investigate with magnets and magnifying glasses and play on the computer. They bake and mix icing when they prepare birthday cakes for everyone and print with paint and sponges to make patterns. They use scissors to create snowflake pictures to hang in the windows and learn about living things as they care for the nursery fish and visit the local tropical fish shop. Children become aware of topical issues related to energy conservation and the environment as they begin work on a project to save energy and create a wild life garden. These activities support children's good development in a knowledge and understanding of the world.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children use their imaginations to express themselves and share their ideas, for example, as they play together organising family life in the home corner. They develop their creativity through a range of media, such as paint, collage, music, movement and dance. They choose from a variety of musical instruments from other countries to explore sounds and twirl about with ribbons. These activities support children's good creative skills development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children have a sense of belonging within the nursery. Photographs of children taking part in special events and activities and displays of their art work on the walls contribute to this. Children are developing an acceptable sense of their own community and the world in which they live. For example, they walk in the local park, celebrate each other's birthdays and enjoy visits and talks from the police and crossing patrol officer. An adequate range of resources and activities provide children with positive images of others and develops their understanding of diversity appropriately. For example, they access books, dolls and jigsaws, learn about Chinese festivals and play musical instruments from around the world. This contributes to children's positive self-image and respect for others. This means that children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is good and staff reinforce this through a consistent and positive approach which is reflected in the written behaviour policy. Children play well together, learn about sharing and taking turns and use their manners well. Clear guidelines and explanations help the children learn about right and wrong within their capabilities. For example, babies are distracted by staff when there are minor disputes about toys and older children are negotiated with and offered explanations. Consistent routines and organisation contribute to children's good behaviour because they know what is expected of them. For example, children help to tidy up and move between activities and rooms in a calm and orderly way.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The staff operate a key person system. This means the children are cared for by staff who know them well and ensures that their needs are satisfactorily met in line with their own routines. This provides continuity for children. There are appropriate systems in place to support children with learning disabilities and difficulties and for children who speak English as an additional language. These include individual plans, liaison with parents and work with other professionals.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. There are effective relationships between the staff and parents, particularly with the children's key person. This contributes to staff and parents working successfully together to meet children's needs and ensure they make progress.

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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 They share and exchange information to promote children's welfare, such as their likes, dislikes, routines and day to day care. Parents look at their children's progress files and can write comments and give feedback. Parents provide information about children's starting points in learning which helps staff build on children's skills. They attend open evenings and parents of older children receive reports regularly, outlining their children's learning and achievements. The parents are encouraged to play an active part in the setting and attend fun events, such as sports days and support fund raising initiatives. They also complete questionnaires about the service provided by the nursery. In addition, newsletters, policies, procedures, copies of menus and welcome brochures outline the service provided for children. Parents are aware of

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Helping children make a positive contribution

the complaints policy and there is a system in place to record complaints which can be shared with parents.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The staff work well together and they organise their time and the space to appropriately meet children's needs. For example, the deployment of staff ensures that they meet adult to child ratios so they adequately supervise children. There are established routines in place that provide continuity of care for children. The organisation of resources supports children in making choices and becoming independent.

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Organisation

Appropriate documents are in place to meet minimum regulation requirements. This supports the safe management of the setting and appropriately promotes children's welfare. However, some documents need to be updated, such as the child protection policy. Additionally, the registration recording systems that show children's arrival and departure times are not consistently clear throughout the nursery. This means that children's safety in the event of an emergency is compromised. The policies and procedures suitably outline the service provided for children. There are systems in place for reviewing the policies and procedures and this contributes to mostly keeping them up to date.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery is good. Management and staff work well together to develop the service they provide for children. For example, staff have designated responsibilities, such as health and safety and child protection. There are established systems for monitoring children's development and progress through the stepping stones of the Foundation Stage. The manager has introduced individual learning plans for older children, linked with the new Early Years Foundation Stage. This new system is to be adopted to record the progress of younger children. However, there is no new method in place for monitoring and evaluating individual children's progress across all areas of learning. The manager works with children in the nursery and uses her experience and training to support staff and provide a role model for good practice. They have established good systems for sharing information

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Organisation

and reviewing provision through regular staff meetings and are working to achieve a quality assurance award.

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Organisation

Detailed induction programmes ensure that staff know what is expected of them. They attend regular training to enable them to carry out their specific responsibilities effectively. Appraisals contribute to staff evaluating their own practice and enable them to identify training needs in order to enhance the service to children. All staff have a recognised childcare qualification and some are working towards further qualifications including degrees which shows their commitment to providing positive outcomes for children. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the 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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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the provider was recommended to record the length of time taken to complete a fire drill. This recommendation has been satisfactorily addressed because the records now include the time taken to evacuate the building.

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Improvements since the last inspection

With regard to nursery education, the provider was recommended to improve procedures to ensure that each child's progress towards the early learning goals is plotted regularly and to share these with parents; to improve children's access to equipment to develop a wide range of physical skills. These recommendations have been satisfactorily addressed because staff complete planned observations which show children's achievements in the stepping stones and identify their next steps towards the early learning goals. These are shared with parents through the children's progress files and regular written reports. Outdoor play equipment includes wheeled toys, a climbing frame, balls of different sizes and plenty of grass and soft surfaces to run, jump and practise catching skills; children use their fine motor skills as they roll dough, cut with scissors, make marks with paint brushes, chalks and crayons and join interlocking

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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 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): • improve register systems to ensure children's safety in the event of an evacuation of the building • ensure that all staff are aware of the child protection procedure and that it complies with the requirements of the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB).

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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): • develop systems for monitoring the effectiveness of children's progress across all areas of learning - this also applies to care.

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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 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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