Ceres Nursery Ltd, Working Mums Daycare & Preschool

Working Mums Daycare

Inspection report for early years provision

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Working Mums Daycare

Unique Reference Number EY294976 Inspection date 03 August 2005 Inspector Lorna Lorraine Hall

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Working Mums Daycare

Setting Address 69 Lower Richmond Road, London, SW14 7HJ

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E-mail

Registered person Ceres Nursery Ltd Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care, Sessional 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 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 inadequate - notice of action to improve.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Working Mums Day care was registered in 2004. The group operates form a converted school building. Part of the complex is used as a training centre by the local authority. Each service is entirely self- contained with their own entrance.

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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 The nursery is currently registered to care for 54 children aged 3 months to 5 years, opening 08:00 - 18: 00 Monday to Friday, closing a week at Christmas, Easter and August. Children who attend the setting are from the local and neighbouring boroughs. There are currently 90 children from 3 months to 5 years on roll. Of these 15 receive funding for nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery supports children who have special needs. The nursery employs fourteen members of staff most of the staff, hold an appropriate child care qualification. The setting receives support from Richmond Early Years Childcare Development Partnership.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children develop their physical skills through provision of a suitable range of indoor and outdoor activities. For example, they learn to balance and jump off tyres and moulds independently. Children are cared for in an environment which enables them to rest and be active according to their needs. Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene through well organised activities and routines. Risk of cross infection and exposure to illness is minimised to children. Staff use disposable plastic gloves and aprons when dealing with accidents and when handling food. Most documentation is in place however, some parents have not signed accident records. Temporary accident records do not ensure confidentiality as accidents are recorded on one page. Accidents to children are effectively dealt with as the majority of staff has first aid training. This helps reduce distress to children following an

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Helping children to be healthy

accident. Some staff have received specialist training to administer any invasive medicines appropriately. Children benefit from a healthy diet. They enjoy varied, wholesome, balanced nutritious meals that are freshly prepared on the premises. To ensure individual dietary needs are met, a list is displayed in the kitchen. Older children have access to water throughout the day and younger children are regularly offered drinks to ensure that none remain thirsty. Staff follows babies' individual routines for eating and sleeping. This ensures continuity of care and contributes to their physical well being.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a bright and attractive, well maintained environment. There

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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 is good evidence of children's art work and activities on display. They benefit from playing in a spacious well-organised environment. This allows them to move around safely and freely to independently access available resources, from tables, trays, shelves and boxes at child height. Babies are able to crawl and learn to walk in a safe well organised environment. Children have access throughout the day to a wide range of quality toys and resources appropriate to their age and stage of development. Areas of learning are easily identified and well resourced to support learning. Plans are in place to erect more toilets in the near future. Arrangements for children to use the toilets do not ensure their privacy and dignity because there are no doors on the toilets. Children benefit from a good range of safety measures, for example electric socket

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

covers, fire fighting equipment and clearly labelled fire exits. Staff are vigilant and make sure that items with small parts that could cause choking are not accessible to babies. The premises are very secure and appropriate procedures are in place to prevent unauthorised persons gaining access. Children are well protected from possible signs of abuse or neglect. Staff have attended training and show a good understanding of the procedures to follow with any concerns. Staff receive clear information regarding the signs and symptoms of abuse. This promotes children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in an environment where their individual learning needs are met through well planned activities that are appropriate for their stage of learning. The key worker system provides good opportunities for staff to build relationships with individual children and identify gaps in learning. This enables children to participate in activities which promotes their all round development. Staff awareness and good use of Birth to three matters framework, enhance children's learning and provides good opportunities for babies to use their senses to interpret their experiences. For example, they show great enjoyment when exploring natural and manufactured objects. The children are skilful communicators. They confidently make their needs known, for example during meal times they express their likes and dislikes. Children enjoy looking at books, and during circle time they share their news with other members of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the group. However, the organisation of large group story time does not meet the needs of all the children as there is frequent interruption from the younger children in the group. Nursery Education

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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 The quality of teaching and learning is inadequate. Children do not make enough progress because staff have insecure knowledge of the foundation stage. Although staff record activities under each area of learning, plans lack detail and therefore not all aspects are covered sufficiently to promote children's learning. Staff use the stepping stones to clearly identify children's achievements, however, they do not plan the appropriate next steps in their learning except for those children with special educational needs. This means that older or more able children are not sufficiently challenged. The lack of evaluation means staff are unable to recognise where they are successful in promoting learning and where aspects require improvement. Children's confidence and self esteem is built up by staff who are sensitive to their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

needs and know them well. They are friendly and show concern for others. Children are actively involved in play and activities, although the organisation of resources and equipment does not allow children to independently self select and make choices. Children are keen to communicate with staff and their peers either through signs, gestures or talk. They speak confidently when taking part in discussions, listen intently and contribute to story-time. Children recognise their first names and are encouraged to notice the sound of letters. However, they are not encouraged to notice print, they rarely select from the limited books on display and activities such as role play are not extended to include opportunities to write for different purposes. Children benefit from good individual support to help them count beyond ten and to recognise shapes, colours and sizes. Their understanding of numbers is reinforced

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

as they take part in routine tasks such as laying the table for snack time. They confidently compare numbers during practical activities, however more able children are not encouraged to develop an understanding of addition and subtraction by combining two groups of objects. The outdoor area is used well to stimulate children's interest in the natural world. They observe the weather by associating dark clouds with rain, and they care for potted plants. Children are not encouraged to explore and investigate everyday items and learn through practical play. They have limited access to information technology and show very little interest in the calculator and telephone presented to them during role play in the home corner. Children take part in daily outdoor physical activities where they are set challenges and staff are on hand to give support and encourage new skills, such as balancing on and jumping off moulds and tyres and landing safely. Their chalk drawings represents

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

their experiences as they creatively set the scene on the beach and use their imagination to express their ideas. For example, using the tyres and moulds as stepping stones to avoid falling into the sea where the shark lives. Children enjoy music and respond enthusiastically during music sessions, however there are missed opportunities for children to experiment with sounds and rhythms. They enjoy participating in singing sessions and act out well known songs.

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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 The provision is satisfactory. Children are valued as individuals and they are encouraged to participate in the activities provided. This ensures all the children have equal opportunities to maximise their enjoyment and potential. Children become aware of their own and other cultures through provision of a good range of resources, planned activities, and the celebration of a variety of festivals. There are good support systems in place to support children who have special needs. Close liaison with parents and outside agencies ensure all children's needs are well planned for and met. Staff provide a range of stimulating play experiences suitable to meet different levels of ability. Children benefit form lots of praise and encouragement and from some basic ground rules that are consistently applied. Appropriate strategies, according to the age and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

stage of development, help children understand right from wrong. Children behave well and respond positively to praise and encouragement. Older children help to establish the ground rules. Consistent boundaries and good explanation from staff helps children to learn to negotiate with others and develop an understanding of right and wrong. Children are able to take turns and share. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There are both formal and informal systems in place for staff and parents to share information about children's individual progress and development. Care diaries for young children ensure continuity of care and staff gather all relevant information before children are placed in the nursery. This ensures that individual routines for children under three are in place immediately. Partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is inadequate.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Extensive information on the curriculum for the foundation stage and how children will learn ensures that parents understand that play has an important role in developing children's skills for the next stage of learning. However, they do not benefit from a two way sharing of information between parents and staff to enhance their learning. Parents do not contribute to their child's assessments and are not involved in planning the next steps in their child's learning. This limits children's progress in the nursery and parents ability to fully contribute to the setting.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children benefit from qualified and experienced staff that are very caring. There are effective recruitment procedures in place. Staff are able to attend further relevant childcare training if needed. This means that suitable, experienced and qualified persons look after the children. The premises layout is appropriately organised and children are able to participate in structured and free play several times during the session. Staff show a clear understanding of their role in supporting the children in their play and learning. This

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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 ensures children receive good support from staff who know them well. Most of the required records are in place and confidential. These are available for parents to see. This safe guards children's welfare. Clear procedures and policies support and underpins the service the nursery provides and safe guards the welfare of children. Leadership and management is inadequate. Although the management has successfully identified areas of improvement, in the setting, such as staff training for the Foundation stage. Clear plans and systematic recording of children's achievements across the nursery, opportunities for parents to become involved with their child's learning and improving planning to move children on in their learning. They have not yet draw up clear plans to achieve their aims. This affects their ability

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Organisation

to monitor the teaching and learning and means that gaps in children's learning continues unnoticed and parents are not able to contribute. The setting does not meet the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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 inadequate - notice of action to improve.

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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 the dignity and privacy of children is respected when using the toilet • keep a record, signed by parents, of any accidents to children

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • ensure the grouping of story time meets the needs of all the children.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education, the registered person must take the following actions: • increase staff's knowledge of the Curriculum Guidance for the foundation stage to improve the quality of teaching and the children's learning. • improve partnership with parents to provide opportunities for them to contribute in the next steps in their child's learning. • introduce a rigorous system to monitor the quality of teaching so that areas of improvements identified are quickly addressed. These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice. The Department for Education and Skills and the local authority have been informed.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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