Elephant & Castle Childcare Centre

Elephant & Castle Childcare Centre Inspection report for early years provision

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EY272770 Unique Reference Number 19 October 2007 Inspection date Anne Walker Inspector

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Dunham Road, Sporle, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE32 2DD Setting Address

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E-mail

Gloria Lloyd 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?

Elephant and Castle Day Care Centre is a privately run nursery. It opened in September 2003 and operates from a purpose-built, single-storey building, situated in the village of Sporle, close to the market town of Swaffham. A maximum of 30 children may attend the day care centre at any one time. The setting is open each weekday from 07.30 until 18.30 for 51 weeks of the year. Children have access to a fully enclosed, outdoor play area, directly accessible from the main play room.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 30 children under five years on roll. Of these seven receive funding for early education. Children attend from the local area and the nursery can provide a transport service to and from school. The nursery currently supports children with disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs seven child care staff and a cook. Of the child care staff, five hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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. The organisation of the environment encourages young children to care for their own health. Hand washing facilities adjoin the play room and soap dispensers, sinks and paper towels are at child height so that they learn how to carry out this task independently. They are monitored by their carers, who model good practice alongside them. Low tissue dispensers enable children to wipe their nose and lidded bins close by ensure they dispose of them hygienically. Staff follow good hygiene procedures while changing children's nappies. In the kitchen there are effective arrangements for storing babies bottles and food preparation. During the day staff deal with any hygiene issues that arise promptly. These measures support children's health and help prevent the spread of germs. A written sick child policy and information on notice boards keeps parents informed and helps them work cooperatively with the setting to prevent the

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Helping children to be healthy

Fresh and dried fruit is served for snacks and puddings while vegetables accompany main meals. The food children eat at nursery contributes well to the suggested intake of these type of foods. Main meals are balanced and nutritious. Babies are fed according to their individual routines and staff sit comfortably in an armchair holding babies, to bottle feed them. Individual dietary needs are recorded on entry and systems ensure that staff and the cook have regard to these to maintain children's health and safety.

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Helping children to be healthy

A varied range of activities are provided for children in the adjoining outside play area for good periods of the day. They are keen to be outside and spend time in the fresh air. They enjoy taking part in arranging tyres to make a bus, riding tricycles and climbing steps into the play house.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are looked after in a secure environment that enables staff to supervise children easily. The outdoor area adjoins the playroom so that children choose to be indoors or out and staff work well as a team to maintain suitable numbers of adults in both areas. Staff set examples for children as they deal with any safety issues such as a wet floor at the water play. They mop to avoid children slipping but explain why they are doing it. Children understand not to run indoors and older children remind younger ones that are still getting used to expectations. They help to tidy the play room before lunch because their carers explain that this is how to avoid trips and falls. Appropriate planned activities encourage older children's awareness of their own safety in the wider environment, such as road safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Babies are securely fastened into high chairs and buggies. Their base room provides safe space for them to explore and staff understand their developmental stage and take necessary steps, for example putting support cushions behind a child who is not yet sitting independently. Babies sleep in their base room, enabling staff to monitor them effectively as they rest. On occasions some under two's may be sleeping in their room while the remaining children and staff have lunch together in the main playroom. These sleeping children are monitored by staff but there is no systematic routine that identifies how regularly they should be checked or who will be responsible for checking them. The changing table has recently been updated to provide more space for changing children but it does not have a guard rail which makes it easier for

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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 to roll off. The area is organised so that items are readily to hand and staff prepare well before they put the child onto the changing table and they do not move away whilst the child is on it. However, both issues could compromise children's safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Play materials and furniture are of suitable quality and in good order. In each room they are appropriate for the age of children cared for. Adults understand risk assessment and establish simple rules with older children. For example, a four-year-old who wants dice and counters for a game requests these from an adult and sits in a specific area so they are less accessible to two-year-olds. They are supervised by an adult during the game. Storage units and furniture at child height enables children to access age appropriate toys independently and safely.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is effectively promoted as staff have a sound understanding of their child protection responsibilities. Good induction procedures, training and ongoing discussion at staff meetings, ensures that their knowledge is current. They have a policy and guidance to refer to and know whom to share concerns with, within the setting and externally.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are greeted warmly as they arrive and they quickly decide what they would like to do from the activities available to them. There are consistent daily routines so that children know how their day is organised which helps them feel secure. Babies have their own quiet area but because the nursery is small it is possible for them to join with the older children at certain times of the day. This includes lunchtime which is a social occasion where the children talk with the adults and babies listen and observe what is happening as they are fed. Staff have good knowledge of child development for the under three's and provide a range of play that has regard to their all round development. They make use of everyday routines to encourage language development. The changing area has pictures, shapes and colours around the walls where the children lay. Staff converse with the children about these and children very often

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

take these quiet one-to-one moments to chatter confidently to their carer. In the baby room small babies have mobiles to look at as they lay on the floor and babies sitting are encouraged to stretch out and reach toys. The adults are reassuring and make good eye contact with the babies and hold them frequently.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

In the main playroom activities are adapted for the two-year-olds so that they join in alongside older children but challenges are achievable and based on staff's previous observations. Consequently they are productively occupied and interested in things around them. Staff play alongside them and model imaginative role play with the children. Suitable stories and games help increase their listening skills and concentration. They happily sit for a short period to enjoy a story because it is told in an animated way which involves them responding to what they hear.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Qualified staff have a secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage. Newer staff are well supported as they work alongside experienced staff. Experienced staff provide good direction and help them to build on their skills, which with ongoing training, ensures that they also support children's learning effectively. Overall they form a competent team that work well together. There are clear plans covering the six areas of learning providing children with a broad range of purposeful activities. Methods used for teaching children are suitably varied and enable children to be active participators. Adults

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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 respond well to children's initiatives. A number of the children chose to use the torches and staff supported the children to create a dark den under the table in order to be able to use them. They have good periods of time to self select play but also respond with curiosity to adult led activities. They hold the giant snails, kept as nursery pets, and can identify parts of their anatomy. They also watched the snails eggs hatching. Focussed activities are planned daily involving either one-to-one interaction or with a small groups of their peers. These are generally based on what staff have previously learnt about the children so that children participate with interest. However, the plans do not identify how they will differentiate the challenges for children according to their varied levels of development, to maximise the learning

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

opportunities and set the best challenges.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children have favourite stories and join in with familiar rhyming tales. They take part in a variety of activities which help them discriminate sounds as a pre-cursor to learning the sounds of letters. Mark making activities are available across the nursery. They use number and counting in their daily routines and older children recognise numbers on dice and move their counter the corresponding number in their game. They have opportunities to explore shape, size and quantity as they play with sand and water. A range of creative materials encourage the children to express their ideas and they are keen role players. They investigate how things work. Using different types of torches they learn that some need batteries while others can be wound up to get light. They develop fine motor control through a good range of routines and play materials. Tongs which they need to squeeze, are used to select their apple pieces for snack

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and they use brushes, spreaders and pencils with increasing confidence. They have bikes and balancing equipment, balls and bean bags to help develop their large muscle skills but don't have access to climbing equipment to encourage all their all round physical development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's progress is monitored through regular observations either written, photographic or examples of children's work. They are recorded against the stepping stones towards the early learning goals which staff generally use well to identify their next steps in learning, although it requires further refinement in the planning of focussed activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The individual needs of children are recorded on entry and staff have regard to this when organising the rooms, routines and play. As a result children are settled and older children show confidence in their carers and the nursery environment. Babies allow themselves to be held when fed, soothed when upset and settled to sleep. Friendly relationships are established with parents and their views and wishes are respected to ensure children are happy and content. The setting do not keep records of babies food intakes for parents. Information about nappy changes and rests is generally shared verbally, although the nursery do provide daily diaries for the under two's if parents wish. This means that there is potential for lack of clarity in feeding back to parents, of very young children, relevant information about their day.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Policies are in place regarding anti-discriminatory practice and the nursery has regard to this in their admissions and the day-to-day running of the setting. Children learn about peoples similarities and differences through their play materials and planned activities, providing them with an awareness of the wider world and the lives of others. Children with disabilities are fully included in the nursery day as their carers work closely with parents and other professionals to identify and support their next developmental steps. The older children have helped devise 'The five golden rules'. These identify how they will care for each other and the nursery environment. They are discussed regularly so that children are reminded in a positive way what

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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 is expected of them. Copies of the golden rules are given to parents so that they are aware and can work cooperatively with staff to promote desirable behaviour. Consequently children are cooperative with each other and their carers. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. They are provided with information about the 'Foundation Stage' in the prospectus. Attractive parent friendly displays in the entrance hall and around the nursery illustrate how their children are learning through play. The manager and her deputy have delivered a parent's evening where they explained this in greater detail. Parent's can complete an 'All about me' profile at the outset which helps the nursery understand the child and plan play accordingly. They are able to comment and share their views on the development records kept by staff. In addition their skills are welcomed to compliment activities and themes and there is a parent group that liaise with the manager and owner to identify how they can support the nursery.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are welcomed into an environment that is prepared to receive them. Attractive displays of their creative work values them. They look at photographs of themselves and their freinds displayed at child height in the playroom. This fosters their sense of belonging to the nursery community.

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Organisation

The systems for employment are suitably robust so that children are looked after by appropriate people with the relevant skills. Adults have a positive attitude to training, attending professional and short courses to develop further skills in early years practice. There are good tracking systems to ensure that all staff attend core training in first aid, child protection and health and safety. This means that there are always staff in attendance who have current skills and knowledge in these areas. Effective management systems ensure that there are sufficient adults on duty at all times. The manager and her deputies monitor well so that adult to child ratios are maintained during staff breaks.

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Organisation

All required documentation is in place and used effectively to ensure that children's needs are known and addressed. Policies and procedures are reviewed and staff are kept updated during regular staff meetings and through memos. Documents relating to children and staff are well organised. They are stored to ensure the privacy of children and their families is respected. Overall children's needs are met.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is good. Through appraisal and tracking systems, staff are encouraged to undertake training to increase their skills and understanding of the 'Foundation Stage curriculum guidance'. Less experienced staff work alongside more confident colleagues and are able to observe their practice and are provided with suitable opportunities to tackle new challenges. There are regular meetings between the whole staff team as well as managerial meetings. They use these to reflect on their practice and managers welcome the input of all staff to identify ways of improving what is provided for children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the setting agreed to increase the range of purposeful play opportunities appropriate to children's developmental needs, provide parents with more

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Improvements 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 information regarding the settings child protection responsibilities and improve the policy for special needs.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Play planning has regard to the different ages of children in the nursery and activities are adapted accordingly. Staff have completed training in 'Birth to three matters' and 'The Foundation Stage' and use these guidance to inform their activity planning across the day. Parents are made aware of the centres responsibility for child protection through discussion at induction, access to the policy and current guidance information displayed on the entrance notice board. The special needs policy has been reviewed and contains relevant information to show how the staff will have regard for the code of practice.

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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 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): • improve the systems for monitoring sleeping children when staff are not directly in the baby room and the safety arrangements while children's nappies are being changed • ensure that records are kept of babies' food intakes and that parents are more clearly informed of any nappy changing occurrences and times and durations of rests

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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): • further develop the planning to show how focussed activities are adapted to meet the differing developmental needs of children aged three to five years • develop the opportunities for children to us large climbing equipment.

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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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