Blossoms Day Nursery

Blossoms Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY294365 Unique Reference Number 21 November 2007 Inspection date Jane Elizabeth Chappell Inspector

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109 - 110 Waddon New Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 4JE Setting Address

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E-mail

Blossoms Day Nursery Limited 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?

Blossoms Day nursery has been registered since October 2004. It operates from a two storey detached building on a main road in Waddon, which is within the London borough of Croydon. Children are accommodated in two ground floor and two first floor rooms. They also have access to a garden area at the rear of the property. The nursery offers dance and French classes within the weekly routine.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 32 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07:30 to 18:15 all year except for public holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year. Children may attend on a full-time or part-time basis. There are currently 38 children aged from three months to five years on roll; of these, 11 children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery currently supports children with learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities and children who speak English as an addition language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are ten members of staff employed and nine work directly with the children. Eight members of staff have a recognised childcare qualification and one member of staff is working

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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 towards a recognised childcare qualification. The nursery receives support from their local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a clean and hygienic environment. They independently access the bathroom and manage self-help skills with confidence, for example, they demonstrate a good level of independence as they undertake simple hygiene tasks, such as washing their hands and flushing the toilet. However, in the toddler room shared bowls of water are used for hand washing, and a shared towel for hand drying which increases the risk of cross infection. A clear policy for the care of children who are ill or infectious ensures the risks to children are minimised.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from regular meals and snacks. They eat their snack in groups at the table, and are encouraged to develop healthy eating habits when they try pitta bread, salad, and fresh fruit. Children staying all day are provided with a healthy meal, and enjoy this social time together in the middle of the day. Children have access to water throughout the day, which ensures they are well hydrated.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children’s health is protected because staff are well informed about children's medical conditions and other health considerations including dietary needs. Detailed information is collected at registration to make sure staff are aware of all relevant issues. Staff hold current first aid certificates, enabling them to deal appropriately with any accidents that may occur. Suitable documentation is in place to record any accidents or medication administration. However, parents are not asked to sign the record to acknowledge medication administered to their child, this does not fully support the children's health and well-being.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a range of physical activities, which contribute to their good health. They have regular access to fresh air, playing in the outside area, going for walks and visits to the local park. Children have opportunities to ride bikes, play balls games, balance on the beams, and practise their skills using the equipment in a variety of ways. Children's fine motor skills are developed through the use of cutlery, paintbrushes, scissors, glue sticks and pencils, which are used as a part of their integral play.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children have access to a wide range of appropriate resources and equipment that are well maintained and conform to safety standards. Resources are organised to ensure children can access them with ease. Staff supervise children closely and ensure resources are safe and appropriate for their age and stage of development. Children are given gentle safety reminders, for example, not to throw sand and to hold onto the handrail as they come downstairs. Good health and safety practices are in place, including procedures to follow in the event of a fire, these are regularly practised.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff are deployed effectively to ensure that children are well supervised at all times; for example, there are always members of staff near the activities that the children are engaged in so that they are ready to support children who need assistance. Children have access to a variety of

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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 appropriate resources and equipment that are well maintained and conform to safety standards. They are generally organised well to create an accessible and stimulating environment.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff can protect children from possible abuse as they have developed their knowledge of child protection issues and know how to proceed if they have a concern about a child in their care

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are confident and settled well throughout the nursery. They make good relationships with staff and each other and there is a calm and relaxed atmosphere. Children enjoy participating in creative activities, learning to manipulate the cutters and rolling pins with the play dough, and have good opportunities to experiment with paint, they laugh with delight as they paint their hands, and young children enjoy experimenting with the sand and a variety of utensils. Each room has a comfortable, cosy, quiet, area for children who wish to relax and look at books independently.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff respect children's decisions about what they wish to play with and link up with them to extend their learning once the choice has been made. However, some children's play and learning is inhibited through the daily routine, for example, their play is not always able to come to a natural end due to routine restrictions.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the Birth to three framework. They use their knowledge of the children and written observations to plan activities, which encourage children's development. Plans are displayed for parents enabling them to be aware of their child's day.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children make good progress as staff plan activities that promote children's learning. Children are engaged in a range of stimulating activities each day and have access to resources, which support their learning across the six areas of the Foundation Stage. Staff undertake written observations on children's achievements and these are kept in individual files, which are shared with parents at regular meetings. Activities children take part in are evaluated for their effectiveness, along with observations and next step notes ensure individual children have their learning extended by providing appropriate challenges. Each focussed activity indicates what children should be learning, what children will do and what resources will be used. This ensures children's development is monitored to help them make good progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

From the time the children come into the nursery they are engaged in a range of activities that occupy and interest them, for example, children have been learning about Italy. They have created an Italian restaurant, and parents have brought in some Italian music to help set the scene. The children show a good understanding of rules for good behaviour. They know they must take turns with favourite toys and they politely remind each other to share fairly. Children become absorbed in their activities and they concentrate well. The children are gaining independence. They dress themselves for outdoor play; they help themselves to drinks and scrape their plates when they have finished their meal.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The nursery have introduced Blossom the Bear - who goes home with children for special occasions and holidays, children excitedly tell the Inspector where he has been and proudly show their photographs of Blossom on his holidays. Staff also adapt Blossom to support children

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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 with tasks, for example, when a child does not want to help tidy up, staff show Blossom helping them, and the children are soon eager to help again.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have good listening skills, which are nurtured by the staff. Children are confident speakers who readily engage in conversation with their friends, the staff and visitors. They can find their own name cards to show that they are present each day. Some children are beginning to attempt to mark make in some situations however, they are not encouraged to attempt to label their own work. Children, enjoy books and they handle them well. However, they have few opportunities to learn the sounds of the letters of the alphabet.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are gaining good hand/eye co-ordination through using suitable resources. They use scissors, paintbrushes and coloured pencils competently. Children's creativity is supported well in the setting. They become immersed in their artwork and they produce imaginative work according to their own ideas. Staff are on hand to support them and offer resources, ideas and praise but the artwork is children's own work. Their Chinese pictures and own creative displays make the pre-school environment colourful and attractive. Children enjoy dance, drama and making music together, which gives them further opportunities for self-expression.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Resources are used imaginatively to support all children's learning. In the outside area, for example, the bikes and scooters are numbered. The number printed on the bike/scooter is reinforced by a corresponding number attached to a number line on the fence. In this way, children can experience the number represented in a tangible way. However, staff do not support the use of numbers within the daily routine, for example, how many children are here this morning so therefore how many chairs do we need for snack?

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have good access to a range of programmable toys and resources, including a computer that allows the children to have daily access to a selection of games and programmes suitable for their age. The children were seen to access this independently during the inspection, confidently using the mouse to move between screens.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are welcomed into the setting and valued as individuals, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Information about children's individual needs are gathered before children start and parents are encouraged to spend time at the nursery settling children in.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children develop an awareness of the local community by being taken out on walks within the local area and by having regular visitors into the nursery, such as the doctor and dentist. They learn about the wider world through tasting foods, exploring music and discussing other cultures through festivals. Staff use children's own experiences, for example, a family celebration, to help them understand other cultural celebrations. Children's backgrounds are acknowledged and celebrated. Parents are encouraged to be involved when children are discovering about many cultures, they come into the nursery and share their culture through stories, songs and baking, for example a parent came in and made soda bread with the children. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported well, as are those children who speak English as an additional language. This is achieved through working closely with parents to ensure individual needs are met, for example, parents are asked to bring in key

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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 words in their home language, and the nursery routine is documented through photographs so children can at all times have an understanding of what is about to happen.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well and they are helped to understand responsible behaviour by talking through difficulties and sharing an agreement with staff about expected behaviour in the setting. Staff reinforce appropriate strategies, according to a child's age and stage of development, to help them understand right from wrong. Children are treated with respect and are given lots of praise and encouragement, this promotes their self-esteem.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents receive written information about the nursery and access policies and procedures. Parents' wishes regarding the care that their children receive are respected, thereby providing consistency and continuity of care for children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children is good. Parents indicate they are very happy with the provision. They feel staff are very approachable and they receive good information about the curriculum offered. Regular newsletters, daily contact books/sheets support the two way communications between nursery and home. In addition to an initial settling in period and daily written and verbal feedback, parents are kept well informed about their children's progress as they contribute during parents' meetings and work together to decide on the children's next steps of development.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure that children are cared for by appropriately qualified staff who are suitable to work with children. Staff work very well together as a team and have clear roles and responsibilities. Staff have an understanding of child development, which helps them meet children's individual needs.

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Organisation

There are clear aims for the provision and staff demonstrate a commitment to continually improving the quality of care and education for the children. Most required documentation is in place, which underpins the safe management of the nursery.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the setting are good. The manager is fully committed to ensuring children receive high quality care and education. She actively promotes reviews of practice through regular meetings and by inviting feedback from parents. Good systems of support for staff enable them to keep up to date with record keeping and planning, allowing them to focus on children's individual learning needs. The provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous inspection, a number of recommendations were set to improve the care and education that is on offer. The manager has put into place a detailed improvement plans that show how they have addressed recommendations from the previous inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

During the previous care inspection, the setting agreed to-

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Improvements since the last inspection

Develop the programme of healthy eating to teatime snacks, making children aware of what they are eating. Children now take part in lots of discussion around meal times about the food they eat and how it effects their body. Children have a variety of fruit and vegetables to choose from during in snack and meal times. They also, take part in further topic work.

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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 Organise the procedure of older children who pass through the toddler’s room on their way to outside play so that it is safe for younger children. Staff now follow effective written procedures to ensure there is little or no disruption to children while they gain access to the outside facilities.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Ensure that the designated person for child protection takes full responsibility for procedures and informing staff of their responsibilities for protecting children. All staff are now updated through staff meetings of any new changes to internal and external polices for safeguarding children from abuse or neglect.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Develop the range of books and resources that reflect positive images of society and other cultures. Some resources have been purchased and are interwoven through the play materials and planning now incorporates diversity and culture. The nursery has also just applied for an inclusion grant to be able to build on their toys and equipment that reflect diversity and cultural awareness.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Develop staff's understanding of the framework of Birth to three matters so that they are able to meet the needs of children rising three years. Staff have completed training for the framework of Birth to three matters and plan under these outcomes looking at children's individual needs.

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Improvements since the last inspection

During the previous education inspection, the setting agreed to-

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Improvements since the last inspection

Organise play so that the activities of the younger children do not impact on the play and progress of the older children. Children make good progress, they are organised into age related rooms, they have opportunities during the day to be with older children and this is regularly monitored and reviewed.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Develop staff's understanding of the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage so that they can effectively link child observations with the next stage in the stepping stones to meet individual children's needs. Staff have attended training and have had lots of support from the Early Years Development Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) to improve the planning system.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Organise story time so children sit comfortably with staff and are able to see and interact with the story. Children now sit in small groups and have lots of time to interact with the story and take part in discussions.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Update the knowledge and skills of member of staff designated as the special educational needs co-ordinator. The designated SENCO has attended relevant training, and has shared all of this training at staff meetings; the setting also receives support from the Local Authority.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Develop children's independence by permitting them to prepare room displays and to help staff lay tables for meals and snacks. Children now take part in making displays within the setting. During snack time, they help themselves and have opportunities to help set the tables and serve other children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Develop planning so older children have more free flow of activities, ensuring staff fully understand the learning outcomes of each activity. Planning now incorporates all six areas of learning and has learning intentions highlighted for each activity.

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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

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there has been one complaint made to Ofsted that required the provider to take action to meet the National Standards. This related to National Standard 1 - Suitable person; and National Standard 11 - Behaviour.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Concerns were raised regarding the behaviour of staff towards children and management of children's behaviour. Ofsted visited the provider to discuss the concerns raised and from the subsequent investigation, an Action was set under National Standard 1 - Suitable Person; to 'prepare an action plan showing how management will improve strategies for supervising staff, assessing their suitability, ensuring they understand their personal responsibilities with regard to protecting children and managing children's behaviour'. The provider responded to Ofsted to show that suitable measures had been taken to meet the Action set. No further action was taken and the provider continues to be registered

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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): • reduce risks of cross infection by providing more appropriate hand washing and drying facilities for children • improve good practice by ensuring that parents sign the medicines record to acknowledge the entry • ensure young children's play and learning are not inhibited through the daily routine

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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 to write their own name on their work and provide more opportunities for children to be exposed to linking sounds to letters • provide more regular opportunities for children to practise number skills through the use of everyday routines.

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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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