Bright Horizons Salcombe Day Nursery and PreschoolOfsted inspection, 17 Jan 2006

Asquith Nursery - Salcombe

Inspection report for early years provision

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Asquith Nursery - Salcombe

Unique Reference Number EY286538 Inspection date 17 January 2006 Inspector Julia Louise Crowley

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Asquith Nursery - Salcombe

Setting Address 33 The Green, Southgate, London, N14 6EN

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Asquith Nursery - Salcombe

Telephone number 0208 882 2136 E-mail salcombe@asquithcourt.co.uk Registered person Asquith Court Nurseries Limited Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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Asquith Nursery - Salcombe

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 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Asquith Nursery - Salcombe is one of 114 nurseries run by Asquith Court Nurseries Limited. It received registration in 2004 and operates from four base rooms on three floors, in a converted listed building. It is situated in a residential area in Southgate, in the London Borough of Enfield. A maximum of 72 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year. All children share

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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 access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 121 children aged from 0.3 to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 55 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide area, as parents travel in to work on route or live and work in the area. The nursery employs 21 staff. Sixteen of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications. Five staff are working towards a qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children talk about how to keep their bodies healthy and they recognise the importance of eating a healthy balanced diet. They help themselves to drinking water, recognising when they are thirsty, for example after outside play, and make their own decision about when they have their snack as they freely access the ‘snack bar.’ Children confidently make choices from a range of fruits, provided by staff, which helps develop their understanding of healthy eating. They talk about favourite foods, recognising that a variety of foods contribute to a healthy balanced diet. Younger children are provided with fresh foods from the nurseries menus. Foods are presented in the appropriate form to the younger children's developmental needs i.e. semi pureed or chopped. Smaller portions are introduced to encourage the younger children to enable them to experiment and gain confidence in new textures and

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Helping children to be healthy

equipment. Children recognise the benefits of exercise and enjoy daily opportunities to participate in activities developing their co-ordination and skills, for example collecting leaves from the garden and taking leaf rubbings. They talk amongst themselves about how they look after their teeth and discuss their experiences of visits to the dentist. Children follow good personal hygiene routines helping to prevent the spread of infection and independently wash their hands before eating their snack without needing reminding. Younger children enjoy regular walks around the local area. Children are excited and enthusiastic when they put on their coats and see exercise and the fresh air as a positive experience. Staff reinforce this message by being both enthusiastic and motivated. Children’s good health is promoted as staff implement effective hygiene procedures to minimise risk of infection across the provision. They have relevant first aid training

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Helping children to be healthy

and implement procedures such as the recording of accidents and administration of medication appropriately to maintain good health and hygiene. However, carpets in all of the children's rooms are not adequately clean for children to access, specifically younger children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children generally move freely and in safety around the learning environment, both

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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 inside and out, because staff pay attention to ensuring risks and hazards are minimised. Currently, in both Pandas and Puffins 'nappy changing' stations are precariously positioned, creating a hazard for staff and children. Children are not provided with a comfortable safe setting for nappy changing, and the children's privacy is not respected. Children show a good understanding of safety issues and group boundaries, for example when walking down the stairs, children automatically keep to the right and hold on to the stair rail, children confidently ask staff for assistance if they need additional support. Staff’s good knowledge and understanding of child protection issues helps to ensure children are protected from harm and neglect. For example, staff know how to implement local child protection procedures and have the required

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

policies and documents in place to safe guard children. Space is generally well organised and used effectively to allow children opportunities to be active, engage in physical activities, table top and floor activities. However, opportunities to relax and share books in a comfortable environment is not available in all rooms. Children access a good range of play equipment and resources, much of which is presented at low level in labelled boxes and in open storage trolleys. The learning environment is bright and stimulating, welcoming to both children and adults, which enhances children’s learning and increases opportunities for them to be independent and develop self-esteem, for example as they notice their creative work displayed.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Babies and young children build successful relationships with their key workers and peers. Children become competent learners as they explore different materials and textures through creative activities. Younger children are helped to explore their senses as they independently access activities i.e. dried pasta and jelly in a water tray. They explore sounds and touch, and enjoy creative activities such as exploring sand and water. Both children and the younger children communicate well using words and gestures and increase in confidence as staff respond to the noises they make. They babble and squeal with delight as they share stories cuddled in with staff and participate enthusiastically in singing sessions, which contributes to developing their communication skills. Staff working with children under three years have a sound knowledge and understanding of child development and make use of the Birth to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Three Matters framework to guide their planning and observations of children’s progress. They provide a stimulating learning environment, in which babies and young children initiate much of their own learning, helping them to develop independence and competence in these early stages of their learning.

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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 satisfactory. Currently staff are working towards implementing a new play ethos within the nursery. Children will be encouraged to self select and direct their own play throughout the day, in order to develop confidence, independence and decision making skills. The new way of working is currently in the early stages, staff are not currently planning sufficiently to supply children with exciting and challenging play activities that cover all areas of learning. In addition the accessibility of play equipment does not invite and inspire the children to select challenging toys. Children play with familiar toys that offer limited challenge and some opportunities to extend their learning through developing the children's ideas and language are lost. Children have limited access to paper and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

mark making tools. For example, children playing in the home corner discuss their plans for a party. Invitations and lists of gifts are discussed, however there are no materials to support these ideas i.e. crayons and papers. Children’s attitude to learning is positive and they play an active role in this as they make their own choices about their play. Children negotiate well with one another making their own suggestions and using good vocabulary to describe their imagined ideas. They initiate their learning, for example, as they decide to go shopping and show good imagination as they develop their real and imagined experiences through role-play. Staff interact well with children; however, open-ended questions are not always used, therefore children's communication skills and ideas are not always extended in their play. Children are generally engaged when they play and when they select activities. Children are confident to speak in groups and concentrate and listen to stories. For

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

example, children join a member of staff to read a book, they gather their chairs independently and with the staffs support, arrange the chairs so everyone can take part. Children can count confidently and they recognise different shapes, although less emphasis is placed on children learning simple calculation. Children occasionally select books and look at them independently. The book corner is outside the main play room, it lacks emphasis and children do not utilise this space. Clear labelling and signs can be seen on the walls, enabling the children to identify shapes and patterns of letters. Children's opportunity to develop writing for a purpose and in meaningful situations for enjoyment are limited. Children develop a sufficient concept of time and place. They discuss having their hair cut 'tomorrow' and a 'party on Saturday in a few days time'. However, staff do not increase children's understanding through discussion and allowing the children's

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

ideas to spark related conversations. Children learn about their own cultural beliefs and those of other people through planned activities such as festivals. However, there is a limited range of resources that promote positive images of disabilities and other cultures. Children have less opportunity to develop their understanding of the world and staff have fewer opportunities to reinforce a positive message. Children use their imagination in play and respond enthusiastically to musical activities. There are insufficient opportunities for children to express their imagination and ideas through painting and art 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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are welcomed and play a full part in the nursery because staff value each child as an individual. Children are confident and show good self-esteem responding well to praise and encouragement. They know what is expected of them and confidently talk about group rules, helping to develop a very good understanding of the difference between right and wrong. Children work together co-operatively, for instance by negotiating turns on the creative activity table. Children learn about themselves and the wider world through planned activities and discussions, for example around a variety of cultural festivals, helping them to understand and value the similarities and differences between themselves and others. Through this the nursery fosters children’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. Representation of other cultures and disabilities within the play resources is limited.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from good relationships and working partnerships with parents, which contributes to their well-being and the relationships they develop at nursery. Secure links are in place between home and nursery and parents are encouraged to share what they know about their child when they begin the group. Flexible settling in arrangements and daily informal discussion helps to ensure parents are involved. Practitioner’s value parent’s comments and suggestions using these to enhance the provision for children. The partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is good. Parents receive information about topics and are encouraged to support their children in bringing in items from home linked to the topic of the week, although details of daily activities are not provided. Children’s individual progress and achievements are discussed and shared through regular discussions with key

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Helping children make a positive contribution

workers and a written report each term. Children’s learning is enhanced by the contributions parents make and the secure links in place between home and nursery.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Staff have a sufficient understanding of their roles and responsibilities within the nursery and the deployment of staff is good, ensuring all children are secure. Staff work well as a team and children’s learning is promoted through satisfactory leadership and management of nursery education. As a result, the needs of the range of children who attend are met. Recording systems for nursery education children are sound. Planning does identify the aims and objectives of activities. Children's next stage of development, is mostly identified although not consistently implemented. Staff are not always confident in identifying what stage a child is at, and as a result they miss opportunities to extend children's understanding and achievement. The range of play equipment and activities, do not provide sufficient variety and challenge.

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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 Children develop a secure sense of belonging because the nursery is welcoming and nurturing. Staff work with parents to ensure they have a good knowledge of children’s individual home and family circumstances. Staff are supported by management through regular meetings and appraisals. They plan the rooms together and discuss how activities went; however, systems to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum and the impact on children’s individual progress are not yet developed.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints reported to Ofsted since registration. 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 satisfactory.

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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): • provide suitable space, furniture and equipment to meet the nappy changing requirements of the children • provide an appropriate range of activities and resources that promote positive images of disabilities and other cultures • ensure floor surfaces are clean and well maintained

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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): • plan activities with clear learning intentions that will enable children to

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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 achieve, based on their individual needs • continue to ensure that effective systems are in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and interaction with children and the nursery education • provide regular opportunities for the children to write for a purpose; using books independently; and extend their communication skills • provide regular opportunities for the children to use everyday technology; strengthen the programme for creativity to enable children to develop their own ideas and imagination through art and access to creative resources

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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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