Amy Johnson School

Happy Child Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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118110 Unique Reference Number 09 January 2008 Inspection date Christine Bonnett Inspector

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2a The Grove, Ealing, London, W5 5LH Setting Address

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E-mail

Happy Child 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?

Happy Child Day Nursery, 2a The Grove, is one of 16 nurseries run by Happy Child Limited. It opened in 1994 and operates from a scout hut in central Ealing, in the London borough of Ealing. A maximum of 41 children may attend the nursery at any one time. It is open each weekday from 08:00 to 18:00 all year. Children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 57 children aged from one year to under five years on roll. Of these, 15 children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 15 staff, of whom eight hold appropriate early years qualifications. A further five staff are working towards a qualification.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health is promoted as they are beginning to learn the importance of adopting good hygiene practices, such as washing their hands at appropriate times during the day to prevent the risk of cross-infection. They are also in an environment that is clean, which enables them to play on the floor with no risk to their health. In addition, all staff hold first aid certificates and follow effective procedures to manage accidents and administer medication.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's individual dietary requirements are catered for as they enjoy healthy and nutritious meals that are served in ample quantities. The menu includes pasta, fish and chicken. Fresh fruit and vegetables are routinely served.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children also have the opportunity for healthy physical exercise as they ride around in the garden. Ballet lessons are also available for the children to promote their physical skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The nursery is bright and cheerful. It is welcoming for children and parents as children's art work and relevant posters are displayed on the walls. Low-level screens and other furniture are used appropriately to create small and cosy areas for children's use within the large hall. Although the premises are generally clean and safe, the children's cloakroom is not maintained to a suitable standard of repair and decoration. Tiles are missing from the walls, and toilet-roll holders are not fitted.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children make very good use of the available play space. Their independence is fostered as they move around the hall with confidence, selecting play materials of their choice from the wide range of items displayed on open-fronted shelving. The play resources are age-appropriate, and enable children to make progress in all areas of development. Younger children are able to eat in comfort and safety as they sit in low-level chairs. Harnesses are used, if necessary. All furniture and equipment is clean and in satisfactory condition.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is promoted as the security of the premises is good. Children cannot leave the nursery unseen, or unwelcome visitors make contact with them. Fire exits are unobstructed, and fire drills are held regularly to ensure all children leave the building quickly and safely in the event of an emergency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is further promoted as all staff have good knowledge and understanding of the signs that may indicate a child was being abused. They are also familiar with the procedure for reporting any child protection concerns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their nursery day. They arrive happily and are eager to involve themselves in the wide variety of play opportunities available for them. The atmosphere in the nursery is calm, but full of positive energy. The younger children have access to meaningful activities that are planned using the Birth to three matters framework. The key-worker system is used

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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 to strengthen children's sense of security as they establish positive relationships with staff who are always pleased to see them.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The planned activities provide both pleasure and stimulation for the children and promote their overall development. For example, children enjoy making fresh fruit salad. They talk about the different fruit provided and then, with support from staff, cut it up and taste it!

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are treated with care and kindness by the staff. This enables them to gain confidence and good self-esteem. Consequently, they select play materials they wish to use and either play contentedly by themselves, or initiate play with a group of others.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of the teaching and learning is good. Staff have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and how children learn. They are also skilled at observing the children, evaluating the findings, and using the information gained to plan the next step in the learning process for each child.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The educational programme is well balanced and generally promotes each area of learning well to allow children to make good progress. However, because the outside play area is small, there is insufficient apparatus available to challenge and dare the older and more able children. In addition, the use of the outside area is limited. It is not included in the planning of activities to enable children to experience the six areas of learning both indoors and out.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The education curriculum is delivered in a way that provides fun for the children and keeps them motivated, keen to learn, and allows them to build upon their natural curiosity. Many activities are planned around current themes. At the time of the inspection the theme was transport. An activity was devised on the theme that incorporated all six areas of learning. The children imagined they were on a bus by putting their chairs in rows; they nominated a driver, counted the passengers, and held hoops to represent wheels. They discussed various aspects of bus travel before singing 'The wheels on the bus'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's behaviour is very good. As they are all busily engaged in fun and meaningful activities, they have no time to become bored and irritable. They very quickly understand what is expected of them, and the structured routine and their awareness of the boundaries for good behaviour help to make them develop a feeling of security. A behaviour management policy is in place, and positive and age-appropriate methods are used to manage any difficulties that may arise. However, the policy does not include how instances of bullying would be managed.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered. Children have time to talk about their families and share their experiences outside the nursery. They are treated with equal concern and their individual needs are met effectively by the staff. Children have access to a range of resources, such as books, dolls and play figures that reflect positive images of different cultures and abilities. Through using the resources children are beginning to increase their awareness of diversity within society. Children also take part in a range of world faith festivals, such as Diwali, Eid and Christmas.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Although the nursery currently does not have any children attending with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, appropriate structures are in place to support such children. The deputy

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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 manager is the designated special educational needs coordinator for the setting. Children’s individual needs are met by establishing good links with the parents and other professionals involved with the care and education of the child. Children who have English as an additional language are also well supported in the nursery. Staff speak a range of community languages, such as Punjabi and Polish, which are used to help settle the child.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children who receive nursery education is good. They are kept well-informed of their child's developmental progress. Planning sheets are displayed to enable parents to see how the curriculum is implemented. Information relating to the daily events of the nursery is available for all parents. Newsletters are issued regularly and coffee mornings held. The manager and her staff recognise the positive impact upon the children of working in close partnership with the parents.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The leadership and management of the setting are good. Strong leadership, guidance and direction from the manager enables staff to understand clearly what is expected of them in relation to their role and responsibilities, and also to work effectively as a team. Children benefit from the very committed and established staff team who show obvious pleasure in being with them. Effective recruitment procedures are in place to ensure that all staff are suitable to be working with the children.

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Organisation

Staff's good organisation of time, space and resources further enhances children's experiences at the nursery and fosters their independence well. The nursery is also committed to building upon their already established good practice. For example, staff take part in training opportunities and the setting has close links with local authority advisory teachers.

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Organisation

All the required documentation to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the children is in place and stored securely. The policies and procedures of the nursery are consistently applied by staff which helps contribute to the smooth running of the setting. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection of the care provided, the nursery was required to enhance the welfare of children by ensuring that all staff understand their responsibilities in relation to child protection matters, and by including the full names of the staff and children in the accident book. Staff now recognise that the welfare of children is paramount, and any concerns they may have about their wellbeing must be reported by following the child protection procedure. All required information is now recorded in the accident book to ensure accuracy.

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Improvements since the last inspection

A further requirement was made at the last inspection to promote the children's independence at meal times. Older children are now able to serve themselves and consequently have input into deciding the quantity of their meal.

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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

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 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): • ensure the children's cloakroom is maintained to a suitable level of repair and decoration • ensure the behaviour management policy includes how instances of bullying would be managed.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • develop the programme for physical development to ensure there is sufficient challenge for the older and more able children • develop the use of the outside area to ensure that all areas of the ciriculum are included.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

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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