Eastfield Primary School

Caring Daycare Inspection report for early years provision

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119968 Unique Reference Number 23 November 2007 Inspection date Louise, Caroline Bonney Inspector

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Gill Avenue, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7WW Setting Address

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01483 538764 Telephone number peter@caringdaycare.co.uk E-mail Caring Daycare Limited Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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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?

Caring Daycare Nursery, Guildford, opened in 1995 and is one in a chain of seven nurseries run by Caring Daycare Limited. It operates from a purpose built single storey building with eight group rooms. Each room has a designated area for outside play. It serves families from the local community and surrounding villages and works closely with the Royal Surrey Hospital to support its employees.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 122 children from birth to five years on roll. This includes 26 funded three- and four-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of days or sessions. The setting supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The setting makes provision for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round excluding bank holidays. Sessions are from 07:00 hours until 19:00 hours. Holiday care is provided for children under eight who have previously attended the nursery.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are 23 staff working with the children. Of these, nine have Level 3 and four have Level 2 qualifications, and five are attending further training for higher qualifications. Of those that

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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 are unqualified, seven are attending relevant training. Additional external staff provide weekly music, French, and sports sessions.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting receives support from the local authority. Teaching methods include aspects of the Montessori approach.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children play in a clean and hygienic environment. Staff regularly clean the floors throughout the day and baby toys are regularly sterilised. Parents are aware of the sickness procedures and unwell children do not attend nursery. Younger children have nappy changes according to their individual needs, not just by rota, and staff wear disposable gloves and aprons. This prevents the spread of infection and contamination.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children follow their individual sleep routines, such as taking a special toy with them. When older children want a nap, which is unusual, staff negotiate where they would like to take it and let them join younger siblings if they wish. Children approach staff for hugs or to sit on their lap confident that staff recognise and respond to their emotional needs with warmth. Staff ensure babies and parents receive sensitive support as they settle in, with several introductory visits of varying lengths, according to their needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children eat well. Babies follow their individual feeding routines. Children enjoy sociable lunches in small groups and meals are healthy and nutritious. Older children develop good independence as they lay the tables and serve themselves. Between meals children have healthy snacks, such as bread sticks or fruit, and water is always available. Staff protect children’s teeth and do not provide squash or raisins, following advice from a dentist. Older children have a snack table where they help themselves to fruit and water, further developing independence, and talk about healthy foods. This ensures children develop understanding of healthy eating and drinking.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children wash their hands appropriately, such as after playing outside and before meals. They wear aprons to keep their clothes clean as they participate in messy activities. When a child offers a member of staff a bite of her melon she refuses, explaining ‘I’ll put germs on it’. Older children help to wipe tables and use the dustpan and brush to sweep the floor. This helps children develop good awareness of how to maintain hygiene.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have good opportunities for exercise inside and outside each day. Most rooms directly access an outdoor area and children play outside in all weathers with the nursery providing toddlers with waterproofs. Older children have free-flow between their playroom and the outdoor area throughout the session. This provides children with good opportunities for fresh air and to run, balance and climb, as they use equipment such as wheeled toys, climbing apparatus, bats and balls. This supports their good health. Babies have space to crawl and stretch for their favourite toys indoors, and pull themselves up on staff. However, due to babies’ sleep patterns staff find it difficult to allocate time to go outside. This leads to babies not going outside in the fresh air at all on some days. As buggies do not have rain covers it also restricts when they can go out for walks.

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Helping children to be healthy

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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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in premises that are well-maintained and brightly decorated with their handiwork, photographs and posters. Toddlers frequently visit other areas of the nursery, such as the messy play area and other playrooms. Children access a good range of suitable play materials and equipment, some of which is swapped with other nurseries in the chain. This maintains children’s interest and provides a stimulating environment.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff implement most safety procedures well. They risk assess activities and all areas of the nursery. However, staff do not always follow procedures for reporting damaged equipment to minimise risk to the children, although it is promptly removed once reported. Managers are careful to review accident records every quarter to ensure there are no patterns evolving. This protects the children’s safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children develop awareness of risk as they play. Babies crawl at speed and bang objects such as spoons and bowls together. Toddlers climb and balance as they use the slide and wheeled toys and learn to use scissors safely. Older children cut food with knives and know not to put them in their mouths at lunchtime, with staff quickly reminding them why. This helps children learn how to be safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff carry out regular fire drills and children know how to evacuate the building quickly. Staff check children against registers which show their times of arrival and departure. However, registers do not show the times children and staff visit other rooms to ensure there is no confusion during an emergency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children receive protection from possible abuse and/or neglect. Parents are aware of the child protection procedures through the notice displayed in the foyer and discussions on first visiting the nursery. They record any existing injuries their children have at home and share this with staff. The induction procedure includes child protection during the first week new staff join. Information is displayed in the staff room and discussed during team meetings to further remind staff of procedures. This safeguards the children well.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy themselves and develop good relationships with staff and each other. Staff effectively use the Birth to three matters framework when planning activities. They observe and record children’s progress and plan future activities to further promote their learning and development. Children's achievement records follow them into older groups where they assist staff in providing suitable challenges. This means children make good progress. Children are excited by the wide range of activities available. Babies are very responsive to adults, showing they develop close relationships. They show excitement as they play, such as when selecting metal spoons and bowls from a treasure basket and enthusiastically banging them together. Toddlers enjoy playing outside as they sit on wheeled toys, do chalking or paint water on the fence. Indoors they explore materials such as a tray of cornflakes or sand. They love joining in

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

action rhymes, laughing and clapping as they make up surprise endings to rhymes. Staff happily repeat actions when children ask, such as turning out sand-castles to the delight of toddlers, who repeatedly say ’gen, ‘gen. Children have good opportunities to select their resources and activities themselves, as well as participating in adult-led activities. Staff spend time listening and talking to the children, valuing what they say. This results in children developing good

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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 self-esteem and self-confidence. All toddlers play outside every day, while older toddlers also have occasional walks out to visit the nearby horse and ducks.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. All staff use the Foundation Stage curriculum guidance to plan activities across all Areas of Learning. They identify clear learning aims for adult-led activities. Lead staff have excellent understanding of the Foundation Stage. The direction they give less experienced staff, together with clear planning, supports the delivery of activities. All staff observe the children and maintain achievements records, which they share with parents at termly meetings. However, they do not clearly identify individual children’s next steps in learning, to further enhance the good progress children already make towards the early learning goals.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have very good relationships with staff and each other. They appear confident and at home as they develop their play, moving between the two classrooms and outdoor area freely. They have clear friendships and love to play with each other. They welcome younger children into their room during transition visits and involve them in their activities, showing care and friendship. They enjoy playing collaboratively in small groups at the computer, cheering each time they match cards and taking turns with the mouse. Children respond to each other as they listen to taped stories through headphones, clapping and laughing together. Staff encourage children’s natural curiosity as they introduce scented playdough or explore a bag of polystyrene chips a child brings in.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop very good independence. They are keen to be selected as helpers and carry occasional messages between staff. Children help to clear away their activities, wipe and set the tables ready for lunch and sweep the floor. They make choices about their activities, such as when a child decides to take some photographs and asks for the camera, snapping pictures of staff, displays and activities. Children playing on the computer print pictures without needing adult support.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop good communication skills as they develop and plan their play together. They enjoy conversations with staff and develop thinking skills as they talk about their activities. Children enjoy joining in at story time. They recognise their names and staff model uses of writing, such as when reading messages from the staff diary and labelling their work and resources. Children stand up to sing subtraction rhymes and count or immediately know how many are left as one sits down. They draw shapes staff ask for in the sand tray, transferring the activity to paper and pencils, finding shapes such as a ‘biscuit’ in the home corner to draw around. They use the programmable BeeBot to estimate and count as they code in its moves to reach a certain spot.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show curiosity and control as they manipulate and explore materials. They squeeze playdough through extruders and transfer water using a pipette. They concentrate as they experiment with magnets and look closely at a variety of shells. They construct with various resources, such as recycled materials, papier-mâché and construction kits. Children exert themselves as they participate in group action rhymes, when they hop like rabbits or dance like ballerinas. Outside they run, climb and balance and staff encourage them to develop new skills, such as using bats and balls. Children know to dress warmly to go outside and staff encourage them to recognise when they are thirsty or peckish by taking themselves to the snack table.

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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 Children have free use of craft resources to carry out their own ideas. They independently make a picture and then finding an envelope and glue and decorating it with cut-out shapes. Staff provide extra resources to support their interests, such as by providing paint as well when a child shows interest in the process of spreading glue over a large piece of paper. Children learn new techniques through adult-led crafts, such as tie-dying T-shirts, using papier-mâché or sharpening pencils to create shavings for a collage. Staff plan the role-play area but children do not use it very much, preferring to develop their own role-play which more directly relates to their current interests.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children relax and develop good relationships with staff and each other. Staff show how they value children by displaying their work and photographs around the nursery. Babies respond well to staff who know what is important to them, such as their favourite activity. They laugh and babble with excitement and pleasure when their favourite toys are set out for them to play with. Toddlers develop awareness of themselves as individuals, such as when children sing a song adapted for each child as they stand and twirl for the group. Staff show how they enjoy the children’s company through their enthusiasm and attention to their individual needs and ideas. Older children have their opinions sought, such as when the garden was under development, choosing the types of activities they wanted out there. This develops children’s sense of belonging well.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are welcome into the nursery from various cultural backgrounds. Staff discuss with parents how well children with other home languages speak English and share key words. Toddlers learn how to use the visual prompt cards to ask for their needs. These cards show pictures and words of various needs and activities, a copy of which parents take home to translate and practise with children who have little English. Staff reflect various cultures and religions through stories, resources and activities. However, children attending do not always have their own language or culture sufficiently recognised, such as through the provision of story and nursery rhyme tapes, to further enhance their self-awareness and self-esteem.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children’s individual needs receive good support through staff seeking information from parents. Staff promptly recognise if children are showing signs of learning difficulties and/or disabilities. They liaise with parents and external professionals to ensure the provision of supportive activities and resources. This supports children's continuing progress well.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents receive information about the provision through the web-site, brochures and newsletters. They feel staff provide excellent care for their children and support their individual needs well. The nursery operates a Parent Link group, with two parents from each playroom meeting with the manager and deputy three times a year to discuss and evaluate the nursery provision. Fathers attend special days, such as for a picnic or to make scarecrows in preparation for a visit to the farm. Parents join in stay-and-play sessions, such as the babies’ music session which was much enjoyed. Parents attend open days and parent evenings to discuss their children’s progress. They support outings and fund-raising activities, such as by organising the Bazaar. This creates strong partnerships with parents. Partnership with parents is good for children receiving nursery education. Parents feel they are well-informed about their children’s progress in the Foundation

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Stage through informal discussions and sharing their achievement records. Staff display planning and the group's learning aim for parents to support learning at home. However, staff do not yet clearly identify individual children’s next steps in learning to share with parents.

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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 Children behave well and respond positively to the praise they often receive from staff. Younger children transfer easily to older groups by having frequent opportunities to visit beforehand. This helps staff identify when a child is emotionally and developmentally ready to move up, preventing behavioural difficulties. Children play very well together and are kind towards each other, with staff quick to support toddlers as they learn to share and take turns. Older children work harmoniously together, such as when they support each other during a computer game and organise their own turn-taking so that all have use of the mouse. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The company supports the nursery manager well, with regular visits from the Operations Manager and the Director. Together they evaluate the nursery and act upon development plans. The company has set policies and procedures for all its nurseries which are kept up-to-date. The manager adds any additional policies to reflect this nursery’s situation. Staff maintain documentation well and implement most procedures very effectively. This supports the children's safety and welfare.

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Organisation

Children benefit from the effective organisation of the nursery. They receive good support during their activities from the careful maintenance of ratios. Room-staff plan activities together and establish routines which support the care of the children, such as for sleep, milk or snack times. This provides children with a rhythm for their day and supports their settling well. Managers organise the space well with most rooms having direct access to a dedicated outdoor area and easy access to resources. Some toddlers also have the use of an additional area for their meals and wet play. Staff identify ways to develop the provision, such as through the imminent merging of two toddler group rooms to provide one comfortable quiet room and one activity room. This supports the care of the children well.

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Organisation

The manager ensures staff have good opportunities to work together and contribute to the evaluation and development of the setting. Various meetings are set up for senior managers and staff, which provide good opportunities to share news, concerns and successes. Additional external staff attend to run sports, French and music lessons once a week. The management team also seeks feedback from parents through the Parent Link group. This supports the continual development of the nursery and supports children’s care and safety.

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Organisation

Leadership and Management is good. All staff undergo rigorous recruitment procedures. New staff receive a well-tracked induction and wear different coloured tabards to indicate to all staff when vetting procedures and induction is complete. This safeguards the children. Children all have a named keyworker who is known to parents. The company supports the staff’s continuing professional development. The manager identifies staff training needs through twice-yearly appraisals and ensures appropriate courses are booked. Staff also attend in-house training with other nurseries in the group and share best practice during team meetings. The room leader and manager monitor the provision of the Foundation Stage curriculum to ensure all areas of learning are covered and that children make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff work closely together and the room leader provides a good role-model for teaching

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Organisation

practice. However, there is no thorough system in place to monitor the quality of teaching to further support staff’s development.

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Organisation

The setting meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous inspection recommendations were set to develop records and share procedures for child protection. Parents and staff now complete the existing injuries record. The child protection procedure is displayed in the entrance foyer and discussed with parents during introductory meetings. Induction procedures ensure new staff are made aware of the procedure within their first week and are regularly discussed during staff meetings. This safeguards the children. Most rooms now have direct access to a dedicated outside area, some of which have all-weather surfaces. Older children enjoy free access to the garden throughout their time in nursery. Staff plan outdoor activities to provide a wide range of learning opportunities and decorate their areas to make them welcoming for children. This stimulates children's play and learning.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that require 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): • provide regular opportunities for babies to go outside • develop daily attendance records to show exact times children and staff are in rooms to assist in emergency evacuations • ensure all children's home cultures and languages are reflected within the setting (this also relates to Nursery Education).

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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 systems to monitor the quality of teaching • use observations to identify individual children's next steps in learning and share these with parents.

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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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