Cygnets of Henley Ltd

Cygnets of Henley Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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133509 Unique Reference Number 19 November 2007 Inspection date Susan Victoria May Inspector

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Valley Road Primary School, Valley Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 1RR

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Setting Address

01491 414434 Telephone number cygnetsofhenley@btclick.com E-mail Cygnets of Henley Limited Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Out of School care Type of care

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Setting Address

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 satisfactory. 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. At the time of the inspection there were no children in receipt of nursery education. Ofsted judges that the provider remains suitable to provide nursery education.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Cygnets of Henley Day Nursery opened in August 1997. It operates from two rooms in premises attached to the Valley Road School in Henley-on-Thames. The provision provides day care for children, out of school care and holiday clubs. The out of school care and holiday clubs operate from the school premises. The nursery, out of school care and holiday clubs serve the local area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 22 children on roll in the nursery. There are no children attending who receive nursery education funding. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The provision has systems in place to support children with learning difficulties/disabilities and who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery opens five days a week from 8.00 to 18.00 all year round. The after school club opens 15.15 to 18.00 term time only. The holiday club opens 8.00 to 18.00 school holidays only.

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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 There are eight part-time/full time staff working with the children. Over half the staff have recognised early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children play in a clean, safe environment where staff are good role models and follow effective hygiene procedures such as wiping tables before snack and meals. Nappy changing procedures include measures to prevent cross infection, with the necessary equipment to promote this, for example, gloves, and cleaning materials for wiping changing mats easily accessible. Permission for emergency medical consent and for the administration of medication is in place. There are procedures to record and inform parents of accidents, however, not all records have been appropriately signed by parents in order to ensure children are safeguarded. There are two staff members that hold suitable first aid training. This ensures children's minor injuries are dealt with effectively.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children explore, test and develop physical control in daily indoor and outdoor experiences. Staff have a good knowledge of the 'Birth to three matters' framework and incorporate this within their daily routine to enhance the experiences for children under three. This means the youngest children are confident to try out new skills, ask for help when needed and set their own limits within the safe environment. Children enjoy physical exercise, participate enthusiastically in free play, and take part confidently in organised activities. Opportunities to increase control and co-ordination are available daily through a variety of activities. For example, in the outdoor play area where children use balls, climb on and around equipment, and use wheeled toys to negotiate a path of their choice.

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Helping children to be healthy

During the session children receive a healthy snack of fruit, they choose which fruit they would like from a selection and staff serve it to them. Children have limited access to drinks during the session and at snack time staff pour their drinks for them. This does not help promote children’s independence. Snack and meal times are social occasions; enjoyed by all, this helps provide children with a sound foundation for future eating habits.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are secure within the environment and staff follow procedures effectively to keep children safe. Staff check visitors identification and ensure they record their visit. Staff supervise the children at all times and good arrival and departure procedures safeguard children’s welfare. Children who attend the out of school care provision are escorted by staff to and from their classrooms. Staff complete a daily safety check on the premises, however, less obvious hazards are not always immediately recognised. This is not consistent with ensuring children’s continued safety. Fire procedures are in place and staff are clear of the procedures to follow, the children practise regularly to ensure a rapid evacuation in the event of an emergency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff accurately record children’s attendance times and they are aware who is able to collect the children. There is sufficient space for children to move and play comfortably and child-sized furniture supports them in their play. Children freely access and use suitable, equipment and resources, which are age appropriate and meets their developmental needs. Staff give consideration to ensuring most resources are attractively set out and appropriately maintained,

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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 less so with the books children have independent access to. Children are able to self select additional resources to extend and support their play.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children learn to keep themselves safe and avoid accidental injury by not running inside, respecting others when waiting in a line and not entering the garden without staff. Children are protected because staff have a good understanding of their role in child protection and are able to put appropriate procedures into practice when necessary.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children arrive happily at the nursery and out of school care provision; they greet the staff confidently and settle to activities quickly. They clearly enjoy their time at the provision and are confident and secure. The environment is bright and eye-catching as staff display the children’s work and child related posters and pictures. Staff set out some planned activities and resources and children choose what they wish to play with. Other play options are open to the children as they select from the resources stored on shelves at their height. Caring relationships increase children's sense of trust and help them develop their individuality. Children begin to make sense of the world, express their ideas and communicate effectively in a variety of ways, for example, hand signing is used alongside verbal conversation by staff and children, throughout the nursery session.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children demonstrate increasing social skills through group times such as story and singing sessions. The younger children; of whom the nursery mainly consists, are beginning to achieve because staff enhance children’s experiences as they follow the 'Birth to three matters' framework. Children are beginning to contribute to small group discussions and to develop skills in listening to one another’s experiences. The staff have good knowledge of each individual child’s needs and deploy themselves around the room to support the children, encouraging their play and joining in by invitation. Staff observe, monitor and record children’s achievements.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

No funded children were present at the inspection; however, staff identify in their planning some differentiation for older/more able children. Systems for recording the achievements of the individual children are in place. Staff use notes to make observations on the children at activities, which are then transferred to their profiles. Staff share all children’s records with parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have the opportunity to begin to understand about the written word and recognise sounds, colours and numbers through everyday play. Clear labelling in a variety of scripts and languages throughout the nursery helps children recognise that written words and marks have meaning. Children have access to malleable materials to help develop dexterity and a range of resources to explore sound, texture, and colour, helps to foster their creativity. Staff value children’s creative efforts and display their work around the nursery. Children have access to small tools and equipment and can use everyday technology on a daily basis, for example, in the role play corner and on the computer. Children begin to learn about their community through topic work and discover the natural world as they dig and plant in the small vegetable plot in the school grounds. Children have the opportunity for physical exercise on a daily basis

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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 and a range of equipment is available to develop skills in climbing, balancing, scooting and riding wheeled toys.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are cared for by staff who work with parents to meet their individual needs and ensure they are fully included in the life of the setting. The successful inclusion procedures and staff’s knowledge of learning difficulties and disabilities, ensure children with additional needs participate fully in all activities and achieve manageable targets. All staff have good knowledge of each child’s routine through written information acquired prior to the children being cared for and through ongoing discussion with parents. Babies and young children’s routines are followed in accordance with parental wishes; older children follow a prescribed routine. Children are treated with equal concern and their individual needs and requirements are valued and respected. Children feel a sense of belonging as staff spend time with them, listen and value their ideas and views.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children develop self-esteem and respect for others as staff offer praise and encouragement to their efforts and achievements, provide a setting which supports their needs and which allows them to make some choices. Children become aware of the wider society and foster an understanding, through celebrating festivals and special events from their own and other cultures. Staff welcome parents and visitors from the community into the nursery and value their support and experience in sharing their cultures and lifestyles. Children benefit from activities and resources, which help them value diversity, such as books, puzzles, dressing up clothes, and musical instruments. This fosters children’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding well. Children learn to respond to appropriate expectations for their behaviour and staff are consistent when managing boundaries. They praise and encourage good behaviour

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Helping children make a positive contribution

and strategies used for managing unwanted behaviour are age appropriate, suitable for children’s stages of development and discussed with parents.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good and this contributes to children’s wellbeing and promotes continuity of care in the nursery. Staff ensure that all parents know how their children are progressing and developing, for instance, daily verbal exchanges and the use of photographs in the children’s individual records and in displays around the nursery highlight children’s involvement in daily activities.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The organisational plan consists of a collection of policies and procedures that ensure the provision provides a welcome environment for children's play. Designated areas are set up to provide a variety of play opportunities. Staff deployment ensures children are never left unsupervised with persons not vetted and that ratios are observed in each area of care the provision offers. Attendance registers for the nursery and out of school care confirm this. Most of the required documentation, policies and procedures are in place and are reviewed and updated regularly. This contributes to children’s safety, enjoyment and ability to take an active part in the setting.

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Organisation

Children are cared for by staff that have a clear knowledge and understanding of child development, for instance, meeting the needs of the very young children who make up the majority of the nursery and effectively using the 'Birth to three matters' framework. There are

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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 currently no children attending who receive nursery education funding. However, the staff include some opportunities for progression for older/more able children following the stepping stones towards the Foundation Stage. The staff team work well together; keep themselves updated and have regard for children’s welfare. Systems are in place to ensure senior management identify the training needs of the staff, thereby contributing to the continuing development and improvement of the care and education of all children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last Care inspection the provision were asked to; ensure fire drills are recorded in a fire log book and include evacuation times; ensure daily health and safety checks are completed and recorded; and ensure children's arrival and departure times are recorded daily.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The provision have complied with all recommendations and have in place attendance registers with accurate times of staff and children’s arrival and departure, a fire log with dates of practised fire drills and a daily risk assessment checklist, These procedures help to protect the welfare, health and safety of the children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last Nursery Education the provision were asked to; continue to develop the planning system in place to ensure individual learning needs of the funded children are being met; ensure written evaluations take place on activities offered to ensure activities are suitable to move children onto the next stage; provide opportunities for children to experience everyday technology in daily routines and activities; and provide opportunities for children to experience malleable materials daily.

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Improvements since the last inspection

To meet the recommendations the staff have introduced written evaluations on activities, these are used to help identify individual learning needs and inform future planning.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The nursery have purchased a computer with appropriate software, have equipment such as telephones and tills available in the role play corner and offer a selection of electronic games to help children become familiar with everyday technology.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Children throughout the provision are able to experience and have daily access to a range of malleable materials for example, sand, water and play dough.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the national standards.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. 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 AND 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 At the time of the inspection there were no children in receipt of nursery education. Ofsted judges that the provider remains suitable to provide nursery education.

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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 that records of accidents are signed by parents • ensure children can easily access drinks independently throughout the session • ensure risk assessments are ongoing throughout the day and appropriate action taken to minimise hazards • ensure that books accessible to the children are maintained in good condition and displayed appropriately

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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): • continue to identify through planning, opportunities for older/more able children’s progression following the stepping stones towards the foundation stage

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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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