The Bishop of Winchester Comprehensive School

Cherubs Nursery & After Care Inspection report for early years provision

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134702 Unique Reference Number 30 October 2007 Inspection date Bridgette Williams Inspector

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West Side House, Wychwood Business Centre, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 6XU

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E-mail

Linda Triggs Registered person Childcare 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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Cherubs Nursery and After Care has been open since 1999. It operates from a converted two storey building in a business park set in a rural location.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The premises comprise of five rooms. The older nursery children and the school age children use rooms on the first floor. There is an enclosed outside area for the younger children's play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 71 children on the roll, of whom 20 are aged over eight years. The Nursery does not receive education funding. The group is not currently supporting any children who speak English as an additional language or who have designated special needs.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group opens for five days a week all year round. It is open from 07:30 until 18:30. Nursery children attend for a variety of sessions. It offers before and after school service for the older children, as well as holiday care.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The owner and nine staff work with the children. There are three staff members hold early years qualifications to level three and another two hold a level two qualification; with two staff working towards relevant early years qualifications at level two or three.

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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 satisfactory. Children play in a clean environment. Children follow personal hygiene routines such as, washing their hands before eating and after visiting the toilet. However, the lack of explanation means that children do not understand the reason or the importance of good personal hygiene. The comfort of babies and young children who wear nappies is ensured because staff change nappies regularly and respond quickly in the event of soiled nappies. The nappy changing procedures followed minimise the risk of cross-infection. Suitable procedures are in place to care for children who require medication, become unwell, or injure themselves. Information regarding accidents and the administration of medication is shared with parents to ensure continuity of care.

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Helping children to be healthy

Parents provide all meals at the nursery, staff follow effective hygiene procedures when preparing the meals for children. Babies enjoy cuddles as staff cradle them when being fed their milk. Snacks provided by the nursery are healthy, such as, apples, oranges and pears. Children who attend the before and after school care are offered the opportunity for breakfast and tea.

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Helping children to be healthy

Babies sit, roll, stretch and crawl. They pull themselves up on to adults and toy boxes. However, there is no domestic-style furniture provided to assist children in developing mobility and to continue normal life experiences. Children aged 18 months to five years of age enjoy playing in the enclosed garden developing their large muscles by crawling through the caterpillar and using the climbing frame. However, the babies do not have regular daily access to fresh air and children using the after school club do not have free access to an outside area.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a bright, clean environment. Babies sleep in accordance with parental wishes, staff regularly check sleeping children to ensure their safety and well being. Children benefit from a range of safe toys and resources that are appropriate to their age and stage of development. Equipment is regularly checked to ensure it is in good repair, however, some of the outside toys are looking worn out.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are effective procedures for safe arrival and departure of children. Children and staff practice the emergency evacuation procedures on a regular basis. This helps children become familiar with the routine in the event of an emergency. Staff have a good understanding of child protection issues and know how to proceed if they have concerns about a child in their care. This supports children's wellbeing.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are warmly welcomed by staff, they arrive with enthusiasm, parting from their carer with confidence.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Babies develop warm relationships with staff who are responsive to baby's needs. They confidently express their feelings and needs verbally and non-verbally. Children in the toddler room enjoy listening to stories and singing songs and playing with construction toys. They

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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 move confidently between the activities and particularly enjoy playing with the display of foam letters. However, the children are unable to independently access different toys easily so quickly loose interest and become restless. The three to five year olds have a separate room upstairs, they enjoy relaxing and reading books in their den. They confidently participate in telling their peers about the item they have brought in for the 'show and tell session'. Resources are stored in boxes which the children can access independently. The children attending the after school care enjoy a range of activities, Such as, cooking and art and craft. They enjoy working with the three to five year olds collectively using their artistic skills in creating a cat walk for their Halloween party. Children benefit from visitors to the group, for example, the children enjoy

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

touching and looking at animals brought to the nursery, contributing in developing the children's self confidence and self esteem.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

A system, to record assessments of children's progress through observations, is still in its infancy. Staff are enthusiastic to use this method and are keen to develop it further to enhance the learning for the individual child.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy respectful relationships with adults and each other. They are beginning to develop confidence and self-esteem. Babies receive lots of warmth and affection as they explore new activities. Children start to develop a sense of belonging as each child has a designated area to store their personal belongings.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Boys and girls have equal opportunities to participate in all activities, topics introduced help children to understand and appreciate other cultures, however, few resources reflect people with disabilities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents provide appropriate and relevant information about their children to staff. This helps provide children with consistent care between home and nursery. A written care sheet and informal discussions with parents ensure continuity of care for the babies. Staff caring for the toddlers, three to five year olds and children attending after school club provide parents with daily verbal feed back about their child's day. This effective two-way flow of information ensures continuity of care. Appropriate strategies according to the age and stage of development, help children understand right from wrong. Staff set consistent boundaries for the children attending the after school care, which helps them to learn to negotiate with others and take responsibility for their own behaviour.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

A complaints log is in place and a poster informing parents of the regulators telephone number is displayed on the very informative parents notice board.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children benefit from mostly qualified and experienced staff who are very caring. However, the aftercare leader has no qualifications in child care. The staff work well as a team, they support each other and share their knowledge and experiences. All staff are committed to attending further childcare training and development courses. This will help to improve the quality of care and education they offer to all children.

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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 attending the before and after school facility follow safe daily routines while walking to and from school. They have a good knowledge of road safety and respect the safety routines implemented by the Nursery. Staff ensure that each child is settled in their appropriate classrooms before leaving.

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Organisation

Minimum ratios of adults to children are maintained. Even though ratios are met and staff work hard, there are times when staff in the toddlers room struggle to give sufficient attention to all the children in their care.

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Organisation

Documentation required for the safe and effective management of the nursery is in place. Records of children's and staff details and attendance, records of visitors, medication administered, accidents and incidents are appropriately maintained. The provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the setting agreed to develop a plan detailing how at least half the staff were to hold a level 2 qualification in childcare. Ensure that the sickness policy was fully implemented and emergency medical treatment forms were signed by parents. Record and ask parents to sign any incidents that took place. Have a written procedure for taking children safely to and from school and introduce an effective regime for checking toys.

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Improvements since the last inspection

In response the setting now have at least half their staff holding a level 2 qualification in childcare. Parents are informed of their sickness policy in the introduction pack and on a poster in each room. Parents sign emergency medical treat forms when filling in their registration forms and sign an incident form when necessary. Toys are regularly checked in each room.

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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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • provide an action plan, detailing how staff in the after school room are to gain the appropriate qualification and in what time scale

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • ensure resources reflect children with disabilities • ensure activities and resources are organised in the toddler room to provide opportunities for the child to independently access resources • ensure staffing ratios are sufficient for staff to work directly with children.

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The quality and standards of the care

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 care

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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