Sunflowers Nursery Limited

Sunflowers Nursery Limited

Inspection report for early years provision

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Sunflowers Nursery Limited

Unique Reference Number EY280208 Inspection date 06 September 2005 Inspector Beverly Anne Self

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Sunflowers Nursery Limited

Setting Address St. Peters Park, Wells Road, Radstock, BA3 3XU

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E-mail

Registered person Sunflowers Nursery Limited Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day 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 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?

Sunflowers Nursery opened in 1997, but re-registered under new ownership in 2004. It operates from a purpose built building, which is situated in Radstock. A maximum of 44 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08:30 until 17:30 for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 80 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these, 34

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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 children receive funding for nursery education. Children who attend are from the local area and surrounding villages. The nursery currently supports a number of children with Special Educational Needs. The nursery employs 14 members of staff, 10 of whom work full-time and 4 work part-time. Of these staff, 10 hold appropriate early years qualifications, 2 are working towards qualifications and 2 are unqualified. All members of staff continue to attend ongoing training courses throughout the year.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children enjoy an exciting and stimulating range of activities that help contribute to their healthy growth and development. The children are familiar with the clear hand washing routines, knowing "you always wash your hands before snack time", helping them to learn about good personal hygiene and the spread of infection. The daily routine allows the children to experience regular outside play or physical activities such as, balancing, running, jumping and climbing, to help them develop large muscle skills and co-ordination. The children are learning about their bodies and health through planned activities. A current topic about 'Bodies' allowed the children to listen to their hearts before and after physical activity, noticing the changes that happened after exercise. The children also tell you that if you eat too many sweets "you have to brush your teeth or they will go bad and fall out", showing

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Helping children to be healthy

that they are beginning to learn about their own health care and foods that are good for you. Staff have a good knowledge of first aid, ensuring medical emergencies can be dealt with effectively and policies regarding health and hygiene are in place, although some lack necessary detail. All required records and consent forms regarding children's health are in place, this means that their individual health care needs can be consistently met and respected. The children enjoy freshly prepared and cooked, meals and snacks each day and delight in the social occasion of meal times. They interact and communicate with each other and staff, discussing what they are eating and talking about what they will do next; demonstrating good social skills and table manners.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are well cared for in a friendly, welcoming and visually stimulating environment. The staff carry out thorough risk assessments each morning to reduce potential hazards to the children. The nursery rooms are very well set out, allowing the children to move around safely and enjoy a wide variety of play opportunities within safe surroundings. The children can self select from an extensive range of toys

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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 and resources that are stored at child level, therefore, children can develop independence when choosing and tidying away the toys. The staff are effectively deployed within the setting and activities are closely supervised, ensuring that play and learning experiences are stimulating and appropriate to the children's stage of development. Appropriate adult:child ratios are always maintained, making sure that children receive good adult support to help them feel safe and secure. Children are very well protected by staff, who have a good understanding of child protection policies and procedures. Staff have attended relevant training courses to support their knowledge of child protection, making sure the children's welfare is always a priority. However, the child protection policy does not include all required

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children very much enjoy their time at the nursery and benefit from an extensively resourced environment. The children enter the nursery enthusiastically, and are eager to participate in the activities set out. They follow the daily routine with ease and familiarity, showing confidence and increasing independence. The children take part in all the activities with a sense of excitement, they enjoy trying new experiences and are willing to learn. Staff use very good questioning skills, encouraging the children to share what they know and asking questions that make them think. This helps the children to improve their language skills and extend their vocabulary and knowledge. Planned activities and topics help to develop children's learning, and they are currently looking at 'underground'. The children are enjoying making tunnels for an underground train knowing that "it will go very dark and be scary because you are going underground".

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children enjoy telling you about their home life; likes and dislikes, telling you "I like to watch Pinocchio, have you seen it? his nose grows really long", they demonstrate good language and communication skills. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Children are very interested and excited to take part in an excellent range of stimulating and fun activities to help them make very good progress towards the early learning goals. The children sit increasingly well at circle time, listening very carefully to staff and each other, contributing to group discussions about the weather and the day of the week. They move around the playrooms independently, choosing which activities they would like to take part in, using the 'plan-do-review' system, they are confident in the choices they make and talk about what they have played with throughout the session. They are beginning to show sensitivity to each others needs and help each

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

other to do things, and some of the older children help their younger peers to tidy away the toys and show them where things are kept.

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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 talk and communicate confidently in both small and large groups, giving good eye contact when talking to adults and each other. They enjoy listening to stories joining in with familiar phrases, such as, "the crocodile went Snap! Snap!". Several of the children are able to write or trace over their own names without help and are proud of this achievement. They have lots of opportunities to see words written on labels, toys and around the room and they are encouraged to recognise their name cards at circle time. The children can link sounds to letters when asked what else starts with 'W for Wednesday' they tell you "W for window". The children show an interest in counting and numbers, the younger children can count from 1 to 10 by rote, and older children can confidently count objects from 1 to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

18. They spontaneously use mathematical language whilst playing stating "I have longer arms than you, because I am bigger". Some of the older children can write recognisable numbers, helping to make a 'train timetable'. The child is asked where his train is going and he replies "Lego land", when asked what time it will leave he says "ten o'clock" and writes the number ten. Children are learning about time, and time lines of the daily routine, displayed in each room, help the children to understand what will happen next. They are introduced to the wider world through planned activities about other countries, cultures and celebrations. Children have regular access to a computer and use everyday technology in the home corner such as, cash registers, a cooker, a washing machine and a microwave oven. The children enjoy many creative activities such as, play dough, painting, sand, water and sticking. They have the opportunity to use different materials and resources to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

develop free expression through art and craft. The children enjoy role play and show that they have good imaginations. They re-create familiar scenarios such as, mealtimes, one child states "you have rice, peas and peppers", whilst another tells you "I'm mashing potatoes with an onion, you'll like it!". Staff have an excellent knowledge and understanding of the foundation stage, the birth to three matters framework and highscope. They plan activities to encourage children's development and learning in all areas, they are enthusiastic in their teaching, making play opportunities stimulating, exciting and fun. Staff work well together to observe and report on the children's progress and achievements, they use assessment effectively, closely monitoring the children's development. Overall, the children are making very good progress in all areas of learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are encouraged to learn about the local community and wider world through planned activities and topics. They talk about people who help them and where they live, plans show that visitors are invited to the nursery to talk to the children, such as, a policeman, a vet and a health visitor. This helps the children to learn how they fit into their local community. The children behave very well, the older children are aware of the realistic

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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 boundaries that have been set and respond effectively to staff direction, the younger children are learning the 'nursery rules', and the staff's consistent approach re-enforces these. Staff use lots of praise and encouragement and are positive role models for the children. The children show respect and kindness for each other and staff, they are caring and sensitive to each others needs and show a good sense of belonging. Children communicate and socialise with ease, they help each other and work together to build a train track and when taking part in role play. They demonstrate good concentration skills, persisting at chosen activities and mostly finish tasks before moving on to something different. They are familiar with the daily routine and know where toys and resources are kept. The provision fosters children's spiritual,

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Helping children make a positive contribution

moral, social and cultural development. A good partnership with parents contributes to consistency in the children's care and well-being at the nursery. When children begin their placement, parents are asked to complete a registration form to share what they know about their child. Information about the provision is regularly shared with parents through newsletters, a notice board, daily diaries, the prospectus and talking to staff at the end of each session. Individual child profiles and observations, show parents how their children have progressed and what they have achieved. Parents are also asked to complete a questionnaire about the nursery giving their feedback and suggestions on the care provided.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children's care is very well supported by the efficient organisation and good leadership and management of nursery education. The premises and outdoor areas are well-organised and set out allowing children access to an extensive variety of different play opportunities, to support development and learning. All necessary documentation, which helps contribute to children's health, safety and well being is available, although some detail is lacking. Daily activity plans and an effective operational plan shows how staff are deployed within the setting, ensuring the children receive very good support to encourage learning and progress. However, a system to monitor and evaluate the provision of nursery education, care and the outcomes for children is not in place. Staff at the nursery mostly all hold early years qualifications, they have many years experience and a very good understanding of child development. They continue to

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Organisation

attend ongoing training courses and workshops to update and improve their knowledge of child care and education. Staff training and progression is well monitored and an effective appraisal system for staff identifies their strengths. Overall, the nursery meets the needs of the range of children who attend.

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Improvements 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

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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 policies for the administration of medication and child protection contain all necessary information

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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 a formal system to monitor and evaluate the provision of nursery education, care and the outcomes for children (also applies to care)

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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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