Clowns Day Nursery LTD

Clowns (3) Butterley Park Inspection report for early years provision

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206305 Unique Reference Number 17 October 2007 Inspection date Sheena Gibson Inspector

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Clowns Day Nursery, Butterley, Ripley, Derbyshire, DE5 3AD Setting Address

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E-mail

Clowns Day Nursery Ltd. 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?

Clowns Day Nursery (3) opened in 2000. It is one of six nurseries under the same private ownership. The nursery operates from a two-storey purpose built unit on the outskirts of Ripley in Derbyshire. There is a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play. The nursery serves the local and wider community.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 18:00 throughout the year except for Bank holidays. There are currently 165 children from three months to 10 years on roll. This includes 30 children who are in receipt of nursery education funding. Children attend for a variety of sessions or days, including before and after school. The nursery is able to support children with special educational needs or who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are 24 staff who work with the children. Of these 17 hold relevant childcare qualifications and five are undertaking relevant training. The nursery is supported by the management team, which includes two qualified teachers. The nursery has achieved the Investors in People award and works in partnership with Derbyshire police. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association and receives support from the local authority.

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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 good health is effectively promoted in the setting as there are good hygiene procedures. For example, babies have their own bedding for their cot, the setting is maintained in a clean and hygienic state and staff are fully aware of appropriate procedures for good hygiene. A no-shoe policy for the baby room means that babies are able to safely move about the floor without risk to their health. Children gain an effective understanding of positive hygiene practice through daily routines such as washing their hands after they have been to the toilet or before eating; children have been involved in developing pictorial and written reminders in the toilet area depicting hand washing and cleaning teeth. Staff re-enforce good practice through talking to the children about effective hand washing and drying. The risk of cross-infection is further reduced by a detailed sickness policy that is shared with parents.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children receive appropriate care if they have an accident. Staff have undertaken suitable first aid training and have a sound understanding of managing and recording any accident. Children who are unwell are warmly cared for until parents are able to collect them from the nursery. Children of all ages have many opportunities to be active and develop their physical skills. They enjoy going for walks around the private wooded walkway and benefit from using different equipment. For example, toddlers enjoy going under hoops and challenging their skills on the small climbing frame. Older children enjoy making spiral patterns with ribbons; they ride trikes and play with bats and balls, effectively developing co-ordination. Children who attend after school, challenge themselves on the large scale climbing equipment.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are beginning to learn about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They talk with staff about healthy eating and also discuss what happens to their bodies when they run and hop. Children's dietary needs are effectively complied with. Detailed information is known by staff and the nursery cook to ensure that they have snacks and meals that are nutritious and appropriate for their dietary requirements. The meals offered are mostly 'home-cooked' and offer a variety of choices; babies are offered meals in line with their own routines in liaison with parents to ensure that their health is effectively supported.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a welcoming environment, which helps them to feel secure and comfortable. The rooms for children are bright and colourfully decorated. Rooms are organised to be beneficial to children's learning and development. For example, pre-school have a separate room for quiet activities, which means that they can focus undisturbed; there are toilet facilities directly from the playroom effectively promoting children's independence. Spacious rooms mean that babies who are early walkers have plenty of room to develop their mobility. Security in the nursery is good and the premises are very well maintained effectively supporting children's comfort and safety. Children use a wide range of toys and equipment, which is safe and suitable. Equipment such as high chairs and cots are in good order and suitable for the purpose. All ages of children freely access a range of toys and activities, making choices and supporting their

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Procedures are in place to ensure the toys and equipment remains safe and suitable for children; staff make regular checks for damage and wear. Staff follow a detailed health and safety policy

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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 with risk assessments regularly taking place. Children remain safe and secure in the indoor and outdoor area due to the positive practical steps taken to ensure risks and hazards to children are minimised. For example, gates are appropriately placed to maintain babies' safety, radiators are checked for suitable temperatures and the setting considers the plants in the garden to ensure that they pose no risk to children. Children learn to keep themselves safe and also to take responsibility for the safety of others. They learn about road safety and to play carefully in order to keep themselves safe and not to harm others. Children are safeguarded because staff clearly understand 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 feel secure within the daily routine and are generally very happy and settled. They are well supported by staff that are professional, friendly and caring. Staff take time to get to know individual children's interests and abilities, therefore enabling them to effectively meet their needs. A very effective key worker system ensures that children's welfare and development is monitored effectively and children approach all staff with confidence. Children have good opportunities that successfully support their progress through a wide range of planned and unplanned activities. For example, there is a strong emphasis on sensory experiences for babies, toddlers enjoy the soft play and learning about colours; all children enjoy singing songs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The 'Birth to three matters' framework is used effectively to plan for younger children. Children are developing independence and self-confidence as they access resources for themselves, use their own initiative and take responsibility for their own play. They are developing good social skills and are encouraged to be polite and behave respectfully towards each other.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children who attend the after school club enjoy themselves. They are confident and independent, expressing their views and being listened to by staff. They have a broad variety of activities that are sufficiently stimulating for the ages of the children who attend. They thoroughly enjoy the trips during the school holidays and state that their favourite activity is playing on the computer games.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Most staff have a sound understanding of how to effectively deliver the nursery education and so the children progress well. Children are assessed at regular intervals as well as through on-going observations. The assessments provide some useful detail that enables staff to consider their progress. However, assessments do not always offer consistency and clearly show when an achievement was made or indicate children's next steps; assessments are not used effectively to inform planning. Planning is clear and indicates a broad and balanced curriculum. Some individual activity plans show further extension and support although this is not consistent, which potentially impacts on children's progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff use a range of suitable methods to support children's progress. For example, they ask a range of open questions, they encourage children to be involved in an activity and also enable children to be independent in their play, observing and only involving themselves if it is needed. Time and resources are generally effectively used. There is a good balance between structured activities and free play learning. Most staff are skilled in engaging children and therefore offering them a valuable learning experience in a free play environment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are motivated and keen to learn. They focus well on activities where concentration is required. For example, concentrating on making a creative pattern with pegs. They are confident

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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 speak and sing songs within the group. They respond to events with expression, laughing and giggling. They have an awareness of their own needs, for example, if they need the toilet or a drink; some assertively express their own opinions and thoughts. Most children behave very well. They work harmoniously, for example, to build a model from construction blocks, looking at the instructions and working out the method. Some children form small friendship groups and are seen spending time talking and playing together for much of the session. Children have good self-care skills and demonstrate this at meal times when they capably serve themselves; they also put on their own coat at outdoor play with some being able to do up buttons.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's language is developing well. They can hold a good conversation with a child or adult about, for example, what they are playing and what they like to eat. Some are very confident communicators and assertively give instructions to others about a game. They talk freely amongst themselves and respond to comments made by each others. In role play children use language to pretend to make dinner, explaining to friends that they are making pancakes. In the 'tuff spot' they discuss about how to put the 'Mega-blox' together, debating about which piece goes next. Children are gaining a good understanding that print carries meaning. There are many labels and different types of writing around the room such as a café menu. Children like books and understand how books work. They enjoy listening to the Owl Babies story, joining in with their soft toy owls. They are beginning to link sounds to letters. For example, staff use

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the children's name cards to sound out the letters of their name in the correct order.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have many opportunities for mark making in planned and unplanned activities. For example, they have a mark making table and also have chance to practise their skills in, for example the role play estate agent; some older children write their name legibly. Children say and use number during activities and routines. For example, they count how many pegs they have; many children are able to count past 10. They see numbers in different places such as a number line and play games that help them to recognise number. Children are beginning to use number to compare groups and pictures around the room depict ‘plus’, ‘minus’ and ‘equals’. They carry out activities that help them to effectively understand more than and less then. For example, they learn this in number rhymes. They compare shape and size during, for example, a construction activity when they discuss whether a shape is the correct fit, size and shape.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy exploring and investigating. They use their senses frequently. For example, they enjoy using texture boxes when they explore different surfaces of stone, polystyrene and wood. They play in the coloured water, investigate the changes in ice shapes and enjoy treasure baskets. In their autumn topic they look at why leaves change colour and talk about living things such as hedgehogs; they discuss and draw the lifecycle of a hedgehog. Children build and construct with a wide range of objects such as wooden blocks and plastic building kits; they select from a range of assembling and joining materials such as tape, glue and string. They are getting to know about technology through using the computer, the play computer and other programmable toys. They are beginning to understand about the passage of time, for example through looking at photos of themselves, family members and friends. They also talk

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

about significant events that have happened to them such as birthdays. They enjoy learning about the natural world and their immediate community through, for example, drawing a map of the nursery garden, planning a journey and visiting local shops in the town.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children move confidently around the indoor and outdoor area. They are developing physical skills such as climbing and balancing skills through, for example, access to a climbing frame and balance beams. They are developing a sense of space and can negotiate wheeled toys around objects and people. They play directional games where they move left or right and

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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 follow a path around the playground in a controlled manner. They move imaginatively, for example, when pretending to be animals and enjoy using ribbons to make patterns in the air. They are becoming aware of their bodies and staff talk to them about their health and body so that they begin to understand the importance of activity on health.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children explore colour when painting or looking at a light box, which has coloured paddles. They create colourful designs with pegs and talk about colour routinely with staff. They explore sounds when playing with musical instruments. They enjoy singing and listening to sounds either through recorded music or hearing themselves sing. They are very imaginative and enjoy role play. They play in the 'café', pretending to make and toss pancakes; they make drinks and meals for staff members and ‘wait’ on the tables. They also play imaginatively with a wide range of small world play such as dolls hospital, animals, cars and dolls house.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Detailed information is gathered at registration and then information is shared with parents on an on-going basis to ensure that children's needs continue to be effectively met. Staff greet children in a warm and friendly manner, helping them to feel confident and secure. Babies' individual needs are met in relation to meal and rest times supporting their feeling of comfort and security. Children are treated fairly and equally; they are encouraged to join in with all activities, although if they do not want to they can find an alternative. Their views are respected and staff discuss their needs with them. Children are effectively supported in understanding diversity. There is a wide variety of toys and resources that depict positive images. For example, posters, dolls, books, small world play and jigsaws. Children also join in with the celebrations on a wide range of religious and cultural festivals, which helps them to understand and value

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Helping children make a positive contribution

other peoples differences; they enjoy learning French and appreciate that some people speak different languages.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities are welcomed into the setting. The environment is accessible to all; staff have a sound understanding of working with parents and other agencies to ensure that children's needs are met appropriately. Children are cared for in a positive environment that promotes good behaviour. Staff are calm, pleasant and have realistic expectations of children's behaviour. They re-enforce positive behaviour, rewarding success and achievement with praise and sometimes stickers, effectively developing self-esteem. From a young age children become aware of the expectations of behaviour. For example, young children are distracted and their attention diverted with an explanation given about why a particular behaviour is 'not nice'. Older children understand the expectations of behaviour. For example, they know to only have two people at a time around the water tray. Children's social,

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Helping children make a positive contribution

moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children have their individual needs met by staff and management who work in close partnership with parents and carers. As a result children receive consistent and appropriate care. The nursery has clear and open relationships with parents, which includes regular information sharing through daily diaries, parents evenings, newsletters and the nursery notice board. As a result staff and parents work co-operatively to support children's on-going development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children who receive nursery education is good. Parents receive useful initial information about the nursery education through discussions with staff. Systems are in place for continuous information sharing. For example, sheets are put on the notice board relating to the area of learning that the children are focussing on; the

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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 information sheet on the board also gives good suggestions about how parents can work with their children at home. However, not all parents are successfully seeing and/or receiving the information, which potentially has an impact on children's learning. Parents are encouraged to share what they know about their child through meetings that they have with staff and a termly report on their child, positively supporting children's progress.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are cared for by confident and professional staff, most of whom have good experience, qualifications, and demonstrate a sound understanding of the needs of all children; all staff have been appropriately vetted. Staff are well supported by an effective management team who have a proactive attitude to providing children with a positive experience. There are suitably systems in place for the recruitment of staff, which contributes to the protection of children. However, the systems are not totally robust and staff re-checking is not carried out on an on-going basis, which potentially impacts upon children's welfare. Children benefit form the high levels of qualified staff who keep up-to-date through the nurseries commitment to training and improving practice.

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Organisation

The environment is very well organised. Each age group has their own playroom and quiet area. This means that they are able to develop confidently in a safe and familiar environment. The key worker systems works well within the nursery and as a result children are able to feel secure as staff know them well. Policies and procedures work in practice to promote children’s health, safety, enjoyment, achievement and ability to make a positive contribution. Overall the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education is good. The management team are very involved within the nursery and offer effective support to the staff within the pre-school. Detailed self-evaluations are completed with actions plans, showing their commitment to improve practice. Staff share in the planning of the curriculum and therefore take responsibility for the implementation. The staff team work very well together and provide each other with a good example as well as effective support. Effective use of monitoring and evaluation ensures that any weaker areas are identified and addressed. Consequently children progress well.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the provider was given a recommendation around reviewing the system of recording medication administered to children, with reference to obtaining a parental signature to evidence that the parent has been informed. This has been appropriately addressed. Documents show that parents sign the medication record to acknowledge that they have been informed.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection a key issue was raised around continuing to develop the planning and assessment systems. Positive steps have been taken to the development of the planning and assessment, which benefits children's learning. However, systems are not fully effective and so there is a recommendation at this inspection.

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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): • further develop the procedures for ensuring the initial and on-going suitability of staff.

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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 develop planning and assessment to ensure that assessments are clear and consistent, indicate children's next steps and are used to effectively inform planning, ensuring that staff are clear about how to appropriately extend or support an activity • further develop the systems for sharing information about the nursery education with parents.

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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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