Fairfield Nursery

Fairfield Private Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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501156 Unique Reference Number 04 December 2007 Inspection date Victoria Gail Halliwell Inspector

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72-78 St. Helens Road, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 4HW Setting Address

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E-mail

Cheshire Care 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Fairfield Private Day Nursery is one of two nurseries owned by Cheshire Care Limited. It opened in 2001 and operates from a converted detached property in Leigh, serving the local and wider community. A separate building to the rear of the premises is used to care for young babies. A maximum of 84 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.30 to 18.00 throughout the year, except for Christmas and Bank Holidays. Children have access to two outdoor play areas.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 98 children aged from three months to under five years on roll. Of these, 37 children receive funding for early education. The nursery currently supports a small number of children with learning difficulties or disabilities, it does not currently support any children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 20 members of staff who work directly with the children. Of these, 18 hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the local Sure Start programme.

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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 because staff consistently implement good hygiene practices, such as, wearing protective clothing when changing nappies and using hand sanitizer after wiping children's noses. Staff implement a continuous cleaning programme to ensure a good standard of cleanliness is maintained throughout the nursery. Coded systems are in place to ensure individual bedding is used for each child and individual cups are used for younger children, which helps prevent the spread of infection. Older children are learning about the positive impact of a healthy lifestyle through planned activities which raise their awareness of healthy foods and the importance of exercise. One child describes the vegetables as 'sports candy'.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are well nourished in accordance with their hours of attendance. Menus have recently been reviewed to include a greater range of healthy options and many meals are freshly prepared and include a selection of vegetables. Fresh fruit is continually available for snacks and is served before desserts at meal times. Young babies are fed in accordance with their individual routines and individual support is given to children who require assistance. Older children are able to help themselves to water whenever they become thirsty, whilst younger children are regularly offered drinks of water throughout the day.

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Helping children to be healthy

Older children have daily opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air and daylight which contributes to a healthy lifestyle. These children move freely, enjoying the freedom to organise their own games of football or follow the road markings as they ride on tricycles. Children use equipment resourcefully, jumping from the small tree house to provide some challenge and adventure. Pre-school children also benefit from planned indoor activities which encourage movement to music and develop their balance and co-ordination. A separate outdoor play area is available for younger children, however their access to the fresh air is largely limited to the summer months, when they also benefit from occasional pram walks into the local community.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children and their families are warmly welcomed by staff as they arrive at the setting. Security in the main building is particularly good and the identity of all parents and visitors is checked via a surveillance system before they are allowed to enter the building. The nursery have installed systems which encourage parents to be vigilant about security, including an automated voice message to close the door. The nursery implements an ongoing maintenance programme, as a result all rooms are well maintained and toys and equipment are in a good state of repair. The nursery is well organised and individual rooms are suitably equipped to meet the needs of each age group. All age groups have access to two adjacent rooms which facilitates both quiet activities or sleeps and active play simultaneously. Babies under 12 months are cared for in the 'cottage', a separate building which is particularly welcoming and has a homely feel.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children throughout the nursery are very well supervised and good systems are in place in the main building to identify and minimise potential hazards. As a result, children can move around and play safely. However, the risk assessment for the 'cottage' is less effective and a number of potential hazards in the outdoor area used by the younger children are outstanding. The nursery implements some very good systems to keep children safe when escorting older children

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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 downstairs and across the yard for outdoor play. Children are familiar with the routines and are learning to keep themselves safe. They understand why they must hold the handrail and wait at the designated points whilst staff check all the external gates are secure.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is very effectively safeguarded. Following recent training the designated safeguarding officer has devised a highly informative file to raise staff's awareness of, child protection, their responsibility to protect children and the procedure to follow if they are concerned about a child. All staff are familiar with the information and have completed a questionnaire to show they have a clear understanding of safeguarding issues and their responsibility to protect children from possible harm.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Most children benefit from close relationships with a consistent staff team. Staff are very responsive to the individual needs of the children and offer high levels of support and reassurance if children are unsettled. A key person system is in operation within the nursery although this is not always fully implemented, particularly for children under two years. For example, the key person does not routinely take responsibility for feeding or changing nappies. Once allocated, staff work closely with parents and their 'key' children at admission times, requesting details of children's individual routines and preferences. For example, staff know which children prefer to be rocked to sleep. Staff ensure children are able to follow established routines for sleep times and bottle feeds. Staff caring for older children are responsive to the changing needs of children and allow children who are not ready or do not need a sleep to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children of all ages benefit from a varied range of age and developmentally appropriate activities. A large selection of play materials and resources are stored at low level so children can make informed choices about what they want to play with. Many children confidently explore their surroundings and select items that interest them. Mobile babies keenly investigate the contents of a box containing musical instruments before turning their interest to a selection of natural items. Staff caring for children under three years maintain a basic development tick list, they also complete weekly observations of planned activities. However, these observations are not used to inform future planning and in many cases rarely include any next steps for children's learning. Planning for children under three years has recently been reviewed, but the revised system is not fully operational.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Key staff with responsibility for planning the nursery curriculum have a good knowledge and understanding of the foundation stage and plan a broad and balanced curriculum. However, staff's knowledge of and their ability to implement the planned learning effectively is varied. As a result, there are significant differences in the quality of teaching and learning within key groups. For example, some staff are unsure about the planned learning objectives, are overly direct and limit children free expression and exploration. In comparison other staff embrace children's interests and encourage children to explore two and three dimensional shapes. Whilst making 'Christmas presents' from junk modelling resources, they encourage children to think imaginatively about what is inside their box and who the 'present' could be for. Occasionally, children's learning is stifled by students

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

who are also overly restrictive and do not allow children to play freely or develop their own creative ideas. For example, when playing with the play dough, one child is unable to make the

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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 patterns of his choice because he is not allowed to have additional dough despite explaining why he needed it.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Many children are motivated by the learning environment and become absorbed in their play for sustained periods of time. Children confidently make choices about what they want to play, requesting favourite activities, such as a programmable electronic toy. Staff support children's learning encouraging them to count out the number of squares and the direction the toy has to travel in to reach their chosen destination. Children play co-operatively, taking turns and encouraging one another with staff support. Children have many opportunities to learn about the natural world. During a topic on mini beasts, children enjoy examining plastic insects and making representation drawings. Children's learning is further extended when visitors bring a selection of real 'mini beasts' for the children to explore.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Most children speak confidently, they are learning that print carries meaning and are interested in the written word. More able children ascribe meaning to their written marks as they write a letter to Father Christmas, one child confidently states 'I know how to write' and indicates to a sequence of lines, shapes and some recognisable letters. Many children have a sound concept of size, they are able to make comparisons and are able to group objects according to size or colour.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. As a result of consistent guidance and positive role models children are learning the importance of socially acceptable behaviour. Staff clearly explain the importance of taking turns and sharing and praise children who are helpful and show care and concern for others. The setting has a detailed behaviour management policy which promotes self discipline based on consideration for others. Individual strategies are developed in consultation with parents to meet the needs of children who present challenging behaviour. Special tasks and activities are used to promote good behaviour, for example, children who have been well behaved are allowed to open the advent calendar, good behaviour cards are also awarded to individual children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are valued as individuals and are encouraged to share details of their home life and cultural celebrations within the group. For example, during Diwali the Indian festival of Light one child brings in tea lights and sweets to share, during Chinese New Year another child brings in fortune cookies. Staff build on these events for example organising a trip to China town to purchase resources and find out more about the Chinese culture. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities are very well supported. The children's key worker and the manager work very closely with parents and external agencies. As a result, they are very well informed about each child's individual needs, they maintain clear records of children's progress and effectively promote the next steps for children's learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents are very well informed about the organisation and operation of the nursery. They receive a detailed prospectus which provides a clear overview of the setting. They also have access to a number of notice and information boards around the building which keep them informed of current events. The nursery has also devised a general information area for parents' benefit, which includes general advice and information for parents, for example, what action parents should take if they were worried a child was being abused.

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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 Partnership with parents of children in receipt of nursery education is good. In addition to the general prospectus, parents receive an informative pre-school brochure which explains how the pre-school room is organised, the role of the key worker and details of the Foundation stage curriculum. Parents are encouraged to observe their children at arrival and collection time and to share their own observations of their child's progress with staff. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child's learning, for example, a group of parents is participating in a trial 'homework' scheme, key staff encourage parents to make comments and provide feedback.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. A clear and effective management structure is in place. The qualified nursery manager is a very experienced practitioner and she works alongside the nursery owner to develop new systems and ensure the setting is effectively managed. Some excellent systems are in place to improve staff performance and identify areas for development. For example, the manager has recently introduced peer observations, following observations, training needs are identified and individual training programmes devised. Routine room inspections are conducted alongside peer observation and recognition awards are given as an incentive, for example for the most improved room or employee of the month. The manager is a very positive role model who leads the staff team by example, intervening when appropriate to redirect staff or provide guidance to improve the quality of care the children receive. Recruitment procedures are strong and ensure that all

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Organisation

staff are appropriately vetted, suitably experienced and in most instances qualified to work with young children.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. Overall responsibility is retained by the qualified teacher who has responsibility for planning and delivering the nursery curriculum. She is a positive role model and has some systems in place to develop staff's knowledge and understanding of planning documents, she also encourages staff to develop plans to meet the individual learning needs of their key groups. However, staff knowledge and understanding is varied and there are no clear systems in place for monitoring the completion of children's assessments and ensuring all staff are able to implement planned learning effectively.

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Organisation

Attention to written documentation is good, all policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure they reflect current guidance. Good systems are in place to ensure policies and procedures are known by staff and shared with parents. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection the setting has improved the procedure for recording accidents and medication and has updated the child protection policy. As a result, children's care and welfare has been further enhanced. The setting has also improved the planning system for children in receipt of funded nursery education and provided greater opportunities for children to develop their independence and show they can do things for themselves.

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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 satisfactory.

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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): • review the risk assessment for the 'cottage' and the adjacent outside play area and take appropriate actions to minimise any hazards identified • improve the key worker system to improve continuity of care for children under two years • improve the system for monitoring children's progress and ensure planned learning is based on observations of what children can do.

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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): • provide greater opportunities for children to express themselves freely during creative activities • improve the system for monitoring and evaluating the delivery of nursery education, to ensure all staff are able to observe and assess children's learning and implement planned activities effectively • provide greater guidance and supervision for students to ensure they are positive role models who encourage children to learn from first hand experiences.

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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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