Eagley School House Nursery

Eagley School House Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY265410 Unique Reference Number 22 November 2007 Inspection date Ann Bamford Inspector

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The Old School House, Hough Lane, Bromley Cross, Bolton, Lancashire, BL7 9DE

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E-mail

Eagley School House 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?

Eagley School House Nursery opened in 2003 and operates from three rooms on the ground floor of private premises. It is located in the Bromley Cross district of Bolton. A maximum of 33 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 18.00 for 50 weeks of the year.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Care is offered in the baby room, toddler room and the preschool area. All children share access to a secure, enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

At the time of inspection there were 51 children aged from birth to under five years on roll. Of these, 14 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide catchment area. The nursery currently supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities, and children who have English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 13 staff. Seven staff work on a full time basis. The manager works alongside her staff two days per week. The nursery owner also works alongside staff for significant times of the day. The manager, owner and nine of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications, whilst four staff are working towards a qualifications: two staff are currently undertaking early

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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 years foundation degrees and two are undertaking National Vocational Qualifications at level 2.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting receives support from the Bolton Early Years and Child Care Partnership.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The setting is very clean and has effective processes in place to ensure that this remains so. Children are actively involved in routines. They are developing strong skills in keeping the environment clean as they clean up after snack time. Staff pass their excellent knowledge of good hygiene practice on to children in words of encouragement and praise. Attractively displayed posters of, for example, how to wash hands properly really enhance children's understanding of developing good hygiene practices. This increases children's self-confidence to do the job well.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's continued good health is significantly enhanced as the setting works very effectively to find out about children's individual health needs from parents. The individual plans for helping children with allergies or conditions such as diabetes are very supportive of children's individual needs. Children's dental hygiene is significantly enhanced by their regular cleaning of teeth and staff encouragement to do it in a way which protects teeth well. However, although the setting obtains prior consent before administering medication, staff do not all fully understand why this needs to be done; in addition, parents do not consistently countersign the record of administration and this places children at risk of having medication wrongly administered.

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Helping children to be healthy

There are policies and procedure in place to ensure that staff have appropriate and current training on first aid and administration of specific medication. Staff knowledge of health issues, such as childhood asthma and other illnesses, contributes to the setting's overall commitment to ensuring that children have enhanced good health.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are nourished very effectively as the staff make use of snack and meal times to encourage children to eat healthily. Children have access to five portions of fruit and vegetables per day and they really enjoy the range available to them. Children are developing a really good awareness of healthy bodies as they talk about germs and how both good food and exercise affects their bodies. Children talk confidently about how their heart rate increases during exercise and slows down following it.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy physical activity as they pedal, balance, hop and kick using bikes, large equipment and footballs. They work effectively and collaboratively to brush up and dispose of leaves on the ground which requires balance and manipulative skills. Children enjoy their time outdoors and are able to play collaborative games, such as throwing and catching with increasing skill.

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Helping children to be healthy

All children can rest or sleep in line with their individual needs as they snuggle up in beds or cots and cushions. Older children use the book area to sit quietly. Younger children sleep in a designated quiet area, at a time which meets their individual needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

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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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are very safe in the setting. There are very robust procedures in place to ensure that this remains so at all times. Policies and procedures for ensuring that adults who have access to children are suitable and followed with attention to detail. Staff are highly competent at risk assessment and their confidence to explain clearly what they are doing to children enhances children's safety significantly. Children are developing a sophisticated ability to keep themselves and others safe in the centre as they tidy away equipment and clear up a spilt drink without adult prompting. All children are developing confidence to identify risks and the ability to take steps to reduce these with increasing independence.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The setting has developed an effective support system of ancillary and maintenance workers to enhance the safety of children. The day to day cleaning and maintenance of the building is effective and timely, as are plans to ensure that equipment, such as the boiler, continues working efficiently.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children confidently use a wide range of suitable and very safe equipment as staff plan the layout of the toddler and baby rooms extremely carefully to allow children to move freely. However, the preschool room has little space for children to move around for large parts of the day and this impedes their safety. Staff's constant attention to the safety of the room and equipment ensures that children remain safe when engaged in play outdoors. Older children teach younger children how to keep themselves safe in a delightfully caring and knowledgeable manner. For example, they hold hands and tell each other how to balance on the walkway so that they do not slip when playing outdoors. Children are developing a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in the event of a fire as they take part in regular fire drills. Older children can confidently describe what they would do to keep safe if the fire bell rang.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are excellently protected by staff's deeply embedded knowledge and understanding of their role in safeguarding children. This is enhanced further by all members of staff's strong knowledge of the procedure and confidence to act in the event of a concern about a child.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children develop high levels of confidence and self-esteem as they choose their own activities. The setting plans to encourage children to do things for themselves. They are encouraged to register themselves, help themselves to a healthy snack and select their own activity before being assembled for circle time. Children know the routine and develop the confidence to operate successfully in it with decreasing support from adults. Children's success at doing this enhances their skills as competent learners as they organise themselves.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

All children are purposefully engaged in activity throughout the whole of their time spent in the setting. Staff organise the environment and equipment in a way which allows children to take responsibility for their learning. Equipment is stored in a way that can be accessed by children, allowing them to change activities or equipment as they wish. Children have the space and freedom to spend as long as they like on their chosen activity.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff involve children fully in the setting. Children are actively encouraged to have an input into planning what topics will be covered, and how each session will be ordered. As a result of

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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 this, children 'own' the environment and are active in ensuring that the room and equipment are treated with care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The setting makes effective use of tools such as the Foundation Stage curriculum and the 'Birth to three matters' framework in order to plan meaningful activities for children. Staff make very effective use of observations to focus on what individual children can do. They are starting to use these to plan the next steps for individual children, however, this is not consistently used for each observation, which affects the rate individual children progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. All staff have a strong understanding of the Foundation Stage and are using their knowledge to further develop each other. Comprehensive planning, which covers all areas of learning, is linked to stepping stones from the Foundation Stage curriculum guidance. Enhancement of areas of continuous play is routinely planned in to provide additional challenge and excitement to the group.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The planning of the environment and use of some innovative organisation assists teaching and children's learning, making every area accessible and meaningful to children. For example, all equipment in the setting is stored at child height, meaning children can choose equipment they want to use. In addition, staff make excellent use of prompts for what equipment is needed, for example, to paint, by placing aprons ready which help children to operate confidently in any activity.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are becoming confident communicators and readily ask questions of visitors. Many are beginning to ascribe meaning to marks and listen to stories with interest and understanding. Their creativity is developing well as they join in songs, practise their part in a forthcoming Christmas production or play at being imaginary characters from a story. They use imagination along a theme, for example, playing at being donkeys and other characters from the Christmas story.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

All children are happy and settled in the centre; they separate well from parents or carers and are developing friendships. Children are developing the concept of numbers being less or more than, as they put out plates at snack time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show a strong natural curiosity and begin to use tools, such as scissors, garden forks and torches, for a purpose. They delight in showing visitors their newly developed leaf collage and can describe how leaves fall from trees as the wind increases.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing a strong understanding of the wider world and how we use different languages to communicate as they learn to wish people a happy festive season in many different languages.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. All children and their parents receive a very warm welcome into the nursery. They have a clear sense of belonging as they identify their own letter and peg on which to hang their coat. Staff in the nursery work hard to encourage children to do things for themselves, they ensure that aprons are easily accessible, that coats are put on before help is given with zips and that children put on their own shoes. Older children are encouraged to build on this by accepting responsibility

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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 for a table of children at snack and meal times and setting and clearing for the whole group. This enhances their sense of belonging.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children have access to a wide range of opportunities, which encourages their understanding of diversity. They play with multi-cultural dolls and clothes, kitchen utensils, books and jigsaws. Many planned activities are provided linked to both celebrations and customs of different people. Children are developing a very strong understanding of difference as they take part in artwork or celebrations such as Eid or Diwali. Children are developing an excellent understanding of different countries and languages as they learn to greet in a variety of languages.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There is a very robust policy for meeting additional needs. The setting integrates children who have learning difficulties and disabilities very effectively into each area. Staff are highly committed to providing additional support needed in a planned and inclusive way. Staff attend training regularly to ensure that they have knowledge and understanding of how to meet individual needs as they arise. Staff are excellent models as they encourage children to consider whether they can, for example, pronounce something differently in order to help another child hear what they are saying more effectively. Children consider the needs of others as a result of this.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is exemplary. They are developing strong strategies for making friendships, taking turns and settling disputes as staff are excellent role models who regularly talk about being kind to each other and their own feelings. Where children experience difficulties, staff are highly proactive in identifying the undesirable behaviour and praising the child's good behaviour before reminding what is required when they are not acting as they should. Children are given skilful individual support to succeed in situations that they find difficult, such as circle or outdoor time. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Parents are welcomed into the setting on every level. There is a range of very high quality information that is offered to parents in a variety of ways. Information on how care and education are provided is very clear and is given to parents in written form as well as by talking directly to them. The staff have begun to agree some of children's planned next steps with parents. Where there are individual programmes in place for children; these are done in full consultation with parents and have agreed strategies for feedback to parents as part of the planning process.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

All policies and procedures are available at all times and the format for complaints, comments and compliments is transparent and available for any parent to look at any time. Parents are highly involved in their child's learning in the setting as they are invited to provide resources from home and have easy access to planning and information on the day's activities, including meals. Staff tell parents and carers what children have been doing during the day as they leave. Parents speak highly of the setting's provision of care and education for their children.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Effective recruitment procedures mean that safe, suitable practitioners work with the children. The mainly qualified staff team makes good use of opportunities for continuous professional development which enhance children's care and learning. For example, staff have attended induction training, and training in relation to the Foundation Stage curriculum, sign language and safeguarding children. Training is planned to ensure that any requiring updating, such as first aid, is done in a timely fashion. Staff are very well deployed according to their skills and

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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 experience. Records in the setting positively support the safe care of children. They were current and available for inspection. There are very good procedures in place for sharing records with parents.

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Organisation

Leadership and management are good. A strong leadership team with defined roles and responsibilities supports the well qualified staff team. All staff in the preschool have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and how to plan activities in order to meet the six areas of learning. There are very good systems in place to assist staff in their professional responsibility and staff attend training regularly. Regular meetings and effective use of the appraisal system identifies learning needs effectively. The setting is working towards the Investors in People award. Staff are given specific areas of responsibility and take these seriously. As a result, planning is strong and the day well ordered to allow children the freedom to move around activities as they wish. Key worker responsibilities are taken seriously and children's folders contain exciting examples of their work as well as a clear record of what children can

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Organisation

The nursery has very well planned procedures for managing difficulties before they have an impact on children, for example, an additional worker is recruited and in position before a member of staff leaves, and ancillary staff support the setting well to allow staff to devote their time to caring for children. The owner of the setting uses her time creatively to support parts of the day such as arrival, departure and lunchtimes to allow staff time to communicate effectively with parents.

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Organisation

Staff are well supported through both formal and informal meetings. The clear focus of these ensure that staff develop enhanced skills in helping children make effective progress in each area of development. There is a clear vision for the future, which is deep rooted in the setting's commitment to successful integrated working and to developing quality practice. The management team has an excellent understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for future improvement. The setting is well able to assess its own strengths and weaknesses; the resulting development plan is a well used, ongoing document which continues to enhance provision for children.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the setting was requested to review the child protection policy and review the action to be taken in the event of an allegation about a member of staff. Since that time the setting has reviewed and re-written the policy, staff have attended further training and have amended the organisation of the nursery to ensure parents have access to the new information on safeguarding children. All staff know and understand the policy and procedure and can confidently describe what would happen in the event of an allegation about a member of staff. This is now an area of strength in the setting.

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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. 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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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

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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): • review the policy and procedure for administration of medication to children to ensure that it is fully understood by all staff, and that records kept maintain confidentiality • review the organisation of the pre-school room to ensure children have consistent room to move freely

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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 the process to ensure that observations are consistently used to plan the next steps of development for individual children (this applies to care also).

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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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