Granby House Nursery

Granby House Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY281276 Unique Reference Number 12 February 2008 Inspection date Duncan Gill / Jill Lee Inspector

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Aldwarke Road, Parkgate, ROTHERHAM, South Yorkshire, S62 6BU Setting Address

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E-mail

Granby Nurseries 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?

Granby House Nursery is one of four nurseries owned by Granby Nurseries Limited. It opened in 1994 and operates from a converted Georgian residential building and an adjacent annexe. It is situated in the centre of Parkgate, on the outskirts of Rotherham in South Yorkshire. A maximum of 97 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 18.00 for 52 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 120 children aged from birth to under five years old on roll. Of these, 45 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the locality and a wide area as most of their parents travel in to work. The nursery currently supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 36 staff. Of these, 18 staff, including the management team, hold appropriate early years qualifications. Five staff are currently working towards a qualification, and six staff are working towards a degree. The setting is currently working towards a recognised quality assurance scheme, 'Quality in Action'.

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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 benefit from being cared for in a very clean and hygienic environment as staff fully implement detailed cleaning routines on a daily basis. They consistently wash their hands, follow a hygienic nappy changing procedure and implement an effective policy on illness to help keep children safe from the spread of infection. Children have good opportunities to learn about the importance of healthy practices. Staff talk to young children about healthy practices and encourage them to begin to be independent with this, such as blowing noses and washing hands. Older children develop good levels of independence in attending to their own personal care, as they wash their hands and manage the toilet independently. They build a good understanding of the reasons for healthy practices, for example, taking off their shoes ‘because they are muddy’ and from effective staff explanations and visitors, such as the dentist.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a wide variety of activities in the fresh air, as they use the outdoor environment daily. They love the freedom of movement offered outdoors and use space well to develop their physical skills. They enjoy riding back and forth on the bikes, run fast and play chasing games. They practise their ball skills and swing confidently from the rope. They negotiate the small ladder skilfully to ‘paint’ the ‘A-frame’ and the shed. They build their own balancing beams and obstacle courses with the large blocks. Children have regular planned opportunities to develop coordination and control, as they enjoy exercise and movement sessions.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children receive a healthy and nutritious diet on a daily basis. Detailed procedures are followed and the cook has attended training to ensure food is prepared safely. Meals are well balanced and include regular fruit and vegetables. Meal times are relaxed and staff sit with children chatting to them. Older children get drinks independently from the ‘drinks station’ and help to set the table and serve their own meal, making choices about what they want to eat. Their awareness of healthy eating is promoted well, for example, through food tasting sessions. However, the snack area is not well resourced to prompt everyday conversations about healthy eating. Babies individual routines are well respected, they receive regular drinks and all children's individual dietary needs are well met.

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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 very warm and welcoming environment, which is bright and colourful. Children's work and photos of activities are attractively displayed. Play areas are well organised so that children can move around freely and safely to independently select from a good range of well maintained toys, furniture and equipment. Children are very interested in what is available, such as art activities and role play. Toys and equipment are stimulating, fun, interesting and provide good age-appropriate challenges.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Excellent measures are in place to ensure children are kept safe at the setting as detailed risk assessments are used on all aspects of the nursery. Accidents are reviewed on a monthly basis and staff carry out effective checks each day to rooms and the water temperature to ensure risks to children are minimised. Children benefit from a good range of safety measures, for example, socket covers, safety gates and a fully secure outdoor play area. They develop a good understanding about safety in the setting, through regularly practising emergency evacuation procedures and age-appropriate staff explanations, such as picking up toys to avoid others

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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 falling over them. Regularly planned outings and visitors to the nursery, like the road safety officer and community policeman, help to raise their awareness of road safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are well protected from possible abuse or neglect. Staff have attended training and show a good understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse. They fully understand the procedure to follow with any concerns to help safeguard the children in their care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. All children are fully involved in a wide range of interesting and enjoyable activities which promote their imagination, language, mathematical thinking and creative development. For example, children enjoy exploring the texture of paint between their fingers, playing in the sand and singing. Children are given opportunities to develop their independence. They can freely access drinks and learn to serve themselves at meal times. They choose activities that interest them and learn to manage developmentally appropriate tasks, such as washing their hands and toileting.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are keen to communicate and build strong relationships with other children, making friends and sharing their experiences. They are happy at the setting and enjoy their time there. They thrive from strong relationships with staff, who are very interested in the children, asking questions to make them think and giving praise and encouragement to help build their self-esteem. Children are helped to settle in well when they first start at the setting or move rooms. Short visit sessions are used to build children's confidence in new surroundings and a key worker ensures all their individual needs are well met. Children are confident in their environment and with the staff, involving them in their play and giving them cuddles.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young children's and babies' all round development is well fostered. They develop their self-confidence and early communication skills well through quality interactions with staff who mimic the sounds they make and talk activities through with them. They begin to explore the world around them through a wide range of experiences including music, sensory activities, arts and crafts. Effective planning ensures children's all round development is fostered and regular observations and assessment are used to help children develop well.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and children's learning is good. Staff have a very secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum and comprehensive planning helps children to make consistent progress towards all the early learning goals. Children are highly motivated and their interest is fully sustained as they enjoy a broad range of well planned activities. They learn to listen, to concentrate extremely well and to persevere with activities they enjoy. They select resources independently in all areas of the continuous provision and child-led routines allow them to make their own choices and plan their own play. Planning for the learning experiences offered by the outdoor environment is less comprehensive.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children communicate confidently, using language well to share their experiences. Staff introduce new language into activities, through planning. Children are introduced to a wide range of factual books to support activities, for example, about wildlife and dinosaurs, which arouse their curiosity. They love reading stories and use books with care. Children have many opportunities to practise writing and write for real purposes, for example, to make notices to

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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 describe each play area. They recognise and write their name and enjoy activities which promote their interest in letter sounds.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children become familiar with numbers as labels and for counting. They read number books, act out number rhymes at group time and check out if there is ‘space for one more’ in the area they want to play. They use mathematical language with comprehension, as they roll and shape dough, count the fish in the water trough and sort the insects. Staff provide opportunities for them to solve practical problems in their free play and in daily routines.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's interest in the natural world, growth and change is stimulated well. They care for the giant snails, grow carrots and sprouts from seedS and plan to develop a compost heap. They enjoy designing their own models and freely access a wide range of tools and materials to help them explore different techniques. They use the computer independently, explore how to make the ‘roamer’ move back and forth and take their own photographs. Their imagination and creativity is nurtured as they enjoy cooperative role play activities, make dens and explore colour mixing with paint and play dough.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff interact very effectively with children. They model skills well and consistently reinforce expected behaviour, so that children learn to work cooperatively and use activity areas productively. Staff have developed clear and varied systems to observe children's interests and monitor their individual progress. Staff recognise the need to further develop the links between observations and planning the next steps in children’s learning. This will help them more consistently introduce greater challenge into children’s free play, based on their observed interests.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's individual needs are effectively met as staff use detailed registration talks and agreements to find out about children's allergies, special requirements, routines, likes and dislikes. Children have an excellent understanding of the daily routines and staff successfully create a participative environment. They develop a positive attitude to others and have good opportunities to learn about the wider world and community through monthly topics and celebrating festivals, where they take part in activities, such as food tasting, dressing up, arts and crafts. However, there are few resources for children to freely access which show positive images of racial, cultural and religious diversity and disability. Effective arrangements are in place to care for children with learning difficulties or disabilities. Staff work closely with parents and professionals to help children reach their full potential. Children's spiritual, moral, social

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave very well. Staff manage behaviour in an age appropriate manner to consistently apply boundaries and they explain the reasons behind these to help children understand the consequences of their actions. For example 'We walk to the toilet so you don't slip and fall'. Children learn to share and take turns and older children very capably manage many of their daily experiences. For example, they independently organise turn taking on the computer and learn to tidy toys away when they have finished with them. Good behaviour is well valued. Staff use effective strategies to re-enforce this, giving children lots of praise throughout the day and using star charts and stickers to reward them.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents are well informed about the Foundation Stage curriculum and what their child is learning. Information about progress is shared on a

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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 daily basis and at regular parents' evenings. Parents frequently access, and are invited to contribute to, their child's development file. Photographic displays provide a vivid insight for parents about nursery activities. Children make photograph books to reflect what they do, like their outing to the bakers and the Chinese New Year celebrations. Parents are invited to curriculum workshops and displays, for example, about mark making, help them understand how planned activities contribute to their child’s learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents build strong and trusting relationships with staff. They are kept fully informed about the nursery through detailed information about the setting and their child's development. For example, daily sheets and books provide daily information on sleeps, meals and activities and there are regular opportunities for parents to discuss their child's development with staff. Effective two way sharing of information enhances the care of the children. Parents share their views through questionnaires, meetings with staff and a suggestion box. They are given detailed information on how the nursery runs through newsletters, a prospectus, notice boards and photo books of outings, such as the babies' trip to the library.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Leadership and management is good. Staff are highly committed and enthusiastic. They have regular opportunities to meet together and evaluate their practice. The manager has a 'hands on' approach and frequently works alongside staff in the play rooms. This, together with room reviews and regular appraisals, helps her to monitor the quality of teaching and identify training needs. The nursery works closely with the advisory teacher, who systematically monitors practice and provides specialist advice and support. Daily observations of children help staff to identify children's interests and plan effectively for their progress towards the early learning goals.

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Organisation

The setting is well organised and rooms are laid out to maximise play opportunities for children. Staff regularly attend and update training and have a good knowledge of childcare and education which they use to provide stimulating opportunities for all ages. Children benefit as staff are committed to developing their skills and have attended recent training, such as child protection, first aid and food safety. Robust recruitment procedures ensure all staff are suitable to work with children and there are good induction procedures for new staff to monitor their progress. Staff are well deployed and work well as a team, consistently interacting with children to give them effective support and encouragement, which helps them feel secure and confident.

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Organisation

Detailed documentation is in place, regularly reviewed and fully implemented by staff, to help keep children safe and healthy, such as policies on behaviour management and child protection. The setting has excellent systems in place to critically reflect on practice. They are working towards a recognised Quality Assurance Scheme and use regular appraisals, training plans and reviews to develop and enhance the care and education of the children. 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 asked to provide opportunities to continue to access training to maintain the high standard of care. The setting has training plans in place and uses appraisals to monitor staff development. They provide opportunities for staff to regularly access training and many staff are working toward further childcare qualifications to enhance their knowledge, skills and experiences for children.

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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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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE 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): • improve resources which show positive images of racial, cultural and religious diversity and disability.

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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): • extend planning to maximise the learning opportunities using the outdoor environment • further develop the ways in which observations are used to enhance interest led planning for next steps in children’s learning.

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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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