Tweenies Day Nursery

Tweenies Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY255577 Unique Reference Number 01 April 2008 Inspection date Valerie Fane Inspector

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70-72 Church Street, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 1DT Setting Address

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E-mail

Adam Brown and Andrew Rutter 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?

Tweenies Day Nursery opened in 1986 and was registered under the current partnership ownership in 2002. It operates from detached premises in the town of Evesham. The nursery serves the local area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group opens five days a week all year round. Nursery sessions are from 07:30 until 18:20. Out of school sessions are from 07:30 until 09:00 and 15:00 until 18:20 in term time, and 07:30 until 18:20 in the holidays. The nursery provides a collection service to and from local schools for the out of school club.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 57 children on roll in the nursery. Of these 24 children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children for whom English is an additional language. There are 20 children on roll in the out of school club.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are 12 staff who work with the children. Of these 10 have appropriate qualifications to Level 2 or above. The nursery receives support from a mentor teacher 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 develop their understanding of the principles of healthy eating because they enjoy a range of healthy snacks and main meals. Older children have some opportunities to exercise control over their eating because they take turns to choose two types of fruit for the group to have for their morning snack. The lunch menus are healthy and nutritious and most menu items are homemade. Children attending the after school club have hot or cold high teas that support their awareness of healthy eating such as homemade ham and pineapple pizza followed by fresh fruit. Younger children become independent eaters because staff encourage them to feed themselves but provide support when necessary. Children extend their knowledge of healthy foods because they talk about healthy eating as part of a topic on 'Ourselves' and they visit the dentist who talks to them about healthy foods.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy regular fresh air and exercise using the nursery's own outdoor area with its all-weather surface and also the adjacent public enclosed grass area. Older children have wet weather clothing available so that they can play outside in all but extreme weather conditions. Children develop balance and control on a range of wheeled toys suitable for children of different ages. They improve their ball skills with a range of small equipment and staff help children to learn new skills as they show them how to catch a ball properly. Children in the pre-school group gain an excellent awareness of how their bodies work through a weekly exercise programme called 'Stretch-and-grow'. They know that it is healthy to exercise and they know how to warm up their bodies before they exercise.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children learn about the importance of good hygiene routines because they wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating and they clean their teeth after lunch. They receive good care in the event of an accident or needing medication because all staff have current first aid knowledge. Staff keep accurate records of any accident that occurs or medication given and ensure that all required signatures are obtained from parents including a signature for the medication dosage records. Children are protected from cross-infection because the nursery has a clear policy not to accept children who are unwell and this is made known to parents before their child attends. Younger children's daily routines are known by staff so that they sleep according to parents' wishes and all older children have at least a short rest after lunch. Staff discuss and update babies' routines regularly with their parents.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children use premises that are suitable for their purpose and are kept clean and well maintained with brightly coloured murals on the outside wall and on the stairs inside. The extension currently being built will provide further accommodation for the pre-school age group. Children see interesting displays of their own work all around the nursery as well as photographs of themselves enjoying activities posted in the entrance area. They use a good range of high quality, well-maintained equipment some of which is stored in low-level containers for them to self-select.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment where all risks have been identified and minimised. Staff make good use of risk assessments to review safety issues and to assess specific hazards. For example, staff have carried out a detailed risk assessment with regard to

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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 the current building work and have put procedures in place to minimise any risk to the children. The indoor environment is safe and secure. The front door is kept locked at all times and a notice on the door reminds parents to make sure that they close it when they leave the premises. Children's ongoing safety is enhanced because staff carry out daily safety checks at the beginning and end of each day. Children learn to keep themselves safe because they know how to use the stairs safely and they learn about safety issues through spontaneous opportunities. For example, when they are using knives in role play staff talk to them about the fact that they are sharp and they must use them carefully.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safe on outings because staff carry out risk assessments and take appropriate equipment. Children walk to the grass area holding a rope for safety. On longer outings they learn about the importance of staying with their key worker, they talk about the reasons for using seat belts on a coach and when they are out walking they practise how to cross the road safely.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children’s welfare is safeguarded because staff have a good understanding of the symptoms of child abuse and the procedures to follow if they were to have concerns about a child in their care. There is a detailed child protection policy in place that is known by staff, and most of them have attended safeguarding children training. Staff record any existing injuries to children and discuss them with their parents and keep a written record of any other child protection concerns. Children develop their awareness of their personal safety because they learn to treat each other with respect and to expect others to reciprocate and they discuss the dangers associated with talking to strangers when they are on outings.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are very settled in all of the different age groups in the nursery. They form close relationships with the staff in their base room and older children begin to develop friendships with their peers. Children of different ages enjoy some opportunities to mix together, particularly when they are sharing the outdoor areas.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The younger children make good progress because staff plan and implement an interesting range of activities linked to the 'Birth to three matters' framework and observe and record children's development. They identify particular target areas for development for each child and share these with their parents. Children develop good communication skills. For example, the babies listen to simple stories such as 'Cock-a-moo-moo' and they begin to use language for themselves as they try to copy the sounds made by the different animals. The older toddlers develop their language and their imagination by taking part in well-resourced role play as they pretend to make drinks in the home area or pretend to go shopping. Children explore different textures and practise mark making through activities such as chalking and finger painting.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children attending the out of school club and the holiday club welcome time to relax. They make good use of the outside area for games of football or dodge ball. Indoors they select from the range of games and activities on offer, such as spatter painting, and they like to use the play station or work together to make a model with the construction toys. In the holidays they thoroughly enjoy outings to interesting places such as the Cotswold Wildlife Park where they look at the animals and have a talk on birds of prey that includes an opportunity for the oldest children to hold birds such as a hawk.

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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 The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children have good opportunities to take part in an interesting range of planned activities that covers all aspects of the six areas of learning and staff have a firm understanding of the breadth of learning that children obtain from different activities. As a result all children, including those with particular learning needs, make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff are aware of each child's starting points because they receive detailed information from their colleagues working with the younger age groups and also obtain further information from parents about their child's development. Staff make regular and comprehensive assessments of each child's progress and evaluate activities carefully. They use the assessments and evaluations to inform future planning and to set learning targets

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

for each child. Children respond well and are enthusiastic learners because staff manage their time effectively to maximise the time they spend with the children and make good use of questioning to extend children's learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop their knowledge and understanding of the world through circle time discussions about the weather. Older children are confident to explain to others that they cannot see the sun because it is behind the clouds and they all discuss with enthusiasm what happens to them if they go out in the rain. They talk about why we use umbrellas and they begin to use descriptive language and learn to take turns as they go round the circle taking turns to talk about their own umbrella. Staff extend children's thinking by asking how they can keep dry without an umbrella and children explore different materials as they look at different types of coats.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn about their bodies as part of the 'Stretch-n-grow' programme and also develop their creativity as they move in different ways to music. They pretend to be cowboys and put on their hats, ride to the rescue of a calf, lasso it, bring it back to the farm and tie it up. They move in different ways to songs such as 'She'll be coming round the mountain' and feel what happens to their heart when they have finished exercising. They learn about different parts of their bodies using a cloth model of their body. They recall their learning from a previous session as they remember that dairy foods help to make their bones strong and some children can identify some dairy foods such as cheese and yogurt. They show sustained concentration and interest as they take turns to place the different organs back on the cloth model.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop good communication, language and literacy skills as they listen to stories and learn to identify sounds as they talk about the letter of the week. They develop their awareness of initial sounds as they bring in items from home beginning with this week's sound and talk about them at circle time. They join in with the words and actions of favourite songs such as 'Five currant buns' and also improve their maths skills as they confidently work out how many currant buns are remaining when each one has been eaten. Children also learn maths through planned activities. For example, they play a stepping stone game outside where they have to move to stepping stones that are a particular shape or colour. They enjoy a wide range of creative activities through role play, music and art and craft. Children have some opportunities to develop self-help skills as they get dressed for outdoor play but staff do not make good use

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

of some everyday routines such as lunchtime to provide children with maximum opportunities to develop their independence in this area.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children thrive in the nursery because staff have excellent systems in place to provide children with continuity of care and they develop good relationships with their parents. Parents receive a detailed brochure about the nursery before their children attend and a separate brochure is provided for parents of children attending the out of school club. Parents of babies receive

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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 ongoing information about their child’s care through daily diary sheets and regular reports where both parent or carer and the key worker discuss their child's development and agree targets for their next steps in development. They see photographs of their children enjoying activities because these are displayed in the nursery entrance area. Children are protected because parents are made aware of how to make a complaint to the regulator and a log is in place to record any complaints that might be made.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of funded children is good. Parents see displays of information about the Foundation Stage and the planning for this age group. They are aware of what their children are learning because they receive a regular summary sheet and progress reports. Parents are involved in children's learning because links with home are good. Children bring in items for the letter shelf each week. If children are going on holiday they take 'Barnaby Bear' and bring back photographs of him with them on holiday to attach to the map on display in the nursery.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive good care because the staff liaise closely with their parents and, if appropriate, with outside agencies. Staff use individual education plans written by specialist groups to inform their own targets for such children. Effective procedures are in place to identify children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Their needs are met because staff encourage parents to seek help from outside agencies and attend appropriate training themselves to increase their understanding of the support needed by such children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children feel valued as part of the nursery because they have strong relationships with their key workers, who know them extremely well. Children learn about different cultures through activities linked to festivals such as Chinese New Year. For example, they read relevant stories, make dragons and do a dragon dance. They become aware of our wider society because they use equipment that reflects different aspects of society including multicultural dolls and ethnic home corner equipment such as woks and chopsticks. Children for whom English is an additional language make good progress because they are helped to learn English and their families are supported when necessary with tasks such as applications for primary schools. However, such children's support is not maximised because there are no written procedures in place to provide clear guidance

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children throughout the nursery and the out of school club behave extremely well. Children move around the nursery calmly, are polite and considerate and generally share toys well. They respond very positively to the excellent role models provided by staff and their calm manner and clear expectations for their behaviour. Staff use a good range of positive strategies such as star charts to reinforce positive behaviour and they have appropriate strategies in place to deal with any unacceptable behaviour if it occurs.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children flourish in the well-organised nursery environment. Children in the nursery benefit greatly from the experience and expertise of the excellent team of staff who work with them. A very high number of staff have childcare qualifications and many of the assistants have qualifications above the minimum level required for their post. However, children attending the out of school provision do not benefit from activities planned by staff who have attended playwork training to supplement their childcare qualifications.

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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 Children are protected from harm because the recruitment procedures are thorough. This ensures that all staff undergo Criminal Records Bureau checks and are suitable to be in contact with children. They have a thorough induction that ensures they are familiar with policies and procedures as well as daily routines. All of the required documentation which contributes to children's health, safety and welfare is in place and there are effective procedures to ensure that it is regularly reviewed and updated.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of the funded children is good. Children thrive because the manager provides clear direction and leadership to her strong team of staff. They work together to monitor and evaluate the quality of their provision and show a strong commitment to making ongoing improvements. For example, they are currently extending the premises to provide a ground floor area for the pre-school children so that they can have free access to the outside area at any time. The manager has a clear vision to provide a well-balanced curriculum and to meet individual children's needs. All staff working with children of this age are involved in the planning for the Foundation Stage and children benefit from their commitment to attend training or gain qualifications to improve their knowledge and practice.

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Organisation

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

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the nursery was required to ensure that staff ratios are met for children of all ages at all times, including lunchtime and when school runs are taking place and to maintain an adequate level of supervision at all times, particularly when taking young children to the adjacent grass area. The registered person was also recommended to improve the monitoring of the quality of the nursery education.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The nursery has made good progress. Children are safeguarded in two respects. The level of staffing has been raised to ensure that staff ratios are met at all times, including lunchtimes and during school runs. When nursery children use the grass area there are always a minimum of two staff present and if there are only two staff a mobile phone is carried so that staff can contact the nursery in an emergency while maintaining good supervision levels. The nursery owners have improved their monitoring of the quality of the nursery education by visiting the nursery and meeting with the manager more frequently. They have also improved their understanding of the nursery education requirements.

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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 AND 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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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 the provision for children attending the out of school provision by ensuring staff access relevant training • develop written procedures to support children for whom English is an additional language.

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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): • improve opportunities for children to develop self-help skills through every day routines such as lunchtime.

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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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