Bluebird Kindergarten

Bluebird Kindergarten & Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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322378 Unique Reference Number 07 July 2008 Inspection date Chris Scully Inspector

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Elm Hall Drive, Liverpool, Merseyside, L18 1LF Setting Address

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0151 728 8627 Telephone number jocarmichael@btinternet.com E-mail Sheila Carmichael and Joanne Carmichael Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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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?

Bluebird Kindergarten and Nursery is situated in Allerton, a residential suburb of Liverpool. The provision has been operating for 40 years. It is privately owned and managed and was registered in September 1996. Children are accommodated in three rooms within Elm Hall Methodist Church premises. Children also have access to the large church hall at agreed times. The nursery is open each weekday from 09.00 to 16.00 during school term time and at half terms.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 60 children may attend at any one time. Currently there are 59 children on roll aged between two and four years. Of these, 41 receive funding for nursery education. Attendance varies significantly between children, with some attending full time and others for a variety of half-day sessions in line with parents’ preferences. The setting is able to support children with learning difficulties or disabilities or for whom English is an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The provision employs 13 staff, six of who hold appropriate early years qualifications. Bluebird Kindergarten and Nursery is a member of the National Day Nursery Association. It networks with and is supported by Liverpool Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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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 are cared for in a clean environment. They are developing an awareness of simple hygiene procedures, such as washing their hands at appropriate times. Children clearly know that they need to wash their hands before snack and after using the toilet. Staff discuss with children the reasons for washing hands, helping to develop their awareness and understanding. However, the use of a communal hand washing bowl for craft activities does not effectively minimise the risk of cross infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff are trained in first aid, which means children’s accidents or incidents are handled appropriately. A comprehensive sick child policy is effectively implemented, which means children are cared for in as far as possible germ free environment. Children are able to rest according to their own needs. Children's physical development is progressing well. Children are confident to use a range of wheeled resources. Children use larger equipment, such as climbing frames with ease, this means on some occasions they are not sufficiently challenged. Children notice the changes in their bodies after exercising, for example, the need to drink water as they become hot and thirsty.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a wide range of healthy and nutritious vegetarian meals and snacks. All are freshly prepared by the cook on a daily basis. Meals are prepared to take into account the children's individual needs, preferences. Staff use mealtimes as an effective learning experience for children as they discuss the importance of eating a healthy diet, effectively linking this to the children's favourite television character and where the food comes from. For example, the children enthusiastically tell staff that milk comes from a cow and that fruit is good for us. Mealtimes are a very relaxed social occasion. Children are encouraged to serve themselves and to try new foods. Staff sit with the children to eat, which significantly enhances the social aspects of mealtimes. All children have independent access to fresh drinking water in order to keep themselves refreshed.

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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 warm, welcoming environment. Toys and equipment are visible and are mainly freely available to children. However, in some rooms resources, such as those depicting diversity are not readily accessible. Space is used well as areas are provided for different purposes, for example, for children to look at books or be involved in table top activities. There is an appropriate selection of child sized furniture, tables and chairs, for children to use. Children have access to a wide range of good quality books, toys and resources, which are safe, suitable and support their learning and development. Children’s art work is displayed with pride around the setting; this successfully supports and enhances their self-esteem and sense of belonging.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The implementation of risk assessments and daily checklist means most risks are identified and minimised. Thus, ensuring the children's safety. Regular fire drills are carried out, which means children are developing an understanding of what to do in an emergency. Children confidently inform visitors that they must not run on the stairs or indoors as they may fall. Children are effectively supervised by staff at all times and enjoy the opportunities to engage them in their activities. Appropriate systems are in place for taking children on outings in the local community.

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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 Staff talk to the children about road safety and how to be safe outdoors, which again enhances their understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have a secure understanding of child protection issues. Some have attended training on safeguarding children and are aware of the action to take should they have a concern about a child's well-being. Information from the Local Safeguarding Children Board is prominently displayed around the setting. Appropriate systems are in place for dealing with any allegations made against staff. This means children are protected from harm.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settled at the setting. They enter eagerly and are very quickly absorbed in self- chosen play and learning experiences. This is effectively supported by the warm, caring relationships the staff develop with the children to help them feel safe and secure in their care. Staff are very aware of children's individual needs and meet these well in practice. Thus, children feel happy, safe and secure. Children are extremely confident speakers and are keen to converse with their peers, staff and visitors. This is effectively supported by skilled staff, who consistently support children's language development by introducing new words and by clearly explaining the meaning of words, such as periscope. The staff offer children high levels of praise and encouragement, which promotes the children's self-esteem and helps them to see themselves as successful learners.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have a very good understanding of the ‘Birth to three matters' framework, this successfully enables them to provide a wide range of interesting and exciting activities to younger children. This means younger children are making good progress and are keen to try new ideas, for example, racing their cars down cardboard tubes and providing solutions as to why the staff's car will not go down the tube; 'its too big!' Staff caring for younger children use observations effectively to identify what children can do and use this to update the children's scrap books. Younger children are actively engaged in self-chosen play opportunities. They enjoy exploring role play scenarios, such as playing with rice, although on some occasions they are not freely able to select additional resources to further enhance their play. Children are keen to listen to stories and enthusiastically take part in stories about their favourite characters and regale staff

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

with additional tales of the characters adventures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a secure understanding of the Foundation Stage and how children learn. They use this well to plan and provide an extensive range of interesting learning opportunities that actively engage the children's interest, such as the creation of props for the story of 'The three little pigs'. This effectively brings the story to life whilst allowing children to use their creativity to build the different houses and to make bricks from recycled materials. Staff use observations well to identify what children know and can do and there are some systems in place for identifying the next steps in the children's learning. However, specific future learning outcomes for children are not always sufficiently detailed or clearly linked to the planning. This means some children are not always sufficiently challenged. Staff are skilled at asking open-ended questions that effectively support children's

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

thinking, communication, language and problem solving skills. They spend considerable amounts of time listening, talking and interacting with children, which helps them to make progress. Staff effectively support children's learning by providing opportunities to visit local places of interest in line with the current topic.

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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 Children are very confident, interested and eager learners. They welcome the opportunities to explore new experiences and to talk to visitors. They play well with their peers and show concern when their friends are not yet present, offering solutions as to why they may not be in today and welcoming others enthusiastically on their arrival. They negotiate well with one another and enjoy the opportunities to undertake small jobs with staff, such as helping to tidy away their resources before lunch. Children are developing a good understanding of their own cultures and beliefs as they celebrate birthdays and other special events throughout the year. They are very familiar with the daily routines and are keen to do things for themselves, such as hanging up their coat or collecting their lunch boxes.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are extremely confident speakers and use language well to describe what they are doing, for example, they eagerly explain about the forthcoming celebrations for the settings 40th Birthday and describe what they are to wear for the event. Children enjoy a print rich environment, which enables them to examine different types of text and print, such as magazines, books and labels. Older children confidently write their own name and sound out the letters of their name. Children are developing a love of books and reading and frequently enter the many library and book areas to read with their friends or to themselves.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's mathematical development is progressing well. Many children are able to count to five and beyond. Children are beginning to use simple addition and subtraction, for example, they confidently informed staff that following registration six children are not in today. Staff effectively support children's mathematical development. They use mathematical language in everyday conversations, which in turn is frequently used by children to describe what they can see. Children are developing an understanding of shape with one child informing visitors that the cube will not roll as it has sharp sides.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have a good understanding of everyday technology. They are becoming skilled at using computers and have good opportunities to explore other technology, such as binoculars and scales in the role play. They learn about living and growing things as they grow various plants and discuss how they are going to grow their apple pip at home. Children build well with a range of construction kits, for example, creating the home of one of the three pigs. Children are developing a positive attitude to others as they explore different cultures and beliefs and build good links with their local community. They are very confident to talk about past events, such as the last Christmas concert and look forward to the forthcoming concert.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's creativity is effectively fostered by staff who provide many opportunities for children to use a wide range of media and creative materials. Their art work is displayed with pride throughout the setting. Children use their imagination well in role play scenarios and are keen to engage other children in their play. They enjoy the opportunities to learn new songs as they enthusiastically sing their renditions of 'On the good ship lollipop.' complete with actions and revel in the applause from staff and visitors.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children’s needs, individual circumstances and preferences are known to staff and are effectively met in practice. Staff are very knowledgeable about the children in their care, which means all children receive good care from staff. This is supported by the information sourced from parents to support the children's care, health and learning needs. This means the nursery provides continuity of care to all children. Children's spiritual, social, moral and social development is fostered. Children have good opportunities to learn about the wider world through discussions

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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 with the staff and the acknowledgment of various festivals throughout the year. Children develop a sense of community as they celebrate birthdays and other special events with their friends. This means children are developing positive attitudes to others. Children feel valued as staff listen intently to what they have to say and are interested in their 'news,' or the items brought in for 'show and tell'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are well behaved. They respond very well to staff's requests and are developing a good understanding of the setting's rules. Staff are positive role models who provide clear age appropriate explanations to children as to why their behaviour is unacceptable. This enables children to think about what they are doing and to provide ways of addressing the issues. Older children take turns well and have a clear picture of the need to share with others. Younger children are effectively developing these ideas through the guidance and support of staff. Children are keen to undertake simple tasks, such as helping to tidy away resources and help prepare the for lunch. This successfully enhances their self-esteem and independence. The setting provides good care to children with disabilities or children who have a significant illness. Staff work very well with other agencies to ensure children's needs are met.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents are well informed about their child's time at the setting and the progress they are making. This is supported by the wealth of well organised information displayed around the setting and the positive relationships the parents have with staff. This ensures effective communication systems are in place between parents and the nursery. Parents are regularly invited into the setting to take part in open days or to see the various concerts during the year. The setting actively encourages parents to become involved in the children's learning, for example, a number of father's recently came in to talk to the children about their jobs. Good systems are in place for sharing information with parents about their child's progress which includes informal discussions and the opportunities to look at their child's scrap book.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are cared for by qualified and experienced staff who work very well together as a team. Staff have opportunities to attend training courses in order to enhance their knowledge base and to improve the care and learning experiences provided to children. Suitable induction and recruitment systems means children are cared for by appropriately vetted staff. The key worker system enhances the children's sense of belonging and learning opportunities. It provides clear communication systems with parents and consistency in the care of the children.

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Organisation

Policies and procedures which contribute to the health, safety and well-being of the children are in place and are shared well with parents. However, parents have not always signed to acknowledge the entries in the medication record and on some occasions confidentiality has not been maintained within the accident record. Systems are in place for recording children's attendance, however, they do not demonstrate the actual times of children's attendance.

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Organisation

The leadership and management are good. All staff are committed to the ongoing improvement of the setting. Staff have good opportunities to attend training surrounding the Foundation Stage in order to improve upon the educative provision provided to children. Staff are committed and highly motivated. This is reflected in their enthusiasm to support children's learning and to consider new ways of working.

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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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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

Following an inadequate inspection one action was raised to ensure appropriate checks and documentation are in place to show that all staff have been checked to determine whether they are suitability and to ensure unvetted staff do not have unsupervised contact with children. The setting has instigated a new system for ensuring Criminal Records Bureau checks are in place for all staff and have reviewed the recruitment and induction systems to reflect staff's suitability. This has improved upon the children's safety.

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Improvements since the last inspection

One recommendation was raised in relation to the nursery education which was to increase resources to reflect cultural diversity so that children learn to understand, value and tolerate peoples differences. The setting has purchased additional resources to enhance the children's understanding of the wider world and diversity.

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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, which parents 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): • ensure parents sign to acknowledge entries in the medication record and ensure the actual times of children's attendance is recorded • improve upon the organisation of some resources, such as those depicting diversity to ensure children can independently access them.

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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): • ensure the next steps in children's learning are clearly identified and demonstrate how planning makes sure children are sufficiently challenged.

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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 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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