Trentham Academy

Twinkle Stars Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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144558 Unique Reference Number 24 July 2008 Inspection date Tom Radcliffe Inspector

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416 Seven Sisters Road, London, N4 2LX Setting Address

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E-mail

The Trustees of Father Love Trust 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 satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Twinkle Stars Day Nursery is run by a committee of trustees. It opened in 1998 and operates from three rooms in a modified building. It is situated in a commercial area in Manor House in the London borough of Hackney. A maximum of 16 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.20 to 18.00 all year round. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 13 children aged from one to under five years on roll. Of these, three receive funding for early education. The nursery mainly provides for children in the local area. The nursery currently supports children with learning difficulties and also children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs four members of staff, all hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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 satisfactory. Children's good health and well-being is promoted satisfactorily within the setting. Children have access to a clean play environment which is made ready for the arrival of children by staff who pay close attention to matters of hygiene; for example, when surface cleaning and preparing facilities for nappy changing. The setting has effective procedures in place for the administering of medication and for the management of incidents and accidents. Children receive appropriate treatment when they have accidents as the setting has sufficient numbers of staff trained in first aid and access to suitable first aid equipment. Children are protected from infection as contagious children are excluded from the nursery. In addition to this the good health of children is promoted as the nursery obtains written parental permission for any emergency treatment or advice that may be necessary.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have a growing understanding of personal hygiene as they wash their hands at appropriate times during the day. They also understand about the harmful effects of germs as adults talk to children about how coughs and colds can spread amongst them. Children also benefit from a healthy diet as the nursery provides a range of nutritious and well balanced meals and snacks. Children are developing good eating habits as they have snacks of fruit and midday meals of vegetables, fish or chicken. The nursery provides children with a variety of meals and pays attention to the specific dietary requirements of individuals which are known and acted upon effectively. Children have adequate access to fresh drinking water which is available to them throughout the day.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have access to play opportunities that promote their physical development. While indoors children use mark making resources, paint, play with puzzles and enjoy experimenting with construction sets, threading games and musical instruments. They also enjoy taking part in music and movement sessions. Outdoors children have access to slides, messy play facilities, wheeled toys and they enjoy running, climbing and balancing.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are safe while in the setting as the nursery has developed a range of effective procedures. Access to the setting is under the direction of authorised staff and all visitors are monitored while on site. Children are protected from harm as staff have a working knowledge of the setting's safeguarding procedures. This ensures that staff can recognise concerns and act in children's interests when required to do so. Children's attendance registers and records are maintained accurately and appropriately. The nursery has effective procedures in place for the arrival and departure of children. Children's safety is also promoted as the nursery has access to fire detection and control equipment, which is regularly maintained and an established emergency evacuation procedure.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children play and learn in a hygienic environment with free access to a range of equipment and toys that are well maintained, safe and appropriate for their age and development. Children can rest according to their individual needs and staff carefully monitor all sleeping children. The nursery undertakes a range of risk assessments to ensure that children do not face unnecessary hazards; for example, the entire premises are regularly assessed for ongoing safety, the outdoor space is visually checked prior to use and day to day procedures are monitored 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 ensure children's safety. Staff deployment throughout the setting promotes children's safety as they carefully monitor children as they play, have meals and freely explore the spacious setting. The nursery has a good range of furniture available which accommodates both a range of activities and the different sizes and ages of children. The visual impact of the setting is positive with displays of children's work and information for the users of the nursery.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. All children in the setting take part in activities that are planned for them to ensure that they have access to a range of appropriate experiences throughout the day. Children are supported by key workers who know them as individuals and who promote free choice by the children and more focussed activities according to the needs of each child. Children have access to facilities based on their age and level of development as well as joint social activities, such as at snack time, where all children will be together. The younger children in the nursery settle quickly to free choice activities with appropriate support from adults. As a result children select table top activities, take part in messy play, share books or work with adults on number songs, mark making or painting. Staff ensure that children use their time productively and work effectively to ensure that children's interests and preferences are accommodated within the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

setting. Staff have a growing understanding of Birth to three matters and are beginning to make accurate observational assessments of what children achieve; this information is effectively used to plan future learning activities. The setting has begun to collate meaningful examples of children's work and attainments in the form of scrap books, photographic records and individual written records. As staff work with children as they play and learn they ask questions and seek to enhance children's understanding and vocabulary. However, some opportunities to develop children's speaking and listening skills are missed as staff do not always exploit potential avenues of discussions where children are given more challenge and have to think more about their spoken answers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff are showing a growing understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and are developing useful planning and assessment strategies. Plans show important learning and development for children and are based on accurate information about the needs of individual children. Staff are growing in confidence as their plans and assessments are used and they are starting to have a much better understanding about how young children learn. The nursery provides parents with a range of written development information which gives them knowledge of the progress being made and the next areas of learning. Children are given free choice from a range of accessible activities and work in groups of varying sizes. Adults also work with the children on more focussed activities in order to enhance children's learning and understanding. The key worker system in use in the nursery supports children effectively and ensures that they stay on task, make good

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

choices about how they spend their time and enables accurate observations to be made which properly supports planning processes. In addition, positive relationships within the nursery are reflected in the positive attitudes shown by the children. The children demonstrate an increasing ability to engage with activities and generally play well together as they share and take turns. Children are showing signs of independence as they select tasks, decide which groups they want to work in and move freely between activities. The children are showing signs of becoming more confident communicators; they enjoy stories and have an interest in mark making and early writing. Though children can independently access writing equipment they are not provided with sufficient opportunities to develop their skills and understanding of writing. Children use

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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 numbers throughout the setting as they sing number songs, count out pieces of fruit, play number games and use mathematical equipment. They have an understanding of time and use quantities while taking part in water and sand play. Children explore simple technology through role play and the use of everyday technology, such as DVD players and a computer. Children's physical development is well planned for and children have opportunities to be creative through the use of music, role play activities, painting and play dough. The nursery satisfactorily supports children's learning in the Foundation Stage.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. The nursery has an effective working relationship with its parents and the provider ensures that all important individual details relating to a child's background are collected and acted upon within the setting. Staff are able to talk knowledgably about individual children and there is an understanding of their home language, interests and background as well as specific dietary or medical information. The setting places importance upon understanding the care and learning needs of individual children and is beginning to meet them very effectively. The nursery has an inclusive approach and works well to understand the needs of children who may have learning difficulties. The setting works effectively with parents in order to maximise its support of these children and is experienced in working with external agencies; for example, the local authority.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The atmosphere in the nursery is busy and productive, children settle quickly, they generally relate well to other children and they are showing signs of growing independence with a developing sense of right and wrong. The setting has an effective approach to behaviour management. Children's self-esteem is promoted by adults and the children are given opportunities to appreciate positive images of diversity through the resources that they use and the activities that they undertake. 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 satisfactory. Parents are given information about their children's development and opportunities to have discussions with key workers. The setting has an effective complaints policy which is made known to the parents. All parents have access to recently updated policies and procedures from which they gain a clear understanding of the work of the setting.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The provider has established effective recruitment procedures, these help to ensure that staff employed at the nursery are suitable to work with children. The staff at the nursery are experienced and qualified and have spent time since the last inspection gaining a greater understanding of how young children learn. This is beginning to impact positively on the level of provision made by the nursery. The setting has policies and procedures in place to ensure the effective and safe management of the nursery. Staff deployment effectively meets the needs of the children and promotes learning and play in spacious accommodation. The nursery responds effectively to children's well-being as children have a growing sense of their health and safety and they are starting to achieve more in a positive learning environment. However, greater attention should be given to children's development in both written and spoken

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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 The leadership and management is satisfactory. Senior staff have a clear understanding of the nursery's strengths and weaknesses and have devised and implemented effective action plans following the setting's last inspection. Each staff member has contributed to this process and each has an understanding of their role within the nursery. Staff undertake effective processes of induction and probation. The setting has developed effective processes of planning, assessment and reporting to parents. These processes will be refined over time to further enhance the nursery's work. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The last inspection set several actions; these included, that staff should develop their knowledge and understanding of appropriate frameworks in order to meet the needs of all children. In addition the setting was required to improve important documentation and implement effective evaluations of its nursery education programme. Since that time the setting has undertaken work to meet these actions. All staff have taken part in relevant training in order to develop their knowledge and understanding of Birth to three matters and the Foundation Stage curriculum. To build upon this the setting has introduced effective processes to assess the impact on children of its provision for nursery education. The nursery has also updated its documentation to ensure that it complies with all necessary 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 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 satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • provide children with greater opportunities to develop their competencies in speaking and listening.

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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):

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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 • provide children with greater opportunities to develop their skills and understanding of writing.

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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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