Trimdon's Little Tykes Ltd

Trimdon Little Tykes

Inspection report for early years provision

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Trimdon Little Tykes

Unique Reference Number EY219613 Inspection date 20 October 2005 Inspector Ann Coggin

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Trimdon Little Tykes

Setting Address Trimdon House, Landreth Grove, Trimdon, Trimdon Station, County Durham, TS29 6QH Telephone number 01429 883304

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E-mail

Registered person Trimdon Little Tykes Ltd Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Full day 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 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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Trimdon Little Tykes Nursery has been registered since January 2002 and provides full day care and out-of-school care for children from 2 years of age upwards. It operates in Trimdon House, a community resource centre in the village of Trimdon. Children in the nursery have sole use of a self-contained area comprising two childcare rooms, office, kitchen/dining area, toilet facilities, nappy changing room and a fully enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is open from 08.00 to 18.00, Monday to Friday, all year round excluding bank holidays. Children attend the nursery from the local community and the

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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 surrounding area and attend for a variety of sessions. There are 47 children on the register, aged from 2 to under 8 years none of whom receive funding for nursery education. There are systems in place for caring for children who have special needs and English as a second language. There are nine members of staff who work with the children. Eight of whom have early years qualifications and one is currently working towards an early years qualification. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health is promoted appropriately within the setting by staff having a good understanding of the health and hygiene procedures in place, and by effectively implementing them. Children learn about good hygiene practises through daily routines and the support and guidance offered by staff, which helps children become increasingly independent in personal care. Procedures such as children washing their hands before snacks and meals and staff wearing aprons when changing nappies, ensures high levels of hygiene are maintained to help prevent the spread of infection. Children benefit from a healthy diet and enjoy fresh fruit at snack times. Children independently access fresh drinking water from a water dispenser throughout the session and are offered a choice of water or milk at snack time. They learn effectively about the benefits of healthy eating through discussions and activities. Individual and

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Helping children to be healthy

cultural needs of all the children are taken into account as are parental wishes. The appropriate storage of packed lunches ensures children's food remains safe to eat. Children enjoy a good range of physical play experiences and have the opportunity to be involved in physical play and exercise daily. Children move with increasing control, they use a small climbing frame and slide and are gaining confidence when using bikes and cars. Staff have a good understanding of each child's stage of development, which means even the youngest children are developing positive attitudes to physical exercise. All children are able to rest and be active according to their needs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children benefit from a spacious and warm environment. The security of the premises is very good and there are clear policies and procedures in place to keep children safe. The risk of accidental injury is minimised because staff have good practices in place, for example, rooms are checked prior to the children attending and outdoors areas are checked before the children play outside. Children are closely supervised because staff are appropriately deployed and are vigilant. Children are developing good strategies for keeping themselves safe, they learn about road safety when walking around the local area and when travelling by mini bus to and from

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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 school. They know to stop and listen for cars and to strap themselves in with seat belts. Children access a good range of safe, good quality and well maintained resources which are developmentally appropriate. Resources are well organised in child height furniture to encourage independence. Staff explain safe practices to children such as picking up toys so other children do not fall and hurt themselves, helping children to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe. There are clear emergency and accident procedures in place and all parental consents have been obtained ensuring children are kept safe. Staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities with regard to child protection. They all attend regular training and are familiar with the settings child protection policies

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

and procedures and give a high priority to protecting children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at nursery, they are settled, happy and enthusiastic to participate in activities. The close and caring relationships children have with staff increases their self confidence and sense of trust. Staff respond to children's needs appropriately and all children approach staff in a relaxed and comfortable manner. Their confidence and self esteem is developed because they are given the freedom to choose and be independent. Children are beginning to develop good relationships with each other. Children's development is promoted well through a range of appropriate resources and activities. Staff build on children's natural curiosity to explore and investigate and their communication skills are well supported through good adult child interactions. Children are given good opportunities to be creative and imaginative, for example, through role play and creative activities. They are encouraged to try new activities

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and allowed to develop at their own pace, yet given additional help and support when required. Children are happy and interested in the activities provided and children are beginning to play together and with adults. They enjoy using a variety of resources such as puzzles, small world toys and construction equipment which is suitable to their age and stage of development. Activities are well planned with staff aware of the Birth to 3 matters framework and the Foundation Stage Curriculum.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are valued as individuals and treated with respect and consideration by staff who demonstrate a good understanding of equality of opportunity. Children experience a sense of belonging to the group as staff value their views, which helps them develop their self esteem. Staff ensure that the resources positively represent

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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 the children who attend, as well as individuals from the wider community. This helps children to develop a positive attitude towards others. Children are well behaved and staff manage behaviour effectively, promoting children's self esteem and confidence by giving appropriate and sincere praise and encouragement. Children know what is expected of them and respond well to the clear boundaries in place and the staff's expectations of them. They show respect and concern for each other. Partnership with parents is good and children benefit from the two way sharing of information about their needs and daily routines. Parental information is displayed on the notice board and they receive a parental information pack. Children settle well because staff work closely with parents actively seeking parents views about their

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Helping children make a positive contribution

children's needs. Staff ensure parents are informed about their children's progress and this contributes to the children's well being. There is a procedure in place for recording complaints from parents.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children's care and well being is effectively met through the deployment of staff. This contributes to children feeling settled and relaxed in the warm and caring well organised environment. They are confident to initiate and extend their own play and learning, as space is laid out to maximise play opportunities for children and resources are easily accessible. Children benefit from an enthusiastic team of staff, all of whom act as good role models and demonstrate commitment to the nursery. For example, staff have attended numerous training sessions and several are working towards a National Vocational Qualification level 4. Most of the required documentation is available, however, children's arrival and departure times are not accurately recorded. Policies and procedures are in place and they are shared with staff to appropriately promote children's welfare. The nursery's recruitment and vetting procedure is not sufficiently rigorous to

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Organisation

safeguard children. Children benefit from qualified and experienced staff who use their knowledge well to develop their child care practices within the nursery. Overall the needs of the range of the children attending are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection children are able to access fresh drinking water independently throughout the session. Staff now complete developmental records for all children and these are regularly shared with parents to ensure children's individual needs are effectively met. Doors have now been fitted to the toilet area ensuring children's privacy when using this area.

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Complaints since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 There have been no complaints made to Ofsted 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

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure register records accurate times of children's arrival and departure • develop the recruitment and vetting procedure to ensure rigorous systems are in place to safeguard children.

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The quality and standards of the care

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the care

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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