East Crompton St James Child Care Village Ltd

East Crompton St James Child Care Village Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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EY348662 Unique Reference Number 09 April 2008 Inspection date Carol Ann Dixon Inspector

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Pre-School and Out Of School Care, St James Street, Shaw, Lancashire, OL2 7TD

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E-mail

East Crompton St James Child Care Village 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 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

East Crompton St James Child Care Village was registered in 2007. It is managed by a limited company and provides full day care for families who live in the surrounding area. The setting operates from St James parish rooms and purpose-built nursery building. It is situated in a residential area of Shaw near Oldham. A maximum of 72 children may attend the setting at any one time and there are currently 162 children on roll. Of these, 71 children are in receipt of funding for nursery education.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting offers support to children with learning difficulties and disabilities. The nursery and pre-school are open from 09.00 to 15.15 during term time only. The out of school facility operates from 07.30 to 09.00 and 15.15 to 17.30 during term time and 07.30 to 17.30 during school holidays. All children have access to a secure, enclosed, outdoor play area. The setting employs 13 members of staff, of these, nine including the manager 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 are cared for in a clean and hygienically maintained environment. Staff offer support and guidance in encouraging children to gain a secure understanding of health and hygiene. Consequently, children are aware of the importance of hand washing after using the toilet and before eating. They are becoming increasingly independent in their personal care, for example, they access tissues independently to wipe their own noses and they know to dispose of these in the bin afterwards.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children remain healthy as the setting provides drinks and snacks for the children at set times throughout the day. However, children are unable to access drinks independently at other times in the pre-school. Children who stay all day bring packed lunches. Snacks provided for the children are fresh and healthy, for example, they are encouraged to taste various fruits, such as apples, bananas and oranges. Planned activities, such as food tasting and making fruit salad provide the children with the opportunity to taste different foods and learn about healthy eating. Children with specific dietary needs are catered for and parental requirements are adhered to. Some children are able to pour their own drink at snack time, which encourages their independence skills.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy physical activities on a daily basis either playing in the outdoor area or indoors. The planned activities provide variety and children learn throwing and catching skills, balancing and climbing skills. Children enjoy energetic games and riding tricycles in the outdoor area. They use the climbing and balancing equipment with increasing skill and show a good awareness of others. This helps ensure their safety and that of others.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in safe and well maintained premises. There are effective security measures which ensure that children are only collected by named individuals. Lots of posters and examples of their artwork are displayed on the walls. This creates an interesting, welcoming and child-friendly environment. Daily health and safety checks are conducted and effective steps are taken to minimise most identified risks. However, at the time of the inspection an exposed plug socket within the children's reach presents a potential risk to their safety. Children learn how to keep themselves safe through discussions within the setting and through regular fire evacuation procedures being practised. Topics about road safety and visits from the police and road crossing patrol also help children's understanding of safety issues.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children choose what to play with from a wide range of safe, good quality resources, which are appropriate to their age and stage of development. They are developing confidence in trying new challenges, such as learning to use scissors correctly, because staff support them by staying close and teaching them to use the equipment safely. Play areas are spacious and provide children with plenty of opportunities for free movement and well laid out activities. Children access resources independently in the nursery and confidently return them to the correct place when they have finished. However, the organisation of resources in the pre-school limits opportunities for children to make their own choices and initiate their own activities.

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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 Children's safety is assured because staff are well deployed and diligently supervise them at all times. They are protected because there are clear policies and procedures for safeguarding children. Staff have attended child protection training to enable them to develop their knowledge and understanding about the signs and symptoms of abuse or neglect and how to act on any concerns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children happily greet the staff and each other on arrival. They are relaxed and confident in the secure, caring environment. Children chatter excitedly and converse easily with their friends and with all adults. Adequate settling-in procedures are in place and are adapted to each child's individual needs to ensure a smooth transition from home to pre-school. Children feel valued as the staff play on the children’s level and listen to what they are saying and respond.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Younger children happily play together. They are developing social skills as they help to tidy up, begin to take turns, share and talk to others. They enjoy the role play area where they use their imaginations and pretend to be 'mother' making the dinner for the babies. They explore the properties of water, sand, paint and play dough. They develop their senses as they help a member of staff to make the dough which they then roll, squeeze and form into shapes using their hands, rollers and various cutters.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They become engrossed in activities, such as building with construction blocks and gluing pictures using various collage materials. Large group activities, such as circle time, provide opportunities for children to listen to stories and sing their favourite songs. Children enjoy the challenge of completing jigsaw puzzles. They carefully match and manipulate the pieces into place with a little help and support from staff. Children play with a good range of construction toys. They enjoy building roadways and towers using large brightly coloured bricks.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff have begun to use the 'Birth to three matters' framework when planning activities for younger children. Children are attentive and responsive to the staff, however, the purpose of some activities is not always clearly recorded, so staff are not able to help the children get the most out of them. Furthermore, activities are not consistently evaluated and records of observation and assessments of children’s learning do not predict the next steps in development for individual children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. There is an effective method of monitoring and recording observations of children’s learning, achievements and progress. Children’s learning is well supported and promoted because staff have a good knowledge of the early learning goals and stepping stones. Staff are very responsive to children's interests and their skilful questioning techniques encourage children to reflect, think and consolidate their learning. The next steps in children’s learning are well planned for and teaching builds on what children already know. The planning has clear learning intentions in place that link with the six areas of learning, and observations are undertaken of children by all staff to record their progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show developing independence and self-care skills, such as toileting and preparing themselves for art and craft activities. They are engrossed in painting at the easel, using their hands and brushes to cover every bit of the paper. Children confidently express their ideas and thoughts. For example, staff had planned the role play area as a garden centre and a wheelbarrow

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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 was available for the children's use. However, a group of children imaginatively used the wheelbarrow as a bed and one child climbed inside as the patient needing hospital treatment. The member of staff quickly responded to this by providing props, such as a stethoscope and dressing-up clothes to extend the children's ideas and learning further.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are happy in the friendly and relaxed environment where they have positive relationships with staff and each other. They are becoming increasingly independent and confidently attend to their own personal care as they put on their coats to play outside and pour their own choice of drinks at snack time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children see lots of words and letters around, which helps to stimulate their interest in the written word. They have good opportunities to develop and refine their writing skills through a good range of activities, such as writing letters and making shopping lists. Children learn to form letters correctly with some children proficient at writing their own names. The writing area has a good variety of drawing and writing materials so children can spontaneously and independently practise writing. Children use props to bring stories to life and they animatedly retell the story of 'The gingerbread man' using hand puppets. They maintain good levels of attention and interest and eagerly take part as they listen with increasing attention and recall. Children competently join in the repeated refrain of, 'run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man'.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff develop the concept of matching shape and colours in various games and activities offered to the children. For example, children enjoy playing board games with a member of staff and patiently wait their turn to participate. They count the number of spots on the dice and correspond this with the number of spaces they should move on the board. They sing number songs at circle time and are encouraged to count and use their fingers and objects to represent number. Children show an awareness of and take a keen interest in numbers. Most children count confidently to 10 and beyond. They sequence and make patterns using brightly coloured threading beads and use a range of mathematical language to describe shape, size, position and quantity. They learn concepts, such as weight and volume, length and height, when they engage in practical activities, such as using the sand and water and when using construction

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show a keen interest in simple information and communication technology and are adept in using a mouse to complete a basic computer program. A wide range of tools requiring hand-eye coordination allow children to demonstrate good levels of skill and control. For example, they design and build with a range of boxes and tubes and use materials effectively to mark, cut and join. One child identified that they had made a rocket to go to the moon. Children negotiate space well, both indoors and outdoors. They can judge their body space accurately when negotiating an obstacle course and performing forward rolls on the mats. They adjust speed and change direction to avoid each other when riding around the outdoor area on wheeled toys. Children learn about how to care for living things when they plant seeds and bulbs and observe how they grow. They use their senses as they observe the change in jelly

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

cubes mixed with water. They squelch, squeeze and smell the jelly using lots of descriptive language. They excitedly say 'it's like glue', 'it smells like sweets' and 'it feels soft and slippy'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children settle quickly because there are good procedures to support children and staff are warm and caring. Children are encouraged to say goodbye to their parents as they leave, which

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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 helps them develop secure and trusting relationships with staff. Children develop a good sense of belonging to the pre-school as they hang their coats on their coat pegs in the mornings, and see a wealth of their artwork displayed. Children are learning to make decisions as they choose from a wide and varied range of resources. They have access to a good range of resources that provide positive images of diversity, such as books, jigsaws and imaginative play equipment. They participate in lots of activities to celebrate their own, and learn about the customs, religious and cultural beliefs of others. For example, at Chinese New Year the children notice the differences in English and Chinese writing, and they enjoy tasting some Chinese food and making a dragon.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children learn in an environment where good behaviour is fostered. Praise, encouragement and developmentally appropriate methods, such as distraction and discussion are used to ensure desirable behaviour. The staff offer good role models of behaviour by being polite and using their manners with the children and each other. Children enjoy the reward schemes used by staff to recognise positive behaviour and promote children's self-esteem. For example, children receive stickers, certificates and are able to take home a special bear as a treat at weekends. Staff use the bear to reinforce the importance of caring and kindness with the children and this successfully links home with nursery as the bear's activities are shared with the other children upon his return to nursery. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They bake biscuits to fundraise for Children in Need which helps develop their

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Helping children make a positive contribution

understanding of others less fortunate than themselves.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are cared for by staff who work well with parents and other agencies to meet children’s individual needs and ensure they are included fully in the life of the setting. Staff demonstrate a very secure awareness of equal opportunities and supporting children with learning difficulties or disabilities. This ensures that children’s individual needs are met and they feel included.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers in relation to nursery education is good. Staff complete observations of children and use these, along with examples of artwork, to form an individual record of achievement. These records provide parents with clear information regarding children's progress towards the early learning goals. Parents are clearly informed about the Foundation Stage in the setting's prospectus and through displays of children's photographs and current curriculum plans. There is an ‘open door’ policy with regard to parents' and carers' access to their child’s progress records, and written progress reports are provided to parents at the end of the year. However, systems are not yet developed to enable parents to contribute to children's progress records throughout the year so they may fully support their child's learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children benefit from the organisation of the setting and the routines, which make them feel secure. The manager uses effective induction procedures and ensures that staff are vetted and qualified. Staff are aware of their role within the setting and they work together to promote its effective running. Records detail the individual requirements of each child and include relevant consents and contacts. Detailed policies and procedures are in place to promote the safety and well-being of the children present and to help ensure that the care and education offered is appropriate. All the required documentation is maintained to ensure the efficient day-to-day management of the provision.

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Organisation

The key worker system is effective in enabling staff to get to know children well. There is a strong commitment to ongoing training to develop the skills and knowledge of all staff. Children

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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 receive lots of individual care and attention because there are good staff to child ratios. The daily routine enables children to engage in both adult focussed activities and their own free play. However, the organisation of resources in some rooms inhibits opportunities for children to initiate their own play and learning.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is good. The nursery has a clear management and staffing structure. Regular meetings and staff appraisal ensure the staff team work well together to continually review, evaluate and develop practice. Most staff members have an appropriate childcare qualification and relevant experience. They receive support and advice from the local authority to monitor the quality of the provision of nursery education. Management identify their areas for improvement as part of their commitment to maintaining a quality provision, and have already identified the need to continue to improve the outdoor area.

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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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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration 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 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 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 children are able to access drinking water at all times • ensure that low-level plug sockets are made safe • continue to develop observation and assessment for younger children and use this information to inform future planning • review the organisation of resources to enable children to make choices and initiate their own play and learning.

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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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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): • consider ways of regularly sharing assessment records with parents, seeking their views on children's progress and involving them more 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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