Trinity Academy Halifax

Cottage Day Nursery (The) Inspection report for early years provision

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136094 Unique Reference Number 03 June 2008 Inspection date Kay Roberts Inspector

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3 Lower Stone Close, Frampton Cotterell, Frampton Cotterell, Bristol, Avon, BS36 2LG

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E-mail

PS & BJ Draisey 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?

The Cottage Day Nursery opened in 1997. It is situated in the village of Frampton Cotterell, South Gloucestershire. It operates from a converted, detached Victorian house. The nursery is open all year round from 07:30 to 18:00 excluding bank holidays and one week at Christmas. A maximum of 45 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 67 children aged three months to five years on roll. Of these, there are 10 funded four year olds and 18 three year olds. The nursery also caters for children with physical disabilities. The nursery employs 10 members of staff, and of these nine hold appropriate early years qualifications. Support on the education programme is provided by a teacher advisor from South Gloucestershire Council.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children's health is suitably promoted. They play in a clean environment and babies do not pick up dirt when crawling on the floor, as outdoor shoes are not worn in the baby unit. The risk of

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 infection is reduced as the policy for excluding children who are sick, together with details of exclusion periods for communicable diseases, are shared with parents. Staff follow hygienic procedures, for example, regularly cleaning their hands with an antibacterial gel and providing individual bedding for babies. Babies learn the importance of hygiene through the daily routine as they wash their hands prior to snack and meals. Pre-school children know that they should wash their hands, otherwise germs will make them sick. The importance of being thorough with hand washing is reinforced when children place their hands under the ultra-violet light of the hand washing machine, to highlight areas which are not clean. Children also learn about dental hygiene as they practise brushing a set of dentures, look at books and pretend to be dentists.

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Helping children to be healthy

There are suitable procedures in place for managing both accidents and medication so that children's welfare is promoted.

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Helping children to be healthy

When thirsty, children help themselves to a drink from the water fountain. The nursery has recently received a Healthy Eating Award from South Gloucestershire Council. Children eat healthy snacks of bread sticks and fresh fruit. Although snack time is spread over a period of time for pre-school children, it is staff who determine when children have a snack. Pre-school children are not independent in pouring their own drinks or even placing the fruit in their dishes. Babies are able to select the fruit they would like to eat, but do not have dishes. Lunch time is a social occasion as children chat about what they will do later in the day. Pre-school children help to lay the cutlery on the table. They eat a varied range of healthy meals, cooked on site, which take into consideration children's special dietary requirements, as well as children's preferences. Parents are aware of what children eat as the menu is displayed and details are

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have daily opportunities to play outdoors and are protected from the elements, although babies and those under two years, do not go outside so often. Children develop large muscle skills as they rock back and forth on a see-saw and, run up and down the length of the outdoor area. Young children are closely supervised by staff as they climb and go down the small slide on their bottoms. Older children confidently go up the steps for the slide, but there are few opportunities for more able children to climb and scramble. Similarly the size of the bikes curtails more able children extending their skills. Children use co-ordination to kick footballs with some force. As children play in the water they chat to each other about what animals live in water. Children use their imagination and explain that on a visit to the seaside they saw a giant whale with funny eyes. Later two children work together to move a partially filled water tray. Once a

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Helping children to be healthy

month pre-school children have an opportunity to join an external music and movement activity. Babies and children do not get over-tired. Staff follow babies' home routine for sleep and as children get older they are able to decide whether or not they would like a sleep. Babies and children sleep peacefully in a separate room, away from their peers, so they are not disturbed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children relax as they receive a warm welcome from staff and in the room occupied by those under two years, nursery rhymes play quietly in the background. The environment, which is suitably decorated and maintained, is inviting with well presented, colourful displays of children's artwork. The pictures are located at a height which is more appropriate for an adult, than for children to view their own work. Babies are able to feel a range of textures as they touch the various items, such as, material netting and cotton reels, which are placed at low level along one wall. The nursery provides space for relaxation, play and physical activity. There are sufficient child sized table and chairs, and equipment, to meet the needs of all children. Due to the organisation of the environment, pre-school children do not have free access to resources and

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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 use of the computer is limited. Staff do however offer a broad range of clean, safe, resources which are regularly rotated so that children remain interested. Children benefit from having direct access to outdoor play and when the weather permits, two year old children are able to move freely between in and outdoors.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children play in a secure environment, so they do not leave unnoticed. There are safe systems in place so that children are only released to authorised adults and are protected from people who have not been vetted. The risk of an accident is reduced as there is a fully detailed risk assessment in place and staff undertake daily checks of the environment to ensure there are no potential hazards. Suitable safety equipment is in place and staff are appropriately deployed. In the event of a fire, children are protected as the drill is practised twice a year, and details are recorded. There is also a safe procedure for transferring babies from upstairs to the outside area. Children are further protected as staff are knowledgeable about local safeguarding procedures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Babies and young children under two years make sound progress as key workers regularly monitor what children can do and use this information to plan for their next steps in learning, using topic based themes. Staff are currently implementing learning stories which will focus more on children's interests. Parents receive a brief report detailing progress under the four areas of learning every three months, but staff are not proactive in seeking parents' views. There is also a system in place for rotating resources so that young children remain interested in what is available. Children new to the provision are helped to settle as staff follow their home routine and the key workers move through the day with their key children. Babies and young children's close relationship with their key worker provides emotional security. Staff show a respect for children and ask for permission before checking babies' nappies. The constant gentle

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

interaction between staff and babies promotes verbal communication well. Babies understand more than they can communicate and when staff say it will be snack time soon, they go to the door of the snack room. They are interested in sharing books with members of staff and point out different Winnie the Pooh characters when asked. As children mark make with crayons staff name the colours they select, so that children become familiar with the names. Fine muscle skills are used to move beads along a wire toy. Young children learn by imitating their peers. For example, two year olds copy pre-school children and pretend to cook food as they stir food in a toy saucepan. When two year olds join pre-school children for whole group time, their attention span is not sufficiently developed to last the duration of registration and two stories, so they lose concentration. Although there are opportunities for babies to play outdoors,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

sometimes this is not possible if older children are already using the area.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff make many observations, but rarely update children's progress against the South Gloucestershire Stepping Stones tracking document, which links directly to the Foundation Stage. As a consequence, although key persons plan for their key children, this is not effective, as staff do not know children's current level of ability and are unable to ensure that each child receives a balanced curriculum. Parents are not consulted about children's starting points and although they attend a formal meeting with their child's key worker twice a year, staff are not proactive in seeking parents' views. There are some inconsistencies, so that on occasions children are provided with the time and opportunity to be independent, but at other times they are not. Many staff use questioning

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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 to check children's level of understanding. Occasionally staff ask questions to make children think, for example, why does play dough stay on their fingers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children form definite friendships and move around from one activity to another, together. They use their imagination and engaged in the same family theme, organise who is mum, baby and sisters. Mum copies the language of adults and instructs others when to sleep after covering them with cushions. The baby follows the instructions, they pretend to suck their thumb and babble. Children are curious and confidently chat to visitors, asking questions, such as, why and what. Children know the ingredients and how to make play dough. They are introduced to new words, such as, knead and understand what it means. Children roll out the play dough with rolling pins and then using cutters pretend to make biscuits, which they offer to their friends. Activities are made more fun as staff participate.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children, alert to their senses listen to the sea in the shells and keen to share their discovery, show others. They are developing a sense of time and recognise the day of the week when given the initial sound and the month. More able children enjoy stories, they join in with the repeated refrains in the story 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt', but can be distracted by younger children who quickly lose interest. Children show a respect for books and volunteer to read a story to the group by interpreting pictures. Familiar with nursery rhymes, two children sing, 'If you're Happy and You Know it'. Children recognise their name in print. More able children are able to write their own name and sound the letters in their name. Children use pencil control to paint pictures and proud of their pictures ask staff to look at the space ship. Children show good concentration as they neatly colour in a pre-printed picture keeping within the lines and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

afterwards use scissors to cut out the picture.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The daily routine incorporates opportunities for counting and children recognise written numerals under ten. Children name colours and simple two dimensional shapes. They use problem solving skills to complete simple jigsaw puzzles and on other occasions reason that today must be 'Sunday' as the sun is shining. Children say they like attending nursery, they particularly enjoy playing with their friends and going into the garden.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered. All children are valued and welcomed into the provision. Staff sensitively meet children's additional needs by following the Code of Practice and incorporating their requirements into the daily routine. Children have a sense of belonging as they each have their own named coat hook and their art work is carefully displayed. Children are confident as staff praise their achievements and listen to what they say, but not all staff are yet effectively planning for children's next steps in learning. With the exception of large group activities, children are generally well behaved and show consideration for others. They are aware of the nursery rules, although these are placed out of children's view and as they are in a written format only, can not be understood by children. Children show a respect for the environment by helping to tidy away toys when requested.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children learn about the wider world. They show a respect for nature as they study insects with magnifying glasses and feel a fleece. Children learn about life cycles as they plant potatoes and sunflower seeds, which they know must be watered if they are to grow tall and have yellow flowers. Visits from a police officer and person from the recycling waste centre help children to understand a little of the local community and how recycling works. As children play with readily accessible resources reflecting positive images of diversity they develop a positive

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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 attitude to difference. They learn that there are different cultures as they acknowledge festivals, such as, Chinese New Year, when they make dragons and listen to a story.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is satisfactory. Parents new to the provision receive an information pack which includes details of some practices within the provision. The programme for nursery education is not included, although details are available on the parent notice board, together with details of daily activities. The parents of pre-school children formally meet with their child's key person twice a year for an update on children's progress, this is more frequent for younger children. Staff are not proactive in seeking parents' views in relation to children's progress or involving them in children's learning. Parents' views about the provision are sought via questionnaire and where practicable any recommendations are followed through. For example, when parents commented that children could not bring anything in from home, the manager organised planning by topics, details of which are made available to parents. Parents

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Helping children make a positive contribution

written and verbal comments indicate that the provision is friendly and that staff genuinely care about their children.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The provider meets the needs of the children for whom they provide. There are rigorous checks in place to ensure the suitability of staff to work with children. Ongoing suitability of staff is checked via bi-annual appraisal. Staff are clear about their remit as there is a detailed induction, bi-monthly staff meetings and more informal meetings between staff teams to organise planning. The operational plan is regularly reviewed. Paperwork is confidentially maintained and where appropriate shared with parents. Documentation complies with both the National Standards and regulatory requirements. Keen to extend practice, staff have undertaken much training since the last inspection on subjects, such as, observations and planning, forestry, exploration and sensory play, child protection and working in partnership with parents. Adult to child ratios are maintained and staff appropriately deployed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of

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Organisation

children. Staff provide a clean, welcoming relaxed environment for children where they have space for play, relaxation and physical activity. Children make sound educational progress and say they enjoy attending the nursery.

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Organisation

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The appropriately qualified and experienced new manager, plans to undertake an early years degree in the near future. She is able to motivate staff and is proactive in encouraging them to develop practice by undertaking further training and providing feedback on their performance. The manager identifies the key strengths in the provision as the improved partnership with parents, staff commitment, the size of the nursery facilitating a more homely atmosphere so that staff know each child as an individual and the progress made towards improving children's health, through the provision of healthy snacks and greater access to the outdoors and physical play. The manager is also able to recognise some of the weaknesses within the provision, such as, older children needing more opportunity to develop large motor skills, not updating children's progress records and keeping children

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Organisation

interested in the run up to school. The full implication of not working in full partnership with parents, the organisation of resources or children's limited access to the community are not recognised.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection in May 2007 the provider was found to be inadequate for both care and nursery education. The provider agreed to meet two actions relating to care. The new manager

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Improvements 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 has attended training on infection control and since this time has implemented many improvements in this area of care. Babies now wash their hands prior to touching food. The risk of cross infection is now reduced as children either use paper towels or a warm air drier after hand washing, rather than all using one towel. Staff regularly use antibacterial hand gel and wear aprons and gloves when handling food. Parents are encouraged to send in a piece of fruit for children's mid-morning snack and the daily routine has changed to incorporate outdoor play. The second care action has also been met. Parents are now aware of the complaints procedure, which has been updated to reflect the October 2005 revision to the National Standards.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Much progress has been made against the three actions relating to the education programme. The partnership with parents has improved as details of the Foundation Stage, topics and daily activities are displayed. Twice a year parents meet with their child's key person for an update on children's progress. The open door policy encourages parents to come into nursery and see the displays of children's art work. Children's learning has been enhanced as the new staff team have undertaken training on the Foundation Stage and in particular, behaviour management. Planning has been changed to ensure that staff offer a broad curriculum and counting is incorporated into the daily routine. Staff now plan for their key children, although this is not yet fully effective as progress records are not regularly updated.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection Ofsted received one complaint, on 23 May 2007, which raised concerns regarding, National Standard 1: Suitable Person; National Standard 2: Organisation; National Standard 3: Care Learning and Play; National Standard 4: Physical Environment; National Standard 6: Safety; National Standard 7: Health; National Standard 8: Food and Drink; National Standard 12: Working in Partnership with Parents.

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Complaints since the last inspection

In order to assess whether the setting were meeting the National Standards, Ofsted conducted an unannounced visit to the setting on 1 June 2007. This visit resulted in one action being set for the provision Under National Standard 4: Environment. Specifically that they "ensure that children have sufficient room to enjoy freedom of movement and well spread out activities". The provider responded to this requirement and provided evidence to Ofsted on 22 June 2007 to show that it was complete. The provider remains qualified for registration.

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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 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): • review the organisation of large group activities for children from two to five years so that positive behaviour is encouraged and all children are actively engaged

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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 planning by following through on children's interests and regularly updating children's progress records so that these can be used to plan for children's next steps in learning, as well as ensuring that children receive a balanced curriculum • improve children's access to resources and ensure that more able children have resources which offer sufficient challenge • continue to improve the partnership with parents by actively encouraging sharing of children's progress records and making them aware of how they can be involved in their child'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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