Lincewood Primary School

St Anne's College Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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134022 Unique Reference Number 09 May 2008 Inspection date Jill Milton Inspector

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St. Anne's College, Woodstock Road, OXFORD, OX2 6HS Setting Address

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E-mail

St Anne's College Day Nursery Registered person Childcare 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

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?

St Anne's College Day Nursery was established over 30 years ago and it primarily serves staff at the university. It is a private nursery, managed by a committee of staff and representatives from St Anne's College. The nursery is situated in premises within the college grounds and the group have use of two open-plan play areas, kitchen and toilet facilities. There is access to an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The nursery opens on weekdays, during term time, from 08.45 to 17.15 and the children attend for a variety of sessions.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is registered to accept a maximum of 13 children under the age of eight years at any one time. There are currently 16 children on roll between the ages of six months and four years. The setting provides support for a small number of children for whom English is an additional language. There are four members of staff working with the children and all the staff have suitable qualifications in childcare. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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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 play in a clean environment where staff maintain good standards of hygiene. Children make frequent trips to the bathroom during the day to wash their hands before eating and the use of separate flannels helps to reduce the potential for cross-infection. This good practice extends to routines for nappy changing and children happily chat to staff during these times. Staff maintain first aid qualifications and the college nurse makes regular visits to the group to check that first aid supplies are plentiful. When children have the occasional accident staff record details on individual forms to maintain confidentiality and they discuss incidents with parents. Staff obtain parental consent when children require medication, though parents do not currently sign medication forms when they collect their child to be aware of what dosage has been given. Children are gaining a good awareness of keeping themselves healthy when

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Helping children to be healthy

they fetch sun hats and ask for sun cream protection before going to play outdoors.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy very sociable meal times at nursery and all ages come together to eat, creating a family style atmosphere. Children eat heartily, talking about the healthy foods they enjoy and there is cold storage for lunch box items to ensure food safety. Staff consistently maintain high standards of hygiene when serving food by wearing disposable aprons and gloves. When nursery staff provide snacks they ensure there is an emphasis on healthy eating and older children take an active role in helping to prepare their sandwiches. Children have constant access to drinking water during the day and staff remind younger ones to take extra fluid on hot days.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have a delightful time in the garden and there is free access from the main playrooms. They have a wide choice of equipment to test out their growing skills of balance and co-ordination. There is a good range of resources catering for the needs of both babies who are just beginning to become mobile and some pieces to challenge the older age range of children. During the day children spend some quiet time after lunch and many have a sleep to refresh their energy. Many babies sleep in prams outdoors in the fresh air though alternatives are provided inside too if parents prefer.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children spend their day in a welcoming nursery that is attractively set out. There is plenty of natural light and ventilation and staff can control the internal temperature more effectively since the replacement of the heating system. Children see colourful examples of their own artwork around the setting and they are aware of where to keep their own belongings. Staff ensure there are plentiful clean supplies of laundry to care for the babies in the setting and each has a gingham bag to store their own bed linen. Children have access to a wide range of age-appropriate resources. There is a good selection of activities in the outdoor play area and many items are in storage units within children's reach, encouraging their independence. Younger children have their own designated play area with ample colourful and attractive toys.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children play safely during the day because the staff supervise them carefully. A good ratio of adults to children ensures that the children receive the attention they require. The staff have a number of effective safety procedures in place, for example, the use of keypad entry systems to side gates and the main nursery door help to keep the nursery secure from unauthorised

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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 entry. Children receive regular reminders from staff to help them learn about safety and all take part in fire evacuation practices of the building. Staff monitor the times of arrival and departure of children and adults, including all visitors. They also conduct a number of written risk assessments to back up their daily visual checks of the premises to reduce the risk of accidents.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Parents sign an acknowledgement to show they are aware of the responsibility of the staff with regard to child protection. The staff have a rolling programme of training to update their understanding and background knowledge of this important area of their work. They now have on site, for easy reference the latest guidelines on safeguarding children so that they could act promptly if they have concerns for the welfare of a child in their care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children settle quickly and happily into play on arrival at nursery. The attentive staff interact very well with the children and they keep an interesting selection of activities on offer. Children are confident leaving their parents and carers with babies smiling when handed over to their familiar member of staff. Children greet each other kindly too, offering a little hug and kiss to a friend. The older children respond well to the babies attending nursery and often include them with games or tell them what is happening next. Small group activities such as musical instruments on a rug outdoors work effectively and the children happily join in with action songs and rhymes. The staff successfully introduce new words to the children aiding their language development through numerous conversations and sharing of storybooks during the day.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children take part in a full range of play opportunities that support all areas of their development. The staff plan the weekly activities through regular team meetings and they are careful to include all aspects of learning. There is a good awareness of the Birth to three matters framework, which is particularly tailored to their work with children under three years of age. The staff make some perceptive dated observations of the children's development and they are gaining in their confidence about collecting information about children's progress. However, some children's developmental records are rather sparse and there are not very clear links to planning the next steps in learning. Children enjoy plenty of creative and sensory play at nursery with opportunities for them to play with materials like sand, water, foam or jelly. The colourful artwork on display reflects an exciting range of activities that let children express their own

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Each child is valued and respected by the staff at this nursery and the small numbers attending means that children receive individual attention. Children make decisions about what to play and staff respond to their suggestions for a different activity. During a warm afternoon for example when children decide they want some water and brushes outdoors for painting the staff quickly oblige and provide the resources. Children of different age groups mix well and all benefit from play with a wide range of resources that promote diversity in a positive way. Staff are aware of family celebrations and traditions and respect parental preferences for the care of the children. Although no children currently attend who have learning difficulties or disabilities the staff are fully aware that some children do require extra help from time to time.

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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 There is a designated person to co-ordinate any support with training on offer to help with background knowledge of this area.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is good at nursery. They benefit from the good role models of the calm adults around them who deal quickly with occasional disputes. Staff promote positive behaviour with lots of verbal praise and children are proud to receive stickers on successful completion of tasks. Children co-operate with special jobs like handing out cups at snack time and many show politeness in saying 'please' and 'thank you'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There is a strong partnership in place with parents and carers. The staff ensure that families have access to a wide range of useful information about the nursery and they are currently working to improve some aspects, for example with the creation of a new introductory brochure. Staff and parents exchange informal conversations on a daily basis to ensure there is consistency of care for children. Parents like the individual attention their children receive and many refer to the cosy family atmosphere of the setting.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The organisation of the nursery is now of a good standard due to the hard work by the staff and the committee. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. The documentation is well organised and confidential information is secure in lockable filing cabinets. The staff take care with the detail of the paperwork relating to their work, for example noting which staff are present at fire evacuations to ensure all are familiar with the procedure and by recording all visitors to the nursery. The staff work effectively together on a day-to-day basis and they promote the outcomes for children's health and safety effectively. There is strong support from the college human resources department to help with issues like staff recruitment and there are effective procedures in place to ensure staff are suitable to work with young children. The staff demonstrate their motivation at work by attending a range of

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Organisation

training courses and a formal staff appraisal system is in its early stages of operation. The staff demonstrate a positive attitude to improvement and they are very open to advice from other professionals in order to raise their own standards.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, the nursery had an overall judgement of inadequate and there were five actions set. The staff have not only successfully addressed these actions but have also dealt with other weaknesses identified in the last report. The staff and committee are now aware of the need to let Ofsted know of any changes to the registered provider. There has been a lot of positive progress made in establishing a stronger working relationship between the college and the day nursery. Regular meetings provide a more robust system for identifying issues and supporting the nursery staff in their day-to-day work. Staff have improved the documentation so that policies and procedures are up-to-date with the latest amendments to regulations. Daily registers show the birth date of each child attending and an accurate record of their time spent in the setting. The improvements have made a significant impact on the quality of the

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Improvements since the last inspection

standards of care and there is now good support to promoting the outcomes for children.

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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. The provider is

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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 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 parents sign the medicine records when collecting their child so that they are aware of what medicine has been administered • improve procedures to record children's development to provide a clear picture of their achievements and to help plan their next steps in learning

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The quality and standards of the care

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 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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