Premier Nursery

Premier Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY360965 Unique Reference Number 17 July 2008 Inspection date Susan Mary Deadman Inspector

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62 High Street, IVER, Buckinghamshire, SL0 9NG Setting Address

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01753 783838 Telephone number sr@kumar46.fsnet.co.uk E-mail SRK Limited Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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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?

Premier Nursery is one of three nurseries run by SRK Limited. It opened in 2007 and operates from five rooms in a purposely restored building situated in Iver, Buckinghamshire. A maximum of 65 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are a total of 31 children currently on roll, of whom, four receive funding for nursery education. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.30 to 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs eight staff to work with the children and a cook works on site on a part-time basis. Six of the staff, including the manager hold a level 3 early years qualification, one is working towards a level 2 qualification and one is unqualified.

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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. Staff promote effective hygiene procedures which minimise the spread of infection and maintain the premises to a good standard. For example, staff wear aprons when serving children's meals and there is a 'no shoe policy' in all rooms. Children are beginning to learn how to promote their own health by cleaning their teeth after eating.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff promote children's welfare by dealing with minor accidents appropriately. They hold a relevant first aid qualification and ensure medical supplies are within easy access. Full details are recorded in relation to accidents and parents sign to acknowledge the information.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff gain relevant information in relation to children's health care issues, for example, asthma; written parental consent is obtained prior to the administration of this long term medication. For other general medications blanket consent is often obtained and staff record full details when administered. Should such a medication be required staff contact the parents prior to administering to gain an up-to-date consent. However, the system for ensuring the dose to be given is accurately recorded is not sufficiently robust, which compromises children's welfare. On a few occasions the dose of medication administered did not correspond to the information on the medicine box.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from healthy food options and have independent access to drinking water. Menus are shared with parents and children's individual dietary requirements are adhered to, which promotes their welfare. Children have access to a secure outside play area which they use during specific times of the day. The large climbing apparatus in the garden offers children plenty of scope for physical play.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a setting which offers plenty of clear play space to facilitate all types of play. The rooms are large, bright and maintained to a high standard. Children have access to a good range of safe equipment which includes bucket chairs, sleep mats and cots. The baby room has a separate nappy change area and a separate room for babies to sleep undisturbed. Staff routinely check sleeping babies which promotes their welfare. Toddlers and older children share access to a large bathroom area where nappy changing also takes place. Children's independence is supported by the use of step stools, however, the toilet facilities do not offer children privacy from staff or each other.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Risk assessments include practical activities such as testing fire alarms, completing fire drills and outings in the community. They show how children are kept safe when outside the premises and staff explain to children about possible dangers. Although risk assessments include all areas of the premises they miss specific aspects and staff do not always anticipate potential hazards. For example, children under the age of three have some access to play items which may pose a hazard and water play activities have not been risk assessed, which results in children slipping on the very wet floor.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff promote children's welfare as they have a clear understanding of child protection issues. They are able to identify possible indicators of abuse and have a secure knowledge of the

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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 referral procedure. During staff meetings they discuss possible scenarios, which updates and supports their understanding.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are greeted warmly by staff on arrival and enjoy a social breakfast time with their friends. Children stay together for a while and then move into two age-related rooms. Babies under the age of 16 months benefit from a good range of activities. Staff plan focused activities in line with the Birth to Three Matters framework. Babies enjoy singing and musical activities. They benefit from a good range of tactile play and also have fun icing biscuits and painting. Staff are aware of children's stages of development and ensure equipment is readily available. They observe and evaluate activities and provide parents with regular written and verbal feedback of children's progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Toddlers also take part in a suitable range of activities. They have independent access to the home corner area where they 'look after' their babies and iron dolls clothes. They enjoy listening to staff reading stories and participate in singing and action rhyme activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The toddlers participate in cooking activities, however, when they lose interest they are encouraged to return to the activity rather than access other items in the room. This does not fully promote children's individual choice of activities. Children enjoy their sessions in the garden and know the routine well. They find their outdoor shoes and are eager to play outside.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff offer a suitable range of activities for the older children. Activity plans link to the early learning goals, however, they are limited in detail and the learning intention is not clearly identified. This means other staff are not able to facilitate the activities successfully if required, which leads to intended learning not being implemented when lead staff have to leave activities. Evaluation of the activities implemented is minimal. Observations of children's development contain the appropriate details, however, they do not adequately influence the next steps for children's learning, which does not promote children's development. The implementation of focused activities for older children is hindered by the current organisation of the rooms. For example, a planned maths activity in the water play is halted due to toddlers accessing the equipment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are competent at hand writing. There is an identified writing area within the room, however, this is not particularly enticing and is used little by children. Staff do not fully utilise activities to extend this skill, although they encourage children to use their fingers to form letters in the sand. They talk to children about the initial sound of their name, although do not encourage them to copy or repeat. Children 'mark make' on the garden walls using chalks. They have opportunities to see the written word, for example, letter charts, shopping list and party invitations are placed by the writing area.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are able to identify various shapes and staff reinforce their understanding as they talk about shapes and ask children to draw these. Staff use number rhymes to support children's knowledge of counting. Children enjoy card games such as snap and are accurate in their estimation during weighing activities. Staff do not make good use of activities such as cooking, to develop children's learning.

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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 Children learn about the world around them through planned activities. For example, they acknowledge Chinese New Year by making cards and lanterns and tasting Chinese food. Children are good at using their imaginations and invite others to participate in their 'trip to France in a boat'. They have access to a sensory wall in the garden which has items such as coconut shells and tree logs cemented in. Children listen to and follow instructions. They help tidy up after each session, and are adept at organised games in the garden.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Staff are aware of children's individual needs and records contain relevant details such as allergies and language spoken. Staff are warm and caring. They are attentive to the needs of children who are new to the setting. Children gain an understanding of the world around them through planned activities. For example, during Chinese New Year children taste Chinese food, take part in related artwork and make cards to take home to their parents.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Although there are currently no children who have identified special needs or English as an additional language, it was identified through discussion, how staff aim to meet children's individual needs by working in partnership with parents and other professionals. Children generally behave very well. However, staff's management of age appropriate disputes, provides children with little information as to the possible consequences of their actions in relation to how it affects others. Staff are not consistent in their response to behaviour issues, and many do not notice the minor disagreements.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There is a satisfactory partnership with parents. Parents receive information on the Foundation Stage within the nursery prospectus and newsletters inform them of topics taking place. However, there is little information to show parents how activities link into the six areas of learning or ideas to enable them to support their children's learning at home. Some of the parents canvassed by the setting, identified that they would welcome further information relating to nursery education.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The setting gains parents views through questionnaires and places a high emphasis on effective communication. The quarterly newsletters provide parents with an insight into their child's time setting. It provides the opportunity to contribute to recipes that the children can cook, asks parents to help collect items required for treasure baskets and requests their views and opinions. Parents make many positive comments about the provision and are particularly pleased with the range of activities and commitment of the staff. Parents receive regular written and verbal feedback.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are happy and confident within the setting. They are cared for by staff who have suitable experience and a high number are qualified to Level 3. The shift rota is organised to ensure that the staff/child ratio is adhered to. However, the current organisation and deployment of staff does not facilitate the best environment. For example, young babies, toddlers and three year olds are cared for together in one large area for several hours during the day. This minimises the opportunities for older children to independently select resources such as scissors or play items with small pieces. The organisation of the children after lunch restricts children's completion of planned learning activities.

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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 of the setting is satisfactory. The manager checks activity plans and spends time in each room. The way staff evaluate activities is currently being updated to include more individual observations of children. However, systems are not sufficiently robust to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the nursery education.

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Organisation

There are good procedures in place in relation to staff recruitment and induction, which promote children's welfare. Staff attend a suitable range of additional training and have regular appraisals. Staff meetings are used effectively to highlight practice issues and increase staff's understanding. Staff generally follow a wide range of policies and procedures to promote children's welfare and development. The setting meets the needs of the range of 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 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): • ensure the written instructions staff obtain from parents, clearly identify the dose for each medication • ensure staff identify risks to children's safety and minimise all possible hazards • ensure a consistent approach to behaviour management, which encourages desirable behaviour and helps children learn right from wrong • review the deployment of staff to ensure the effective implementation of activities for all age groups.

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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 • extend the planning, evaluation and assessment of activities and use observations to inform planning for the next stage of children's development • provide parents with regular updated information on how children's activities link to the six areas of 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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