Cavendish House Private Nursery

Cavendish House Private Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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EY363745 Unique Reference Number 28 April 2008 Inspection date Angela Howard Inspector

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Cavendish Court, South Parade, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN1 2DJ Setting Address

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E-mail

Akeela Mohammed 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?

Cavendish House Private Nursery is a privately owned nursery situated in the centre of Doncaster. The setting opened under new management in 2007. It operates from a modified building on the main street in Doncaster. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 18.00 all year round, except for statutory bank holidays.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 59 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 74 children aged from a few weeks to under five years old on roll. Of these, 24 children receive funding for early education. The nursery currently supports some children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 13 staff. Of these, 12 have or are working towards a childcare qualification.

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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's health is supported appropriately by staff who have suitable knowledge of health and hygiene procedures. For instance, there are appropriate systems in place for the cleaning of tables prior to being used by the children when they eat, and the premises are clean and well maintained. All regulatory documentation is in place and staff hold appropriate first aid qualifications. Children are encouraged to take care of their own personal care, such as washing hands after using the toilet and using flannels to wash their hands before and after eating. This helps children to understand simple hygiene practices. However, the changing mats used are split, which does not allow for thorough cleaning in between nappy changes. Therefore, this does not effectively reduce and prevent the risk of cross infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision of healthy, nutritionally balanced snacks and meals and free access to drinks ensure children are well nourished. For example, at snack time fresh fruit or bread products are offered and drinks of water. At lunch time children are offered a hot cooked meal made from fresh wholesome ingredients. The menu shows a wide range of food is offered, such as cauliflower cheese with a variety of vegetables or side salad and jackpot potato with sweetcorn and cheese. This results in children learning about the importance of healthy eating.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy regular access to physical exercise indoors on a daily basis. They enjoy walks in the community and playing with hoops, balls, the tunnel and a balancing beam with gusto. They take part in action songs which require wide arm movements and jump and clap in time to the music. This results in children having a positive attitude towards physical activities as they develop confidence in their own physical capabilities.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Staff identify and minimise risks for children in the setting, according to the ages of the children attending, to provide a safe environment. Rigorous health and safety policies and risk assessments are used daily and appropriate action is taken to remove any hazards identified. However, a mirror in the three to five-year-old play room is not a safety mirror and does not have safety film applied. Good security precautions are in place as the external doors are kept locked and all visitors are greeted at the door by members of staff. Fire safety is adequately addressed as exits are kept clear of obstructions. However, the fire drill is not practised on a regular basis.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There is a wide range of toys and resources for the children to use. Staff organise the presentation of equipment to make sure children can access it easily and safely. All items are in good condition and conform to safety standards.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have a secure knowledge of the child protection procedures. The designated child protection officer ensures that procedures are up-to-date and that staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities. They are aware of the indicators of abuse and the action required to safeguard children. This results in children being safeguarded.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children choose freely from a wide range of stimulating resources and activities which support and challenge children's development. Staff have begun to use the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework and provide a variety of treasure baskets and heuristic play equipment. This encourages babies to use their senses and explore man-made and natural objects. Staff make observations against the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework and use the children's achievements to inform planning. However, staff then adapt the observation records to fit the assessments records which clearly link to the early learning goals, which is not appropriate for this age group. This results in the assessments lacking sufficient detail to give a clear picture of a child's progress.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff interact appropriately with the children which helps to foster children's sense of trust and confidence. Their self-esteem is nurtured appropriately as staff show interest in what they do and say by listening, talking and taking an active part in the children's play. For example, children invite a member of staff to dinner in the role play area. She questions them about what they are cooking, who is coming and what they like to eat. Children make a cup of tea saying 'be careful it is hot'. Children are generally engaged in play and select and carry out some activities independently because they feel safe and secure.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Exploratory and creative play, like sand, water and play dough are part of children's everyday experiences. This allows them to experiment with different mediums and express their own ideas. Children are encouraged to try new skills as staff listen, observe and respond, asking questions to help them think about what they will do next.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children make steady progress towards the early learning goals. This is due to staff having a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum. An appropriate balance between adult and child-led activities allow children to explore, create and learn on a daily basis. However, there is no differentiation or extension activities planned to ensure children build upon what they can do or to help them achieve to their full potential. Therefore, the early years curriculum planning does not inform staff of the differing levels of individual children's learning needs. The stepping stones guidance is used appropriately to plan and provide a broad and reasonably well balanced range of activities and experiences. Staff use open-ended questions appropriately to challenge children's thinking and develop their language skills. They value children's contributions by listening attentively

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and displaying their work attractively around the setting. Assessments of children's progress are clearly linked to the stepping stones. This is recorded in photographs, children's work and written observations. Staff create an atmosphere where children develop good attitudes and appropriate dispositions towards learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's personal, social and emotional development is generally good. They are interested, confident and able to work on their own or as part of a small group. Children greet each other on arrival and are happy to participate in the activities on offer. They enter the setting confidently and complete some self-care tasks well, such as attending to their own personal care, pouring drinks and buttering their own toast at snack time. Children are beginning to show a sense of time as they are aware of the structure to the session, such as washing hands before snack and meal times and that mummy's come after lunch time.

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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 have plenty of opportunities to engage in conversations; this is extended by staff as they listen and question children during their play. For example, staff ask children how they will make spaghetti bolognaise when they are preparing her some dinner. Children are becoming good communicators as they use language to make their own needs known. For example, at snack time they make it known that they do not like too much butter and are beginning to extend their language by introducing new words and repeat rhymes. Such as when they sing the story 'Walking through the jungle' repeating words, such as whoosh, mountain, wolf, iceberg and polar bear. Children self-select books and are beginning to show some interest in print as they sit and re-tell the story, talking about the pictures in a book. They have free access to a

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

wide range of writing materials each day, although this is not further extended to encourage children to practise writing skills for a purpose. For example, to make marks to represent their name on pictures, to make lists or to take down phone numbers in the home corner.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children benefit from individual support to help them count up to 10 and to recognise shapes, colours and sizes. For example, children use comparative size and positional language independently when putting a jigsaw together. Staff maximise opportunities in everyday activities to consolidate children's mathematical awareness, particularly with regards to simple number problems and calculation. For example, when sharing plates at snack time they count with the children 'how many plates do we need', 'how many more' and 'do they have too many, lets take one away'.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children spontaneously sing and dance and show pleasure as they clap and nod their head in rhythm to songs and action rhymes. Children are involved in a satisfactory range of experiences to increase their knowledge and understanding of the world. They show curiosity at how bubbles pop if you touch them and how they get more bubbles the harder they blow through the straw. Children show interest in technology, pressing buttons successfully to play an electronic alphabet game.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's creative development and imagination is promoted appropriately. They freely access paint and collage materials. They use their imagination as they make toast for a friend, as they serve it, they remind them it is hot. Children benefit from daily access to physical activities. They run around, catch balls, spin hoops and balance on a low-level beam skilfully. Overall children are making satisfactory progress in all areas of learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are warmly welcomed into the setting. They develop a sense of belonging as they become familiar with routines and participate enthusiastically in all activities. This results in children feeling valued, safe and secure, through which they develop self-confidence and a healthy self-esteem. Children are cared for by familiar, caring staff to ensure they develop secure and trusting relationships.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with disabilities and learning difficulties are welcomed into the setting and activities are adapted to meet their individual needs. Good relationships with staff and parents and other professionals ensure children are appropriately cared for, included and respected. Children from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds and children with English as an additional language are warmly welcomed into the group. Staff ensure resources and activities positively reflect the community, helping children to develop a positive attitude towards peers and their families. Children’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered.

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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 All children behave well and show care and concern for each other. This is because staff make children feel good about themselves and offer plenty of praise and encouragement. The methods used by staff for dealing with behaviour are sensitive, appropriate and take into account children's level of understanding.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. The setting operates an open door policy and parents are welcome at any time. Parents know their child's key worker and receive regular feed back about their child's achievements. Staff keep parents informed about what their children are doing and learning through daily communication and written daily records. Regular newsletters, progress reports, photographs and a parent notice board keep them appropriately informed. Children clearly benefit from the positive partnership that has developed with parents throughout the setting, as it supports links with home and increases their sense of belonging. Parents value the approachability of the staff and the warm welcome they receive.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The organisation of the group is flexible and effective. Staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities and have accessed appropriate training to do their jobs well. Children clearly benefit from the suitable daily routine, enabling them to participate in a range of activities that interest them. They are relaxed and happy and are beginning to initiate and progress their own play as they interact successfully with peers and staff.

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Organisation

Staffing ratios are maintained and staff are deployed appropriately. This promotes children's sense of security and emotional well-being. Space is used appropriately and children are able to relax, play and move around freely and safely. A wide range of well written policies and procedures which contribute to children's health and safety is in place, regularly reviewed and implemented appropriately. Policy documents are shared with parents to keep them well informed about the childcare and education. Staff are appropriately vetted and have suitable skills and experience to work with children.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of the setting is satisfactory. A great deal has been achieved in a short period of time since the nursery opened under new management. The manager and deputy manager have clearly defined roles and clear ideas for the nursery in the future. They play a very active part in the day to day operations within the nursery, providing strong support for the whole staff team. Appropriate aims for children's care and education are shared with staff as they all attend and play an active part in planning meetings. This ensures they are included in the planning process and are aware of the learning intentions for focused activities. The dedication and commitment from staff ensure they work together to provide sufficient learning experiences for children. However, the systems in place to evaluate and monitor the quality of the educational provision are informal. Therefore, children's learning and the

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Organisation

organisation of the setting to help children develop and initiate their own play is not fully monitored. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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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

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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): • improve changing facilities to reduce and prevent the risk of cross infection • ensure all equipment used by children is safe • ensure fire evacuation procedures are routinely practised • develop further younger children's assessments records.

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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): • extend opportunities for children to practise writing for a purpose • ensure the early years curriculum matches the differing levels of individual children's learning needs • consider careful and rigorous monitoring and evaluation of the organisation of the setting to help children develop and initiate their own play and ensure there are no omissions in the curriculum.

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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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